The Blairites are beginning to panic about Jeremy Corbyn | Michael Meacher
There’s a lot more to this, but here’s the most interesting part (in This Writer’s opinion):
Right from 2010, and before, the Blairites have made the absolutely fundamental error of demanding that the way to reduce the deficit was by harsh and persistent cuts in benefits and public expenditure. If that is the message that we’re sending out to the electorate, why should they vote for us when we’re seen as no different from the Tories? And it’s not as though their policy, the same as the Tories’ policy, is actually working. It isn’t: the deficit today is still stuck at a massive £90bn and has hardly reduced at all after 5 years of Osborne austerity. It’s as though Keynes never lived. With the Blairites it’s back to the discredited Montague Norman economics of the 1920s. They have no vision, their only cry is for ‘fiscal responsibility’ which means making the low-paid, the jobless, and the 18-25 year olds pay the price for the arrogance, the recklessness, the greed, and the incompetence of the banks.The reason that Jeremy Corbyn is so popular, and could actually win this contest, is that he uniquely stands for making a clean break with Tory policies, above all by advocating growth as the way to pay down the deficit, not austerity which is being used by the Tories, with the complicity of the Blairites, to destroy the whole of the post-war social democratic settlement.
Source: The Blairites are beginning to panic about Jeremy Corbyn | Michael Meacher
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Couldnt agree with that sentiment more!
We witness Labour beginning to tear itself apart. It’s becoming increasingly clear it’s the wrong party for anyone who could be described as left.
No, it is becoming increasingly clear that Labour needs to clear out the neoliberal Tories-in-disguise who are deliberately trying to wreck the party.
Absolutely aggree. This was discussed at a branch meeting I was at on saturday. Everyone there supported Corbyn… some with a few reservations,but all going to push the constituency to support him.
Only way to go.
An economy works on the amount of money that passes through people’s hands. The population need to spend money to keep businesses working and things being made etc.
The ‘poor’ spend just about all the money they get on goods and services, the more they have the more they spend on ‘real things.’
On the other hand the rich will hoard more of their money or spend it on assets or intangibles. They will purchase high end stuff like Mercedes or bmw or on art etc. this is dead money as far as the British economy is concerned. It is either disappearing into financial institutions or abroad.
Granted financial institutions could be investing but clearly they are mostly putting their money into stuff that only benefits those same institutions rather than the general wealth.
Cutting the proportion of money available to the poorer part of the community is actually stifling this fiscal churn and crippling any chance at economic growth or recovery. Though strangely the financial sector seem to be doing well out of it.
Absolutely correct. This blog – and many others, along with the respectable economists – has been saying the same for years.
We literally cannot afford to keep the rich. Rather than being the wealth creators so beloved of Chuka Umunna and Andy Burnham, they are literally preventing the economy from working as it should.
And dear old Harriet Harman has just agreed to take even more money from the poor.
I despair.
Ditto! Neilth well said !
Sorry Mike but they are afraid that he will make Labour even more unelectable.
You will no doubt disagree, and I also am disappointed that that is the the case but I have said it before, the country wil not elect a left wing government.
You are obviously old enough to remember 1983, well attitudes have worsened since then, I have experienced it.
Constant misinformation from a biased maf…sorry media and the dividing of the UK almost complete, we can unfortunately look forward to neoliberal governments for many years to come.
Look on the bright side – I may be right!
Hope you are right Mike, one day there may be an awakening.
It all depends on how hard we are prepared to fight. To say that selecting Corbyn will make Labour unelectable is, in my opinion, simply defeatist.
I for one will not accept that… not without a fight. When I met Burnham a week ago, he couldn’t look me in the eye. THAT said enough to me.
I look at this as someone barely able to remember 1983, let alone have any political interest at that time (I was 5 and my name isn’t Jacob Rees-Mogg), but my belief has always been that Thatcher’s success was down to views as you very much eschew, giving left wing socialism the cold shoulder believing it wrecked the economy. Michael Foot I think may have come along far too soon. We’re 32 years on from that now though, we’ve seen what the neo liberal right-wing capitalism has done and are we any better off? For the most part no. Corbyn may well be coming along now at just the right time – I think you’re wrong, I think there is appetite for reforming the party and making it electable again. He’s got a lot of tory-esque dross to clear out of the Labour party, he may even cause it to fracture very much as it did in the 80’s, (perhaps that is the party’s natural cycle) but what remains will be a Labour party reminiscent of its roots. That is the kind of Labour Party I could get excited about, the kind of Labour Party I could vote for. Its the party that should be my natural fit, yet I’ve never voted for them in my life. I wonder why that could be…..Harman’s behaviour today left me in no doubt for sure….
I was 27 in 1983, but Damian, you’re right. I think it’s the right time for that Corbyn chap to bring about real and positive change[s] for Labour and help expose the tories for what they are.
Keep the faith and never give up!
I can see why the Blairite are panicking. Corbyn as leader equals certain defeat. Burnham will probably be leader unfortunately, although he carries a lot of baggage with him regarding constant refusal to be interested in the North Staffs scandal when Health Minister plus a few other things. The Conservatives, on the other hand, would be delighted to have the successor to Kinnock and Foot get chosen.
Corbyn as leader means a completely different playing field – one on which the Conservatives may be outflanked at any time.
I can see why you Tories are panicking too.
Keep digging your North Staffs hole when you discuss Burnham. Two points: 1. He only became health secretary after the issue broke. 2. The total number of unnecessary deaths – according to the official report – was “possibly” one.
If only you could get your facts right, eh?
Ouch!! Truth hurts tories ;)
I was going to say something profound… but have run out of coherent thought at 3.48 am!
Suffice it to say, Meacher is one of the few Labour members who has been consistently outspoken against the Blairite, tory-lite set; the career-types who have led the party into something akin to disrepute amongst the ordinary ‘hard-working’ people of this country.
If Corbyn is selected, I think his biggest problem will be forming a shadow cabinet that will be equally supportive of his message, beliefs and policies. Who would that include? That remains to be seen.
He could go the Lincoln route – a cabinet of people with differing – as well as corresponding – views.
Corbyn is the only hope Labour has of ever gaining power.
Someone who won’t be afraid to challenge Camorons evil regime.
He needs to make a clean sweep and out all the closet tories who are sabotaging the Labour party.
As for Burnham *******
God help us if any of the other Tory contenders get the leadership.
We desperately need a strong opposition to this government, the clue is in the wording “0pposition” as the other contenders don’t seem to understand this concept!!!!