[Politics] Where is Britain going?

[davywavy]

In 1925, Leon Trotsky wrote a pamphlet titled “Where is Britain going”. As a historical document it’s an interesting read, considering how much of it came true. Obviously, he thought the dire predictions he made would be a bad thing if they came true and the whole thing was a bit of a warning to the revolutionary forces which would soon sweep the

Comments

[anonymous]

"a state-ruin economy".

Was that deliberate or a freudian slip?

[davywavy]

Typo, and corrected, but an apt one.

[matgb]

he reason is that this is a tragedy is that it alienates the very people whose support they really need in order to achieve their objectives by espousing centrally-planned command economic solutions. Lovelock has said that if the environmental movement is to achieve its goals it needs to involve the markets and their adherents. He’s right as well, but I can’t help but feel the Green party is so locked into a feedback loop of its own intellectual baggage (and that of the disaffected former labour supporters) than it will never do so. Pretty much, I recall reading a leftish green blog in the early days of the coalition, before the Huhne's dodgy points scandal broke, talking about how awful his solutions were to environmental issues, 'far too wedded to markets, we know they never work

[matgb]

I think a vast chunk of its support base today

Was in 2010, definitely, and I think it'll reclaim a fair chunk of that over time. But there's also some within the party who're a bit like that as well.

I suggested that Clegg was relying an awful lot on people who had almost to the man signed off on the Orange Book, and that it would've been tactically very, very important for him to keep the left wing of the party happier if he wanted to keep the party's support within a tolerable marginYou weren't the only one saying/thinking that and yeah, you were right. Jennie was one of the prime movers in the conference call between Clegg's staff and a bunch of senior activists on the whole "Snooper's Charter" thing, and it was incredibly frustrating to be in the room during the discussion, and for her and those calling in, it took ages to get through to them that we weren't just objecting to mass email surveillance and similar because it was technically difficult and difficult to implement, we were objecting to the idea on principle because

[davywavy]

I'd certainly say I'm one of those Whigs currently rooming with the Conservatives. I have - reasonably often - considered voting for you, but the SDP-type are just...you know...I can't give them succour.

[hairyears]

Plus, of course, housing. Quite an important topic for your 'social conscience' types, what with one-family-to-a-room becoming normal in the slums

[davywavy]

I recall reading a report on social housing across a couple of years back which concluded that the UK had above average provision of social housing as a percentage of housing stock.

So that, per se, isn't the problem. The problem is that over the last decade we've built dwellings for a million fewer people than the population has increased by. I cover that one here: http://davywavy.livejournal.com/551331.html

My opinion hasn't changed since I wrote it.

[davywavy]

One thing that does wind me up, though - and I mean really, really wind me up - is the smug assumption that other people are voting against their best interests. Because obviously you know what their best interests are, and they don't.

The big problem with that assumption is that it's complete arsebiscuits. People know what their best interests are, and don't need you or me to tell them what they are. In fact, if you begin from the assumption that other people are acting in their best interest, the world suddenly makes a great deal more sense.

[hairyears]

Might I just say lower taxes, more affordable housing, and higher wages are in my interest, fo' definite.