2/2 Instead we witness a polarisation of extremes - those who demand that the better-off keep all their wealth, versus those who are thought to believe that all individual wealth should be sacrificed for the benefit of those who don't help create it. We need to elect people who value compromise.
It's very hard to defend democracy when there is so much wrong with our supposedly democratic institutions. That means ensuring that people understand the need to create a society which recognises and rewards those who contribute to it while helping the less fortunate. 1/2
Brexit and Trump both show that politicians have to offer the voters something better than whatever they have now. Both won by showing what was bad, true or not. Successful govts focus on making things better, not chasing the culprits for the state of the economy. Pragmatism gets results.
I hope you'll have a read of this. I pushed for an alliance of the decent at the last election. It wil be ever more important for upcoming elections. Labour is no longer a force for the greater good.
It is a foreboding for the pillaging of pensions by unscrupulous financial institutions. The sort of thing the last Tory government would of been happy to do. I bet Osborne is rubbing his hands together.
Of course, this is nothing to do with freeports and SEZs which Starmer and Reeves continue to embrace. The vultures will all be lining up now after that post from Starmer.
Well said Clive. This strategy along with deregulation will only lead to tears, more wasted public money and more failing services as profits are extracted and the usual cycle of boom and bust causes poverty and deprivation. Have we really foregotten 2008 so quickly?
Lord Peter Mandelson worked as a senior adviser to BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. He joined BlackRock in 2011 after leaving politics, offering strategic advice.
I have to admit, no idea what you are saying, I suspect its OK , but can't work out if you're pro Labour or anti. Sorry if I have misunderstood but ...no idea
There are a number of ways we could work with big business.
1. We could take its excessive profits for the people.
2. We could nationalise them.
Either way the people would get the profits not shareholders. But this will never happen.
I should have added that if the Labour govt had any real courage it would re-nationalise the utilities sold off cheap by the Tories but only for the actual price they were originally sold off for.
A good clear thoughtful and helpful thread - while glad of the election win I found myself tired of "Tory chaos 22bn black hole" very quickly which is a bad sign. The party must listen to disagreement and set out a clear strategy rather than just blaming the other lot, crap though they are.
But you’re backing him Clive, you are part of the problem - you clock in as a member of his administration and represent his leadership. Your agency and income are founded in his branding. A post doesn’t resolve this dissonance
My thoughts exactly. Labour are charlatans, I don't know how anyone in good conscience can support them after the blatant lies they've told to the electorate. Nothing but a front for the rich now
With respect, being an MP in a party doesn't necessarily mean you back the leader 100%. UK parties have generally been relatively broad coalitions, and there is an argument that Clive's agency comes from the constituents who voted for him.
I’ve been in a political party where I disagreed with my own leader, believe me I get it. I just find this performative when he is enacting the policies he states are going to hurt his constituents. It feels performative - a way of arguing rather than taking actual responsibility
YES! We need New Narratives! Compelling, truthful, explanations of the pickle we're in. Narrative is powerful shorthand for complex ideas for our human brains. We need more from everyone - new stories in all forms - the antithesis of Ayn Rand for a post-neoliberal world if we are to survive.
A brilliant thread.
This is what got us Brexit, Trump, Johnson, Trump and if Starmer doesn’t heed the warning signs we will be where the US is today. We already have malign actors waiting in the wings….
The reasons are the same for the rise of the far-right across the world.
Clive, Blackrock is a major U.K. employer, how much PAYE/NICs do you think they contribute?PM is head of country he supposed start picking a war with owners and investors in U.K. businesses? country rejected Corbynism. Get behind, build a better country rather than sniping from sidelines.Do better.
i don’t support it, i merely making the point that the actual PM of this country can’t just go around pissing off people with billions to invest and billions of downstream taxes … if the country gets poorer, it will make the welfare state worse…
This is not a good argument for selling off the welfare state to private equity. We'll end up paying more, taxpayers money being handed out to BlackRock while services crumble. It's appalling.
Furthermore, your point about Corbynism needs more discussion than simply saying “rejected” are you suggesting that Starmer has a popular mandate to do these things?
Starmer got 3.2 MILLION votes less than Corbyn got in 2017 and even got nearly a million less votes than 2019.
I fully understand how the FPTP electorate system works but in 2019 every seat lost was a reactionary Brexit voting constituency that swung back in 2024.
still don’t understand what point you think you are making. we have a FPTP system in the UK, so people understand that and vote accordingly. Labour won more votes than any other party in 2024 -you do understand that right? You do understand in the previous elections you refer to they won less votes?
Great thread Clive and all of it pertinent
My first question on reading the PM's post was "which people's pockets?" For a lawyer he's not very good at defining terms 😞
I’m not a Labour voter Clive, but your thread is spot on! For me the Westminster chaos and attitude towards Scotland makes Independence our only option. That said, I fully agree with your points.
alarming trend young people voting for trump. clearly generational inequality is to blame and the fact the global system is not helping them. they have seen centrist parties (lab and dems) shut down the left who speak to their values so are now turning to far right as last resort.
The Blair gov improved the lives of British people, all govs since have diminished them. But Blair made two huge mistakes Iraq and PFI. By thinking he could magic the costs of building hospitals and schools he left many in hock to big business that fleeced them dry. Will Starmer make same mistake?
The problem is that highlighting this would lead to "unelectable" claims being highlighted across the billionaire owned press. The vested neoliberal interests have very strong political influence...
They did. Rome wasn’t built in a day. There are many things I’m unhappy about, but I accept I will have to wait my turn. And tbf I am not happy with the priorities and bedmates chosen. But atm it’s a case of needs must. That said, poverty must be addressed and child poverty in particular.
I’m a lifelong Labour voter and I’m delighted with his intent/ policies ..no Rwanda, fair pay for workers, housing, NHS, better education, improved public transport , green energy and an EU/ world outlook again none of which would have happened under Tories .. not perfect but def not sold out !
Yeah, same with me. I couldn't endorse this "version" of Labour despite voting for them for 30+ years. I voted green as they were the only party seemingly facing up to what needed to be fixed in this country.
That’s because the msm definition of socialist has lost any connection to its fundamental principles. It is now used by the right to mean ‘anyone slightly to the left of me’. Actual socialists are ‘hate-filled extremists’.
He told so many lies that people convinced themselves that he was lying just to get elected. Remember when people used to say that you had to win power to change things? Just what have they changed?
The Greens have policies on wealth tax, as Labour should but can't because they've made a promise to the City. Proper wealth taxation, which would separate capital required for a business to run, would avoid the current fight with most farmers (and isolate the super-rich using them for camouflage)
Greens are currently doing classic opp thing of being all things to all ppl where it can benefit them. Left in the cities, but often conservative stances in rural areas eg https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrlx7z64n4o
The only policy platform is the national one, which is very socialist. I vote Green for that most of all. Here you see one MP taking an odd stance and say that's the party, as if the party itself coordinated his stance as part of a bait-and-switch game that's in their blood. They did not.
Depends on your definition. Greens are anti-capitalist, advocate for circular, zero growth economy with focus on quality of life and human flourishing. They are a libertarian socialist party imo but span from socialist to social democratic.
That's not a libertarian socialist view but I'd take over what we have now. I'd prefer to see worker owned cooperatives and, participatory democracy but hey id vote for that over what we have now.
You can only take that argument *so* far.
Under FPTP voting Green/whoever is irrelevant if the Tories win. It wouldn’t be much consolation if the Tories had got in again but more people had voted Green!
Thing is, starmer no longer needs to.maintain his deceptions - he now has power and he can now lie with impunity and cosy up to far-right and private enterprise as much as he wants. Those who were rightly desperate to get rid of the corrupt tories have enabled him. This will only get worse.
I don’t think it’s wholly difficult for the PM to create this new narrative either.
All the evidence needed of the culprits is available by a simple Google search.
I’m so happy to see you here! I’m excited that I won’t have to read the comments under your posts and feel utter rage at the racist trolls who seek you out. Keep up the good work, my friend! 👏🏽👏🏽
It also seems to ignore the simple fact that foreign investment is based on a calculation that over time said investors will get back more than they put in (see utilities investors). They are not investing here because they love crumpets and the Proms.
Will I ever see a ‘proper’ Labour Party again in my lifetime?
I’m 68, so sadly, probably not.
I admire you for hanging in there Clive because you’re a decent Democrat Socialist and a damned good MP, but it must be demoralising for you. 🇵🇸✊🏻
I wouldn't call @labourlewis.bsky.social a Tory! 😂😍
My impression of him is as a fairly progressive Labour MP of the left, & possibly a little too "outside the mainstream" for the Labour leadership which is why he isn't (yet) on the front-bench? An excellent constituency MP.
That's okay, I didn't mean to offend. 😍 I guess I'm protective of Mr. Lewis! 😂
I'm keeping my powder dry on Keir Starmer at the moment.
On the one hand, we may all want him to be bolder & more progressive. On the other, as PM, he has to reach out to untraditional Labour constituencies.
I think I just find it bizarre/frustrating/disappointing to see a labour prime minister at a table with an unethical investor like BlackRock, talking about growth and wealth. I hoped he might be more focused on redistributing wealth than creating it.
And you don’t think he is? So the increase of the minimum wage, the improvement in working conditions working with unions, and banning of zero hour contracts, says what to you?
I imagine it’s more along the lines of any criticism of my own party makes me a Tory. Which is a shame because the B-corps she’s involved with are actually part of the solution to more equitable wealth building.
It’s interesting how totally unspoken this shift is, it’s probably only 4 years since criticism of your own party has been seen as this visceral betrayal as it is now. Not saying it was ever fully celebrated, but it was legitimate at least.
Having no clue who or what Black Rock is, many of us have been doing a bit of rapid keying to find it's the biggest fund manager in the world with an unfortunate connection to fossil fuels, something #Rodney must have missed.
Many of us are also bemused by his repeated bigging up of growth.
Thank you for researching! For me this particular news is so concerning in a world where finance holds so much power over the future of our planet - https://www.edie.net/blackrocks-support-for-esg-resolutions-plummets/?amp=true we really need these big investors to be considering a triple bottom line in every decision.
I’m co-founder of a campaigning group trying to bring the water industry back into public ownership, a topic Clive has brilliantly proposed a bill to try and tackle. And Keir is talking in the post about about ‘growth and wealth creation’, just like a Tory. Nothing to own except a lack of clarity!
You are spot on here Clive. I’m very concerned about how reform will do in the next Senedd elections in Wales. Labour do not explain their decisions and seem out of touch with those on the ground. I’ve been a Labour member for years but am seriously considering cancelling my membership.
The issue, to me, seems, that while there is laudable intent behind the “progressive” argument, to most voters that is easily seen to be hijacked by the loony fringes, with unelectable back catalogues. Ppl are expecting undeliverable miracles from this new govt.
I try to be supportive of the PM and the Labour government (the alternative being horrific 😱😱), but you're absolutely right.
ATM, all KS and co are promising is more of the same, just more efficiently and with a concerned expression on their faces when people who are suffering continue to suffer.
Has to be the worst political comms I've ever seen from any government. Starmer needs to fire his entire media team lmao a 16 year old with a tiktok account could have told him celebrating BlackRock was a bad idea
The right are a chippy offering ol' blighty, beer, cod n chips, in 5 minutes flat. Spirit of the Blitz & this sceptred isle & cricket & foreigners to hate & blame & shout at.
Democrats are a very slow fancy restaurant offering a 16 course tasting banquet that the MSM writes bad reviews about. 🤷♂️
This is a great thread, Clive. Thank you. I believe that Special Economic Zones and Free-ports are part of what you describe. They are ruinous for most people except the few investors @europeanpowell.bsky.social has been trying to explain how destructive these are for years.
It looks like I agree with much of what you post/repost on your timeline, but I tend not to listen to conspiracy theorists, so we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one.
Totally agree. I'm happy we have a Labour government but I wish to God they would think long and hard about what's just happened in the US and adjust policies and narrative to win hearts and minds.
I think he is following his script given to him by the elites, and media giants that actually control the show. The UKs decline will continue because the budget is designed to destroy SME’s the life blood of the UK.
Please 🙏🙏support my campaign link and share my link please your support will mean a lot For my kids 💔💔and it will save many lives. 🙏🇵🇸🇵🇸https://gofund.me/83e64f24
Thank you Clive for keeping your head on straight, one of the few good 'uns left. Absolutely agree, the narrative from Labour cannot be "business as usual (but without quite as much corruption)" or we might as well just invite Farage to form a gov't
Eh? I think you're missing the point. Ofc they aren't the same, but *those aren't the only two options*. The type of black-and-white thinking you demonstrate here is why Harris lost, there is another way
Or perhaps you haven't considered that there is an alternative? The choice is a) business as usual (with varying degrees of corruption), b) fascism or c) a proper socialist manifesto like the one Corbyn offered which *won more votes* than Starmer got. Or did you believe the whole antisemitism thing?
I voted for Corbyn both times. He lost both times, and the analysis of getting more votes than ks is fallacious because we only had three parties in 2019 and we had 5 in 24 The Uk doen twant left-wing socialism and Farage s rise. Should give you a clue to that.
Exactly!
We actually even considered moving to Norwich to be in his constituency. ( Cheaper than where I am now)
( One of our kids doesn’t like too far away from there)
The argument that in order to succeed we cannot have anything to do with business’s like Blackrock is a little juvenile. Would you prefer civil servants to allocate capital, manage your pension fund etc?
Don't worry while labours bowing down to the neo liberal doctrine and selling the country further down the river, they are simultaneously priming the entire country for farage 29 because Starmers clearly so monstrously out of touch. We are fucked.
It’s time (gone time, really) to act on George Monbiot’s advice: develop & tell as loudly and often as possible a strong “restoration” story, in which the ills that beset us are solved by switching priorities…
1/2 https://youtu.be/xDKth-qS8Jk?si=ewAsEQUjXOeJxAfd
@georgemonbiot.bsky.social
2/2
…from careless consumerism to sustainable living; from competition to collaboration; and from infinite and uneven economic growth to moderate prosperity (to borrow and adapt a Chinese concept) for everyone.
A short piece of info on how a psychopathic corporation is destroying people. Starmer couldn't be more blatant about his intention to hand a country to private interests and vultures. https://youtu.be/ZxZO0jd8VoU
What bull 💩 from Starmer. Privatising the nation is not the only way to achieve growth, how about SM/CU for starters. So much for change, so much for serving the people. He’s losing me, though I couldn’t vote for him anyway because of FPTP, something else he’s ridiculously stubborn about 🤬
For me it is a different problem. #brexit has killed the financial services sector. The Tories basically handed the UK's great strength in finance to Paris and Frankfurt. Outside of everyone's financial systems and especially regulations, I can't see how the UK can claw back any of that market.
Thank you Clive! I feel you have totally understood it. It’s just a shame that those who lead our country seem to sellout, rather than look to serve the best interests of the country.
Not sure of this either, but there are unpalatable decisions being made to rebuild the economy and then I hope we'll see some social policies coming in.
I'm still no clearer on why rejoining the CM is off the table as that would be an instant economic boost.
I despise everything this Labour stands for and doubt they will do anything for the masses. Except a few crumbs to try and differentiate with the Tories.
I am more and more convinced that in or current world the only actual power is held by those who are super rich and who hold all the levels of power. It reminds me of a scene in Wolf Hall where a powerful baron is threatening rebellion against H8 and Cromwell says he will get bankers to call in debt
He points out to the Baron that he won’t have any money to equip, pay or feed his troops, Baron realises he actually is making a threat that is powerless…
The oligarchs control us all, they are hoping when the works ends their bunkers will protect them
Would you be interested in writing this as an opinion piece for East Anglia Bylines?
We are independent and IMPRESS regulated.
If interested, please email @[email protected]
Modem politics: you can safely annoy progressives, most employers, farmers, the elderly, local authorities etc - but don't you dare do anything that makes The City even a little disappointed.
Very good post Clive. Explains the issue very clearly.
Labour’s “Freeports” SEZs policy is another example of this. People need control over their own lives not control being given to large corporations under the guise of localism.
You understand the issues very well Clive and are exactly right. I think you believe you can pull Labour left. I think you’re wrong. Labour is irredeemable, since they won’t abide by international law. Personally think you’d do well in the Green Party, where you’d not be told to ‘stay in your lane’
Is the main reason that he's a corrupt, lying, genocidal Tory arsehole that is soully focused on earning money for big corporations and the already obscenely rich?
Very insightful.
I think you've got it spot on, we all love a good story with villains, heroes and happy endings.
But the story the far right are selling is fiction and we need to call it out at every opportunity.
Yes and the left needs a much better story too.
As long as Labour people like you sit on your hands, it's not going to change. Challenge the deeply unpopular leadership. You'll lose, but then you can start building for the next election outside the party. Starmer, Lammy and others are very vulnerable next time. A UK Red/Green Alliance could do it
Starmer is a useful idiot for Netanyahu and corporate interests, that's all. Maybe you should be asking yourself why you're even associated with these people?
I can't tell you how reassuring it is to hear a sitting MP make these arguments. The game isn't over yet. There is someone in power who understands the problem and the solution.
Great to see a grown up discussion.
40+yrs of a terrible social experiment has brought here that's impossible to fix in any 5yr Parliment
The problem- how do you explain to a populace who (like me) once bought into the false dream.
@BlackRock are the bad guys. The oligarchs have captured governments everywhere. We are forced to make decisions between "the lesser of two evils" over and over again as billionaires purchase more, control more and lie/obfuscate about what they're doing. #TaxBillionaires
Blackrock will eat these two village idiots, Starmer and Reeves for breakfast.
Lewis seems like one of the small number of decent people in New Labour.
The UK is on the cusp of something really bad imo, keep being you though, Clive, keep trying, keep pushing. The ONLY way to fight the right wing is to offer real change,real alternative.
Who is the mythical "far right" you refer to and why do you seem unconcerned about the far left? The far left rhetoric in defence of your family farm tax is right out of Stalin's playbook.
2. Something like, ‘the reason you’re in an overpriced, damp rental; your gran lives in squalor; your job is low paid/insecure &your public services crumbling - is because elites declared war on workers, favoured immigrants & made your life more expensive with their ‘green crap
4. This is a story. It has ‘beginning, middle & end or rather it sets the scene, explains why we are where we are and offers a solution. In other words it has goodies, baddies and happy ending.
We just have to ensure that we don't fall into the same trap, because all the far right give is a story. They feed off the 'them and us' and it's in their interests to keep the 'them and us'. We can name the goodies and baddies, but we must also provide the happy ending, and unite the them and us.
5.Labour’s story, just like the US Democrats, doesn’t make narrative sense.
Rather than explain how 40 years of atomising, neoliberal plunder; the selling-off of & destruction of our public services; the undermining or our democracy, the hollowing out and selling off of our natural resources…
@labourlewis.bsky.social - have you and @rbreich.bsky.social spoken? Establishment Dems might refuse to learn from their mistakes. But as you rightly say, there's no reason for Labour folk to copy this ostrich-like behaviour.
(1) There is another narrative that has been inculcated into the public’s mindset by the plutocracy; that of taxation being bad. Wage suppression (trickle-up economics) helps this, the low waged naturally resent tax and yet are unable to explain how to fill potholes
(2) find a policeman, an ambulance, a dentist, a school or a soldier - amongst many other things.
The plutocrat owned MSM teach us that (for the sake of argument) a 65% tax on income applies to my National Minion Wage.
(3) The nuance of “for income over £100k” is conveniently lost.
This is one area in which Labour are failing - communication. The other is progressive taxation.
Hey doofus, immigrant here. You English elites do NOT favour us, not in the slightest. Why are you being a xenophobic bigot? Auslander took your job rhetoric. Disgusting
Even more reason to tread carefully with the agricultural land IHT changes.
Govt / councils should be mandated to buy up any land sold to pay IHT and re-leased to actual farmers or people wanting to take up farming.
This will protect food producing land from developers / Corps.
The Labour parties refusal to discuss or talk about #Brexit hurts us and kills any chance of growth. There will be no growth with full realignment with the EU, and ultimately us rejoining. The no no no mantra today destroys hope for tomorrow
e.g. "You're worse off than you should be because of a financial crisis caused by rogue companies. Governments in the pockets of those rogue companies got rid of regulations that would've stopped them. We'll put those regulations back and get sustainable growth."
This is problematic. So many labour supporters argued the lesser of two evils and the necessity to boot out the Tories. That's great, but this cohort seemed wilfully blind to precisely this possibility
I agree with your points. We have to acknowledge that BlackRock exists and are the biggest asset manager on the planet - this can't be ignored. At least this meeting was publicised - so the likes of you can scrutinise. If it was the Tories it would be behind closed doors.
Exactly. Nobody is saying don’t talk to BlackRock. But a Labour PM making it part of his comms strategy is not going to be a message that resonates with…anyone?
I often think I'm turning into a centrist in my old age, then I see something like that Starmer post and just think aaaargh! So perhaps I'm not after all.
Comments
https://johnhuwevans.wordpress.com/2024/11/27/fascists-conservatives-labour-hope/
I don't approve of gratuitous insults. This is not gratuitous. He's a quisling.
A conflict of interests, me thinks 🤨
1. We could take its excessive profits for the people.
2. We could nationalise them.
Either way the people would get the profits not shareholders. But this will never happen.
Where is Labour going? We had so much hope when they were elected, but most decisions have been lukewarm at best and some decidedly dodgy.
This is what got us Brexit, Trump, Johnson, Trump and if Starmer doesn’t heed the warning signs we will be where the US is today. We already have malign actors waiting in the wings….
The reasons are the same for the rise of the far-right across the world.
Furthermore, your point about Corbynism needs more discussion than simply saying “rejected” are you suggesting that Starmer has a popular mandate to do these things?
Starmer got 3.2 MILLION votes less than Corbyn got in 2017 and even got nearly a million less votes than 2019.
I fully understand how the FPTP electorate system works but in 2019 every seat lost was a reactionary Brexit voting constituency that swung back in 2024.
My first question on reading the PM's post was "which people's pockets?" For a lawyer he's not very good at defining terms 😞
Oh my Lawd🤷♀️
Following
Under FPTP voting Green/whoever is irrelevant if the Tories win. It wouldn’t be much consolation if the Tories had got in again but more people had voted Green!
All the evidence needed of the culprits is available by a simple Google search.
I’m 68, so sadly, probably not.
I admire you for hanging in there Clive because you’re a decent Democrat Socialist and a damned good MP, but it must be demoralising for you. 🇵🇸✊🏻
Look to Ireland right now! ☘️It has NOT escaped my notice how well Ireland has been performing lately. 🌈
That’s why having voted Labour since 97, I voted Green. 🤷😢
My impression of him is as a fairly progressive Labour MP of the left, & possibly a little too "outside the mainstream" for the Labour leadership which is why he isn't (yet) on the front-bench? An excellent constituency MP.
I'm keeping my powder dry on Keir Starmer at the moment.
On the one hand, we may all want him to be bolder & more progressive. On the other, as PM, he has to reach out to untraditional Labour constituencies.
I think I just find it bizarre/frustrating/disappointing to see a labour prime minister at a table with an unethical investor like BlackRock, talking about growth and wealth. I hoped he might be more focused on redistributing wealth than creating it.
I suppose a tepid defence is that Prime Ministers have to speak with everyone & leave the door open, even if it is unethical. 😳
But fwiw I don’t think that message was a hostile one.
Having no clue who or what Black Rock is, many of us have been doing a bit of rapid keying to find it's the biggest fund manager in the world with an unfortunate connection to fossil fuels, something #Rodney must have missed.
Many of us are also bemused by his repeated bigging up of growth.
ATM, all KS and co are promising is more of the same, just more efficiently and with a concerned expression on their faces when people who are suffering continue to suffer.
https://x.com/labourlewis/status/1859716835165471050
Democrats are a very slow fancy restaurant offering a 16 course tasting banquet that the MSM writes bad reviews about. 🤷♂️
We actually even considered moving to Norwich to be in his constituency. ( Cheaper than where I am now)
( One of our kids doesn’t like too far away from there)
Comply,or we form a majority of another party.
I can think of one particular independent MP who'd be happy to lead Labour back to the actual Left where it belongs.
I don't think very many who voted Labour would complain.
Coup.
I understand some Labour advisers think Kamala Harris failed because she relied on celebrity endorsements, which is very superficial analysis.
This thread by @anatosaurus.bsky.social is, in contrast, an insider perspective that's well worth considering
https://bsky.app/profile/anatosaurus.bsky.social/post/3lamkin4unc24
1/2
https://youtu.be/xDKth-qS8Jk?si=ewAsEQUjXOeJxAfd
@georgemonbiot.bsky.social
…from careless consumerism to sustainable living; from competition to collaboration; and from infinite and uneven economic growth to moderate prosperity (to borrow and adapt a Chinese concept) for everyone.
This would also, I assume, be the Blackrock implicated in human rights and environmental abuses.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/20/blackrock-climate-human-rights
The PM and Chancellor have ignored Keynes, let along MMT, opting for neo-corporatism.
Shocking decision.
https://youtu.be/ZxZO0jd8VoU
https://www.techopedia.com/who-owns-the-most-blk-stock#:~:text=Institutional%20investors%20are%20the%20largest,some%20of%20the%20largest%20stakes.
Have you seen a GP about them?
I'm still no clearer on why rejoining the CM is off the table as that would be an instant economic boost.
The oligarchs control us all, they are hoping when the works ends their bunkers will protect them
Westminster blinkers and no real change, whilst the rest of Europe moves on.
#ScottishIndependence is the escape route for us.
We are independent and IMPRESS regulated.
If interested, please email @[email protected]
https://amp.dw.com/en/angela-merkels-rival-friedrich-merz-and-the-vast-shadowy-power-of-blackrock/a-46492601
Now I am firmly pro-Scottish Indy. Politics/policies here in Scotland are marginally kinder, marginally more left.
Labour’s “Freeports” SEZs policy is another example of this. People need control over their own lives not control being given to large corporations under the guise of localism.
And if it isn't out in the open then let's get that matter resolved first.
I think you've got it spot on, we all love a good story with villains, heroes and happy endings.
But the story the far right are selling is fiction and we need to call it out at every opportunity.
Yes and the left needs a much better story too.
More power to your elbow Clive!
"We are breaking our backs for a growth that we do not benefit from."
"Economic growth does lead to profit and wealth creation, yes — but it goes to fewer and fewer people. "
https://bsky.app/profile/timsmedley.bsky.social/post/3layjipiqrk2p
40+yrs of a terrible social experiment has brought here that's impossible to fix in any 5yr Parliment
The problem- how do you explain to a populace who (like me) once bought into the false dream.
They are right to focus on “growth” but that needs help from business…in return business needs EU SM+CU to make EU trade effortless again.
Sadly Starmer rules this out so the economy will continue to decline.
Why can’t he see it?
Lewis seems like one of the small number of decent people in New Labour.
Whether you like it or not, the far-right has a set of common narratives. We can probably all recite them…
I’m not a fan of the far left or the far right but I don’t pretend one doesn’t exist!
(Also wouldn’t describe the current Labour government as far left)
Rather than explain how 40 years of atomising, neoliberal plunder; the selling-off of & destruction of our public services; the undermining or our democracy, the hollowing out and selling off of our natural resources…
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/gm-corporate-greed-and-the-reason?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=365422&post_id=151985825&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3zgir&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
The plutocrat owned MSM teach us that (for the sake of argument) a 65% tax on income applies to my National Minion Wage.
This is one area in which Labour are failing - communication. The other is progressive taxation.
Govt / councils should be mandated to buy up any land sold to pay IHT and re-leased to actual farmers or people wanting to take up farming.
This will protect food producing land from developers / Corps.
-In the US, as in the UK, elections are *Snake v Snake* contests.
Has the genocide ended?
Are UK children being fed?
Are domestic-fuel prices going down?
Is our NHS safe?
Was there even a Party to elect that had answers to these questions?
I’m reminded a of the phrase “Whoever controls the land controls the people.”
It is a challenge to simplify messaging in the same way as right-wingers do, because our analyses and policies take account of nuance.
But it's worth attempting.
Thanks for this excellent thread.