The problem for socialists and the “Autumn of Discontent” students is that socialism is another bourgeois revolution, not the final phase of social progress.
The Autumn of discontent is a worthy enterprise for well intentioned students who having a youthful belief in the benign intentions of the State want to “take the fight to the politicians” in the hope that politicians are part of the solution.
In reality of course machine politicians are the problem. Serried ranks of party hacks all having one eye on their careers and the other eye on the opposition party’s activities, whilst the rest of us are ignored or “managed” to ensure the various right and left vested interests are protected and promoted. It is easy to see why people can be beguiled by politicians, and their parties, because the only way onto politics is via one. But being part of a party requires a certain amount of abandoning of principles and promoting “groups” who are sympathetic with the party in question.
Students are a case in point. Student debt keeps the left wing educational establishment in work whilst transferring wealth from poor families to universities either as government debt (paid for out of taxation) or student loans. Other examples are the future pauperisation of the future young via payments for elderly care out of the elderly’s current wealth. How long before the State decides that in addition to covering elderly care out of inheritable wealth student loans can be paid out of actual inherited wealth. The State and its new industries like elderly care, education, child welfare, domestic abuse and crime all need paying for and tax can and will only go so far.
Young people should realise that socialists just want to turn the state into the Nation’s employer of choice for well…. left wing intellectual people who have no connection with the real working class. The bill of course is picked up by the poor old workers. The Conservatives want to do the right thing but in a system that can’t and has rarely ever delivered the “right thing”. They will and currently are doomed to fail. Corbyn is right about that.
We offer this warning to the young and old alike; just remember that your interests and the interests of the planet are not aligned with the interests of the State. The State is an 18th century institution designed to prevent civil war and to manage opposition using a crude binary model of government and opposition. In the two or three hundred years it has existed in its modern form it has done well to promote vested interests on left and right. Those interests are no more about ordinary people’s interests now than they have ever have been before.
Socialism and Corbyn’s “left” are as much part of the State as they are unashamedly about “the Labour Party”and its 1840’s values. They are “socialists”. Socialism is not about liberating the people it is about the party, and delivering the Party’s programme.
Only Blue revolution wants to bring together ordinary people in a new politics for the 21st century and re build Britain from the neighbourhood up! Not Parliament down.
