Yes comrades, I've come crawling miserably back after...over two weeks. All I can really say is sorry, I'm a failure and hopefully the lack of posting won't happen again on this scale.
Righty then, if I'm honest, one of the reasons I haven't updated is that not an awful lot has happened...in the world of UKYP or wider. Labour have been screwed over a little more by Joanna Lumley and her army, South Africa elected a new leader and that's all I can really think of.
However, I finally thought of something. It probably won't have particularly wide appeal but then I don't have a particularly wide readership. The subject for today is the lack of iconic figures in the left of centre world.
Jack Jones, a prominent union leader who had been in the Labour Party since his teens, fought in the Spanish Civil War and brokered power deals between James Callaghan's government and the unions in the late 70's died earlier this month.
His passing is another blow to the ever dwindling pool of figures that we on the left can look to and say "Yes, I look up to him/her" or "That's the kind of change I want to make". Or even just someone respected enough to get a slot in the press coverage for the left wing angle on a story.
Terry Fields, a socialist MP who fought against Thatcher both in parliament and as part of the 'Liverpool 47'; the councillors who controlled Liverpool during the harshest years and led most of the city in protests against the Tory's assault, is also dead. Another venerable lefty gone and with him a whole generation of protest and inspiration. Most of the other Liverpool 47's
are getting on too and there doesn't look to be anyone in Britain stepping into their very large shoes.
Even dear, wonderful, Tony Benn is in his eighties. He still goes to Tolpuddle every year and attends marches and protests galore, but for how much longer? He's a giant amongst the progressive movement when he dies there's going to be a huge gaping hole in the collective heart of lefties everywhere.
I suppose the real question is why there is no new generation coming into prominence? I'd imagine it's something to do with the general consensus amongst the political elites that most forms of progressivism, from Marxism to Keynesianism had been discredited for roughly the last thirty years. Obviously something I'd disagree with, and obviously something proved wrong with the onset of a financial crisis triggered by neo-liberal economics. However, it doesn't change the fact that it created an atmosphere where anyone speaking against globalisation, unlimited credit and de-regulation was met with a sort of amused look and told where to go. Namely, the political wilderness.
To finish then, all we can really hope, is that over the next ten years or so, new icons for the left will spring up and help lead a new generation of progressive politics and that will fuel a general acceptance that a new order is needed; green, democratic and socialist for the future, rather than polluting, corrupt and capitalist ghosts from the past.
Hope you enjoyed. I'm very tired so please excuse the lack of amusingess etc
Solidarity
RedFred
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ReplyDeleteHear hear!
ReplyDeleteI think if you look carefully at history most figures of the left have been phased out of popularity on the international stage because people have seen the true strength and oppression of the left. I'm talking of course about Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, those who built careers on 'workers rights.'
ReplyDeleteAs for socialism in this country it was phased into unpopularity by the public who were so angered at the power of the self glorifying unions all fighting for their own provocative interests causing economic chaos and widespread problems such as water shortages, power cuts and food shortages. This was the winter of discotent and is the reason their have been no figures of the left in a long while. People have lived under the capitalist new labour for over a decade now, and have felt the benefits as a result. The departure of Tony Blair has left the country in the hands of one Gordon Brown who has caused the downfall of a party, paving the way for another populist capitalist.