My fear is that no national leader can take on the unregulated offshore world of global finance and shadow banking unilaterally. But, that is what needs to be done if the system is to be rescued and re-engineered to first redirect, then completely replace the neoliberal's carefully constructed wealth pump that extracts the wealth from the population and moves it upwards into an ever more concentrated layer at the top.
In the end this all comes down to who benefits from our economy. That depends on how the economy is managed, and how society is structured. Any government that is serious about addressing this in a way that threatens or antagonises those in the top layer will have all the forces at the elites disposal turned on them. The irony of Starmer is that he never was a threat, but still they destroyed him. It's as if having it all is not enough. I think that possibly they sort of grasp that the anger and resentment their creation (the neolib economy) has caused has to be released by directing it at something. So they have chosen immigrants and foreigners and the vague and shape-shifting "enemy within" - that they can redefine as it suits ('shirkers', benefit 'cheats', the 'woke', metropolitan intellectuals, etc). They need Reform to vent this anger, but they must also know that ultimately this will fail. Either it will spark a civil war, or massive popular unrest that will eventually turn on them. It's 'kicking the can' in a entirely self-centred and desperately delusional way.
The difference between Mamdani and Starmer’s labour is that the former actually seem to have the intention of helping the people they stood for, whereas the latter just want to line their own pockets.
Their campaign against the left - who ought to be Labour’s strongest supporters - has managed to make things personal. I personally resent them, I automatically distrust them, I will be happy purely to see their defeat. The makerfield byeelection has no bad outcome for me. If Burnham wins, that’s a defeat for Starmer; if reform wins, that’s a defeat for Starmer. And if the greens win, that’s actual hope.
Apparently Peter Mandelson has expressed his support for Wes Streeting. Which in a sane world ought to be the kiss of ᴅᴇᴛʜ to the latter’s career.
My fear is that no national leader can take on the unregulated offshore world of global finance and shadow banking unilaterally. But, that is what needs to be done if the system is to be rescued and re-engineered to first redirect, then completely replace the neoliberal's carefully constructed wealth pump that extracts the wealth from the population and moves it upwards into an ever more concentrated layer at the top.
In the end this all comes down to who benefits from our economy. That depends on how the economy is managed, and how society is structured. Any government that is serious about addressing this in a way that threatens or antagonises those in the top layer will have all the forces at the elites disposal turned on them. The irony of Starmer is that he never was a threat, but still they destroyed him. It's as if having it all is not enough. I think that possibly they sort of grasp that the anger and resentment their creation (the neolib economy) has caused has to be released by directing it at something. So they have chosen immigrants and foreigners and the vague and shape-shifting "enemy within" - that they can redefine as it suits ('shirkers', benefit 'cheats', the 'woke', metropolitan intellectuals, etc). They need Reform to vent this anger, but they must also know that ultimately this will fail. Either it will spark a civil war, or massive popular unrest that will eventually turn on them. It's 'kicking the can' in a entirely self-centred and desperately delusional way.
Great article.
The difference between Mamdani and Starmer’s labour is that the former actually seem to have the intention of helping the people they stood for, whereas the latter just want to line their own pockets.
Their campaign against the left - who ought to be Labour’s strongest supporters - has managed to make things personal. I personally resent them, I automatically distrust them, I will be happy purely to see their defeat. The makerfield byeelection has no bad outcome for me. If Burnham wins, that’s a defeat for Starmer; if reform wins, that’s a defeat for Starmer. And if the greens win, that’s actual hope.