Am I far left?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Far-right commentators - the sort to be found in the Tufton Street think tanks - are suggesting that I am on the far left of the political spectrum. Really? Since when did a belief in democracy, the need for a strong government capable of delivering decent public services for a very mixed economy, plus an absolute determination that no child should live in poverty, make a person far left? Could it be that those suggesting that I am in danger of falling off the edge of the far right?
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ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
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Ted Heath was to the left of Starmer
Exactly, new labour under Bliar and new new labour under Starmer were/are right of the 1970s tories.
I saw an Old Question Time with Benn and Heath and they were closer to each other in views than Starmer and Corbyn are
@@Minimmalmythicistwith Starmer not Corbyn the outlier 😢
@@alanhat5252 Exactly. Ignoring the hysteria of the ghastly press. The manifesto that Starmer also signed off on while secretly stabbing Corbyn in the back was pretty much just left of centre.
@@IMBlakeleyIndeed! 💯😏
Oh yes!
Problem is Richard, that there seems to be people now who seem to fall over themselves to try to be more right then the rest. Politics have gone so far to the right that everyone else is now to the left, and what once was concidered centre-left is now "ultra left wing". Such a nonsense.
Whatever point of the compass you may be it is the right one.
Masculine religious fundamentalism dominates, driven by force.
is that far left or far right or just far koff?
I get described as " far right" and "racist" because i am an advocate of strong borders and of the nation state. I get these labels from people who claim to be on the left. Like yourself i don't consider myself to be in the extreme of politics. Which is why i question all the labelling that goes on. Personally i think these labels are suppose to keep us quiet so the ones doing the labelling can control the narrative. Not going to work on me . And judging by your video not going to work on you either.
No it makes you human
Actually it makes him left wing. Which is a good thing.
We love you Richard, recall these well known words; 'When i give food to the poor they call me a saint, when I ask why the poor have no food,they call me a communist'-Dom Helder Camara..
@@gpw203How would that help?
@@gpw203Thomas Sowell was talking bollocks. Voting Reform would increase poverty for the majority , as Farage, Tice and co extract more for the richest (their own perceived class), dismantle the NHS and other state services, while repeating the lie of trickle down. The problem of mass inequality was started deliberately by Thatcher and her neoliberal fantasy. Anyone who has lived through these times would find it hard to dispute the fact that they have been better off under Labour, which has a far better economic record: having borrowed less and paid back more than the Tories since 1947.
@@gpw203If you look at Farage's record, it's obvious what Reform would deliver: a banana republic without the bananas, while he extracts the golden nuggets.
@@gpw203 "Minimalist philosophy", hmm. Which party would that be?
Absolutely Perfectly explained.
Thankyou
“Attacking the rich is not envy, it’s self defence. The hoarding of wealth is the cause of poverty. The rich aren’t just indifferent to poverty, they create and maintain it.” Jodie Foster
"the hoarding of wealth is the cause of poverty"
Exactly right. Money is like blood, it needs to flow around and not accumulate in one spot. Money should be spent not saved. Thats what makes a healthy economy.
Ps . Obviously saving a bit is prudent, but not saving more than you can reasonably spend
I don't think quoting a wealthyactress is entirely pertinent. As Christianity was mentioned can we recall the story of the wise and foolish virgins. Money wisely invested can create jobs, helping lift people out of poverty and giving them self respect.
Attacking someone unprovoked is self defence? Interesting strawman argument. It doesn't sound rational at all; because it isn't rational at all. In a market economy there is a role for everyone potentially. A highly skilled surgeon for example will hire a gardener even though he could do the garden himself. Why? Because he has limited hours in the day and his time can be better spent elsewhere. We call this concept the division of labour. Working in mutual benefit.
Or you could just tax the surgeon, and tell the poor man he doesn't have to work. Then instead of a surgeon and a gardener, you just have a surgeon and an unemployed person.
@@jameswhyte5094 You would be correct if your ideas were put into practice. Things such as price gouging and moving billions offshore to avoid taxes prove that our system doesn't work that way.
Many have lost touch with human caring and reality in general. I think this I due to the influence of social media. I have relatives who think like this. They don't believe people are genuinely poor, just trying to take advantage of the benefits system and food banks. They also think climate change is completely made up.
"Social Media" doesn't come up with ideas by itself, somebody _put_ those ideas there & somebody spread them.
@@alanhat5252 thanks, I get that.
I have several colleagues who deny poverty even exists in the UK. Social media, GB News and the tabloid right have done this.
Disgraceful but not surprising.
Not entirely.
Their ignorance is self imposed. It is wilfull and is managed carefully by them. It is curated by their environmental and material conditions.
GB News is generally a cheap channel, but I don't think they deny poverty in the UK. They're right wing, but not free-marketeers.
@@azar1354 Anderson does. Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson has said it is “nonsense” to claim anyone in the UK is living in poverty. He said: 'I don't believe all this... poverty nonsense. Go in a time machine back into when I was growing up in the 70s, that was real poverty... It's nonsense now, it's absolute nonsense.
As I recall he has a show on GB News.
@@chriswills9437 that's true. But usually there are also Leftists on the panel, like Aaron Bastani versus Peter Hitchens.
I'm currently reading,Shattered Nation: Inequality and the Geography of A Failing State by Danny Dorling. Its written in a very understandable style. I'm shocked at the levels inequality and lack of social mobility when compared to early 1970's when we had the least inequality.
They done it with Corbyn radical . far left . he wasn't by by means 'far left' all he was hoping to give us what people enjoy every day in Europe
💯
@MichaelNelson-it9mf I don't know if Corbyn is Conservative from say a Social Democratic perspective.. I doubt it actually! What I do know is that Corbyn has a genuine concern for democracy.
@MichaelNelson-it9mf Well: since Corbyn cares a lot about democracy, that would probably have been a future consideration.. But you have to win power first! Corbyn's manifesto was attractive. It's a pity the Red Wall liked the untested idea of Brexit better... 😏
As for Starmer: he only wants to court these Blue Labour types.. Or disaffected Tories. He hates the SNP and is not at all interested in the idea of Scottish or Welsh independence.
But what's wrong with the idea of the UK anyway? 🙂 (Though I can see why the Scots are fed up with our Tory-dominated political system. 😏)
@MichaelNelson-it9mf Couldn't disagree with that
At 73 my politics have stayed pretty much the same. Left of centre. However, as the politics of the country has shifted right, I've found myself being described more and more as a raving leftie. Depressing.
I absolutely agree, The mainstream media now, which was considered to be the "extreme" press, has now shouted louder and longer than anyone else and become "acceptable"..............................only I don't think Neo Fascism or Fascism IS acceptable in our media or in its influence through Far right thuggish think tanks.
Yes sadly Thatcher/Reagan shifted everything right.
You commi hahahaha,,,,, I know what you mean though
@@ianclark9198 Your having a laugh, god I hope so.
Theses days the left wing of the Tory party are called far left by Reform.
In the current climate in the UK especially England anyone who is to the left of Mussolini,Pinochet or Galtieri is seen as far left as is anyone who believes that the UK or rather England cannot simply shut it's borders in the same way that China did in the 15th century
Don't you mean far right as to the latter part of your statement? (And what good did China's closing its borders do it? Made it a backward country for a very long time.)
@@oneoflokis no I mean to the left as I stated. China closing it's borders did indeed make it backward in relation to other nations but it did keep the populace"happy"and easily controlled because they had no reference point which of course is what brexit was largely about by replicating that situation
@@davidmcintyre8145 I see! Interesting comparison.
@@oneoflokis Another would be to compare the brexit that the leadership seem to want with the DPRK
My own preferred version of the Golden Rule is the one in the Sermon on the Mount, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", as it seems to me to be less passive and cosy than "Love thy neighbour as thyself" - you've actually got to exert yourself and do stuff.
The two-child cap for benefits is shameful and discriminatory. Every child has the same basic needs whatever their position in the family. To limit benefits deprives all the children in the family as the available money has to be stretched so much further. I hate to think of any child growing up thinking they were a burden to their parents.
💯 Plus it does to spme extent encourage a drop in the population rate!
@@PhilipMatthewsPAEACP"Allodial"?
@marijo1951 I wouldn't charge people rent.
It's never stopped the Charlie Umbrella, November Tangos from charging me 😉
@@paulgibbons2320 I don't quite see that we can all have free accommodation. Of course it's wrong to charge exploitative rents.
@marijo1951 your response is acceptable.
Could we not have zero deposit mortgages and affordable housing.
Cancel deposit, and there would be no rental market.
'You call it socialism. We call it civilization'
💯👍
Who's we!!! then
Socialist @@GlennLeinster
100 million killed and rising. Not very civil
@@cerberus7849 Correct;-)
most of the middle-management intelligencia that i work with in a corporate behemoth think that labour, as it exists today, is, quote, 'socialist'. These are all people earning £80k+ a year (EDIT: outside of London, i might add) in basic pay. That's the level we're at.
Brilliant! Thank you, excellent videos
I totally emphasise with what you say. Strikes me that it has become OK to vilify the poor in our society and I guess that extends to the parents who struggle to feed their own children. Yet we are encouraged to stand back in awe at those who are wealthy, even when that wealth is inherited or even when its OK to avoid paying the going rate of tax by residing overseas and formulating complex tax avoidance structures.
Happy to be labelled howsoever.
The Right have totally lost perspective. 50 years of Neoliberalism has poisoned the meaning of what it means to be small-c conservative. Austerity kills people.
In almost every European country, the government has been expanding, not shrinking... that ain't Neo-Liberalism.
Can you make a video about the millionaires fleeing to Dubai? Is there any impact in missed taxation on them? I think they're not known to pay taxey anyway, and their wealth is often contributing to pushing high assets prices for the ordinary folk. But this might be just a partial view
@@garyb455 I have never been offered a job by a non-working wealthy person. I have only been working for business, not for wealthy people with non-dom status. What about you?
@@garyb455the free market will sort it out. Another wealthy person who isn't a tax dodger will move in to fill the gap
Well said Richrad,,,,,,,,,you commi hahahahaha,,,The right wing MSM don't know where to stop no more
"right wing MSM"? Are you serious??
@@adamsmith307 Yeah I'm am serious go tell Jeremy Corbyn they ain't right wing or the letf Farage is always on the BBC
Describing or calling anyone/thing as far left/right generally is just a way of not discussing a topic/policy as to it's specific merits and impacts. It's a way of 'othering' something so that it's not critically thought about. Many people play 'teams' in their political views and so if someone they perceive as in their team throws a this is 'far left/right' at it, then they wont engage with it critically and will just defacto denounce it. I am not sure how this gets solved.
It's easy, it's call PR, everybody gets a say, everybody are represented in parliament
It's a universal problem in communication - different people can see different meanings behind the same label
Use labels when you're confident your audience broadly takes the same meaning, and elaborate more explicitly if in doubt
Doesn't help that some bad actors are actively muddying definitions and seeding confusion to propagandise and distract 🙁
Democratic socialism isn't "far left" anyway. The real problem is, the current political environment is pretty far right! 👎
Really?? Looks rabidly left to me. High tax, low growth policies government over 50% of the economy, police who ‘check your thinking’ free speech under attack. sending people to prison for being ‘offensive’ online. Unwilling to deport illegal immigrants, PM who is too weak to state the difference between men and women. The list goes on. Only Farage is on the right. Everyone else is left.
Delusion. All mainstream media, especially TV and online news is Left, plus Google and other monolithic internet companies are Left, plus advertising is Left. Labour is the government. The Democrats in the US is the government, though not for long. Seeing life as 'far right' is your comfort-blanket.
It seems with an social, base-ground and caring attitude one should be (if at all) set straight into the center of society.
But since people blurring out loud in the internet AND many politicians seem to place himself far right of this opinion, you are automatically left in this view 😅🙈
I could be funny if it wasn't serious.
I just wonder why "right wingers" don't support social issues anymore.
Wasn't there a time when they highlighted the importance of family, children and local community as very important? At least in Germany
The cynical perspective would be that it would be puts too much restraint on individual greed.
If charity was the answer to poverty. Jimmy Savile would have cured it years ago.
Pay people properly.
Work based incentive.
Bonuses at the top AND the bottom. Or not at all.
Benjamin Franklin formed the first successful cooperative in America some 250 years ago. Does that make him Far-Left? The father of Fred Perry, Samuel Perry was a member of the Cooperative Party and the Rochdale Principles. These are Voluntary rather than Forced. Im in favour of Democratic businesses along with more Participation Democracy and Direct Democracy. I'm in no way in favour of enforcing my belives upon others.
Compared to Scandinavian countries, or Finland, Germany, Holland or Japan, you are probable right of centre.
All those countries take really good care of their citizens. Something we should aspire to do in Britain.
More benefits and handouts are not the answer.
Charity and welfare sustain poverty,
lt does not end it.
Our jobs and employers need to pay enough wages to pay for families.
Working families should not have to ask for handouts.
Why is it normal for employers to declare record profits and not be encouraged to pay record wages?
It's a form of madness.
The thing that opened my eyes to the madness of the system is child support.
Employers are never obligated to pay any extra money for a child. Or pay you a penny more than a minimum wage subsistance payment. But from the second you separate, you are obligated to pay for a child.
So they are literally mandating you to pay money an employer has never given you and never been obligated to pay you.
Minimum wage broke literally everything.
Minimum wage or they assimilated the term 'living wage' is the amount worked out to sustain one working adult.
Not one working adult and a child. So, asking someone to pay child support out of that is asking someone to live on much less than the basic living standard.
Its complete madness.
Of course we all feel ike we should pay for children.
But we need jobs to pay more than minimum to be able to do that.
The Social Contract has to work both ways to work.
How about actual, direct democracy. We do NOT want a social contract (I don't want to be 'protected' by corrupt elites), we want democracy.
Jesus of Nazareth was of the far left. Not sure a lot of Christians know this. Good video.
Jesus had nothing to do with secular politics in the first place.
He was a dissenter and nonconformist. This not not make him 'far left'.
The left/right debate is pointless factionalism & name-calling much like party politics. The battle is against authoritarianism. If you believe that the state has some sacred role that overrides the freedom of the people then it doesn't matter to which political flavour you claim adherence you are not a democrat. It's up to the people as a collective to define the limits of the state not for the political class or any other minority to indulge their whims. The argument that we must obey our betters for the sake of the children is just 'virtue signalling' - - 'agree with me or you are scum'. The non-state solutions even in the dire poverty especially following the Victorian era were achieving results. The fact that politicans want to control ever more as wealth grows doesn't mean they take us in a better direction.
Well said i think if your not prepared to go to war at the drop of someone else's hat then you are considered far left ,what a load of rubbish, God and Christianity like you say is based on those values, love Peace truth empathy compassion
I read a comment last week from a woman that stated she did not have any children so did not see why should pay tax just to send other people's children to school. Completely unhinged and with a total lack of how society should work.
Bet she doesn't refuse a state pension later in life though 🤔
@@markwelch3564 Or her "socialist healthcare" operation for a new hip.
You're a Social Democrat. Shame we don't have a party in power that shares these values.
Any sane, compassionate, caring person who holds politicians to account is far left even when those politicians claim to be socialists. Better to be far left in their eyes than to be targeting the weakest in society as most politicians are doing.
The Overton window has been moved to the right by Murdoch, Rothermere et al.
Why be nervous about being regarded as a Socialist?
No such thing as the far left in Britain or anywhere for that matter in a democracy. The Overton Window explains the extremism of right wing politics in Britain, a legacy of Thatcherism being woven into the fabric of almost every aspect of society. Thatcherism is an ideological cult often barely understood by many of her followers who have interpreted it in a way that suits their self interest. The late Mark Fisher coined the phrase 'capitalist realism' to describe the idea that there is no alternative to neoliberalism in terms of how society should be organised.
Ash Sarkar? She is literally a communist! 🤪
I don't see any far right terrorists in our midst. The last one was that guy who planted the bombs in Old Crompton Street. Everything since, has been from Islamists, but the left don't see this as a threat.
@@Sonya_Makepeacewould you consider a group that has killed a million people in Britain over the last decade & a half terrorists? If they did it purely from right-wing motivations would you call them _right-wing terrorists?_ They're here now.
@@fburton8yes Ash is a communist but she's pretty centrist, she's definitely not "far" anything! 😂
@@alanhat5252 My comment was firmly tongue-in-cheek!
Excellent video thanks for posting.
Nothing wrong with being a socialist.
I have exactly the same views. I believe that people should have a clean safe warm home to live in, and that people can afford to put food on the table and pay their energy bills and have a little bit left over to save or use to go out socialising. It is bizarre how you can be deemed far left just because you have compassion and empathy for others. Sadly I cannot support Labour, because I do not trust Keir Starmer and I’ll never forgive him and his fifth columnists buddies who helped destroy Corbyn. Yes, Corbyn had his faults and wasn’t as strong as his role model the late great Tony Benn, but he was a much better leader than Starmer.
_"It is bizarre how you can be deemed far left just because you have compassion and empathy for others."_
It's not the compassion and empathy... it's the fact that the things you mentioned are supposed to be achieved via stealing money from others.
Whenever I disagree with a left-winger, it's always their solution to a perceived problem I object to. Whether or not I agree that the problem needs solving is not worth arguing about, because even if I disagreed, I can't argue with their desire to feel differently about it. I do find it's a common trait among them to consider their opposition as motivated by evil opposition to their ends, rather than a desire for better means to those ends. As far as I can tell, they aren't cynically throwing mud from the moral high-ground in order to avoid engaging on the shortcomings in their designs, they genuinely believe that anyone opposed to their proposed medicine is fond of the disease.
Whenever I disagree with a right-winger it's always their solution to a perceived problem I object to, it's because they have a disease called " I live in a fantasy world of get Brexit done kinda crap"
The right-wing press is forever moving the goal posts on this, I remember having a wake-up call when I saw some figure on the right describe spending money on the economy as allegedly radically left and realising how the table was tilted in their favour.
Mainstream media is Left. TV news (BBC, ITV, C4) is unashamedly Left and does not hide its propagandist tendencies. Mainstream European media is also Left. If you want left-wing press there's a healthy list to choose from: Guardian, Independent, Mirror, all London rags... etc.
Thank you Richard for making things understandable and relatable,even when the subject is somewhat difficult.
One would thinks so!
When someone calls me ‘far left,’ my response is (admittedly, mostly unspoken): “What god-forsaken fascist hellscape do you have in mind, if you insist on labelling my views, ‘far left’?”
@@gpw203 Did you have a particular individual or group in mind?
@gpw203 You can't have left-wing fascists. Fascism came out if right-wing politics in Italy.
@@oneoflokis I think that's correct. While authoritarianism can manifest on both the left and the right, classical fascism is a right-wing phenomenon. The use of 'fascist' to describe left-wing behavior is often more rhetorical than historically or politically accurate. There are indeed authoritarian elements in some left-wing movements, but equating them with fascism overlooks the distinct historical and ideological foundations of fascism as a far-right ideology. I suspect @gpw203 was being rhetorical.
@@fburton8 Yes! 💯👍
@@oneoflokis _"You can't have left-wing fascists. Fascism came out if right-wing politics in Italy."_
Wrong. Fascism specifically was a totalitarian Far-Left, socialist 3rd position ideology based on National Syndicalism which they adapted from a French Marxist known as Georges Sorel. It literally came from the belief that the "Stateless and Classless society" Communism calls for after its dictatorship cannot achieve Socialism, and that only the State can properly organize a Socialist Society.
You are often not far wrong.
What is wrong with being a Socialist? What's wrong with being Left Wing? What's wrong with believing in social justice? Children are the future of this country, if children are malnourished they won't develop (physically or mentally) is this what we want for our country? Such myopia!
_"What is wrong with being a Socialist?"_
Effectively you are then in favor of theft, and something which requires totalitarianism. No country has been able to make the thing work properly.
I would consider myself a Militant Left 😊
Millie Tant.
Maybe if you stopped calling people far right they wouldn't call you far left.
no just normal
Richard is just a man with common sense something lacking in our politicians. With of course a social conscience as well.
I think the use of the term 'far left' is being used in a derogatory manner. 'Far left' and socialist have been given negative connotations. These slurs were initiated by the elite that are genuinely afraid of the far left and is usually repeated by the masses that have little or no clue what the terms entail.
Having revised your video. I actually agree. The right always claims to have a monopoly on religion. But Keir Hardie, the founder of the labour party, was a Christaian preacher. He wasn't a marxist and was trying to do the right thing. Labour needs to remind everyone when the free market goes too far. And based on the teachings from the bible it often does
"For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath" Mathew 25:29
_"The right always claims to have a monopoly on religion."_
What does this even mean?
_"Labour needs to remind everyone when the free market goes too far. "_
What Free Market? No country has that.
Well done Richard!
If having a soul means you are far left then yes I am, as are you.
How infantile.
You answered your own question by happily accusing those who call you far left of being far right..... All political labels are subjective, dependent on your own views.... Forget politics and judge people by their own words/ deeds....
Go to Romania ,Bulgaria or Pakistan and you will notice all these nice houses being built in poor rural villages . Child Benefit payments in the UK are building those . Go into a run down betting shop on a very rough estate in the UK and you will see lots of money being placed on horses . Child Benefit again. Screaming feral kids in your Hotel in Benidorm with tattooed mum drunk at the Bar . Child Benefits . Cigarrettes ? Sky Sports subscription ditto .
"The private sector and its role in the economy" - that line alone marks you out as far-left. There is no economy without the private sector. Unless you mean a Soviet command economy.
It only takes two billion to end child poverty: and mr Murphy supports waging war in Ukraine at the cost of tens of billions.... Mr Murphy is not far left, he is just bonkers. (which actually is the same thing).
Your social conscience should be directing you to educate people not to have children until they are in a stable, married family unit and can afford them. This is the only SUSTAINABLE way to eradicate child poverty.
For anyone who is interested I commented about child support on here and within a day received increasing payments by £28.
Clear evidence of been singled out and targeted electronically by the state. Punishing me for my politics.
What does a citizen do about that ?
If that does not trigger a response. Then I can assume you part of the problem or the messaging is being blocked.
anybody who dissents is automatically far left or far right.
as A.I. modelling becomes further integrated into politics, todays level of compassion will seem christ-like
Most people have no idea that socialism and communism are diametrically opposed; one requires a state (central authority), the other prescribes the dissolution of any existing state/central authority
Richard, all large businesses should be co-ops. "Fascism" is the current structure of limited companies (no democracy, as opposed to co-ops).
The demarcation line is easy, it's the current Govt definition of 'SME'
_"Most people have no idea that socialism and communism are diametrically opposed; one requires a state (central authority), the other prescribes the dissolution of any existing state/central authority"_
Communism is a socialist ideology. Socialism is an economic system where the collective (such as workers, guilds, the government etc.) either directly own or control the buildings and tools that make goods and services like farms and factories. This can be achieved through decentralized and direct worker-ownership, or through centralized state-ownership or control of the means of production.
_""Fascism" is the current structure of limited companies"_
Nothing to do with Fascism whatsoever.
@@Historia.Magistra.Vitae. Try reading AND comprehending "(no democracy, as opposed to co-ops)."
The trouble is your solutions to poverty will make everyone poor.
Figure out how to feed kids with the existing tax revenue. Make the hard tradeoffs like we have to do with our own household budgets. Wanting to feed kids doesn’t make you far-left. But wanting to raise taxes to fund it (along with all of the other things I’m sure you’re just as passionate about) does place you on the left of the political spectrum
"far", "extreme" etc., all lost their meaning years ago. When looking at any argument, first remove all emotive and superlative adjectives, then read it again. I've long been in favour of only two main taxes - an impact tax, and an adjective tax
I agree with your assessment that you are centre left. The problem is not your aspirations. I find it odd that those on the right and left have actually so much in common - often common goal’s and common observations unite us all. The contentious issue is always the solutions provided by competing agent. This channel provides valid observations and these are always followed with a solution - some times they are challenging solutions but they are always interesting. Ignore the haters and the labels. I enjoy hearing your views. It’s often it’s a breath of fresh air and … I don’t always agree with you. But that’s ok
Hi Richard Murphy, the whole point of such naming is to simplify and degrade the issues involved, many years ago a very clever person was able to describe the concept of right wing versus left wind as fundamentally flawed, as with birds they need both wings to fly and both wings have to work together!.
The entire concept of winning and losing is the creation of fantasists who have chosen to separate reality into good and bad when no such thing exists in nature. This idea allows for the idiotic simplification of issues into the 'right' way or the wrong way of seeking resolution this reduces the total variety of experience at a stroke and reduces the need for rational thought.
Along these very same lines all beliefs are imaginary simplifications of reality to absolve the believer of any critical thought, the only good reason for this is that as mere animals with limited capacity for thinking quick, easy thoughtless answers to 'problems' are always 'better' than careful rational analysis this is why cognitive delusion in all its many forms is so much part of our cultures, as long as no one dares to question the accepted precepts the deluded fools can continue their dreadful tyranny.
All the terms in current use in politics are based on delusions, ideas like 'freedom' and 'democracy' have no rational foundation, all of them are just loose terms of entirely human invention.
Cheers, Richard.
This is how politics has been warped and bent out of shape. Tony Benn if you listen to what he had to say on a whole range of what might be called "ordinary" everyday life things is in today's language about as middle as it gets and yet 40 years ago he was classed as left wing. Maybe the question being asked should be, why do house holds require 2 adults to work constantly in order to survive?
Excellent piece. Thank you!
Very thought provoking stuff. I like your blogs. All of them.
The right are moving towards the politics of classical liberalism, that is the government should exist for law and order and defense and everything else needs to dismantled.
Yes, it does. Caring for your fellow man and for the next generation is a very pro-social thing to do.
Economics is an amoral social science, it's about numbers, not people.
When did socialism become a bad thing.
It always was.
We were asking that in 2017 and 2019… where were you?
Well said
Tony Benn did not want Britain to join the EU.
Please where are these starving children??
You are a decent human.
Who the hell are you ? Do you only read thin books ?
So so bad to be labelled "far left" oh my goodness.
"Behind every great fortune there lies a great crime. (Honore de Balzac)
40 years of social democracy gave the people of this country the best years ever. I lived through those years. Child, teenager, young worker , father . Life was infinitely better in those years. Neoliberalism has return this country to the 1930s. Fear stalks the land. Fear of unemployment ,of sickness, poverty, hunger. I could go on. Tory policy always brings the Four Horsemen.
And Labour policy now, sadly.
Neighbor, really,? Come on Richard, we're not Yanks yet.
I'm sure Neighors was Austalian not American!!!!!
You see the problem I have is being self employed if I fall on hard times and go to the DWP they will tell me i don't qualify for any assistance . I work and pay my taxes but self employment excludes me from the system others qualify for even if they've only just arrived
Irrelevant to what is being said here.
So, a couple of Billion not spent on overseas aid or the Ukraine war that usually ends up in despots pockets and not having to cater to illgal immigrants on a daily basis.
This would end child poverty here in the Uk along with most of the homelessness,
Who would have thought that these were far right policies if they were applied?
I'd rather tax billionaires more. It's got a better track record than deporting marginalised groups and becoming insular
Why do children and child poverty have to be brought up ? 🤨 it is adults and perverse government action that we suspect…
The suffering of children in abject poverty is a deeply emotional subject, and the Right love to weaponise those as talking points. Bearing in-mjnd that they'll prmoise heaven and Earth to get you to vote for them, they'll of course promise to lift as many children out of poverty as they can - and then once you've given them power, that's when they revoke child labour laws and force children into dangerous jobs that grown adults are too large to do. We know that this would happen, because they've done it before in times when wealthy Capitalists have held absolute control. They see nothing wrong with child labour; to them a child is just a labour source they're not allowed to leverage, and they'd probably change that if they could, if it meant more productivity and profit.
This is what the Capitialist Right do: they promise you Heaven and Earth, then hand you a bag of air and a jar of dirt as they conscript your labour whether you like it or not.
A normal person I think
Virtue signalling
The fact is that the centre has moved further right to accommodate the lies of neoliberalism and vulture capitalism. I'm pretty much in the same space as you, Richard. There is such a thing as society and cooperation has enabled our survival as a species.
Nicely said.
Maybe after the election we can bring the fairness back to our country 🤞
With Starmer yeah right mate
TLDR summary. “I am honestly and truely a saint, with the purest of motives and intentions. My political opponents are either truely evil, cognitively challenged, deluded fools or any combination of the above, as represented by my large collection of handy straw men here. 😊
What you have written there makes no sense. Why bother?
@@foxbat51 my deepest apologies, I appreciate how challenging multisyllabic words can be. would you like a hug?🤗🫂
Good summery of the Left-collective.
Better far left than far gone. Thank youfor your posts.
It's absurd to say that not wanting children to be fed properly is far left.
I'd say it's pretty centre ground. Social Democrat type stuff. We live in a strange world.