LabourConservatives / Main course / Journalist email lists / Red money saving tips!

LabourConservatives

If you copied the forthcoming LibDem, Tory and Labour manifestos onto tracing paper, and then put these copies on top of each other, you would see that the words in the different documents don't completely line up.

The Tories, for example, appear to not be quite so ‘Police endorsed’ on civil liberties issues as the other parties (although how long would that last, post them winning the election?).

Labour is big on patriotism in a way the Tories don't seem that interested in any more.

The LibDems naturally want to do something about proportional representation, rather then keep it forever on the back burner, as the other parties wish.

But fundamentally the manifestos are the same. It’s the Tory Conservatives and the Labour Conservatives.

It's their business sponsors who write these documents, not politicians, unless the latter do through some sort of automatic writing. Mediums used to channel the thoughts of those who had ‘crossed over’ by this method, maybe the kept politicians of businesses now use the same method to morph their own odd idea with the hard-nosed text transmitted to them by their paymasters’ policy teams.

And not only does business write the legislation, they are also a constant commanding presence in its day to day implementation. Deregulate and then deregulate again is the constant command of government, compliant to the never-ending litany of controls, rules and regulations that businesses push to be abolished.

I recently worked for a public body where I was often told that the communications angle we were to take would have to a pass a ‘business friendly’ test, although the legislation we supposedly worked to suggested a much more critical approach was obligated. Never once was I asked to apply a ‘worker friendly’ test to what we were going to pronounce.

'Lesser evilism'

So what are the reformist Left and Labour lackeys doing when presented with incontrovertible evidence that there is nothing good about Labour and no support to them should be offered? They are raising the perennial 'lesser evilism' argument; you must support 'our' branch of the enemy - Vote Labour, to keep out the Tories.

This old and cowardly line - of 'realism', 'dented shields' and the like - has put the Left in Britain back decades.

How far could we have got if these terminal depressives arguing this had made the break from Labour years ago; they are not unlike a battered woman who keeps telling herself she will give her partner another chance, even after he sets her hair on fire.

Do you want a 5% pay cut or loss of ten days' holiday? That's 'lesser evilism'. The choice of being hit round the head with a hammer or with a baseball bat. That's 'lesser evilism' too.

Bollocks to all that; the old fake 'red pill or blue pill' choice when it is time to upend Nurse Ratched's whole tray of pharmaceuticals and head out through the locked doors and barred windows.

Labour is not worthy of a single vote. In the same way that Labour Left types rightly wouldn't vote LibDem, even when that would be the only likely way to stop a Tory MP be elected in their constituency, no socialist can vote Labour.

Left alternative

It's a tragedy that there isn't a Left alternative to Labour. In no small part that's due to those political criminals who cling onto Labour's skirts, no matter what sewage that drags them through. But just because there isn't an alternative, doesn't mean you should support Labour.

When I was 20 (in 1983), it was taken as read that people hated the Tories (now 'taken as read' did mean it related to the sort of people that I'd hang around with, but clearly millions did vote for the blue scum; and they weren't all dagger-faced, power-dressing escaped Nazi war criminals living in Wilmslow, much as I may have thought so at the time.)

But then it was also a fair presumption to assume anyone Left you met was either in Labour or supported the Labour Left (to varying degrees).

But now I don't think there is an organisation for your average Lefty to consider joining. The SWP are very small and the SP even smaller (All cities and most large to medium sized towns, in the 80s, had a Militant or an SWP paper stall, once a week. They don’t now). Respect doesn’t seem much of a draw and, I trust, the new age flim-flam of the Greens, now holding the attention of some radicals, won’t be able to maintain that mirage for long - look at the German Greens, or the Irish Green in a right-wing government, or the local Green coalitions with the Tories, LibDems and Labour in Britain.

Hatred of Labour is palpable. A lot of this is right-wing but Labour are doing what to pander to such vermin, such as in Brown’s Labour conference speech today where be bigged up on keeping out illegals and praised the ridiculous UK Border Agency; those pigeon-chested clowns who enjoy half strutting around in their shiny new uniforms, scanning your passports as you attempt to enter Stalag Britain.

But a fair bit of the hatred for Labour is criticism from its Left (and that’s a very large space). A contempt for the supplicants to the bankers and a complete disdain for the bombers of Baghdad.

So where will this Left go? There is little organised presence in this space.

Is what happened in places like Ireland, where the Left was always very small (post independence), a guide? Lefts got involved in other things, like the republican struggle in that island;

Or will it be like in the USA, where you could move a lot rightwards and join the Democrats or oftentimes, just drop-out;

Or even in Britain, where you are a Left but live somewhere like Guildford or Harrogate. You may get involved in union activity but, unless you are interested in travelling, you may do nothing political.

What will happen next?

Will Cruddas and co try and seize the moment and make their careerist bid in Labour by not being quite as right wing as Brown, and possibly thus create some very faint reverb of 30 years ago, when lots of Lefts got enthused by the Bennite trend in Labour. Let's hope people aren't that gullible again, in what would not even be a whisper of an echo of what happened before.

Will the Muslim ghettos reach the level of cohesiveness that sustained the Provos for 30 odd years and launch a political and military campaign? I suspect Islamism is on the wane and, as the black ghettos didn't respond militantly or militarily 25 years ago when under a lesser police attack, I'm don’t think Newham and Bradford and other places will do so now.

Could a similar thing happen in the reforming oceans of poverty and despair that mass unemployment is bringing? It didn’t 25 years ago; I don’t see any indication it will now.

Could the ever increasing pace and availability of technology lead to adaptations by the Left e.g. new ways to circulate publicity such as Left web radio stations, or even go on the offensive e.g. technological methods to disrupt mainstream or cop communications, sabotage the back offices of companies on strike or even launch armed offensives.

The British Left has never been very good at innovating - come across any mass txt campaigns or hard Left Twitterers with tens of thousands of followers? - but I hope we can wise up and take the lead from those, like the Silicon valley social media companies or the porn industry (the first with premium rate phone lines and many other innovations, and I know the first 3D comms will feature Jordan) to use technological progress to function in a world where people can’t be bothered, at the moment, to attend meetings or read (or sell) small circulation papers. But I don’t know that the Left will make these sort of advances anytime soon.

The best advance would be the formation of a Left alternative - a coalition of those Left of Labour – and which would tap into this wellspring of hatred for the poverty, disease and war of capitalism; and could also organise both the fightback and overthrow of this useless system.

But how do we do that? How can we get a momentum going?

The present misleaders of all the Left parties just haven’t got a clue about how to do this and they also don’t know, or even care, that the sum of their combined strength is greater than the constituent parts.

So will a generation just drop out as they see no outlets? I think that is possible, but only for a while.

Because events happen. A large scale war against Iran, an environmental disaster, calamitous events in Europe (or further away) leading to power for the far Right or Left, an offensive here to, say, abolish free healthcare or most benefits that could provoke a backlash in the way that the Poll Tax did.

Things happen, history ain't finished; it's just the Left isn't savvy enough even to be a proper spectator, never mind take part.

But what form would such a fightback take? Unlike many of the Mystic Megs on the Left, I will not presume to guess to know and also, with modesty unknown amongst all the political committees of all the Left groups, think we could necessarily much influence such a movement.

But a form will be taken by any expression of outrage and resistance. And that's an opportunity.

I’m watching and waiting - and looking to do more.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Main course

I recently came across a notice about a fancy event being organised by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA). I read in the blurb that their soiree was taking place in some Sylvan retreat, and before summer was fully extinguished. A slap up meal was promised.

If you updated the stereotypical capitalists of an Ealing comedy film, meeting in one of their own numbers’ stately homes, wrapped up in their fur-collared coats and silk scarves to co-ordinate throwing 20,000 Lancashire mill-workers out of work; and added in a similar group of people from a Graham Greene novel, discussing some fiendish stock market rigging plan in their London club, over cigars and brandy, you would arrive at something like the BVCA.

Ronald Cohen, notorious capitalist slash-and burner, one of the founders of Apax Partners ("one of three truly global venture capital firms") and a major financial backer of Brown was going to be speaking; so was someone from KKR (the SS of venture capitalism, sort of) and many more of their like. If capitalism is the Huns (which it is), then these speakers are Attila’s personal shock troops.

But amongst these titans of capital and industry, listed to address the event, stood one name that, at first glance, may have been thought to have been added mistakenly. Maybe they mixed him up with a near namesake, or something?

But no, I don’t doubt that he really was invited, and he was as pleased as Punch to go. I also don’t doubt that he sternly instructed his PA to get his Dinner Jacket pressed and his shoes spit-polished before the occasion; or that he kept his chauffeur waiting on the day, whilst he spent inordinately long checking the cleanliness of his fingernails so as to be sure he was all spick and span so as to make a good impression.

For it was the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Brenda Barber, who was listed to attend this event.

Only maybe he had not read the details about the meal that was going to be served. It was to be a barbeque, although obviously of the superior kind.

I wonder if Barber worked that out before, or after, they stuck the rotisserie skewers into him?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Journalist email lists

I have recently obtained a list of political correspondents for both the UK national print media as well as for the UK local and regional print media. These lists contain names, email addresses, publication names, tel nos, etc. They would be useful both to email news releases, as well as to contact journalists to try and get your story covered. The lists were complied a few months ago.

I’d be happy to send copies (Excel files) to any Lefts, people from single issue campaigns and the like.

I would need some proof that you are such if you want them (I don’t want to help non Lefts) but I also take, in this case, a liberal view of who is a Left or a Left supported campaign.

And if you do use such lists, I really suggest you don’t blanket send news releases, or send out non stories.

Be selective if you want anyone to take notice when you do have any news to report; and also try to localise content (especially for the sub-national media).

I am also happy to give advice about news releases and other media relations work to Lefts and associated campaigns (for free, naturally). It is what I do for a living.

Email me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red money saving tips!

‘Tate’ Soviet Poster Art 2010 Calendar.

Including such delights as ‘Women Workers, Take up your Rifles’ (1918)
Or ‘Communism - This is Soviet Power Plus Electrification’ (1925)

Only £2.99 at ‘Works’ bookshops.

I also see that the Tate, whose name features prominently on the front of the calendar, will get a "minimum of 3% of the selling price (excluding VAT)" i.e. about 10p a calendar.

If you are going to flog your good name to a bunch of cheap calendar makers, and for them to a link it to a collection of propaganda art that you would turn your nose up at, could you not do so at a better price (that way you would be able to buy even more tat to put into the Tate.)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Lenin's Tomb - http://leninology.blogspot.com/2009/09/note-to-labour-delegates.html

And quite brilliant.

"Face facts, (Labour Party conference) delegates: you've had it. You're about to get trampled by a bunch of spivvy public schoolboys who by rights should be watching their venture capital firms sink, not preparing to lead the country. And the sad thing is that when that does happen, and you're all lying face down in the mud, you will collectively sigh with your last breath: "Mandelson was right - we should have privatised the Royal Mail!"