Baroness Chakrabarti – the British human rights activist who joined the Labour Party last year and is now shadow attorney general – claims “austerity is a feminist issue.” Henceforth women, disproportionately punished by cuts in social spending, must press for ‘gender neutral’ government budgets. Regrettably, throwing a hijab over the class struggle is unlikely to end exploitation. Continue reading
Austerity
South Africa: cautionary tale
Charges of fraud against South Africa’s finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, have been dropped. No disgrace attaches. It’s largely accepted he’s been framed for trying to expose a web of cronyism and graft spun from President Jacob Zuma’s office. Support for the minister’s efforts to ‘clean-up’ government is growing. But so too is the recognition that capitalism without corruption is fantasy. Continue reading
Referendum(2): It’s now or never
There is a persuasive view that for a broad section of the British population, especially the working class, a vote to leave the EU is a way of complaining about being short-changed by their rulers. In these heady days of zero-hours contracts the establishment appears to have forgotten that the natives -unlike recent immigrants – have been loyal to British imperialism for over a century. In short a Brexit vote is a reminder that an understanding has been breached. It is an appeal for more food parcels, not a menace to profit-taking. Continue reading
Endgame
Britons have been promised salvation in a “higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society”. This is austerity rebranded, another cover story for looting the nation and enriching the elite. Debt peonage in a corporate state is what the future really holds for most people. Continue reading
Scrap this austerity election
There are grave reasons for regarding the British general election in May as a deadly farce. If the major parties are sincere about eliminating the deficit, running a surplus and seriously reducing public debt they threaten to ruin the country. If they are not than they have failed to declare the real objectives of their austerity programs. Moreover in attempting to market austerity they have scapegoated the poor and deeply divided Britain. It may even be wise to postpone the election until expert advice can be taken. Continue reading
From Athens to Cape Town
Hostages of an insane financial oligarchy will be chuffed by the Greek attempt at a break-out. The election of a new anti-austerity government is a middle finger for the extortion racket. Even if the rebellion is scotched, seeds of resistance have been sown. Continue reading
