(November 1, 2013 at 3:05 pm)downbeatplumb Wrote: Robert Webbs answer to Russell Brand.*bump
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/201...sell-brand
Quote:I read your thing on revolution in these pages with great interest and some concern. My first reaction was to re-join the Labour Party. The Jiffy bag containing the plastic membership card and the Tristram Hunt action figure is, I am assured, in the post. I just wanted to tell you why I did that because I thought you might want to hear from someone who a) really likes your work, b) takes you seriously as a thoughtful person and c) thinks you’re wilfully talking through your arse about something very important.
Quote:The last Labour government didn’t do enough and bitterly disappointed many voters. But, at the risk of losing your attention, on the whole they helped. Opening Sure Start centres, introducing and raising the minimum wage, making museums free, guaranteeing nursery places, blah blah blah: nobody is going to write a folk song about this stuff and I’m aware of the basic absurdity of what I’m trying to achieve here, like getting Liberace to give a shit about the Working Tax Credit, but these policies among many others changed the real lives of millions of real people for the better.
This is exactly what the present coalition is in the business of tearing to pieces. They are not interested in helping unlucky people – they want to scapegoat and punish them. You specifically object to George Osborne’s challenge to the EU’s proposed cap on bankers’ bonuses. Labour simply wouldn’t be doing that right now. They are not all the same. 'They’re all the same' is what reactionaries love to hear. It leaves the status quo serenely untroubled, it cedes the floor to the easy answers of Ukip and the Daily Mail. No, if you want to be a nuisance to the people whom you most detest in public life, vote. And vote Labour.
...in case anyone missed this!
This is, by & large, the reason I voted for Labour in previous elections but I didn't vote in the last election. The problem is that I have no confidence in the current Labour leadership and their proposed policies don't seem to stack up when compared to either what needs doing or their predicted impacts. Consequently, I find myself in a position where I'm not likely to vote next time. It's a moral conundrum for me:
1. do I vote for someone with whom I disagree in order to prevent someone with whom I disagree more from gaining power
2. do I withold my vote until someone 'worthy' is available
Sum ergo sum
