Sunday, June 4, 2017

The UK General Election Choice: Terrorism or Co-operative Socialism

 The UK General Election Choice: Terrorism or Co-operative Socialism

Terrorism:  a first attempt at commentary.

This may not be good enough, but . . .

We know from social epidemiology (eg The Spirit Level book and www.equalitytrust.org.uk) that the amount of violence in a society increases as economic/income inequality increases.

And that inequality has increased/been increased since 1979.

Put simply: happy people are, generally, not violent.

And, as inequality increases, happiness decreases.

So violence increases.

We've been here before.

Before the First World War was declared in 1914, 'The Politics of The Act' was a feature of political life: bombs were thrown, 'elite' individuals were shot and assassinated.

Barbara Tuchman's book, 'The Leaning Tower', if I recall right, describes those events.

As a result, inequality was decreased from the end of that war: from about 1920 onwards. Danny Dorling's books display a U-shaped curve from 1900 to 2000: increased equality until 1979 then 'the counter revolution' of, first, neo-liberal capitalism and, now, neo-conservative capitalism.

Both designed ' to make the 'rich' richer and the 'poor' poorer'.

Which they did.

Now, just as the earlier era of  'The Politics of The Act', political acts of violence ('War as Regime Change' and 'Terrorism' as kick-back) are an *inevitable* consequence.

The bombing in Manchester, the events, yesterday evening in London, and so on, were not a matter of 'if': more a matter of 'when'.

The responses of the frightened 'elites' will be/ are predictable.

First Militarised Martial law. And the suspension of democracy.

Second, an (even greater) restriction on free speech (including public democratic politics: such as the suspension of General Election campaigning, as has happened, today and last Tuesday) and so on.

For now I leave the question open as to whether the acts of Terrorism in the UK were coordinated.

But, rather, turn to a positive response.

So, as outlined in the first few sentences above:

    If you wish for peace, you have to work for economic- and income-equality.

    2. Capitalism cannot do that:

   - as the history of the last hundred years has shown, managed capitalism (fascism/ Nazism on the political 'right' and 'Social Democracy' on the 'left'), both created more and more inequality.

And thus more and more violence.

So, what of 'not-caplitalism' . . . ?

Or, rather, what of other 'Not-capitalism*s*'?

Well, first of all, the hierarchical, usually Marxism-inspired, Not-capitaisms have ended in tears (in the cases of Cuba, Noth Korea and China, time will tell).

Which leaves us with Co-operative Socialism: a plan *specifically designed* to create (greater) equality and equity.

And thus peace.

Along with ecological responsibility and sustainability.


Therefore:

All that's now needed, is the implementation of the plan for Co-operative Socialism . . .

A Labour and Co-operative government at Westminster could do that.

Hence the importance of the UK General Election.

This coming Thursday 8th June 2017.