It’s still the economy stupid

It’s still the economy stupid

Is the economics getting lost in Labour’s Leadership debate? I think so. Only Jeremy Corbyn is talking real economics, the others led by Liz Kendall are talking about credibility, which I assume is code for reducing the deficit through fiscal policy i.e. expenditure cuts and tax rises. I am disappointed in Yvette Cooper, yet strangely not surprised by Andy Burnham.

Corbyn is not arguing for a Soviet style economy, the macro-economics is Keynesian, the micro-economics maybe socialist because he argues, in contrast to the Tories and their media shills, that wealth is created by both workers and entrepreneurs.  …

Extraction

I can’t remember what made go and look for “Fatal Extraction”, an early episode, 1989, of the New Statesman, starring Rik Mayell as Alan B’stard; I think it was the scene in Georgina’s Hackney flat, where the pregnant Annalena says to her boyfriend, Larry, that it’s not personal, he just doesn’t have his analysis, but not only does that scene hit a pitch perfect note, the following scene, in Parliament does so too. Bob Crippen’s speech opposing the poll tax could have been taken from Hansard last week. …

Copyright

In Babylon 5’s bubble, “River of Souls”, 1998, Zack Allen, the “Security Chief” tries to close down a holo-brothel by threatening the owner with breach of copyright laws, the owner defends himself on the grounds that he’s not “publishing” the pictures. (This is GPL stuff.) This was in 1998, the year that the US Congress passed both the DMCA and the “Micky Mouse Protection” Act. Was someone having a laugh? 😉 …

Authority

Another day and morning of criticism around Labour’s decision to abstain on the second reading of the Welfare Bill. Some of it around discipline and collegiality; Harman’s mandate is 9 years old, two elections ago. She has no more right to interpret the result than I do. Her brutal use of the Leader’s authority and power, in attempting to show that Labour ‘gets it’ on welfare is morally vacant and strategically inept. It’s also just asking for rule changes to re-establish the accountability of the PLP and Leadership to the Party membership. …