A MAN I MET …
“I met someone who had been on incapacity benefit for a decade. He hadn't been able to work since he was injured doing his job. It was a real injury, and he was obviously a good man who cared for his children. But I was convinced that there were other jobs he could do.
“And that it's just not right for the country to be supporting him not to work, when other families on his street are working all hours just to get by.
“It's not about responsibility to the state, or the government, but responsibility to your neighbours, your friends and many others who you may never meet but who are affected by your actions.”
TO THE RICH …
“To those entrepreneurs and business people who generate wealth, create jobs and deserve their top salaries, I'm not just relaxed about you getting rich, I applaud you.”
TO THE NATION …
“We will be a party that rewards contribution, not worklessness.”
A COMMENT ON A POLITICAL PARTY
“We need to understand why Labour in government talked about fixing it but didn't.”
ANOTHER MAN I MET …
“He remembered most the deep fellowship that helped win the war and build the peace. When I think about my children, I want them to grow up in a Britain like that. I want them to understand what makes this country special.”
ON WHAT HIS PARTY DID WRONG
“The Labour Party - a party founded by hard working people for hard working people - was seen, however unfairly, as the party of those ripping off our society. We were intensely relaxed about what happened at the top of society.”
“So we sent out the wrong message to those at the top of society. And we all know what happened: the banks acting as if there was no tomorrow and causing the worst financial crisis in a century.”
“There is a terrible shortage of social housing in this country.”
“We did too little to ensure responsibility at the bottom.”
A QUOTE FROM A PREVIOUS LEADER HE SEEMS TO ADMIRE
“Tony Blair once said he wanted a country "where your child in distress is my child, your parent ill and in pain is my parent, your friend unemployed or homeless is my friend; your neighbour my neighbour. That is the true patriotism of a nation.’ ”
MY COMMENT TO THE NEW STATESMAN, WHO PUBLISHED THE SPEECH
As an exercise in utter vacuousness, this takes some beating. A succession of glib anecdotes, leading to conclusions that could have come from the mouth of a backwoods shire Tory - a series of motherhood statements that could have been uttered by almost any politician in any country in the last fifty years - a total and utter failure to recognise what really ripped the heart out of the Labour Party and destroyed its core values. And last but not least, a pious quote from an obscenely rich man who led the country into two ruinous and criminal wars on lies to Parliament, and who now has an estimated annual income in excess of £15m - Tony Blair.
If this speech was meant to establish Ed Miliband’s reputation, it has, definitively - as the Leader of a party that is to all intents and purposes dead, morally, ethically and intellectually, and as someone who accurately reflects its hollow heart.
The fact that it can demonstrate electoral support in the polls simply shows the awfulness of the present ConLib coalition, and the fact that the voters of England have few choices.
Thank God the people of Scotland did have a real choice, and made it decisively on May 5th this year.
Peter, I've said it before - we are escaping from the big con that is the "UK world" - the English can't do the same.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the freedom of the internet, and the stimulation of common focus, we know there is another way, away from the pap the "establishment" feeds us - but the English can't - yet!
That exclusively privileged and very parasitic nature of the "establishment" will devour itself and for my money, we're jumping off the UK ship at the right time - we should have done earlier, of course.
Moridura
ReplyDeleteI thought you were quoting from a speech by Cameron.
Looks like its back to the future with NuLabour.
Lets hope he is part of the No campaign in the referendum.
Not even Cameron would have risked such a right-wing agenda. But his brother would have been more careful, more glib - and infinitely more dangerous to UK and world peace.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your sentiments entirely, Barontorc - but we're not off the ship till we get hold of the tiller, and the only way to do that is to win the referendum argument.
ReplyDeleteWe're helped in one sense by the Establishment's reluctance to reveal their real concern - the loss of the nuclear bases and control of their northern frontier - the postern gate argument - and of course their craven role in the face of US foreign policy. (See Robert Gate's comments on NATO)
But they will increasingly use the defence jobs and contracts threat/bribe strategy - death and war as a job creation scheme. And Scottish trades unions - and a lot of Scots - will buy this argument from naked self-interest. That's the one we must counter imaginatively and constructively ...
Peter, I know these attacks will come but let's hope the Scottish Government's ambition and lateral thinking will carry us forward.
ReplyDeleteDependency on military type contacts, if, and a big if at that, they indeed would be offered, is not so significant, but we need to attract investment to do business here.
And for that, we need our hands on the financial tiller - that's what's being denied as we speak! Our brave champion SOS MM knows best!
As for the Scotland Bill/unionist strategy; throw it oot the windae Alex - for the trojan horse it is!
Again, agreed, Barontorc.
ReplyDeleteBut to throw a Trojan Horse oot the windae, ye first huv tae let it intae the hoose, which rather plays intae the haunds o' the Greeks ...
I watched the speech thourghly expecting what I heard, not expecting quite the far reaching the lurch as far to the Tory right as I actually heard, but it is Labour and I'm not surprised. He quoted Blair, Cameron and Iain Duncan Smith according to Sky News.
ReplyDeleteWhatever one thinks of David Milliband or Ed Milliband politically (not much difference between them in my view), there is one thing about Ed M. that I find profoundly disturbing; the fact that he convinced his brother (stabbing him in the back), 'now is not the time to challenge Brown' and then when it was finally the time he stabbed him between the eyes and stole the Labour leadership.
I find it odd that nobody comments on this.
However, something I find infinitely odder and more difficult to fathom is the attitude of Labour activists in Scotland who portend to be social democrats.
The Labour party is a right-wing hegemony doing lip service to social welfare. The Labour party used to say the SNP was a distraction to social democracy, now it is they who are the distraction to putting true social democracy on the streets of Scotland. I list SNP policies to them but they blandly respond with uncaring drivel frankly.
Where is it written that the Labour party is the party of the union?
Where is it written that the Labour party must defend the union at the expense of the Scots?
Where is it written that the Labour party must defend their party at the expense of the Scots?
It's not written and Scotland could be an example to Europe of a functioning social democracy where the government is there to serve the people and not politicians' careers. We could show our neighbour England a better way, a government that serves the people and not the few. That government should exist to serve the people and not the other way round.
I tire of the Labourites saying where are the SNP's left-wing policies? I list the SNP's policies for the Labourites (remembering Salmond was in Group 79 - a very left-wing organisation) and they don't even answer or they answer with waffly nothings. The term left-wing, I don't care about, I care about actually making people's lives what they should be.
The Labourites have no soul and no moral centre, allowing their Brit nat post-empire notions to put the Scots third place behind party and unionism
UK based Labourism (because that's what it is) is a failed institution that needs to die for the benefit of all.
A long post, a frustrated post.
Thanks, natha.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are very relevant, but it is a long post for a comments section. You should consider starting your own blog - it's easy enough to do, and if you have a lot to say, it's the best way to say it.
But keep posting - you're always welcome here.