THE CRASH - A VIEW FROM THE LEFT
I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but this e-book that you can download for free looks like a very promising contribution to the debate on the economic crisis. You can download the book from here.
It is published by Soundings magaxine, and edited by Jon Cruddas and Jonathan Rutherford.
this is what the publishers say:
We are at a turning point in the life of our country - before us lies a period of economic dislocation unparalleled since the 1930s, while the dangers of climate change and resource depletion loom ever larger.
The Crash offers an alternative to the compromised policies of the G20. Contributors analyse and explain the economic and social issues that lie at the heart of our crisis: the credit crisis, the housing disaster, secrecy jurisdictions, the practices of private equity firms and the intellectual failure of orthodox economics. They put forward ideas for a new kind of agriculture to ensure food security, a People’s Post Bank, and a Green New Deal for tackling global warming; and make the case that Britain should think seriously about joining the Euro. And, taking a wider view, contributors identify historical trends in economic crashes, the immorality of inequality, and the arguments for a left alternative.
Contributors: Jon Cruddas, Clive Dilnot, Bryan Gould, John Grahl, Colin Hines, Adam Leaver, Toby Lloyd, Lindsay Mackie, Robin Maynard, Richard Murphy, Carlota Perez, Ann Pettifor, Michael Prior, Jonathan Rutherford, Göran Therborn.
(Published in association with the media department at Middlesex University Supported by the Amiel Trust )
Excellent stuff, those folks are certainly well placed to give an account of the view of the economic crisis from the left! w00t!!
Comment by Insincere Dave — 27 March, 2009 @ 12:09 pm
`and make the case that Britain should think seriously about joining the Euro.’
Amusing. This lot really don’t want power do they? The idea that the Germans and French have any interest whatsoever in bailing out the British economy is deluded but also that the British imperialists have bankurpted the country in a vain attempt to save the City and the Banks so that Germany can control it is barking.
Hope Gordon’s March goes well today and helps him put pressure on the rest of the G20 to follow his lead for more regulation of the naughty banks and more money printing even if he can’t get the Governor of the Bank of England to back him. Never mind, the BBC are promoting it and also warning off anybody who might actually be a little bit angry saying the police are ready for you. The march of the bureaucrats.
Comment by Grrrrreat — 28 March, 2009 @ 7:35 am
Andy seems to be fast losing his bearings and falling head over heels back in love with the New Social democratic fig leaf Labour party lapping up yet more Criuddas deception and duplicity
To quote from Liam´s article “Gime that old time Blairism”
“Jon Cruddas has emerged as one of New Labour’s most dogged but loyal critics. Writing in today’s Guardian(18th March 2009) he charges that the party has “lost the language of generosity, kindness and community”. Now while it is undeniable that government ministers seem to speak a language that runs parallel to English there are other things that we can fault them on. Cruddas nails a few of them “, appalling housing cases with no hope of resolution, job losses, and people struggling daily to pay the bills”. True that.
The weird part is his proffered solution. It boils down to – and I am not making this up – a return to authentic Blairism. That would be the good old fashioned Blairism that was ruined by that wrecker, er Tony Blair. Read this paragraph and see what you make of it:
“Above all, the party needs a new language about our purpose. So try this, from 1995: “A nation for all the people, built by the people, where old divisions are cast out. A new spirit in the nation based on working together, unity, solidarity, partnership. That is the patriotism of the future. 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.” That was Tony Blair, who had it - but lost it. Now, before it’s too late, we need to rediscover that kind of Labour politics.”
Every major political choice made by New Labour since getting elected has been a rupture from its true spirit. The wars, the PFI, market deregulation, the surveillance society and everything else was some sort of weird accident that had nothing to with Blair, the rest of Labour’s leadership or parliamentary or their compliant union leader cronies. I don’t think that’s doing any serious violence to the fabric of his argument.
Cruddas is in no doubt that a faction fight is opening up inside New Labour. “Hardline market fundamentalists are regrouping, arguing for further dismantling of the state, more privatisation and suspending any equality agenda to placate business.” That was the whole point of bringing the widely admired and respected Peter Mandelson back into high office. This could have been another of those dizzy spells that Cruddas seems to think Labour’s leadership is so prone to or it could be a declaration of what Brown wants to do.
An article in the same issue of the paper notes that today is the 10th anniversary of Blair’s phony promise to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Has the target been met or exceeded? No. It’s been kicked into the long grass and 30% of children are now on or under the breadline, a statistic that will get worse with the recession.
One could try to make the case that using a decade old quote from Blair’s glory days is one way to reconnect with Labour’s mainstream. What is really required is a complete demolition job on everything New Labour has represented and Cruddas seems unwilling to do this. His major fear is that Labour’s continued evolution to the right combined with a recession is likely to cause a polarisation in British politics and flags up the growth of the far left and far right in Europe as evidence, as if there were no difference between the NPA and the Lega Nord.
And that of course is the point. The vision of Labourism that Cruddas is harking back to was a very historically limited phenomenon that lasted from the 1940s till about 1980. We can have a big row about start and end points but it has been dead for nearly as long as it was alive and even the most successful resurrectionist only waited four days before getting Lazarus out of his tomb. Maybe that is why those of us who are looking around for something outside of Labour need to start rising to the challenge.”
Comment by Flea bite — 28 March, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
Correction and apologies…it is………….
`Gimme that old time Blairism`
Comment by Flea bite — 28 March, 2009 @ 4:12 pm
A lot of people have downloaded the ebook from this site so I wanted to respond to the few comments that have been made. I’m not going to try and persaude people that we’re putting forward a full blooded socialist alternative to capitalism, because we’re not. The focus is the centre ground and an attempt to change it rather than simply capture it, and so open up the political space for a long term shift in British politics to the left. For the cynical here are some of the policy strategies we suggest. Its probably too much of a wish list and its undertaken in the spirit of G.D.H Cole’s ’sensible extremism’ but the aim is to create a discussion about what is possible, not simply desirable.
Reform the banking sector
take failed banks into public ownership and use public banks for economic recovery and development
Financial reform
Close down tax havens, end the current bonus culture
A new industrial strategy
for a balanced economy of services, manufacturing and knowledge creation
Housing for all
build homes for those who need them and so build the foundations for economic recovery
A £100bn green New Deal
invest in the future and provide decent work for a fairer society and a carbon free economy
Fair Pay
a living wage and a maximum income at a ratio of 1:20 of the living wage (approx £7 an hour)
Good work
a fair, secure and regulated UK and EU employment market
Tax justice
An equal stake in the good society and a fair and equal burden according to means for the costs of the recession
Pension reform
Social insurance and a decent pension for all in sickness and old age
Revive local democracy
devolve the state, increase the powers of local government, return power to the people
make votes count
proportional representation for a plural politics of wider participation
Comment by Jonathan Rutherford — 29 March, 2009 @ 12:30 pm
#5 Thanks for that Jonathan. From my social democratic standpoint I can hardly fault that list - perhaps to recognise to decarbonising the economy as a higher priority, and to add something in about international solidarity with the victims of imperialism. I would be extremely happy if we had a Labour Party with those ideas at its forefront.
But the fact remains that Compass has launched a bid for the policy agenda of the future opposition party. The chance was there two years ago for this kind of debate to be had at the time of the Labour leadership contest (in fact the policy agenda would have been way less radical), but Compass and Jon Cruddas were absolutely central to John McDonnell not getting enough nominations to get on the ballot paper. I believe stabbed in the back wouldn’t be too strong a description.
There is a legacy of distrust - and let’s face it, cold hatred - of Labour by ex-members for the failure of Compass to make any kind of stand on closing down the leadership contest, as well as the obvious horrors of Iraq, extraordinary rendition and arming Israel. I wish you luck, but I won’t be joining you.
Comment by Strategist — 29 March, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
Strategist.
there is a very real perception in the movement that McDonnell is on a trajectory to split from the Labour party, hence the opposition of Unite, GMB and Unison for the Peoples’ Charter.
Given that McDonnell’s leadership bid was shaping up as very hard left with little bridge building to the centre-left, then it would hardly be suprising were Jon Cruddas to have decided did not want to give hostage to fortune by backing mcDonnell.
Especially as in the major unions the deputy leader contest was always the more serious one, given the lack of a credible alternative to gordon Brown
Comment by Andy Newman — 29 March, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
#7 I don’t think anyone was asking Jon Cruddas to support John McDonnell for the leadership two years ago. The issue was whether Compass MPs would lend nomination signatures in order to allow a contest to take place. They let the Brownites bully them into thinking it was better for the party and the country for there to be no formal election, despite the fact there was zero chance of Brown not winning. Thereby debate they say they want now was suppressed then.
You are closer than me to this, but I would be sceptical that McDonnell is about to leave Labour. It could just be poison from the kind of poisonous people who inhabit the Labour Party hierarchy. He’s still in it, which suggests he’s prepared to put up with a lot. Having said that, I hope he has changed his mind and is about to leave, it would be great to see him in the Green Party or something like that. It would be great for no better reason that it would represent movement, a demonstration of a sense of urgency that drastic times call for drastic measures.
Comment by Strategist — 29 March, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
there is a very real perception in the movement that McDonnell is on a trajectory to split from the Labour party, hence the opposition of Unite, GMB and Unison for the Peoples’ Charter.
Tony Woodley and Paul Kenny have both signed the People’s Charter.
The LRC has voted against standing candidates against Labour by about 95% to 5% at the last two annual conferences. It is not about to happen, no matter what paranoid fantasies Jon Cruddas or anyone else may have. They’ll have to look for a better excuse than that.
Comment by pedant — 29 March, 2009 @ 4:19 pm
#7 Andy, that is a bit naughty. McDonnell has no intention of leaving the labour party. He does intend however to continue to fight for a socialist response to this crisis. If there is a rumour it will almost certainly be a New Labour or Compass initiated piece of mischief. There is every chance that his de-selection or expulsion is being organised by the internal bureaucratic police behind the scenes and if that happens his natural place would be along side Galloway in an anti-imperialist, class struggle organisation like Respect.
Anyway, what Britain needs is a workers’ government not another disastrous bought of New Labour attacks on jobs, welfare, communities and certainly not a government of the bankers class mates led by Cameron which will initiate a regime of austerity that will make 1980 look profligate. How can we achieve a workers’ government. The left labour MPs need to stand on a separate and distinct programme from the official New Labour manifesto. They then need to link up with the left MPs from the SNP, Plaid, Respect and any others to form a government that rules in the name of workers and small businesses in opposition to the banks, the multi-nationals and the private service provider monopolies. New Labour will lose power, only a determined left response can stop it losing it to the Tories.
Comment by David Ellis — 29 March, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
#9
“Tony Woodley and Paul Kenny have both signed the People’s Charter.”
No that is not true, as i understand it. Tony Woodley’s name and Paul Kenny’s name both appear on the list of signatories, but both deny having signed it.
I know this having been required to vote against the charter myself as a GMB delegate only yesterday, despite my own personal support for it.
Indeed at Sw TUC, the Unite speaker against thre People’s charter used Tony Woodley’s name appearing on the list of signatories as a reason to oppose, accusing the People’s Charter organisers of dishonesty.
Comment by Andy Newman — 29 March, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
For sure, if McDonnell was thinking of leavin the party the time to do so was before the 2005 election, when if a raft of anti-war MPs had stood down from labour and stood as independent Labour, they would have had a good chance of winning, and it would have meant that the limitations of respect would have been transcended.
However, the perception among many trade unionists is an honest one - whether the judgement is indeed a story put out in the Labour machine, or an independent judgement of the likely political trajectory of LRC.
Comment by Andy Newman — 29 March, 2009 @ 8:09 pm
No that is not true, as i understand it. Tony Woodley’s name and Paul Kenny’s name both appear on the list of signatories, but both deny having signed it.
That’s funny because I was told that Kenny was one of the first to sign up, enthusiastically. If he’s backing down on that now, it’s interesting to say the least. I know Woodley was a bit more circumspect.
However, the perception among many trade unionists is an honest one - whether the judgement is indeed a story put out in the Labour machine, or an independent judgement of the likely political trajectory of LRC.
Who are these many trade unionists? Assorted GMB officers, Compass supporters and other right wing bureaucrats? Certainly not the thousands of trade unionists who have joined and/or affiliated to the LRC in the full knowledge that it is not about to break with the Labour Party.
If there is an untrue story put out in the Labour machine it does you no credit to repeat and disseminate it.
Comment by pedant — 29 March, 2009 @ 8:29 pm
#12 “the perception among many trade unionists is an honest one - whether the judgement is indeed a story put out in the Labour machine, or an independent judgement of the likely political trajectory of LRC”
I think what you’re saying here Andy is that the country bumpkins of the South West TUC still believe any old bollocks pumped out by the evil spin doctors of Old Queen St. Won’t they ever learn??
Comment by Strategist — 29 March, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
#13
Pedant, I have given no credence to JOhn McD leaving the labour party, I am saying this is something that many in the party and the unions genuinely believe, and as such it is a factor that needs to be understood.
and #14
yes we are a load of carrot crunchers and we never tire of hearing how much cleverer londoners are than we are.
Comment by Andy Newman — 29 March, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
#15 Oi’ll lift a glass of zoider to that, m’dear!
Comment by Strategist — 29 March, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
There is a very real perception among SU readers that Newman is on a trajectory to split from Respect and join the Labour Party, if they’ll have him.
I give this no credence, of course. I am saying this is something many who read here believe, and as such it is a factor that needs to be understood.
Comment by KrisS — 29 March, 2009 @ 9:19 pm
“For the cynical here are some of the policy strategies we suggest. Its probably too much of a wish list and its undertaken in the spirit of G.D.H Cole’s ’sensible extremism’ but the aim is to create a discussion about what is possible, not simply desirable.”
We have heard all this guff before from the Labour Party,
here they go again long lists of we might do this or we might do some of this. All this after 11 years of Thatcherite privatisation,wars, light touch regulation and sucking up to Murdoch and the Bankers.
’sensible extremism’
Like Iraq and Afghanistan I suppose or supporting the Israeli attack on Lebanon
Look at the Cruddas voting record and then ponder on his brand of ’sensible extremism’
How about an end to supporting Neo Con Wars,
no more torturing and no more supporting Rendition
An end to voting for illegal wars of agression led by US Corporate hoods
How about votes in favour of a full and free Inquiry into the Iraq blood bath
How about not voting in favour of Foundation Trusts the vehicle for dismantling and flogging off the NHS
How about a democratic parliament elected by the people
How about freedom of speech and assembly
How about free Trade Unions
How about stopping the privatisation of public services
How about not upgrading Trident and scrapping its replacement
How about stopping the victimisation of Trade Unionists in the NHS like Karen Riessmann
How about putting into action the Laws against Blacklisting in the 1999 Bill already passed
Mr Cruddas is losing his seat and has tacked away from his hero Blair because he needs idiots to canvass for him hoping he might get back in. However check his voting record, he continues to vote Blairite in the House of Commons.
Cruddas has nothing in common with the left and his recent discovery of a socialism is pure electoral opportunism
Labour is a shameful and discredited Party and a parliament without Cruddas would make little difference.
I think there should be absoloutely no compromise with this Labour Party and people like Cruddas they crossed class lines. They are responsible for the shit storm of unemployment,homelesness,privatisation and suicides about to hit us.
Comment by ANiN — 29 March, 2009 @ 11:51 pm