“It’s a wonderful life” is a great
film.
It tells the story of an
idealist. One man who, despite his inclinations to run away, keeps struggling
against a system which continually seeks to drag him down. A system which seeks
to dehumanise his local community, and which sees ordinary people as no more
than a resource to be milked for profit. The film is the story of how this struggle
against the prevailing powers can take someone to the very edge of their
capacities tipping him over into self-destruction.
There is a key scene mid way
through the film in which there is a run on the bank. A crowd gathers at the
Bailey building and loan demanding their shares be cashed. The crowd are
afraid, they are panicking. George Bailey offers the incisive challenge of the
film: “Can’t you see what’s happening here?”
I quote this scene because I think the same challenge is pertinent to
our 2017 political reality.
Last week Labour lost in
Copeland. The media instantly focussed in on Jeremy Corbyn, the story was simplified and we were presented with a simplistic narrative. Labour
lost because of Jeremy Corbyn. Supposed fact? The media from day one of his leadership has projected Corbyn as incompetent and unelectable, the narrative is decided, and will be pursued from now until 2020 regardless.
The current Conservative
government would like us
to believe that they are simply pragmatists doing their best in difficult
circumstances. The majority of the media has followed this message, presenting
Cameron and May as benign leaders merely doing what needs to be done.
We each have to make our own mind up as to whether we accept these portraits? Personally I do not.
We each have to make our own mind up as to whether we accept these portraits? Personally I do not.
What I see is a Conservative government
ideologically committed to neo-liberal economics, a government keen to
privatise public services, destroy the NHS and the welfare state, reduce corporate tax and regulation, and allow the
city of London to dictate economic policy. A government which will let the financial sector do
whatever it wishes while guaranteeing that it will be bailed out if its risks
go sour. I see a government engaging in direct and proxy war in the middle-east
while building ever higher walls around our borders. I see very little being
done in response to the imminent threat of climate change.
As I say, make up your own mind,
do your own research, you might want to take a look at these sites:
On the left:
and on the right:
What Jeremy Corbyn represents is
an alternative. While we have Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader there is a real political
choice, he is seeking to change the core economic ideology under which the UK
has operated for the last 35 years. This is precisely the reason why the media
is attacking Corbyn because he is challenging the status quo, the private media
is controlled largely by super-rich people who are doing very well out of the
status quo.
Corbyn is "unelectable" precisely because he won't accept this status-quo. Any other Labour leader who fails to accept it will equally be considered "unelectable"; because in the eyes of the media the only way to be "electable" is to follow this narrative.
Corbyn is "unelectable" precisely because he won't accept this status-quo. Any other Labour leader who fails to accept it will equally be considered "unelectable"; because in the eyes of the media the only way to be "electable" is to follow this narrative.
So whoever offers a real choice will be attacked. we aren’t going to get intelligent policy analysis or intelligent discussion about economic policy, we aren’t being
led to feel like we can each make a real choice based on reasoned thought.
Instead what we have is personal attacks, ongoing commentary on political
gossip, and analysis of what the latest opinion poll might mean. We are being
cajoled into thinking that politics is about how much your suit costs, or how
witty your come-backs are at PMQs.
It's all about fear. We are being
encouraged to believe we don’t have a choice, we are being encouraged to be
afraid. When we’re afraid all of us make un-thought-out decisions. We panic. What
better reassurance than a calm leaders who tells us not to worry. They know
what they’re doing. Just relax and don’t worry your head with complicated
things you don’t understand. And so we are like leaves swaying in the wind blown in whatever direction the wind blows.
Much like medieval culture kept the bible out of the hands of the masses, so our current rulers would prefer that very few of us are fluent in economic theory.
Much like medieval culture kept the bible out of the hands of the masses, so our current rulers would prefer that very few of us are fluent in economic theory.
If the only thing that mattered
was to get the Labour Party into power then yes the easiest route would be to
ditch Corbyn, to appoint leader who will accept the neo-liberal consensus, a leader
offering what would amount to Tory-lite government, a leader who will not
object to the city of London influence, nor to selling weapons to the odd
dubious regime, nor to an occasional war to secure our oil supply. Such a
Labour leader would likely create a situation whereby the rich elites can’t
really lose in 2020. The centre-left would be deluded into feeling joyful as
Labour takes power, just as we all were in 1997.
What we are currently seeing is a
clear attempt by the media to destroy Jeremy Corbyn politically. But much more
deeply than this what we are seeing is an attempt to convince us all that the
neo-liberal consensus is the only game in town. If the media can hound Corbyn
out of office then the message will be very clearly understood, this kind of
politics is not allowed. It will be another generation or two until we get a
real choice that means anything in a general election. (or at least until
climate change transforms everything)
The powers that be don’t want us
to have this choice in 2020.
Right now with Corbyn we will have a real
choice in 2020. I am not asking everyone to vote Labour or for any other party.
What I am saying is that in a mature adult democracy we would now have three
years to engage in intelligent adult discussion about economic policy. In a
mature democracy we would have a public service media which saw its role as
being a facilitator of this public debate so as to allow us to form well reflected and thought-out opinions. Sadly we do not have this media. The information we need will not be given to us unless we seek it out. If our democracy is going to something real then each of us has a serious responsibility to seek out a broad range of information
and to intelligently assess and make an informed choice.
If after careful thought neo-liberal economics is what you believe in then you are right to vote Conservative, likewise if you want a government which is more interventionist in providing public service then vote Labour (or Green). But please don’t vote for anything without knowing what you’re doing.
If after careful thought neo-liberal economics is what you believe in then you are right to vote Conservative, likewise if you want a government which is more interventionist in providing public service then vote Labour (or Green). But please don’t vote for anything without knowing what you’re doing.
It’s a wonderful life ends with
redemption. It is the people George has fought so long to keep out of poverty
who come good and rescue him. We do have a choice.
