Psychoactive Substances: Rolling UK Politics in The Neo-Con Era

Richard Murphy suggests that McDonnell thinks we need to go along with deficit fetishism for appearance’s sake in the media. From the article he links

The trick is to appear responsible on the deficit, but at the same time suggesting that responsibility is not equivalent to fetishism, and other things matter too. I think this provides a powerful motivation at this time for a policy that is designed to obtain balance on the current balance (taxes less non-investment spending) rather than eliminating the total deficit. This is far from ideal from a macroeconomic point of view, as I discuss here, but as a political strategy in the current context it has considerable appeal. In the UK it allows you to attack the ‘excessive and obsessive austerity’ of Osborne, who is ‘failing to invest in the future’, while following a policy that it is difficult to label irresponsible.

But since the current-budget deficit makes up the greater part of the total deficit, this seems like accepting an overall commitment to austerity-lite. What’s the point of this dichotomy - borrowing for investment: good, for upkeep: bad? He says this austerity shouldn’t hit middle and low earners, but the idea of clawing back however many billions 2020 by taxing the rich seems completely hollow.

fully expect osborne to start 'investing for the future' when he the cons have finally 'fixed the roof' (ie he has his primary surplus in late 2018-20). providing he's not derailed by events dear boy events in the interim

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/13785482.Tragedy_as_baby_who_slept_in_car_with_homeless_parents_dies/?ref=twtrec

I really hope this is more complicated than 'sorry no roof'.

Vasco de Gama - I agree, it seems like Murphy is repping almost entirely for the sort of political positioning that failed under Miliband.

re: Richard Murphy my post was confusing there - he actually seems to be distancing himself from McDonnell. The post I quoted is by Simon Wren-Lewis

The writer also addresses my objection in the article.

Apparently current-budget austerity + capital investment is an 'old-keynesian' idea
http://www.3spoken.co.uk/2015/09/corbynomics-and-current-budget-balance.html

We’ve lost a huge figure of postwar politics. A hero in world war two as Beach Master at Anzio and a brave politician, Denis Healey told his party hard truths about Britain having to live within her means.

Fuck this guy, srsly.

had to check the quote and was surprised it wasn't a Labour MP

Taxpayers' Alliance: Cut pensioner benefits 'immediately'

The cuts should be made "as soon as possible after an election for two reasons", said Mr Wild.

"The first of which will sound a little bit morbid - some of the people... won't be around to vote against you in the next election. So that's just a practical point, and the other point is they might have forgotten by then."

TPA are some of the vilest people in this country, i'd condone assassination as a reasonable measure against any of their members.

Jerry Sadowitz could use that as part of his stand-up routine. Because he's a comedian.

"So on a purely practical basis I would say do it immediately."

IDGI - all Jeremy Hunt was saying is that poor people have no value outside of the work they contribute to an advanced capitalist society. I thought we were all agreed on this matter now?

Replace them with machines and grind their bones into nutritious powder.

Almost as bad = Gideon has tainted St Vincent.

This government's strategy -- in the way in which Osborne seems to go over there every couple of months/talk about it endlessly, and now Hunt's remarks that we work like the Chinese -- is to place a bet on China, an economy which is faltering.

But where people know their place!

The fact that George Osborne likes overgentrified indie-rock should surprise precisely no-one, surely?

Oh nothing surprising about it at all, anymore than it's surprising that posh boys at Eton should be into gangsta rap, too. It just saddens me.

Fighting the urge to google this now. xp

I didn't know what St Vincent was :-) until now :-(

He means the film in which Bill Murray becomes very good friends with a sex worker.

it's the conference ok but tories really ratcheting rhetoric left right and centre it's difficult to keep track

https://twitter.com/mrdaveturner/status/651312419281719296

Also thanks to Theresa May for trying to make myself and my colleagues redundant.

surely only you can make yourself redundant

Most of these speeches are the start of a long pitch for next Tory leader (and likely next PM). 10+ years ago May was positioning herself as the detoxifying option but this speech looks like a big bet on the more right-wing end of the party. She might win as well, especially if Osborne and Boris split the toff vote.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/30/its-all-very-well-jeremy-corbyn-showing-us-he-understands-but-does-he-have-the-strength-a-leader-needs

May is offering confrontation Suzanne - maybe you can vote for her in 2020.

Most of these speeches are the start of a long pitch for next Tory leader (and likely next PM).

Boris is in the middle of one right now.

differences between the parties being sharpened at the moment, aren't they? go on, theresa may, let's have this argument you evil piece of hot vomit

Isabel Hardman ‏@IsabelHardman · 33 mins33 minutes ago
This is a delightful speech from Boris but personally think it could do with even more heft and vision than he's put in.

Isabel Hardman ‏@IsabelHardman · 30 mins30 minutes ago
But what this speech shows is that leadership contest will be do you want leader who makes Conservatism exciting or do you want safe guy

Every time I'm reminded how much Teresa May bothers me, I also remember exposing her as a moron when we were both on the panel of a feminist talk, and I did it while dressed up like a displaced Shibuya-kei person. At least I can take solace in knowing that there are 600 young women who are probably 35ish now who will never vote for her, but shiiiiiiit - if I can take her down wearing five-inch Mary Janes and a mini-crini, what's wrong with you, Britishers?

[I may have mentioned this before ;-)]

How nice: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/zac-goldsmith-knock-down-ugly-estates-to-build-better-homes-for-londoners-a3083756.html

I guess a bit of aggressive gentrification will get the full backing of the new infrastructure tsar. How can you realistically demolish whole social housing estates without making people homeless? Stupid question I know the answer is who gaf.

well, increased homelessness is a policy objective, so that's cool. Also, old cliches about 'high-rise blocks' and pledges to knock down council housing gets lapped up by tory rank and file, even more than anti-europe or yay-army stuff. Feel this is more a speech for them than for the London electorate so much.

One underreported aspect of social housing is that despite endemic drug/crime problems there are a lot of people who love their social housing and know enough to know that the lawless badlands of the private rental sector or homelessness is far worse.

Ugh, they even had Peter Hitchens on the BBC Politics show today. The. Worst.

high-rise blocks built as social housing = bad, high rise blocks built for property speculators that remain three quarters empty = cool, or perhaps, completely invisible

Not sure that among Theresa May's goals in giving that speech was having the arse torn off her in the Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11913927/Theresa-Mays-immigration-speech-is-dangerous-and-factually-wrong.html

lol 61% against her in their poll

The Telegraph wants the Tories to win the next election, and they know that Theresa May isn't their best chance of achieving that outcome. James Kirkup himself appears to be a major Osborne shill, so it makes sense in that context as well.

Yes, she's an impediment to the coronation of King George so she must be disposed of, fwiw I think she's more electable than Osborne.

Yep, I think Boris is too. Fingers crossed for Osborne? Christ that could come back to bite me though

Cameron: "That’s right, Labour: you’re not for working people, but hurting people."

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/14/Farfromthehurtingkind.jpg/220px-Farfromthehurtingkind.jpg

Cameron saying the British people "want a government that protects the vulnerable" is sailing pretty close to the wind.

Not sure that among Theresa May's goals in giving that speech was having the arse torn off her in the Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11913927/Theresa-Mays-immigration-speech-is-dangerous-and-factually-wrong.html

― Andrew Farrell, Wednesday, 7 October 2015 10:43 (39 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

But the DM loves her!

[ img ]broken image of the daily mail front page[ /img ]

From what I can see Boris is setting himself up as the (lol) One Nation candidate, with May going for the socially conservative right and Osborne claiming the centre ground for austerity.

@DPJHodges
David Cameron is now the leader of the British left.