Labour's free fibre broadband offer is a turning point in UK politics. 1/ Because its shows that under public ownership, basic essential services can be done cheaper - the government's own research shows it costs £20bn done publicly, £33bn privately...
2/ Free full-fibre broadband for all turns information access into a right, like water, roads and sewage: it signals that rent-seeking capitalists won't be allowed to strangle the tech revolution...
3/ For anyone interested, this offer follows the logic of my book, Postcapitalism, which advocates making information into a public good and providing universal free or ultra-cheap basic services...
4/ And there's another very important thing going on here: by cutting the cost of living - average household spend on comms, music and phone data can be £100+ a week - this cuts the "reproduction cost of labour power" ... explanation follows...
5/ Traditionally soc-dem parties are not focused on "cutting the cost of living" because they want to solve that thru wage bargaining: I've argued for Labour to attack rent seeking and monopolies to cut family living costs. This is bang on... and ...
6/ If you think about who benefits most it is people "beyond" work - pensioners, Mums with young kids, the kids themselves, people at home with disabilities. It's a nod towards the post-work form of socialism advocated by me and co-thinkers...
7/ Above all, Labour's free fibre broadband offer is a signal the party "gets" the 21st century and is prepared to kill off the failing icons of neoliberalism.
