A thread with a few eve-of-poll thoughts about the politics of this British general election and where it is likely to leave those of us committed to transformative political-economic change both ideologically and as a practical necessity. 🧵👇🏼 So ends the most delusional general election campaign in modern British history.

The idea that the problem with Starmer is insufficient ‘boldness,’ rather than that he has the wrong policies in the wrong interests, is a failure of analysis and understanding that will become apparent very quickly. His commitments aren’t right but insufficient, they are wrong!

https://twitter.com/georgemonbiot/status/1806760296884629890

Starmer’s positions are:
-Privatisation
-Financialisation
-Derisking
-Authoritarian policing
-Atlanticist foreign policy
-Austerity
-Trickle-down economics
-Growth
-Constitutional status quo/unionism
-British nationalism
-Purge the left

We’re in a time of decay and slow-motion system collapse that looks something like crisis-punctuated stagnation. In the in-between times the ‘normal’ rules of neoliberalism apply—or are reapplied—like a force of gravity, a dead weight on the present that prevents new departures. But periodic crisis interruptions force new interventions—bailouts, QE, furlough payments, etc.—that are outside the bounds of the ‘normal’ operations of the system, sudden lurches or interventions that then have to be closed down and the genie reinterred in the systemic bottle.

We are living through a decomposition of the ideological apparatus into its most basic commitments. For liberalism, these turn out not to be justice or democracy or the rule of law but the protection of power and the preservation of capitalism. As for social democracy, it’s dead.

https://twitter.com/nesrinemalik/status/1756995501570887912

The social democratic method of using mass democracy to wring concessions from capital and the state doesn’t work when social democratic politics has been taken over by fractions who are unprepared to do any wringing of anything from those with power except for their own careers.

Some possible “iron rules” for an incoming government that took climate action, the cost of living crisis, and inequality seriously rather than just bending the knee to the established order: The financial economy of money, debt, and interest will be fully subordinated to real needs, be it the imperative to reduce emissions and observe hard biophysical limits or the real economy of production and consumption.

Quite apart from the inadequacy of current policy proposals we also need a conversation in Britain about policy itself, and the limits of policy in driving change. Too much debate hinges on this or that policy, as if there’s a 1:1 correlation between policy intent and outcomes. Policy is important—and in some cases can be transformative. But only insofar as it alters the underlying structural conditions of our political economy. Policy within the existing structures can tweak or adjust, but it rarely transforms.

Listening to this, and it's very interesting. Bought the book.

The Left should never allow itself to get caught on the wrong side of democratic populism again.

https://twitter.com/thepopularpod/status/1654481639030812672

Lots that I agree with but some real disagreements with the authors as well. The ‘independent nuclear deterrent’ argument stands out; if the authors want democratic renewal they need to grapple with the contradiction of retaining a ‘thermonuclear monarchy’ wwnorton.com/books/thermonu…

Inflation in double digits, wages declining, basics unaffordable. Interest rates and mortgage payments hiked. The economy in the toilet. Inequality increasing, wealth in fewer hands. Public services on their knees. The Tories crashing and burning. But Labour is at 35% of the vote I've never known the country in such bad shape. Yet there is no programme anywhere in sight that has a hope of actually making things better. The very best that's on offer is things getting worse at a slower rate

https://twitter.com/joecguinan/status/1653811975346847744?s=20

I’d set it at $1 million/year and then bring it down. With a wealth tax at over $5 million. Watch how that deflates the real estate bubble!

https://twitter.com/markvinpaul/status/1653830308121157645

When I’ve encountered the super rich at wealth levels much beyond that they have mostly spent their money on cynical consumption and positional goods, which serves no socially useful or productive purpose.

People should be very clear that what’s on offer from a Starmer government is, at best, THINGS GETTING WORSE AT A SLOWER RATE. We know the crises, trends, data; and we know the interventions they will and won’t countenance; so how could it be otherwise except by magical thinking? They won’t make any interventions that change who owns and controls capital, so even if—big if—they manage to produce some growth the shares will be distributed as they already are, with most going to the top.

PMQs shows that the Labour leadership may have made a serious error in gratuitously attacking the left to the degree it has. The purges and lies and gaslighting have set in motion a small army of left-wing activists now intent on combing every aspect of Starmer’s record. The Starmerite judgment was probably that the left simply doesn’t matter and has been and will continue to be systematically excluded from a hearing by Britain’s right-wing media.

We need a fundamental restructuring of economic life to bring us back within planetary boundaries. This requires a far more equal society. We have almost no time left to achieve what climate scientist Joachim Schellnhuber calls “an induced implosion of the carbon economy”. Here is a paper we prepared on the problem, back in 2016: ‘Systemic Crisis and Systemic Change in the United States in the 21st Century: Framing the challenges of a next system after fossil fuels’ thenextsystem.org/framing-the-ch…

If the 2017 general election had happened a couple of weeks later Corbyn would have been in Downing St. The direction was clear—as one right-winger put it, his vote surged “in a way we’ve never seen during an election campaign before.” After Grenfell it would’ve been unstoppable. The difference between 2017 and 2019 was that in 2017 the neoliberals of all parties were high on their own supply and didn’t believe left policies could be popular. After 2017 they realised their error; then came sabotage, including over Brexit, and two years of media monstering

This is straightforwardly Third Way economics. The tax burden is too high. Supply side measures. Growth as a rising tide that will lift all boats—although in this instance seemingly through the anaemic channel of a little more social spending at the margins. Warmed-over Blairism.

https://twitter.com/channel4news/status/1630247531908067330

There is no analysis or explanation of what has been going wrong for decades, other than “growth has been lower.” Nothing about inequality increasing under New Labour, which it did. Nothing about financialisation or extraction—don’t want to scare off those City donors. Empty talk

There are credible reports of an outline ceasefire agreement and potential peace terms that would’ve seen both sides return to the lines of a year ago with a renunciation of Russian war aims and Ukrainian NATO accession. There are also reports that the UK helped scupper the deal. Given this, politicians in the UK who profess to have an interest in peace in Ukraine might consider their time better spent publicly inquiring as to the posture of the UK government and how it can be pressured constructively rather than simply lining up to cheer for more weapons

It was a real honour and privilege to serve on this panel alongside colleagues @HarryBeag of @FailteFeirste, @DAVIDHU92870388 of @socentni, Brendan Murtagh of @QUBelfast, and Sarah McKinley of @DemocracyCollab. We aimed to produce recommendations commensurate with the challenges.

https://twitter.com/joecguinan/status/1587042891221925889

There are a number of people to thank as part of this process, not least the supportive officials at @CommunitiesNI, including @SRJFleming and @L1Gallagher, and the Secretariat who supported our work, including @Sean_Byers84 of @TrademarkBF and Paul Roberts of @devtrustsni.

On October 27, the Independent Advisory Panel on Community Wealth Building to the Minister for Communities @CommunitiesNI delivered its report, ‘Recommendations to Advance Community Wealth Building in Northern Ireland’. communities-ni.gov.uk/news/hargey-we… The report sets out a comprehensive framework for advancing #CommunityWealthBuilding and building a more democratic, just, inclusive, and sustainable economy for all communities in Northern Ireland, on the basis of a whole-of-government approach. There are 26 key recommendations:

Watched Starmer’s speech in Liverpool and I’m glad I did. First, this is the best speech I’ve heard him give as leader. The dullard of last year is gone, the ambition of his leadership campaign back. Lots to disagree with, of course; but the tonality is what matters. #LabourParty It’s important to watch the pivot he’s making now. He’s shown himself to be an epic political conman in the past, and now that Starmer is back. The trick with three paper cups he played on the Labour membership—where’s the real Starmer?—he’s now attempting to play on the country.

The intertwining of the British Conservative Party and Russian oligarchy is neither accidental nor incidental. Privatisation, together with Big Bang deregulation, created the City of London as we know it today. It’s the world’s biggest offshore tax haven. Privatisation in Russia also created the oligarchs, as they looted the Soviet state. And they needed somewhere to put their money.

These are difficult times; we need to have each other’s backs. We also need to support those who remain steadfast in doing the hard work of change. If you’re on the UK left and are able to, please consider supporting @NAyrshireLab. I’ll tell you why! 🧵👇🏼 crowdfunder.co.uk/p/north-ayrshi… North Ayrshire isn’t your average local council; they are different. Beginning a few years ago under @jcullinane86’s leadership they set out on a journey—to transform their region and build local wealth in their communities after decades of economic decline and political neglect.

Periodic reminder that the ‘municipal protectionism’ critique of Community Wealth Building is a load of lazy bollocks, demonstrably so, in both theory and practice. (For further reading, see Chapter 2 of @CommWealthBldng.) The contracts localised by @prestoncouncil have not been poached from Blackburn or Burnley but redirected away from large corporations in the South East or offshore whose relationship to the regional economy was extractive. Not just Preston but Lancashire and the North West wins.