[UK] Knee Deep In The Inbred

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > [UK] Knee Deep In The Inbred

«‹›1244 »

smellmycheese: Feb 1, 2016

Mr Blobby telling it like it is

https://twitter.com/WorstBlobby/status/1384413788632502273

# ? Apr 20, 2021 12:15

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 7, 2024 18:43

Mr Hootington: Jul 24, 2008; I'M HAVING A HOOT EATING CORNETTE THE LONG WAY

I can't believe you all brexited out of another European union lol

Rip super league

# ? Apr 20, 2021 19:52

Dr. Kyle Farnsworth: Apr 23, 2004

honestly the best part of this is the brits spending centuries laughing at americans only they have now begun enthusiastically embracing the worst parts of american culture (flag worship, etc.)

# ? Apr 20, 2021 20:59

Biplane: Jul 18, 2005

Dr. Kyle Farnsworth posted:

honestly the best part of this is the brits spending centuries laughing at americans only they have now begun enthusiastically embracing the worst parts of american culture (flag worship, etc.)

The technical term is fascism.

# ? Apr 20, 2021 21:24

mawarannahr: May 21, 2019

It�s really sad and only a bit funny that any Anglo politician �on the left� has had to be a member of nominally socialist organizations, including Keith Starmer and Jacinda New Zealand

quote:

In his teenage years Starmer was active in Labour politics, and was a member of the East Surrey Young Socialists.[6][5] He was a junior exhibitioner at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama until the age of 18, and played the flute, piano, recorder and violin.[13] Starmer studied law at the University of Leeds, graduating with a first class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1985, becoming the first member of his family to graduate.[14][15] He undertook postgraduate studies at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, graduating from the University of Oxford as a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 1986.[16][14] From 1986 to 1987, Starmer edited the radical magazine Socialist Alternatives.[17]

here�s an article about his involvement with said magazine

https://www.thesocialreview.co.uk/2020/05/28/starmers-socialist-alternatives/

quote:

Starmer�s Socialist Alternatives
Musing on the future of the Labour Party in 1986, one twenty-four-year-old activist denounced centrism, insisting that the future lay with the grassroots Left. �Instead of heading towards an SDP Mark II�, he wrote, �we would be better to go forward to re-build and develop the party as an instrument of socialism, capable of integrating into its project the emergence of the new social movements of the last twenty years�. That activist was a young Keir Starmer, and he was writing for a journal called Socialist Alternatives.

Described by Chartist as the �human face of the hard left�, Socialist Alternatives spent the period of its brief existence from 1986 to 1987 seeking to promote a �redefinition of the socialist project�. In response to the ongoing triumph of Thatcherism and the social changes of the era, it sought to develop a �British counterpart� to the �Alternative movement� then emerging across the continental European Left. Although it claimed to be simply a �forum for debate� with an �editorial emphasis on open questions rather than definite answers�, the magazine�s origins lay in Pabloite Trotskyism, and it represented a minority libertarian tendency on the British grassroots Left. Starmer was a member of the editorial collective, and over the magazine�s five issues his name appears under eight articles.

Despite its fringe position, the themes and arguments developed in Socialist Alternatives are worth exploring today. (And not just because little-read publications in which earnest twenty-somethings debate the future of socialism always deserve more attention�) Once again, a Labour Party in opposition is forced to confront the hegemony of a new kind of conservatism, and the ideas of the young Starmer and his comrades feel strikingly relevant to an age of pandemic and climate emergency.

***

For a start, Socialist Alternatives was trailblazing in its insistence that environmental concerns should be central to any left-wing project. Warning that �the world is living in a state of permanent ecological crisis that threatens the very survival of the human species� it argued for a synthesis of ecology and socialism, declaring that �Red must be made Green, and Green must be made Red�. It thus looked with enthusiasm towards the rise of Green politics in Germany, and even spoke of transforming Labour into a �Green Party of Britain�! Patrick Maguire�s recent description of Starmer�s political origins as �Red-Green� certainly rings true, and as the climate crisis grows ever more pressing, these are origins he would do well to remember.

How was an ecological transition to be achieved? For the young Starmer, it was to come �not through the �statisation� of the economy, but through the self-management of the economy, which itself necessitates a radical extension of control over the resources we possess�. This reflected the broader project of Socialist Alternatives, which declared its �vision of socialism� to be �the general self-management of society as a whole� in contrast to �the Labour right�s hopeless neo-Keynesian economic programme�. Thus Starmer welcomed Neil Kinnock�s rejection of �state socialism�, but lamented that, �by turning back to the market economy�, Labour had bypassed �a third alternative, that of participatory socialism based on democratic planning.� To build this participatory socialism, Starmer looked to radical trade unionism, the most frequent subject of his articles for the magazine. Condemning a passive and quietist �business trade unionism�, he looked to �radically extend the scope of collective bargaining�. He argued that �the challenge of control can only be met if unions are radically enlarged to encompass the political elements of control throughout society�.

As James Meadway and others have argued, this kind of decentralist vision of economic power has a vital role to play in Labour�s rebuilding. The coronavirus pandemic has both created an opening for the re-politicisation of the workplace, and presented us with a Conservative government willing to spend money. Labour now needs to reject the idea that socialism is simply the government doing things, and instead speak the language of ownership and control.

Crucially, despite young Starmer�s focus on trade unionism, Socialist Alternatives was far from class reductionist. Instead, it emphasised the importance of integrating new social movements and the full spectrum of oppressed groups into the socialist project. Recognising that �there are no �primary� or �secondary� social contradictions�, it insisted that the redefinition of socialism �will necessarily have to be rooted in the anticapitalist alliance of all the emancipatory movements.� Starmer himself called on the trade union movement to recognise that �the working class exists beyond its historical base amongst white, male workers� and argued that �today the challenge to the status quo comes from protest movements which are not singularly based on class but represent a wide variety of social groups�. For Starmer, these groups included �environmentalists, tenants associations, ethnic minorities, feminists, gays, nuclear disarmers etc�.

The corollary of Socialist Alternatives� insistence on diverse movement politics was a belief in pluralism more generally. As Starmer put it: �Just as there must be a pluralist socialism in today�s world, there must be a pluralist Labour Party if it is to play any part in the transition to socialism. This means it must accommodate different trends, tendencies and ideas provided only that they are united around the socialist programme of the party�.

Once again, these are perspectives the contemporary Left cannot afford to ignore. For a start, we�ve seen the dangers of sectarianism in the chaos, infighting, and misconduct that characterised the Leader�s office under Corbyn. Only a general acceptance of pluralism and a greater ability on all sides to disagree productively can fix the toxic and destructive culture that exists within the Labour Party today.

Moreover, Starmer as leader needs to reject the workerist siren calls of the �orthodox left�, who urge Labour to prioritise reconnecting with a �lost working-class base� crudely imagined as men who look and sound like Ian Lavery. Instead, it should seek to emulate the intersectional left populism of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who makes her appeal to �diverse communities� and �the multi-racial working class�. Boris Johnson�s nationalist conservatism is a threat to multiple groups across our society, and rather than prioritising any one, Labour needs to unite them all by drawing what political theorist Chantal Mouffe calls a �chain of equivalence� across their common struggles. Starmer�s recent appointments are a promising sign in this regard. New Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy is a passionate defender of �identity politics�, while policy chief Claire Ainsley�s research into the �New Working Class� has highlighted how it is �more disparate, more atomised, and occupies multiple social identities�. This is the makings of a team likely to take seriously the hard graft of coalition-building, and to resist the urge to look at the electorate through the lens of nostalgia.

Finally, an admirable feature of Socialist Alternatives was its resolutely internationalist perspective. This meant not only a consistent support for the liberation struggles of the Global South, but a keen interest in those fighting for freedom against supposedly �socialist� regimes. Moreover, it also meant taking seriously the European context of Labour�s travails, by analysing in considerable detail the strategies and fortunes of its social democratic sister parties.

Work of this kind is badly needed today. As many have rightly pointed out, Labour�s 2019 defeat forms but one part of an international picture of social democratic failure. Despite the fait accompli of Brexit, Starmer�s Labour cannot afford to confine its vision within national borders. The questions faced by social democracy are wider than that. The answers must be too.

***

The political project of Starmer�s youth thus offers us a vision of a pluralist, participatory, democratic, environmentalist, intersectional, and internationalist Left. But could Starmer�s leadership really draw inspiration from the ideas of his radical past?

In a key way he has broken with them already: while in his response to the Covid-19 pandemic Starmer has adopted a �constructive� style of opposition, pursuing �national consensus�, the young Starmer and his comrades were partisans of a conflictual, even antagonistic approach to politics. Indeed, it was on this basis that they contrasted themselves with rival tendencies, insisting that any �new consensus will have to be built against the prevailing social and sexual order � not with sections of its establishment as Marxism Today proposes�.

Certainly, Starmer�s career has shown him willing to work alongside and within the establishment, going from human rights barrister to Director of Public Prosecutions before entering Parliament. We have not seen him call for the overthrow of the �prevailing social and sexual order� and nor should we expect to. As a frontbench MP his politics were ill-defined, and as leader he has focused on making targeted criticisms of existing government policy rather than setting out any far-reaching demands of his own.

But this also means that much of the substance of his project as leader is yet to emerge. So as he begins to develop his alternative to Boris�s Britain, we can still hope that Starmer will look to the Socialist Alternatives of his youth.

Were there sincere socialists in any considerable number among the Trotskyist organizations that dominated the British organized left? Do you think this is a Britain thing, a Trots thing, or both?

# ? Apr 20, 2021 21:40

ContinuityNewTimes: Dec 30, 2010; Я выдуман напрочь

Dr. Kyle Farnsworth posted:

honestly the best part of this is the brits spending centuries laughing at americans only they have now begun enthusiastically embracing the worst parts of american culture (flag worship, etc.)

Some of us have also taken up seceding from Britain

# ? Apr 20, 2021 22:21

gonadic io: Feb 16, 2011; >>=

Wow, a cop getting prosecuted for murder for killing somebody on duty. Wouldn't get that over here.

# ? Apr 20, 2021 23:22

Squizzle: Apr 24, 2008

SMILLENNIALSMILLEN posted:

toilet council

# ? Apr 20, 2021 23:30

Flayer: Sep 13, 2003; by Fluffdaddy; Buglord

gonadic io posted:

Wow, a cop getting prosecuted for murder for killing somebody on duty. Wouldn't get that over here.

Yes, we can only aspire to the American justice system and police force.

# ? Apr 21, 2021 10:23

ynohtna: Feb 16, 2007; backwoods compatible; Illegal Hen

"Judge Dredd was supposed to be a warning not an instruction manual" � Tharg the Mighty.

# ? Apr 21, 2021 10:34

NoneMoreNegative: Jul 20, 2000; GOTH FASCISTIC
PAIN MASTER

shit wizard dad

ynohtna posted:

"Judge Dredd was supposed to be a warning not an instruction manual" � Tharg the Mighty.

/America, looking up from taking notes "Oh word?"

# ? Apr 21, 2021 10:47

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

Terf island gonna terf. Trans widows I'd exactly what you think it is

https://twitter.com/Commonswomequ/status/1384802263160532993?s=19

# ? Apr 21, 2021 11:10

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

lol at blair absolutely murdering starmer's line on tory sleaze

https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1384788536688263168?s=20

# ? Apr 21, 2021 12:08

Communist Thoughts: Jan 7, 2008; Our war against free speech cannot end until we silence this bronze beast!

do they point out that blair is a lobbyist

just kidding

# ? Apr 21, 2021 12:10

Jakabite: Jul 31, 2010

wow he looks awful

# ? Apr 21, 2021 12:24

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

Jakabite posted:

wow he looks awful

his good pal and adrenochrome connection died not long ago

# ? Apr 21, 2021 12:31

MikeCrotch: Nov 5, 2011; I AM UNJUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF MY SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

YES, IT IS AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE DISH

NO, IT IS NOT NORMAL TO USE A PEPPERAMI INSTEAD OF MINCED MEAT

YES, THERE IS TOO MUCH SALT IN MY RECIPE

NO, I WON'T STOP SHARING IT

more like BOLLOCKnese

Hahaha Blair just can't help barreling in and loving stuff up

To be fair he's not wrong from the perspective of the Labour right - the current leadership are reluctant to go in too hard on lobbying given

1. They all want the cushy private sector jobs after they leave parliament
2. Labour has been courting wealthy donors who will absolutely want favour from Labour
3. David Evans and the Labour right are up to their necks in corruption scandals of their own

# ? Apr 21, 2021 14:21

Communist Thoughts: Jan 7, 2008; Our war against free speech cannot end until we silence this bronze beast!

the whole british parliament system is just managed corruption as far as i can tell
its the civil service that does* the actual government functions

# ? Apr 21, 2021 14:23

keithy george: Jan 8, 2008

Jakabite posted:

wow he looks awful

He's 67 and looks fine? Weird takes on people's looks lately all over the place. People on twitter comparing Prince William to Paul Rudd and going "This is how you age when you're unproblematic".

# ? Apr 21, 2021 17:37

crispix: Mar 28, 2015; Grand-Maman m'a raconté
_{(Les éditions des amitiés franco-québécoises)}

Hello, dear

this is the forum of beautiful people, this is me

# ? Apr 21, 2021 18:57

Zulily Zoetrope: Jun 1, 2011; Muldoon

That's a bulky jacket; what are you hiding? I bet you got some really sharp elbows under there, you troglodyte.

# ? Apr 21, 2021 22:38

Judakel: Jul 29, 2004; Can't post for 9 years!

boris saved football.

# ? Apr 21, 2021 22:39

Jel Shaker: Apr 19, 2003

crispix posted:

this is the forum of beautiful people, this is me

sorry about your scoliosis

# ? Apr 21, 2021 22:48

spankmeister: Jun 15, 2008

Judakel posted:

boris saved football.

It's coming home?

# ? Apr 22, 2021 06:24

Jakabite: Jul 31, 2010

keithy george posted:

He's 67 and looks fine? Weird takes on people's looks lately all over the place. People on twitter comparing Prince William to Paul Rudd and going "This is how you age when you're unproblematic".

Tonty isn�t going to gently caress you you know.

really though I think it�s the incredibly drawn, hungry features and the weird little wisps of hair coming out from the back of his neck. makes him look ghoulish, though I concede that that perception may be influenced by his ghoulish past, present and future

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:07

keithy george: Jan 8, 2008

Jakabite posted:

Tonty isn�t going to gently caress you you know.

really though I think it�s the incredibly drawn, hungry features and the weird little wisps of hair coming out from the back of his neck. makes him look ghoulish, though I concede that that perception may be influenced by his ghoulish past, present and future

gently caress off. He looks like an older Tony Blair. If anything I'm posting because of disappointment because someone goes "Wow he looks like poo poo" and I click the video to see and get nothing. It's not like he did a Steve Bannon.

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:37

Biplane: Jul 18, 2005

keithy george posted:

gently caress off. He looks like an older Tony Blair. If anything I'm posting because of disappointment because someone goes "Wow he looks like poo poo" and I click the video to see and get nothing. It's not like he did a Steve Bannon.

Tony Blair looks like poo poo dude.

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:42

keithy george: Jan 8, 2008

Biplane posted:

Tony Blair looks like poo poo dude.

When didn't he?

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:43

Jakabite: Jul 31, 2010

keithy george posted:

He looks like an older Tony Blair.

if this doesn�t meet the criteria of �awful� for you then that ain�t my problem buddy

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:53

Flayer: Sep 13, 2003; by Fluffdaddy; Buglord

Stop judging men by their appearance

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:53

90s Cringe Rock: Nov 29, 2006

Flayer posted:

Stop judging men by their appearance

judge them by the blood on their hands

keith just can't match up and boj's natural tory advantage is keeping him in front of tone for now

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:54

lumpentroll: Mar 4, 2020

Flayer posted:

Stop judging men by their appearance

# ? Apr 22, 2021 12:54

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

90s Cringe Rock posted:

judge them by the blood on their hands

keith just can't match up and boj's natural tory advantage is keeping him in front of tone for now

kieths definitely got more blood on his hands vs boris considering he is happy to let MI5 torture people

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:09

forkboy84: Jun 13, 2012; Corgis love bread. And Puro

Biplane posted:

Tony Blair looks like poo poo dude.

Tony Blair looks like he has the corpses of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians on his mind & desperately is trying to ignore him and that's definitely taken it has toll. Lot of sleepless nights.

"Looks better than Steve Bannon" is a low banner. I look better than Bannon and I have outrageous self image problems.

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:14

gonadic io: Feb 16, 2011; >>=

Jose posted:

kieths definitely got more blood on his hands vs boris considering he is happy to let MI5 torture people

he hasn't had MI5 murder 120k people though (and counting)

e: actually closer to 150k if you count excess not just the official tally

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:16

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

gonadic io posted:

he hasn't had MI5 murder 120k people though (and counting)

e: actually closer to 150k if you count excess not just the official tally

while boris was in charge during that he was fully enabled by kieth. if he hadn't been such a wet wipe supporting the government it might've been less of a disaster

kieth being a lovely neolib i think he'd have been just as bad tbh but yeah he isn't actually in charge

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:26

lumpentroll: Mar 4, 2020

https://twitter.com/OwenJones84/status/1385178248519299075

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:27

gonadic io: Feb 16, 2011; >>=

Jose posted:

while boris was in charge during that he was fully enabled by kieth. if he hadn't been such a wet wipe supporting the government it might've been less of a disaster

kieth being a lovely neolib i think he'd have been just as bad tbh but yeah he isn't actually in charge

the main difference if corb had won would that that there'd be one extra on the death tally after he was beheaded in front of parliament before kier took over anyway and opened everything back up again

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:34

A Buttery Pastry: Sep 4, 2011; Delicious and Informative!

gonadic io posted:

the main difference if corb had won would that that there'd be one extra on the death tally after he was beheaded in front of parliament before kier took over anyway and opened everything back up again

Also every death would be added to the victims of communism twice instead of just once.

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:38

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 7, 2024 18:43

gonadic io: Feb 16, 2011; >>=

Although I would have liked to see the bbc graphic of him with a Hitler mustache that they would have impartially run with to announce the covid restrictions

# ? Apr 22, 2021 13:41

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > C-SPAM > [UK] Knee Deep In The Inbred

«‹›1244 »