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Written by Austin Mitchell
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21 August 2007 |
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TUESDAY. Today’s the funeral of my friend, Keith Jackson, who went out to New Zealand in 1956 to the University of Otago, for those were the days when NZ Universities recruited young Poms which made for a stodgy university system but was pretty good for us.
In 1960 he and I collaborated with Bob Chapman to write the first NZ election book, appropriately called New Zealand Politics In Action (N.B.two separate words). Now I’m the only one of the three pioneers left. Ave atque Vale Keith. A sad going for one of the nicest men I know.
Labour is populist or nowt. The Tories left the people unprotected against the market, the Banks, the Utilities and the Big Corporations. And Blair deferred to all these Big Boys so much we not only didn’t rebuild protection and regulation, we didn’t even stop the pension swindles and the bank bullying, we encouraged them to put themselves in credit hock, weakened bankruptcy protection and passed legislation to turn bullying bailiffs loose on them.
Time now for Gordon to protect the people not the powerful.
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The Presidential debates are still rolling on and fascinating too. Every country should have them. We’d benefit from such debates, not just between the two leaders, but between teams of the big beasts on each side.
The Republicans look like a Rotary meeting. All competing to shift position to the harder right on immigration and abortion. They don’t seem to realise that the Conservative era is over and only John McCain emerges as consistent and honourable.
The Democrats are much more populist. Their main disagreement is on Iraq. But it`s done well. But they`re all testing each other and particularly testing Obama. Hillary takes the more conservative positions - the stance to win from. But I`m warming to Edwards who’s more consistently radical.
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Which prompts a thought for us. In Britain, too, the conservative era is over. Gordon can safely shift to the left. It’s over even if Rupert Murdoch doesn`t realise it because the conservative position is falling apart in its own contradictions. Can`t cut taxes but won`t give up on the idea. Can`t change a policy on Iraq they supported but can get nowhere on it. Can`t have yet more market because the problem now is its excesses. Can`t pull out of the EU but can`t get anywhere in it. Can`t cut red tape without changing relations with the EU where they come from. Logically all they can do is wait for us to fail. Which we aint doing yet. That’s another argument for an October election Gordon. Don`t listen to Michael White. Go for it. I’ll be back to help in plenty of time. Meanwhile I’ll continue to blog my advice.
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