tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post3497802729478457517..comments2024-03-18T19:21:49.666+00:00Comments on All That Is Solid ...: Political Scandal and IndifferencePhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-7468083501699498012014-01-06T09:39:07.456+00:002014-01-06T09:39:07.456+00:00I still blame the SDP for many of the working clas...I still blame the SDP for many of the working class problems and defeats in the 80's. Thatcher never had the support of the majority. I also think the Liverpool Dockers strike was of more import for the TU's. The failure of the TU leadership to put up a concerted fight was bad. I live in a former mining community, few people want the pits open again.jimboonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-53373198926334314412014-01-06T08:30:21.078+00:002014-01-06T08:30:21.078+00:00A good analysis but itcould also be applied to the...A good analysis but itcould also be applied to the British people's experience of trade union activism in the 1970s.<br /><br />I remember the three day week and the electricit going off every night at 6, those candlenlit evenings,...<br /><br />This direct experience of union activism also probably drove support for Thatcher among ordinary prople.<br /><br />Ukip could also be said to be a popular movement driven by facts on the ground, as could the edl. <br /><br />Imho affluence is the enemy of socialism. Poverty thows in stark contrast the inequalities. Paradoxically the wealthy middle clas te d to be in favour of it but principally because it provides them with the chance to be in power. Which is why i suppose lenin tended to shoot them. Maybe a revolution would be the last thing you needed Phil.... ;-)Speedynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-10153190439316821512014-01-05T15:34:01.684+00:002014-01-05T15:34:01.684+00:00Indeed. While consciousness always lags behind dev...Indeed. While consciousness always lags behind developments, there is no excuse for clinging to the nostrums of yesteryear because they're "convenient" or circumvent the tough job of always trying to think afresh in light of experience.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-75480164360456880992014-01-04T17:07:13.567+00:002014-01-04T17:07:13.567+00:00How many of us were surprised that Thatcher would ...How many of us were surprised that Thatcher would stop at nothing? Arthur was right, Kinnock and the TUC was wrong...everything that the left said at the time has come to pass.<br /><br />As you say, being proved right 30 years down the line does very little to aid the current situation. That's why the powers that be in this country are even considering narrowing down the 30 year rule to 20 years, so confident and arrogant they are that they will not have to be held to account for their disgusting actions.<br /><br />That said, I agree...the battle is not in the past, it is in the present. History can be a useful guide, but obsessive adherence to the doctrines of the battles of yesteryear (especially using it for the purpose of saying "told you so") can also be a real dead weight on progress in the here and now.Alex Dawsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14197211489381075789noreply@blogger.com