- Re: Nothing more sickening than to see Johnson clapping for the NHS nm Archived Message
Posted by Ian M
on April 4, 2020, 12:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Nothing more sickening than to see Johnson clapping for the NHS nm"
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'Most people simply didn't vote. It wasn't about the nhs but the referendum' - I don't think we can put it all down to the referendum, though admittedly that was a large factor in why labour lost so badly. Besides, wasn't it an active choice to go along with the 'get brexit done' mantra, and prioritise that issue over all others? Corbyn was offering a genuine break from neo-labour on so many things, not just the NHS, but voters turned their backs on all of it to sign up for another round of abuse at the hands of Bojo & co... I guess my disgust at the 'clap for key workers' stunt stems from the fact that, like Mary, I live in an area that has been solidly conservative for as long as anyone can remember. A majority of people here have consistently voted for a party that has always opposed public services and screwed over the working class and non-property-owners. IMO people don't keep doing something over and over unless they're getting something out of it. The fact that the tory party has pretty much abandoned even the pretense of offering positive changes at elections suggests they know that the hidden bargain is all about individualistic greed and wealth accumulation (with a side of racist nationalism and empire nostalgia), and that they can rely on a huge mass of voters to back them up on this every time. Maybe it's a purity failing and I should view it more coldly as a tactical battle, but honestly I have zero interest in reaching out to these people or trying to persuade them. Why should it be up to us to make that move anyway? And to twist our values to argue in their terms of enlightened self-interest? If anything it's up to them to explain their actions and apologise (as the above quote suggests) if there is to be any meaningful civic society* going forward. Agreed on actions speaking louder than words, and the need to earn trust, especially after a long history of betrayal, as we've talked about before. 'By their fruits ye shall know them' as the saying goes. cheers, I * - Although, as an 'anarcho-primitivist' (for want of a better description) my underlying feeling is that 'civic society' is always going to be a chimera given the nature of civilisation, and the institutionalised 'care' offered by state socialism will only ever be a sticking plaster, a million miles away from the health, security and togetherness found in non-state societies. |