Perhaps a rather too serious account of the Young Fabians encounter with "Socialism, Capitalism and One Nation Labour" by Callum Totten: http://www.youngfabians.org.uk/socialism_capitalism_and_one_nation_labour
“ socialism was in the (perhaps uncomfortable) position of being to a significant extent reliant on capitalism to achieve many of its goals.” In other words Conservative governments make money which Labour governments spend. Fine when Tory and Labour governments alternative, fine when we have several Tory governments one after the other, but not so fine when Labour has a run of electoral success - inevitably the money runs out.
"One Nation Labour entails a… much greater concern towards issues of inequality and the distribution of goods and rewards in the economy." This obsession with "equality" does not sound good and Labour needs to argue more coherently why equality is desirable for its own sake. The temptation in the past (1960s and 1970s) was to level down (an equality of misery) as this was much easier to achieve than levelling up (which Labour was hopeless at).
"A number of broad policy areas were discussed at the launch. These included the renaissance of nationalisation as a model for public utilities, greater state intervention to develop an active industrial policy, the role the left can play in championing consumer issues, innovative ideas about how to build a more popular and democratic capitalism, and reflections on the concept of pre-distribution."
Reflections on the concept of pre-distribution! My goodness, these Young Fabians know how to have a good time. Did they form circles and hold hands and meditate on pre-distribution as a way of achieving serenity and enlightenment, all the time doing the om-chant and lighting joss sticks before a portrait of Ed Miliband?
“ socialism was in the (perhaps uncomfortable) position of being to a significant extent reliant on capitalism to achieve many of its goals.” In other words Conservative governments make money which Labour governments spend. Fine when Tory and Labour governments alternative, fine when we have several Tory governments one after the other, but not so fine when Labour has a run of electoral success - inevitably the money runs out.
"One Nation Labour entails a… much greater concern towards issues of inequality and the distribution of goods and rewards in the economy." This obsession with "equality" does not sound good and Labour needs to argue more coherently why equality is desirable for its own sake. The temptation in the past (1960s and 1970s) was to level down (an equality of misery) as this was much easier to achieve than levelling up (which Labour was hopeless at).
"A number of broad policy areas were discussed at the launch. These included the renaissance of nationalisation as a model for public utilities, greater state intervention to develop an active industrial policy, the role the left can play in championing consumer issues, innovative ideas about how to build a more popular and democratic capitalism, and reflections on the concept of pre-distribution."
Reflections on the concept of pre-distribution! My goodness, these Young Fabians know how to have a good time. Did they form circles and hold hands and meditate on pre-distribution as a way of achieving serenity and enlightenment, all the time doing the om-chant and lighting joss sticks before a portrait of Ed Miliband?
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