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The six most popular stories this week

  1. The top sixIt’s hard to disagree with Left Unity about anything much, other than their existence – Jon Lansman takes issue not with Left Unity‘s programme but with their political strategy – arguing that the Labour Party was still the right place for left activists to campaign for socialism.
  2. Unite offers Miliband an olive branch, with clear red lines – Ed Miliband must now negotiate a deal with the trade unions or face defeat, argues Jon Lansman.
  3. Judges overturn ATOS work capability assessment – in the week the appeal court rejects the DWP appeal, Michael Meacher’s May article returns to the top six.
  4. For those who can’t love Obama – Jack Dunleavy’s enthusiastic review of Sergio de la Pava’s novel, Personae, wins readers.
  5. Mandela’s Contested Legacy – Mike Phipps collates the less mainstream assessments.
  6. The politics of envy – Phil Burton-Cartledge responds to Lisa Ansell’s claim that “The Left” are responsible for grinding down working class people.

2 Comments

  1. Robert says:

    The fact is to day the labour party is a middle class party, that never ever speaks about working class, that has changed to the hard working and the squeezed middle class.

    Pensioners are now seen as being less important then the swing voters and the middle class, labour have spoken about the squeezed middle class often enough for people to see labour wants and are desperate to be seen as the party of the middle class while they try to tell us the Tories are for the rich the very rich.

    I do not think a New Party of the left will work on the other hand labour is not Labour anymore and I suspect some time in the future it will become the Progress party they are now the main group within labour and are powerful.

    Unite can see what they would lose by leaving labour as for the red lines I doubt they are built in stone and will chance, but how important are Unions in the say of things to day, I’ve been in the GMB since about 1970 but if I was working today I’d not bother they simple are more interested in what they can get out of the job good wages good pensions, while the rest of us struggle to make ends meet. Grangemouth does show how poor union have become.

    I do not think labour are interested in the Unions the money is what matters to them especially if the COOP banks goes the way of the rest, this is why Blair and Brown contacted all the local parties asking what do you own, this would allow labour to borrow using property as guarantees.

    ATOS who the hell thought giving them the task of medicals and then over seeing the appeals, this means the company makes money by putting people through the appeal making more money then the medicals, Tony Blair the great Socialist.

    Mandela it’s not the time to talk about him in a few weeks time once the funeral is over and he is laid to rest will be the time to say what we think or believe.

    I do not think the left have ever been in power, the nearest we got to a left party was 1945 only because in brought in some many good things.

    But for me Blair and Brown tried to end what was made in 1945, I mean Miliband and Balls are not to bothered about the poor the sick the disabled, Ball proudly bragged if a public sector was failing he kick it out and put in the private sector, what like Blair did with the NHS.

    In the end labour Tory, Tory labour, you take your pick for the type of Tory party you want.

  2. Rod says:

    Robert: “Grangemouth does show how poor union have become.”

    Indeed.

    And Unite couldn’t/wouldn’t face Progress down over the hyped-up Falkirk shenanigans.

    I suppose we can only wonder if, when McCluskey retires sometime after the next general election, he’ll sit in the Lords as a Progress or independent peer.

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