Is Jeremy Corbyn too left wing?
Is Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party too left wing?One accusation continuously levelled at Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party is that their policies are too left wing, and therefore unworkable, but does this claim stand up to scrutiny? Certainly, you will find few in the media willing to tackle their policies head-on.
The mainstream media regurgitate empty platitudes and then cite 1970's Britain as an example of why Corbyn is out of touch, but there are several points they omit. In this article I will discuss a few:a) The most successful government in our country's history was Clement Attlee's Labour government, and it was also the most left wing.At a time when Britain had a deficit of 250% of GDP, Labour invested in infrastructure, gave us the NHS and public housing, achieved FULL EMPLOYMENT and turned that huge deficit into a BUDGET SURPLUS. How is this possible? Doesn't left wing ideology always lead to mass unemployment and a huge deficit? Well, actually, no. History proves otherwise. Added to that the fact that under Tory rule, public services suffer, wages stagnate, and wealth get shifted upwards to the 1%, it is a wonder the Tories get any votes at all.
So how DO the Tories get votes? Well, firstly, they tend to have the media on their side. A handful of billionaires control 90% of the information we receive and inevitably support the PM candidate who sucks up to them. Just look at how Tony Blair and David Cameron befriended Rupert Murdoch, the man whose newspapers have backed the winning candidate in every recent general election. This is no coincidence.
But surely the public aren't stupid. They're not just going to vote for who they're told to, are they? Well, human psychology is a strange thing, and there are techniques which can manipulate otherwise smart people. The key is to play on emotions of fear and anger, create common enemies, then repeat the same platitudes over and over. The more a person hears something, the more likely they are to believe it is true. And the more emotionally affected they are likely to become.
In recent years, we have been told our woes come from the EU, Muslims, and immigrants. We're constantly fed negative stories about these groups, and although some stories may have an element of truth, context is almost always lacking, meaning the consequences are exaggerated and the positives are minimised. We are then told that the Tory party will save is from these enemies and that the other parties would surrender, that they are weak, ineffective, treacherous even.
We're rarely told that immigration provides a net economic benefit, that immigrants contribute more to the system than they take from it, that they're significantly less likely to claim benefits or commit crimes, that they keep many of our services running, that you're more likely to win the lottery than be the victim of terrorism, that Muslims up and down the country, and worldwide, are working to tackle extremism, that Muslims themselves are the biggest victims of terrorism, that EU membership has greatly improved workers' rights, environmental protections, etc., and that Europe has actually done a much better job of tackling elitism than Britain, with significantly lower levels of inequality, less corruption, and better public services. It is OUR approach that is the main problem, not theirs.
We are allowing the elite to drive down wages, despite the fact Britain is WEALTHIER than ever before. Since the recession began, ALL new money that has come into the country has gone to the richest 1%, making them drastically richer than they already were.
Britain has seen the second largest collapse of wages in the developed world, just behind the basket case economy of Greece. In most developed countries, wages are increasing. Our public services are being sold to foreign companies and governments who are profiteering while allowing the quality of services to suffer.
In short, we are being shafted, but we allow ourselves to be distracted into believing we're tackling the 'real enemies' - the EU, Muslims, and immigrants. And if the Tories win, this strategy will, of course, not lead us into prosperity because it was never meant to. They will simply find other groups to demonise and we will allow ourselves to be distracted all over again.b) The nations leading the world on human development tend to be more left wing than Britain.Arguably, the five most left wing democracies in the world are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, and Canada. Here are the top fifteen countries on the UN Index of Human Development for 2013:
1. Norway
2. Australia
3. United States
4. Netherlands
5. Germany
6. New Zealand
7. Ireland
8. Sweden
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Canada
12. South Korea
13. Hong Kong
14. Iceland
15. DenmarkWith the exception of the United States, Hong Kong (and possibly Switzerland) these countries are unquestionably more left wing than the UK. That's twelve of them, with the leader Norway being significantly to the left of Britain and a model example of democratic socialism in action. Not only that, but if you go through the Index, category by category, you will see socialist nations leading the world in health, education, social mobility, business opportunity, and so on. The next time someone cites non-democratic Venezuela as an example of why democratic socialism cannot work, show them this, and then remind them that such a strawman argument is no different from citing Somalia as an example of free market capitalism.c) All of Labour's policies have proven successful elsewhere. Here I will discuss what are arguably the five most contentious policies:Policy 1: £10 an hour minimum wage.
The Tories would have you believe that a high minimum wage is a job killer. Try telling that to Denmark, Switzerland or Australia who have the highest minimum wages in the world, but low unemployment. Also, look at the US where minimum wages vary by state. The states with the highest minimum wages perform better. Why? Simple economics.
Economies work better when the people at the bottom have more money in their pockets. It gets them away from government dependency and enables them to spend, which puts more money into the economy, in turn creating more jobs and helping small businesses grow. The only losers in this scenario are the billionaires who have to cut their own disgustingly high bonuses in order to pay their workers a fair wage.Policy 2: A national investment bank.
It is no coincidence that the countries which invest most in small businesses have the most thriving economies. This concept has proven particularly successful in Germany, which is the model I understand Corbyn is looking to emulate. Either, we can have a country in which large corporations dominate and billionaires extract our excess money, or we can have a country where the ordinary guy can get ahead, and where everyone benefits.Policy 3: Nationalised rail network.
Firstly, this is not unaffordable as some would have you believe, nor is the state inherently too inefficient to run a rail network. At present, almost all of our rail network is run by the Dutch, German, and French governments! We can renationalise rail companies, one by one, for free, as their licenses expire. And then we can put an end to poor services and sky high prices. All across Europe, you will find better rail services, and almost all of these are state owned and run. Some European countries are profiteering from our rail network and putting their own people first. Isn't it time we put a stop to this?Policy 4: Increasing childcare.
How many times have single mothers been demonised for claiming benefits? By increasing free childcare, we can make it easier for women to work, providing a boost to the economy, and reducing state dependency. At present, the free childcare we offer is much lower than in many other countries. The Swedes get extra tax credits to defray the cost of child-rearing, plus access to regulated, subsidised day care facilities that stay open from 6:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night. The Danes and French benefit from similar arrangements. We are the second most expensive country in Europe for childcare and this only provides an obstacle for working mothers. Let's change this.Policy 5: Progressive taxation.
The Tories will tell you that high taxes for high earners will simply drive businesses abroad, and yet the countries with the highest upper tax rates are doing just fine. Denmark's upper rate of tax is 52% and it is ranked the best place in the world to do business. In the 1950's, the US and UK had an upper tax rate of 90% and their economies thrived. While no-one is suggesting we go that high again, a few extra percentage points on the upper tax rate would certainly ease the burden of those hit hardest by austerity. After all, we're in this together, aren't we?
The mainstream media regurgitate empty platitudes and then cite 1970's Britain as an example of why Corbyn is out of touch, but there are several points they omit. In this article I will discuss a few:a) The most successful government in our country's history was Clement Attlee's Labour government, and it was also the most left wing.At a time when Britain had a deficit of 250% of GDP, Labour invested in infrastructure, gave us the NHS and public housing, achieved FULL EMPLOYMENT and turned that huge deficit into a BUDGET SURPLUS. How is this possible? Doesn't left wing ideology always lead to mass unemployment and a huge deficit? Well, actually, no. History proves otherwise. Added to that the fact that under Tory rule, public services suffer, wages stagnate, and wealth get shifted upwards to the 1%, it is a wonder the Tories get any votes at all.
So how DO the Tories get votes? Well, firstly, they tend to have the media on their side. A handful of billionaires control 90% of the information we receive and inevitably support the PM candidate who sucks up to them. Just look at how Tony Blair and David Cameron befriended Rupert Murdoch, the man whose newspapers have backed the winning candidate in every recent general election. This is no coincidence.
But surely the public aren't stupid. They're not just going to vote for who they're told to, are they? Well, human psychology is a strange thing, and there are techniques which can manipulate otherwise smart people. The key is to play on emotions of fear and anger, create common enemies, then repeat the same platitudes over and over. The more a person hears something, the more likely they are to believe it is true. And the more emotionally affected they are likely to become.
In recent years, we have been told our woes come from the EU, Muslims, and immigrants. We're constantly fed negative stories about these groups, and although some stories may have an element of truth, context is almost always lacking, meaning the consequences are exaggerated and the positives are minimised. We are then told that the Tory party will save is from these enemies and that the other parties would surrender, that they are weak, ineffective, treacherous even.
We're rarely told that immigration provides a net economic benefit, that immigrants contribute more to the system than they take from it, that they're significantly less likely to claim benefits or commit crimes, that they keep many of our services running, that you're more likely to win the lottery than be the victim of terrorism, that Muslims up and down the country, and worldwide, are working to tackle extremism, that Muslims themselves are the biggest victims of terrorism, that EU membership has greatly improved workers' rights, environmental protections, etc., and that Europe has actually done a much better job of tackling elitism than Britain, with significantly lower levels of inequality, less corruption, and better public services. It is OUR approach that is the main problem, not theirs.
We are allowing the elite to drive down wages, despite the fact Britain is WEALTHIER than ever before. Since the recession began, ALL new money that has come into the country has gone to the richest 1%, making them drastically richer than they already were.
Britain has seen the second largest collapse of wages in the developed world, just behind the basket case economy of Greece. In most developed countries, wages are increasing. Our public services are being sold to foreign companies and governments who are profiteering while allowing the quality of services to suffer.
In short, we are being shafted, but we allow ourselves to be distracted into believing we're tackling the 'real enemies' - the EU, Muslims, and immigrants. And if the Tories win, this strategy will, of course, not lead us into prosperity because it was never meant to. They will simply find other groups to demonise and we will allow ourselves to be distracted all over again.b) The nations leading the world on human development tend to be more left wing than Britain.Arguably, the five most left wing democracies in the world are Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, and Canada. Here are the top fifteen countries on the UN Index of Human Development for 2013:
1. Norway
2. Australia
3. United States
4. Netherlands
5. Germany
6. New Zealand
7. Ireland
8. Sweden
9. Switzerland
10. Japan
11. Canada
12. South Korea
13. Hong Kong
14. Iceland
15. DenmarkWith the exception of the United States, Hong Kong (and possibly Switzerland) these countries are unquestionably more left wing than the UK. That's twelve of them, with the leader Norway being significantly to the left of Britain and a model example of democratic socialism in action. Not only that, but if you go through the Index, category by category, you will see socialist nations leading the world in health, education, social mobility, business opportunity, and so on. The next time someone cites non-democratic Venezuela as an example of why democratic socialism cannot work, show them this, and then remind them that such a strawman argument is no different from citing Somalia as an example of free market capitalism.c) All of Labour's policies have proven successful elsewhere. Here I will discuss what are arguably the five most contentious policies:Policy 1: £10 an hour minimum wage.
The Tories would have you believe that a high minimum wage is a job killer. Try telling that to Denmark, Switzerland or Australia who have the highest minimum wages in the world, but low unemployment. Also, look at the US where minimum wages vary by state. The states with the highest minimum wages perform better. Why? Simple economics.
Economies work better when the people at the bottom have more money in their pockets. It gets them away from government dependency and enables them to spend, which puts more money into the economy, in turn creating more jobs and helping small businesses grow. The only losers in this scenario are the billionaires who have to cut their own disgustingly high bonuses in order to pay their workers a fair wage.Policy 2: A national investment bank.
It is no coincidence that the countries which invest most in small businesses have the most thriving economies. This concept has proven particularly successful in Germany, which is the model I understand Corbyn is looking to emulate. Either, we can have a country in which large corporations dominate and billionaires extract our excess money, or we can have a country where the ordinary guy can get ahead, and where everyone benefits.Policy 3: Nationalised rail network.
Firstly, this is not unaffordable as some would have you believe, nor is the state inherently too inefficient to run a rail network. At present, almost all of our rail network is run by the Dutch, German, and French governments! We can renationalise rail companies, one by one, for free, as their licenses expire. And then we can put an end to poor services and sky high prices. All across Europe, you will find better rail services, and almost all of these are state owned and run. Some European countries are profiteering from our rail network and putting their own people first. Isn't it time we put a stop to this?Policy 4: Increasing childcare.
How many times have single mothers been demonised for claiming benefits? By increasing free childcare, we can make it easier for women to work, providing a boost to the economy, and reducing state dependency. At present, the free childcare we offer is much lower than in many other countries. The Swedes get extra tax credits to defray the cost of child-rearing, plus access to regulated, subsidised day care facilities that stay open from 6:30 in the morning until 6:30 at night. The Danes and French benefit from similar arrangements. We are the second most expensive country in Europe for childcare and this only provides an obstacle for working mothers. Let's change this.Policy 5: Progressive taxation.
The Tories will tell you that high taxes for high earners will simply drive businesses abroad, and yet the countries with the highest upper tax rates are doing just fine. Denmark's upper rate of tax is 52% and it is ranked the best place in the world to do business. In the 1950's, the US and UK had an upper tax rate of 90% and their economies thrived. While no-one is suggesting we go that high again, a few extra percentage points on the upper tax rate would certainly ease the burden of those hit hardest by austerity. After all, we're in this together, aren't we?
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