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2024 thoughts and prospects
I was recently contacted by Critical Mass, asking for my opinions about a few things. They’re contacting all their readers, I’m not special. I wrote a reply to their questions, so here it is:
- What would you say have been the political highlights of the past year?
- And what, in your opinion, have been the low lights?
And, looking ahead:
- What, if anything, gives you hope for 2025?
- And what fears do you have?
The highlight for me was finally seeing the back of the tories, but not for the reasons you might think. The terms left and right originally come from seating arrangements in the French parliament centuries ago. The thing everyone forgets is both groups were still in the same building and ultimately part of the same ruling class, the discussion was about how to rule, not whether they should be ruling in the first place. The obvious fact that, if anything, the tories’ replacement is worse brings the whole concept of left and right into sharp focus. We are being sold en masse to Blackrock because they put 50p in the meter so Labour could run its campaign, US healthcare “providers” (i.e. denyers — see the recent assassination) are circling what remains of the NHS in full capitalist vulture mode and Streeting is actively participating in its destruction, simpering his way to healthcare armageddon. The demonstrable bankruptcy of the status quo establishment view has never been clearer. The left party being part of that status quo is obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes that work, far more so than when they were the nominal opposition.
The main lowlight for me is what’s happening in Gaza. It’s the acid test for whether people stand with humanity or not. It has exposed the venality and vacuity of the small L liberal parties and their supporters like no other issue. It’s also made the media lie machine even more obvious to people who possess even a modicum of critical thinking — the money they’re spending, the constant barrage of lies, is phenomenal. Yet still people are able to see through it, even what little we are allowed to see of the unmitigated horror being visited on the Palestinians makes it obvious. It’s also very easy to demonstrate to people who are willing to listen that this is a racist, colonialist endeavour and…
