Brown Intervenes in EU Summit to Protect Neo Liberalism
For all those who still had any illusions about Gordon Brown's accession to the Labour Party throne being a move back to Labour's mainstream, tonight's intervention by Brown into the EU summit should certainly clear matters up.
The Brown spin doctors are briefing that Brown demeaningly ordered Blair back to the summit negotiating table to hold the line on a key issue.
What was this critical issue which so alarmed Brown?
Was it concern over the EU attempting to prevent a Labour government intervening in the economy to protect jobs or protect public services or extend trade union rights?
No, true to his neo liberal philosophy, the reason Brown demanded Blair go back into the negotiating room and dig his heals in was because he was fearful that the French were undemining the free market. He was angry that Sarkozy of all people was seeking to "dilute" the operation of free competition in the EU market.
Many in the Labour Party and trade unions, especially those who nominated him, just don't get it about Brown and where he is coming from.
Brown is deeply ideological and his ideology is solidly neo liberal, with an absolute dedication to the operation of the free market. Hence his obsessions with privatisation, flexible labour, pay restraint for workers, tax cuts for businesses and restrictions on trade union rights.
If Brown's starting point is to the right of Sarkozy, I warn you, we haven't seen anything yet.
The Brown spin doctors are briefing that Brown demeaningly ordered Blair back to the summit negotiating table to hold the line on a key issue.
What was this critical issue which so alarmed Brown?
Was it concern over the EU attempting to prevent a Labour government intervening in the economy to protect jobs or protect public services or extend trade union rights?
No, true to his neo liberal philosophy, the reason Brown demanded Blair go back into the negotiating room and dig his heals in was because he was fearful that the French were undemining the free market. He was angry that Sarkozy of all people was seeking to "dilute" the operation of free competition in the EU market.
Many in the Labour Party and trade unions, especially those who nominated him, just don't get it about Brown and where he is coming from.
Brown is deeply ideological and his ideology is solidly neo liberal, with an absolute dedication to the operation of the free market. Hence his obsessions with privatisation, flexible labour, pay restraint for workers, tax cuts for businesses and restrictions on trade union rights.
If Brown's starting point is to the right of Sarkozy, I warn you, we haven't seen anything yet.
posted by John at 12:21 AM
10 Comments:
I think it's incredibly ironic that, while Sarkozy was elected as a member of a right-wing party, Brown was elected as a member of a left-wing one and is still neo-liberal. If a majority of the British public knew about this they'd almost certainly be wondering what was going on here.
Brown is a Thatcherite - probably admires her, and means to take on her bullying tactics to remain in power for as long as possible.
How long should we give him before we abandon the party altogether?
"UK Corporatism", here we come...
Mussolini on Gordon's holiday reading list?
Excellent post, John.
The sad fact is that Brown and New Labour are far more extreme than conservatives like Sarkozy in France and Angela Merkel in Germany, who at least acknowledge that for the common good, there needs to be restrictions on 'market forces'.
I know us on the left of the party tend to be Eurosceptical in many ways but in this instance there was somethings coming from Europe that would have extended workers rights by enshrining the right to strike in European law.
It was that which Brown opposed. Instead he promoted his obsession with 'competition' and 'free markets' which the French were not that keen on.
The world has gone bonkers!!
Just got back from lunch with Labour Party fellow councillor. You try to explain what's going on here and people just don't want to know.If we are to take up the cudgels and fight Brown's neo-con agenda, there have to be reality checks all round.It's a hard pill to swallow after waiting so long to be rid of Blair, but fact of the matter is this man is just as much of ( and probably more so)an apologist for market forces.
First of all Gordon invites Lib-Dems in to his Cabinet and he then pushes for neo-liberalism for the whole of the EU; what will we get later today when he becomes leader and starts his own Clause 4 moment?
I sent off for a free copy of "This Week" a news round up magazine and it contains a whole page article on where Brown gets his right wing ideology from, a right wing thinker was mentioned but I haven't read any more than this yet as tonight I finally got to watch the Bobby Kennedy fim "Bobby" directed by Emilio Estevez. It wasn't on at all I think at the nearest cinema to me as it is an Emire and they are I think owned by some right wing big business so they miss out some films so I had to wait to get the DVD although I knew about it by Christmas from a friend in America.
The film's message, although it is about the assasination day is that RFK's spirit and concern for human rights needs to resurface now...
it is very much worth watching given the current political situation.
See www.rfkmemorial.org and www.speaktruth.org
As for the EC business it's now all sewn up and sold out to big business interests; no wonder Angela Merkel was grinning all over her face; we need to abolish the EU as an outdated instituion as it is doing more harm than good such as it's "fortress Europe" asylumn policy. It has been good on stopping animla testinf and green issues but if big business is to go on operating unchecked then some of it's impact will be lost.
It was good to see Ken Livingstone andthe Morning Star conference; maybe some kind of merger could be back on the cards in the future so that the Brownites can't divide and rule you both...we don't wnat or need to from a new party but there is a job to do with the one we've got and this might be a way. After all Brown can't sack the left MPs (though Ken is not an MP now) by removing the whip as his majority is too small to stand it surely. You are probabaly more powerfu than you think and he (Brown) is proabbaly less. I saw he was savaged for being sleazy in the Satuday Mirror editorial today in Sainsbury's; I didn;t get a copy today but the gist of ti was that he had to do better, on policy as well if he wants the Mirror to support him and it has supported him up till now despite the aricles of Kevin M and Paul Routledge in the columists sections but it really dosen't want to it strongly warned if Brown continues in thsi vein.
I sent off for a free copy of "This Week" a news round up magazine and it contains a whole page article on where Brown gets his right wing ideology from, a right wing thinker was mentioned but I haven't read any more than this yet as tonight I finally got to watch the Bobby Kennedy fim "Bobby" directed by Emilio Estevez. It wasn't on at all I think at the nearest cinema to me as it is an Emire and they are I think owned by some right wing big business so they miss out some films so I had to wait to get the DVD although I knew about it by Christmas from a friend in America.
The film's message, although it is about the assasination day is that RFK's spirit and concern for human rights needs to resurface now...
it is very much worth watching given the current political situation.
See www.rfkmemorial.org and www.speaktruth.org
As for the EC business it's now all sewn up and sold out to big business interests; no wonder Angela Merkel was grinning all over her face; we need to abolish the EU as an outdated instituion as it is doing more harm than good such as it's "fortress Europe" asylumn policy. It has been good on stopping animla testinf and green issues but if big business is to go on operating unchecked then some of it's impact will be lost.
It was good to see Ken Livingstone and John together on a platform at the Morning Star conference; maybe some kind of merger could be back on the cards in the future so that the Brownites can't divide and rule you both...we don't want or need to form a new party but there is a job to do with the one we've got and this might be a way. After all Brown can't sack the left MPs (though Ken is not an MP now) by removing the whip as his majority is too small to stand it surely. You are probably more powerfu than you think and he (Brown) is proabbaly less. I saw he was savaged for being sleazy in the Satuday Mirror editorial today in Sainsbury's; I didn't get a copy today but the gist of it was that he had to do better, on policy as well if he wants the Mirror to support him and it has supported him up till now despite the aricles of Kevin M and Paul Routledge in the columists sections but it really dosen't want to it strongly warned if Brown continues in this vein.
There is real anger in JM’s article and rightly so, Brown will most certainly continue Blarite policies and whilst using social democratic language and a softer tone, continue to suck up to the city, promote neo-liberal policies,increase inequality, continue the imperial adventure, support mass migration on unsustainable levels, extend privatization and reduce civil liberties. He has already continued to endorse one of Blair’s last and very nasty initiatives: The Welfare Reform Act which will see disabled people threatened with major loss of benefits, money desperately needed for basics such as extra laundry, etc, forced into unsuitable work or even medical interventions, an ever more intrusive and brutal welfare regime and the threat of losing homes as housing benefit in the private rented sector is to be replaced by a fixed rate allowance for each city. However, I do think in his first ‘100 Day’s’ he will do something that is seen as ‘leftwing, maybe the defacto public ownership of the railways’ something that would be very popular in the country, though course it will not be traditional nationalization.
Imo, the way forward is to do what JM started to do in his leadership campaign: to reach out way beyond the LP, to where much of the left and progressive society now is, reject the narrow and dysfunctional tribalism:make links with the greens, radicals, even progressive individual liberal democrats. Crucially to get more involved in what few social movements that still exist and to create new ones, particularly the anti war movement. The Trotsykists in the SWP have dominated this for far too long and with dire results. One example of this baleful influence is todays protest march in Manchester, yet another protracted march against the ‘the war’.By limiting the protest to a focus on the war, the STWC/SWP have effectively defined what people can protest about, so issues like housing, welfare, poverty and inequality are again sidelined in favour of an very limited internationalism, eg, no STWC marches against Darfur, etc. The LP left should perhaps alsoset up anti-privatisation campaigns open to all and get more involved in Defend Coucil Hopusing, (though not forgetting the many hundreds of thousands in the Private Rented Sector.) Finally, the environment should be a central concern of all decent people, it is also where most young people are engaged, JM and co can make positive interventions here, though again as JM has argued it should always be a reciprocal relationship. However, much of this may be impossible within the confines of the L/P, Brown has said today he will clamp down on any ‘dissent’ thus he intend still to rule with an ‘iron fist’
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