Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/693/13129
From The Socialist newspaper, 9 November 2011
Miliband the militant? No way!
Paul Gerrard
Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has come out in favour of the occupation at the London Stock Exchange. Wow! They've only been there a whole fortnight, but of course he had to run half a dozen focus groups to see if the occupation really was popular before he made such a bold move.
Of course when Miliband says he supports them, that doesn't mean he actually agrees with their message that 'Capitalism is crisis'. In one interview he's quoted as saying: "I think a particular form of capitalism is facing a real crisis. I don't think the answer is to abolish capitalism. My dad probably would have believed that".
Miliband has picked up on a change in mood among workers and middle class people, as they increasingly see the system as the cause of their misery. He has tried to draw a distinction between 'predators' and 'producers', and has rounded on the - hugely unpopular - energy companies for their 'predatory behaviour'. Yet he is wedded to a market solution - more competition and simpler tariffs. Yes, Ed, that should sort it.
In reality you can't tell a 'predator' from a 'producer'. Yesterday's 'good guy' can turn very nasty indeed when profits are threatened. In any case the Socialist reported two weeks ago that just 1% of giant corporations effectively control the world economy, and most of these are financial institutions like Barclays Bank, JP Morgan Chase & Co and The Goldman Sachs Group - the ones everybody hates the most!
Sorry Ed, you just don't get it. Should have listened to your dad.
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In The Socialist 9 November 2011:
Fighting the cuts
Build for 30 Nov strike - The fight of all our lives!
Socialist Party event
Socialism 2011: Crucial preparation for the fightback
Socialist Party youth and students
Jarrow march ends, fightback continues
We won't pay £9K! - Scrap tuition fees
Socialist Party workplace news
Unison members say YES to strike
Bombardier protest against job losses
Socialist history
1935 - when angry Welsh protests forced a government u-turn
1915 - How strikes and rent strikes won gains for Scottish tenants
International socialist news and analysis
Failed G20 summit takes eurozone nearer to the abyss
Greek workers must resist the dictatorship of finance capital
Socialist MEP among Gaza peace activists kidnapped by IDF
Israel: General strike over job security
Socialist Party news and analysis
Miliband the militant? No way!
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