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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