The West is finished - forever.

Very many of us, around the world, have been utterly horrified by the ongoing slaughter, in Gaza, a genocide. We sit and watch while the mass destruction of schools and hospitals is livestreamed on social media. Then we have the western MSM, which deliberately paints a false picture of events and still tries to portray the Israelis as victims. The BBC has been particularly biased, as this recent report reveals.

Now we have a war Between Israel and Iran, supported by the USA, UK and it's western allies. This follows Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank. Now, the USA has bombed Iran. The 'excuse'? Weapons of mass destruction, which Iran doesn't have. Heard that before somewhere? The key point here is that the West is complicit in all these war crimes, it has the blood of the Palestinians on its hands, and it will never wash off.

Starmer and Trump at the G7.

One of the key difficulties here, is the fact that we have grown up seeing the West as part of the 'rules based order' and upholding international law. The truth is, they have only done this when it suits their American overlords. Now, with Gaza, the mask is off, and it can never be replaced. It's hard to believe that so many western governments could have failed so abjectly, but this has been in the pipeline for decades - Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, the list goes on and on. The West is done, finished, and the horror continues!

The Trump/Musk fiasco

So, Trump and Musk have finally fallen out. Was it to be expected? I would say almost certainly. Two narcissistic psychos with massive egos. The row erupted after Musk criticised Trump's Big Beautiful Bill. Of course, the row isn't going to stop them still causing massive damage to the USA and it's people. The horror story continues.

Could they get back together? That is possible if it suits their needs and greed, but damage has been done with Musk raising Trump and the Epstein files on Twitter, calling for his impeachment, and Trump threatening to cancel Musks contracts. Trump's mate Bannon has called for Musk to be deported as an illegal alien. The fun goes on!

I found this excellent meme on Bluesky, but was unable to find out who made it. Happy to give credit.

What next? Who knows? Putin will be laughing for sure. But let's hope they continue to tear one another apart and enjoy it while we can 😂

The death of the Labour party

In 1999, I joined the Green Party. Why? I've always been a socialist and I always voted Labour, when I bothered to vote. By then, I had seen through Tony Blair. While the media and Labour supporters were still fawning over Emperor Blair, I could see he had no clothes, I was that little boy. People have conveniently forgotten that New Labour was cruel to benefit claimants, built very little housing, and was in hoc to the corporations - a neoliberal party. Blair managed to lose about 5 million votes, the BNP blossomed, but he was worshipped by the party - and still is.

Blairism has mutated in Starmerism, an even crueller and more vacuous version, in the pockets of Palantir and BlackRock, who btw are buying up the UK, soon we won't own any of our own country. I'm sure you're aware of the vicious cuts to PIP and the refusal to lift the two child benefit cap. If you don't know about freeports and SEZs you need to find out. Starmer is taking the UK down the drain via corporate fiefdoms. 

And then, of course, there is his support for the atrocious ongoing support for the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians. 

Many people are now disillusioned with Labour. Starmer promised 'change' and has given us more of the same - on steroids. Labour have plummeted in the polls and Reform, led by uber grifter Farage, are on the rise. The local elections are on Thursday and Reform are ahead in some polls. They could win the by-election in Helsby and Runcorn. 

People were getting really angry after 14 years of Tory government, hence Labour's bizarre landslide in 2024. Now, they are even angrier. Where do they turn? Not to the Tories. Some will go for the Fib Dems. What are the other options? Basically Reform or the Greens, though independents might have a chance.

Part of the key to this is the rotten and corrupt system of government we've had in the UK for decades with politicians in the pockets of corporations, and a FPTP electoral system which doesn't deliver democracy. We still have a House of Lords, FFS! 

All we can do is buckle up, organise and work to get Greens elected. They have the best policies and are doing well in some polls. We don't have a credible alternative left party. At this rate, I may have to rejoin the Greens! *

*I left when Corbyn became Labour leader, as we all know he was sabotaged by the MSM and the political establishment.

We were meant to live together, capitalism has destroyed that.

Guess what? Humans are social animals. We are made that way. We need the company of others to survive and to thrive. This does not mean just family, or friends, it means being part of a real community. That is where we should be based, But we aren't. As I wrote in a previous post here, the nuclear family in the west has divided us up into little boxes, neatly packaged, to divide us and serve the purposes of capitalism.

How many people live on my street. I would guess about 500. How many do I know? About 10 or so. How many are friends? Half a dozen. Why? Is it because I'm not sociable? I don't think so. I would guess that most people in the street are the same. They may know others because they are neighbours or because they meet at the school gates, or possibly the pub. But that's about it. Most people's visitors are family and friends, not locals.

This affects all of us, but we are so used to it, we hardly notice. Being separated into nuclear family units is good for neoliberal capitalism. As Margaret Thatcher said, "there is no such thing as society". Although it has been argued that this was taken out of context, there can be no doubt that the 'atomisation' of individuals suits those that exploit us. It weakens our agency as a collective. Real change has happened when we have come together, as in the solidarity and work of the Suffragettes, for example. Individualism, lauded by some, makes us weaker and easier to use and manipulate. 

A suffragette being arrested.

If you look at indigenous communities, they are collective. People work together and live together in a group. That is how we evolved and how we were made. That is how we should be living, but separation is so ingrained it will be difficult to bring about real change. However, there is nothing to stop us trying to build stronger communities by becoming active in community groups, with solidarity and mutual aid. The way the world is going, we are really going to need this.

Trump epitomises the psychosis of neoliberal late stage capitalism

Where are we now? It's hard to keep up. This is only a brief summary. Trump has been president for less than a month and in true Steve Bannon style has 'flooded the zone with shit' using an avalanche of executive orders, most of which appear to be illegal and have been challenged.

His benefactor and right-hand man billionaire Musk, working through DOGE, seems to have access to all government departs with his team of kids and is 'stealing' data and making crazy cuts. It seems they want to scrap the department of education, defund USAID, libraries, forests, healthcare (National Institutes of Health), ban books, attack POC and trans people whilst ensuring that hundreds of millions of dollars go into the pockets of Musk and Trumps billionaire pals.

Then we've got RFK, the vaccine conspiracy theory lunatic who appears to want to damage and destroy the lives of millions of Americans, and Hesgeth, the whisky quaffing defence secretary whose main priority, apart from booze is renaming US bases and removing any traces of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) from the US military - something which is being implemented in all US government departments.

The of course, we have the tariffs threat. First Canada and Mexico, and now, he appears to be going after the UK, China and the EU. He may have backed down on the first two 'victims' but he's already damaged the US economy as Canadians are boycotting US products.

Trump's fake ceasefire in Gaza may have brought some relief to the Palestinians trapped there, but it will be temporary. Trump and Netanyahu want the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, expelling the Palestinians and turning it into some kind of luxury resort. This won't happen, and the horror of the Gaza genocide will continue.

This is a photo posted by Trump recently on social media

This week we have witnessed the black farce of the Munich Security Conference. JD Vance chumming up with the AFD and criticising free speech in the UK. Hesgeth talking BS while drinking whisky. Now, we have Trump selling out Ukraine to Putin and demanding all of their mineral resources.

It's not that much better in the UK. Starmer and Reeves think they are going to get growth by bowing down to oligarchs and corporations, selling off UK assets, and funding oil companies that are destroying the planet. They're boosting defence spending whilst cutting overseas aid, and allowing Ofgem to rip off energy customers with another hike in energy bills in April.

May people are depressed by the rank state of affairs we find ourselves in. The only thing we can do is get ourselves organised and fight back. It's going to be a long, uphill struggle, but we have no other choice. 

The New Chartists - We need a Charter for real change in the UK.

We need real change in the UK, and we need it very soon. But how do we bring it about? Millions of Brits are pissed off. They are struggling to pay the rent, mortgage, energy bills and put food on the table. While Musk rants about Farage and Tommeh, Trump steps into the Whitehouse, and genocidal Kid Starver freezes pensioners and cuts benefits for the disabled more, and more people are suffering.

Our political system, and democracy is broken, our economy is broken, our country is broken, and the 'change' Starmer promised is simply the same old shit we have had to put up with for the past 14 years. It's not just the working classes who are suffering, so are the middle class and the petit bourgeoisie. Graduates are struggling in low paid jobs. The country is ripe for a peaceful revolution.

I'm not convinced we need a new political party, but we definitely need a people's movement for change. We need real democracy - direct democracy - in which our citizens can all participate. Furthermore, we know that this can work because it's already been tried through citizens assemblies.

Recently, I found this article by Peter Garbutt, an old GP comrade of mine. He explains how the system can work and bring about the changes we need in a dying society and planet, where we must work to avoid climate collapse.

He says: 

"Here’s how it would work. First, a political party would be formed with the specific and explicit aim of introducing government by citizens assemblies – selected by sortition, much like juries are at present – and introducing UBI. It’s extremely difficult for new parties to make headway in our system. It’s usually a lack of money or a lack of media coverage that’s the problem."

And:  

"By the end of the party’s term, the system of governance by citizens’ assemblies would be up and running. The party’s final act would be to adopt the constitution and abolish political parties, including itself."

I'm not sure if we need a political party to bring about the changes we need, but the support of a political party would be important. As for UBI that is a separate issue not covered in the post.

The Great Chartists meeting on Kennington Common in 1848

So many people are disillusioned with our 'democracy' and political parties that the biggest group we have is none voters. I think a people's movement, let's just call it the New Chartists, could produce the momentum for the change we need. So let's work together a draw up a new charter of our demands for the changes we need. The demand must include citizens assemblies with the power to make decisions locally and nationally, and a written constitution.

Millions, on the left and centre, are disillusioned with the state of the UK and our 'democratic' system. Only the right are enthused because they sense a chance to seize power. Let's grasp this opportunity to thwart them and bring about real positive change! What other choice do we have?

A horror story for 2025: Bad Enoch summons The Great Eloon.

Bad Enoch cackled as she listened to the radio in the darkness. "Nice one Cruella" she said, "now my latest plan is to build a wall between what's left of the UK and Turkey, we have to keep those damn migrants out of our blessed realm". She laughed loudly "Mwuuhahahaha!'. Little Fartage tittered and farted, as he sat at her feet.

She lifted her dress. "Now Fartarse, come and do your duty!". He crawled around behind her and sniffed. "Enough sniffing, get licking!" she demanded. His little face disappeared between her cheeks. She groaned slightly. "That's enough....for now....fetch the black candle". "Yes Mistress" he croaked.

When the candle was lit, she moved over to her cauldron and began to stir it. "Now!, it is time to summon the Great Daemon!". She stirred the noxious brew, and the rancid fumes filled the stone chamber. I summon thee, O Great one, I summon thee in the name of X!" 

The fumes rose, and then a great figure arose, with red eyes, filling the chamber with green light. The Great Daemon sat before them, laptop in hand. "Who had the nerve to call to me!?" he shouted, "Abase yourselves, you lowly creatures!" They bowed very low. 

"Oh Great Eloon" said Bad Enoch, "We have been praying for your support all of our lives, we are your faithful servants!". They bowed again. "How dare you interrupt my posting, you fools. Did you not know I have discarded you! Do not presume to summon the great leader of the free world!". He raised his magic Starlink and blasted them to pieces, laughing. "Now I have more important work to do, where is my sidekick Tommeh?"

Ends..... or does it?

2025: The crisis continues

Who is looking forward to 2025? Where to start? 2024 was an annus horribilis: the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis, the slaughter in Gaza, a Labour government that failed in the first few months, the election of depraved criminal Trump, and an acceleration of the climate crisis. There's much more, but that will do for a start.

It's actually quite simple. As I've said before on this blog, neoliberalism is destroying people and planet. Neoliberalism is an extremist ideology, which puts the market above all else. Profit comes well before people and planet. If the triumph of the market brings about the end of civilisation - so be it.

Nu Labour panders to the free marketeers, which is why, after only 3 months in power, they had become unpopular. Now things are worse for them. Their corporate chums, like BlackRock, are like parasites, like Dracula. They want to suck the blood out of Britain. Every last drop. If our nation dies, they'll simply move on to the next victim. That is where we are. 

The kleptocrats, like Musk, operate with impunity, interfering in elections at home and abroad using their money to get the results that suit them. Musk is said to be planning a $100m donation to Farage's Reform Party, no doubt hoping that Reform will win the next UK GE, and he'll have Farage in his pocket*. It seems Nu Labour will do nothing to prevent this overseas interference in UK politics. Maybe that's because Kid Starver wants foreign donations?

Why is this all happening? Neoliberalism is the key. 'Centrist' governments in Europe and the UK have adopted austerity and neoliberalism, and immiserated, and alienated the electorate. This has paved the way for the rise of the far right and the failure of social democracy. Instead of moving back to the left, and fighting back,  social democratic parties have pandered to the racism and anti-asylum seeker hatred of the far-right, making themselves weaker in the process.

All of this is well summed up in the diagram below, which I found on the web. Happy to give credit for it, but I haven't found out who created it:

Unless things change politically, we will be dragged further into the swap. It ain't easy, but we have only one option - organise and fight back! We need to build from the grassroots as well and working, on a national level, to bring about change.

* Yes! We are all laughing since Musk rejected his grifting puppet Nigel Farage 😂 😂 😂

Shock and awe! My first hundred days as PM.

What would I do if I were Starmer? A newly elected PM with a massive majority (or even a decent, smaller one). Well, I'm a socialist, so I would have a very different approach, I would be looking after the interests of the people not the profits of billionaires and corporations. I would be working to undo the damage caused by forty odd years of neoliberalism, and the wholesale sell-off of the UK.

I would begin my term with a political form of shock and awe, making significant changes as rapidly as possible to make my opponent's jaws drop, and giving them no time to recover before they were hit again. 

In the USA, they say the first 100 days of a presidency are crucial. I'd be trying to make many of these changes in that time period, if not, they would be announced and the work commenced.

Here we are:

• Introduce PR STV for all local elections and moots (by moots I mean an assembly of local people who can question elected representatives and are empowered to make decisions) -  in the first two weeks of government.
• Nationalise rail, post, and water and steel as quickly as possible
• Fund NHS properly and repeal Tory NHS legislation. Kick out the private sector
• Reverse Tory cuts in the Justice Dept and get our justice system working again
• Scrap the two child benefit cap
• Restore the winter fuel allowance
• raise the lower tax threshold and the minimum wage
• Scrap freeports and SEZs
• Join the customs union (EU)
• Budget - significantly higher taxes on the wealthy, lower taxes on small businesses, end subsidies to fossil fuel companies, and energy bills being linked to the price of gas (there would be more here, but these are priorities)
• Scrap the right to buy and buy to let
• Implement a rent freeze and end section 21 evictions
• Purchase all the UK's empty houses and turn them into council houses. Restore the council house system. All new builds would have to have solar panels and be well insulated.
• Scrap all Blair's fake regulators - Ofcom, Ofgem etc, and replace with real regulators with teeth
• Build a green economy and boost renewables
• Implement Levison two
• Break the billionaire monopoly of media ownership - they would have to be resident in the UK and pay tax here. No one person (company) woud be allowed to own more than one media outlet.
• Make clear my intention to abolish the House of Lords and introduce PR for GEs ( no rush for that if I have 5 years) 
• End arms sale to Israel and press for peace in Palestine and Ukraine
• Enhance powers for Scotland, Wales and NI set up a constitutional UK council including the devolved governments.
• Tax the King (for starters)
• Restore legal routes for asylum seekers
• Reform the prison system
• Support trans rights
• Repeal repressive protest legislation

Of course, you may not agree with all of these changes. There are many more I would like to make. For example, I would like the UK to have a written constitution and a bill of rights. I would also like for citizen assemblies to be involved in decision-making at a national level. They would be consulted - at the very least.

I want the democratisation of the UK and to give the people real power. Of course, I have no illusions. I know that, even with a large majority, there would be powerful forces trying to undermine many if not all of these changes. The markets might try to do a Truss on me, cause a run on the pound, for instance. That's why I'd have a plan to deal with those contingencies and I would be working with advisors, like Stephanie Kelton, who understand how government spending works, and how to deal with markets. I wouldn't just blindly jump into all this. All the moves would be carefully considered and planned beforehand (before got into office). 

In case you are wondering, here is Kelton's book which explains how government spending really works. It exposes the 'there is no money' BS of Starmer and Reeves. If you want to boost the economy, you have to invest in it. It's a must-read.

Do we need a new socialist party? No, we need a citizens movement

Deep breath. Here we go. I've been a socialist for over 50 years. In that time, I've seen all the same old arguments go around in circles without us making any real progress. In the old days, they used to talk about the 57 varieties of Trotskyism, as left Trot parties went through split after split caused by the same old rubbish - personality clashes, leadership ambitions and quibbles about political purity. Factionalism has always been the curse of the left. Get a bunch of 'socialists' in a room, and they'll spend more time arguing than agreeing.

So, what do we do? We need to consider a new path. Instead of trying to build a left party, how about building a citizen's movement instead. All the members would be independents who come together with shared views for change. There would be no leaders. I'll explain why later.

Most people in the UK, and Europe, and the USA are sick of neoliberal government and austerity. They are angry and fed up. Most have stopped voting altogether. Yet most agree that we need real change. We need decent public services that are accessible for all - rail, healthcare, decent jobs, postal, energy, housing, water - out of the hands of corporations. 

For a change, we need to have a laser focus on the things we can all agree about and ditch the petty arguments. If this means working with other who don't hold all our political views, so be it. There are plenty of decent people who agree with us on key issues but wouldn't call themselves socialists. 

Most people are not political. They don't read manifestos, Their votes are an emotional, not a political response.  Yet, if you look at the polls, all the things I mentioned above, rail, energy etc. are hugely popular. 

Can we think wider than socialism, and involve more people in a national movement for change? I think so. These are desperate times. We are stuck with Mandelson's Nu Labour for another five years, and we have to bring as much pressure to bear on the government as possible.

Here's another view that will be unpopular with many. Make decisions by consensus. It's not as daft or difficult as you think. Yes, it takes more time, but it avoids division and ridiculous 51/49 splits. David Graeber wrote about this in his excellent book The Democracy Project, which is a must-read. 

As David wrote, real democracy is direct democracy, not representative democracy. We need collective decision-making, not leaders holding power and telling us what to do. A movement can have 'leaders' in the sense that they are spokespeople who can engage and inspire others, but not a hierarchy in control.

This is from the Seeds of Change, Link above:

"Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement in a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority getting their way, a consensus group is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports – or at least can live with."

Is all that a bit too anarchist for you? I can hear the hisses coming from the back of the room, but time is running out. If we want to bring about real change, we need to think outside the box.

Why did Trump win?

I've already written something about this, but It's hard to know where to start. There's been lots of analysis of why Trump won, and the democrats are busy bashing anyone - including those in the party like Bernie Saunders - who dared to criticise their failed campaign.

Here are three reasons:

1. Biden/Harris - Biden should have been a one-term president. They should have had a primary contest last year. They could have picked a far better candidate than Harris.

2. Gaza - Biden/Harris's unwavering support for the horrific genocide in Gaza alienated lots of Americans, many of whom would have voted democrat chose to stay at home, or vote for a third party.

3. The Campaign - ahem, what was it about? Okay, I didn't watch much of it, but what were they offering? Not a lot as far as I can see. Yes, we know Trump is an evil bullshitter, but many thought he offered them some change.

Despite Trump's win, many Americans voted for progressive policies at a state/local level to protect the right to abortion and increase the minimum wage.

This article from Salon is worth a read. I don't agree with all of it, but they pick out a key point - that many people are influenced by the 'conspiracy theory' garbage they find on the web. They believe what they choose to believe, what suits their prejudices, ignoring the facts. Trump is very good a pushing these people's buttons, and energising them. 

Here is a quote:

"As Angelo Carusone of Media Matters told MSNBC, "We have a country that is pickled in right-wing misinformation and rage." Political organizers and pundits don't want to face that, because it is such a massive, hard-to-wrangle problem. So they critique Democratic "messaging" that no one hears. They try to figure out if there are rational reasons people worry about immigration or fail to notice improvements in the economy. But what has changed profoundly in our society — and also explains the shift worldwide — is the explosion of social media and the dramatic shift towards an all-propaganda media diet for so many people."

It's important to note that the MSM has failed to tackle this problem.

I could go on. All we can do now is wait and see what horrors await us. Europe may face an influx of refugees. They won't be coming on small boats. I'll conclude with an excellent summary of the situation by Margaret Atwood.

How can a narcissistic fascist like Trump win the US election?

The bad news is it's a lot easier than you think. In my last post, I talked about the rise of the far right in Europe. The formula for Trump's success is the same stuff. Here's how it goes:

Neoliberalism, which is a far-right ideology, promotes the primacy of the 'free' market above everything else, including democracy. This means that the oligarchs and corporations should have control, and the rest of us will just have to try and survive. This extremist ideology holds sway over governments globally, a good example being Javier Milei in Argentina. The Invisible Doctrine by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison explains neoliberalism and is a must-read.

Recently, Trump was criticised for holding a racist election rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. This is the same place that fascists held a rally in 1939. A 'comedian' opened by calling Puerto Rico and it's citizens "garbage" - nice stuff! There can be little doubt that Trump himself is now a fascist and a real danger to the USA. He is determined to be president, whether he actually wins the ballot or not.

The rise in far-right populism is a result of neoliberal polices followed by governments in the USA, UK, Europe and many other parts of the world. It has resulted in the trashing of public services, austerity and the growth of poverty. It's called the cost of living crisis in the UK. Likewise, it is what gave us the disastrous Truss budget. Feeling poor, struggling to eat or heat and pay the rent? Now you know why.

In times like these, the 'heroes' of the fascist far right will come to 'save us' by promising us a better future. They're lying of course, just as Trump does, and Hitler did, and ethnic minorities, who are the scapegoats, for the damage the far right have caused, will pay the price. 

How centrist politicians generate fascism

The 'liberal MSM' has been hand wringing about the rise of far right parties in Europe. But why is this been happening? Why are the far racist right on the rise? 

The answer is simple. Thanks to the embrace of neoliberalism by European parties and the EU, we have seen a decline of social democracy and the rise of the right as a predictable response. That is why these 'left' parties are in decline all over Europe.

How does neoliberalism generate fascism? It's simple, people are immiserated by austerity and corporate profit gouging. Pay and job security is in decline. Public services are failing or being privatised. People get angry. The far-right populists stoke up hate by blaming immigrants, siding with corporations, and ignoring the real causes of people's misery. Rinse and repeat.

This is what happened in Germany after WWI. The economy was on its knees and burdened with reparations. Along came a saviour - Adolf Hitler. Blame the Jews, not war or capitalism. Find some scapegoats. It worked, and it's working again, but this time they blame 'migrants'. 'Centre left' parties are now pandering to this rise in hatred instead of fighting it.

If you want to know more about neoliberalism, its origins, and the human and environmental destruction it is causing globally, I recommend you read The Invisible Doctrine by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison.

As we can see with Trump and Musk in the USA, neoliberalism isn't just threatening a global collapse, it's close to trashing what's left of our democracy.

Labour: the worst start to a government ever?

September. Party conference season. And, as I write this, Nu Labour are having their party conference. After a bizarre general election, in which Labour gained a 'landslide' with just 33.8% of the vote, we were treated to a party that promised change in its manifesto offering er... no change at all. Not only have they not ended the two child benefit cap, which many anticipated, but they also have now cut winter fuel payments for pensioners. Thanks to Reeves's £20 billion 'black hole' and her 'fiscal rules', which are pure made up BS, austerity is still on the menu. This is the complete opposite of what the UK needs.

What we do need is government investment in infrastructure and the economy. Reeves can easily find the money. All she needs to do is ask the Bank of England for it and she will get it from them. It's that simple. 

So Starmer's no hope and no change meant that his government was falling in popularity right from the start. The honeymoon period lasted about twenty-four hours or so, and, now, Starmer finds himself less popular than Rishi Sunak and Ed 'Post Office scandal' Davey. That's quite and achievement! 

To add to this fiasco, the Tory press has has had a field day in 'exposing' "freebiegate', in which Starmer, his wife, Angela Rayner, and David Lammy have received tens of thousands of pounds worth of gifts. According to Sky News:

"Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny over the past week for the more than £100,000-worth of gifts he has accepted.

"It started with controversy over his wife's clothes and has escalated since Sky News' Westminster Accounts project revealed he has been gifted more freebies and hospitality than any other MP since 2019 - a total worth £107,145.

Starmer branded 'ivory tower leader' - latest updates

His acceptance of football tickets has proved particularly contentious, with some government officials reportedly concerned about a potential conflict of interest."

Labour may have settled with the junior doctors and rail workers, promised to nationalise rail, and a few other useful things but, so far, it is a national failure, with little sign of anything better in the future. Starmer's speech, which was hard to keep awake through, is summed up perfectly by Richard Murphy in this video (I recommend a visit to Murphy's YouTube site which also explains why Reeves 'black hole' and 'fiscal rules' are BS).

The only part of his speech worth watching was the gaffe when he asked for the return of sausages from Gaza, while his government continues to support the genocide which is happening there.

So, it's looking like five years of gloom and not much positive change. The neoliberal duopoly continues in the UK, just as it does in the USA

Are you left or right?

My contention is one that many aren't going to like. It's simple - there is no such thing as the political centre. If you are not on the left, you are on the right. 

So, what is the left? To be on the left, you must either be a socialist or an anarchist. You must believe in that fundamentally society need to be 'restructured' and organised with real power in the hands of communities. Power bottom up, not top down. In fact, in a socialist society, there wouldn't be a top.

To be on the political right you must be a liberal, centrist, conservative, or fascist. All these groups have one crucial thing in common - they all accept the existing capitalist order. 

History shows us that liberals and centrists, who accept the prevailing 'democratic' order, are fascist enablers. Fascism suits capitalism because it's not a threat to the prevailing order. If anything, it strengthens it. That is what happened in Nazi Germany in the 1930s, workers, trade unions and the left were suppressed and murdered. No threat to profits from them.

Never trust a liberal or centrist. That may be uncomfortable reading but it's true.