Media, hegemony and the control of society

In the past, society had its villains. On the one side was the working class – the cotton mill worker, the miner, the small boy sweeping chimneys. On the other was the top hat wearing, cigar smoking, port drinking capitalist. This jaded view of the past, with sharp class distinctions, not only serves as a means of simplifying class based politics, but is used by the modern ruling class to pretend that society is now “classless” and more equal.

However, while the ruling elite is not seen to be directly oppressing the people by locking them up in workhouses, their influence and control is now more subtle, and through this subtlety, much more powerful.

2nd Most Right-wing Candidate Wins Labour Leadership!

It's started already. "Red Ed" the union's whipping boy is steering the Labour Party (LP) into the left-wing wilderness. If only. The viscous, uneducated, simplistic morons who write for the oligarchical press barons really don't get it. One wonders if they have any idea about the foundation of the LP or just how left wing it used to be.

First we need to tackle the misconception that will be used by the oiks who read the Daily Mail. It is true that David Miliband won a higher proportion of MP and LP member votes, and Ed won overwhelming trade union support. If it wasn't for the unions, Ed would have lost. But what is wrong with that? The LP was founded by the trade union movement. The unions fund the LP. If it wasn't for the unions this country wouldn't have a LP. The LP should be influenced more by the unions, not less. The LP should be the voice of the unions in Parliament.

1950 Election Campaign

Feeling fed up of this awful coalition? Need a bit of a distraction? Well how about a pamphlet from the 1950s analysing the Devon and Cornwall district's election campaign!

Forging the Argument

In a recent BBC poll (5^th Sept), 60% of those surveyed supported the government’s cuts agenda. The ConDem coalition has used the media to create a storm of deficit fetishism. This will pave the way for cuts that are driven by an ideology that is anti-benefits, anti-union and fundamentally anti-worker. How are we to respond to this?

Origin of the Crisis – Why was the UK vulnerable?

This was not a crisis caused by the public sector. Crises are inherent in our economic system - this one was just delayed by the financial trickery of global capital. The UK, at the heart of global financial markets, was hit hard because the government came to rely so heavily on the revenues of the banking and financial sectors.