With the news that David Miliband now looks a strong bet to win the Labour party leadership contest in the UK, I’m reminded of an article I wrote in 2009 about organic food in Catalonia. The opening paragraph states:
Whilst some consider organic food just another “new-age” fad alongside such things as yoga, tai-chi and bio-diesel, it is in fact as old as the hills. Typical of such attitudes is British Environment Minister David Miliband who dismissed it as nothing more than a “lifestyle choice” and that chemically treated crops shouldn’t be considered inferior.
It’s rather uninspiring that the next leader of a supposedly social democratic party considers organic food a “lifestyle choice”.
But then again, should we expect anything less from a party and political establishment wholeheartedly committed to defending agribusiness corporate interests that pay them off at every turn?
Enlighten a non-British citizen of the world: is this guy just dumb? He seems to go down the corporations-first road marked by Blair, yet he’s in opposition.
This is just too complicated for me.
Have we humans really lost it all, now that even the opposition sounds like the position?
Candide, Big business took over Labour a long time ago and this was made official when Blair castrated the party and renamed it “New” Labour. You’re right in saying that Milliband would follow the same “corporations-first” road laid down by Blair – much like Obama has followed enthusiastically in the footsteps of George Bush. The only opposition you’ll find to this system is not in the political establishment – its amongst the general population who don’t want war, don’t want no-strings attached corporate bailouts and don’t want further slashing of their working rights and salaries.
But take heart, the majority of people are not at fault. In fact, they are the only hope against stopping the political and business elite getting away with it. This is simply the result of a political system maintained by a tiny elite which is completely dominated and over shadowed by big business and the corporate media.
By the way, although the political landscape in Spain hasn’t quite reached the homogenized state it has in the UK, bear in mind that things aren’t that much different there. Both the major parties in Spain – the PSOE and PP support – neo-liberal policies that effectively declare war on most normal working people. It’s just that the PSOE is marginally less aggressive as is the Labour party in the UK to an even lesser degree.
Hey Nick..how is life wherever you are?
“its amongst the general population who don’t want war, don’t want no-strings attached corporate bailouts and don’t want further slashing of their working rights and salaries.”
I am not sure the general public cares that much..as long as they can get their cheap food, clothes, fuel, easyjets flights, plasma screens..they will not look too much further to change much at all. Or am I just getting old and cynical!! Just got back from Uganda..amazing place but in so much trouble in many ways. The distorted global system.
Hi Ed,
Not bad thanks. This blog has missed your contributions – readership has slumped
I thought you were out and about somewhere in Africa but had no idea where! Would love to hear more about Uganda.
You paint a very selfish picture of people and sure, there are plenty of people that think that way. But you have to remember they’ve been subjected to a lot of corporate and government propaganda to act that way. There’s a reason why the British government had to lie to get us into Iraq and Afghanistan – the public simply wouldn’t have supported it if they didn’t think we were seconds away from nuclear destruction by Saddam Hussein.
But now that awareness has grown of the manipulation that has gone on, there are plenty of others that think the other way. For example, there was a ComRes poll reported in The Independent a few days ago that showed more than half of all British voters (52%) now want troops withdrawn from Afghanistan:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/voters-turn-against-war-in-afghanistan-1763227.html
And I don’t think you can seriously argue that people don’t mind having their working rights eroded in exchange for cheap goods and services.
I completely understand the cynicism, but I think it’s a rather sweeping statement.
I will tell you more about Africa via email, was an amazing opportunity and got to see grassroot development via the community to community model of development which hopefully creates a more equal basis of development with benefits to both Wales and Africa. Beth has now got the chance to go with Oxfam to Columbia so I will take that opportunity to dip into that continent!
I hear you on the power of government propaganda but it is one thing to agree that troops should be withdrawn from Iraq/Afghanistan and it is another to actually be active and create change in your own local community.
I would say lots of people or at least in my experience would not know their workers rights are being eroded. Many of my friends would always agree with me in conversation that the global system is unjust as I am sure yours would but how many of them actually get up and do something or change their behaviour significantly to deliver any change. Anyway, I am off to the lovely Swansea to see a groups who are working with a community in Zambia..nice!
Please do – look forward to hearing about it.
I agree that the majority of people in the West aren’t as engaged or as aware as they should be (myself included). I guess the job of any serious activist is to organize and help encourage people to become engaged which is the way things always have and always will change. There are plenty out there doing just that but they’re a small percentage of the population – but isn’t that how all social movements begin throughout history? As regards war, The Stop The War coalition is one such example in the UK – it might not have millions of members but it is growing slowly and raising awareness.
Have a good time in Swansea – Zambia sounds like an unlikely connection!
Cheers. Not as unlikely as Merthyr – Zanzibar!