Populism

@Soothfast said
It's occurred to me that populism is simply a new name for nationalism, and in many ways it is. But globalism is not exactly the opposite of nationalism. It does not advocate for a single "world government." The term "nationalism" speaks of nations as political entities, whereas the term "globalism" speaks to an economic model wherein workers bound by natio ...[text shortened]... Germany have practiced to preserve their manufacturing base as well as the dignity of their workers.

It’s already been acknowledged in the thread that left wing thinkers have populist ideas.

@Soothfast said
It's occurred to me that populism is simply a new name for nationalism, and in many ways it is. But globalism is not exactly the opposite of nationalism. It does not advocate for a single "world government." The term "nationalism" speaks of nations as political entities, whereas the term "globalism" speaks to an economic model wherein workers bound by natio ...[text shortened]... Germany have practiced to preserve their manufacturing base as well as the dignity of their workers.

Right. I guess what I was trying to assert was that economic globalism WITHOUT "one world government" was bound to be unfair. 😆

Within the US, a factory moves from the Northeast to South Carolina where it is cheaper. However, if desired, workers can leave their $800,000 house in Mass. and move to South Carolina into the same kind of house for $350,000 and get a job in the same factory - earning less, but cost of living is also less. Gummint doesn't block the move.

But when a factory moves to Mexico, workers don't follow it - both because they can't (Mexico says 'No' ) AND - who would want to? Drug and gang violence, poor justice protections, etc. Stockholders win, workers lose. (The company also doesn't necessarily drop the price of the imported goods. Prices are determined by demand and competition, not cost. So if the company can, they sell for the same price and pocket the difference. Businessmen LOVE globalism as much as workers hate it.)

Globalism would work great if we had a United States of The World in the form of a democratically elected UN. I've stumped on this for years but nobody really gets why I say it:
A) War is practially eliminated.
B) Economies can do what I outlined above.
C) People have equal rights worldwide.

As a scientist, I see no particular downside. But suggest it and people go as crazy as Americans asked to drive a roundabout (traffic circle).

@Soothfast said
Here is something both leftists and rightists likely can find things to agree about, at least partially. It is relevant to this thread:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/opinion/wolfgang-streeck-populism.html
[quote]Who could have seen Donald Trump’s resounding victory coming? Ask the question of an American intellectual these days and you may meet with embittered silen ...[text shortened]... capitalism, but its further repudiation. He is a symptom of its ongoing collapse on a global scale.

It's an interesting analysis (though Trump's win wasn't all that "resounding" at less than 1.5% of the popular vote) but as a suggestion for future action it seems questionable. Left wing populism of the form of a Bernie Sanders twice failed to win sufficient votes in the Democratic primaries to prevail against corporate Democrats; what would make anyone believe that will change in the immediate future?

And it is the Right, not the Left, that tries to keep down voter participation at least in the US.

@no1marauder said
It's an interesting analysis (though Trump's win wasn't all that "resounding" at less than 1.5% of the popular vote) but as a suggestion for future action it seems questionable. Left wing populism of the form of a Bernie Sanders twice failed to win sufficient votes in the Democratic primaries to prevail against corporate Democrats; what would make anyone believe that will ...[text shortened]...
And it is the Right, not the Left, that tries to keep down voter participation at least in the US.

'Corporate Democrats' 🙂

Good name for them.

@diver removed their quoted post

Yeah I couldn’t sleep for a week worrying about you not having a dictionary 🙄

@kevcvs57 said
Yeah I couldn’t sleep for a week worrying about you not having a dictionary 🙄

I’ll be posting soon about the Unite Trade Union requesting the Supreme Court to sue the Labour government on their decision to remove the winter fuel payment from pensioners. When I do you can pull both of emotional triggers simultaneously and defend both your beloved Trade Unions and your beloved Labour Party.

It will be fun to watch 😉

@divegeester said
I’ll be posting soon about the Unite Trade Union requesting the Supreme Court to sue the Labour government on their decision to remove the winter fuel payment from pensioners. When I do you can pull both of emotional triggers simultaneously and defend both your beloved Trade Unions and your beloved Labour Party.

It will be fun to watch 😉

I can’t imagine anyone on the left defending freezing pensioners to death.

Let’s check in with the left, shall we?

https://socialistworker.co.uk/news/dont-let-starmer-freeze-the-poor-pensioner-speaks-out-over-winter-fuel-allowance-cut/

See. Nobody on the left wants this.

@shavixmir said
I can’t imagine anyone on the left defending freezing pensioners to death.

Let’s check in with the left, shall we?

https://socialistworker.co.uk/news/dont-let-starmer-freeze-the-poor-pensioner-speaks-out-over-winter-fuel-allowance-cut/

See. Nobody on the left wants this.

Err … the UK Labour Party ARE the governing representatives of “the left”!!

@divegeester said
Err … the UK Labour Party ARE the governing representatives of “the left”!!

Oh please, the labour party is not a left wing party. Hasn’t been since the 90’s.

@shavixmir said
Oh please, the labour party is not a left wing party. Hasn’t been since the 90’s.

Interesting Shav.

So just to be clear then … Blair’s Labour Party was “left wing” ?

@divegeester said
Interesting Shav.

So just to be clear then … Blair’s Labour Party was “left wing” ?

No. That wasn’t left-wing either.

As soon as they dumped clause four, there was nothing really left wing about them anymore.

Blair was a capitalist pig. And a war criminal.

@Mott-The-Hoople said
what you describe is makers vs takers.

liberals by nature are not productive members of society…always wanting someone else to provide for them.

hint; if you want a home, get up in the morning go to work, save your money and BUY a home. I did, you can too.

You can't help yourself, can you?

You're as big a nutter as your "president". And when I say "nutter", I mean liar.

@shavixmir said
No. That wasn’t left-wing either.

As soon as they dumped clause four, there was nothing really left wing about them anymore.

Blair was a capitalist pig. And a war criminal.

So what, whom, did you mean by “since the 90s”?

@divegeester said
So what, whom, did you mean by “since the 90s”?

In the early 90’s Labour dumped their clause 4, basically severing union block voting on political matters.

That was when it ceased to be a left wing party.

@shavixmir said
In the early 90’s Labour dumped their clause 4, basically severing union block voting on political matters.

That was when it ceased to be a left wing party.

So there is no such thing as left wing political party in the uk, they are all right wing including the labour party?