Here's a little good cheer for all you Boris Johnson fans out there. I'm not sure I would agree with the author that political correctness is dead on arrival now, but it certainly has suffered a reversal...
https://amgreatness.com/2019/12/13/britains-red-tory-future/
Dr.Waddy: I read the article and your comments and I think your partial misgivings to be plausible; the arrogant leftists will not go easily, But:
ReplyDeleteFirst: this election was conducted in arguably the most seasoned and sophisticated democracy in the world. certainly they have been at it longer than anyone else. Their decision MAY have been seminal.
Its been a hard fight in America to convince the labor movement (such as it is) that the American left holds them in intellectually elitist contempt and thoroughly patronizes them. Look, I worked in the 60's and "70's, in the even then grotty and dangerous Republic basic steel production plant in Buffalo with very veterans of the consolidation of the United Steel Workers in the '30's and I empathize with their justified and permanent distrust of management. But I know most of them were patriotic Americans and would never have tolerated what I KNOW to be the overinfluence of Americn hating Marxists in their union and in the related United Mine Workers. I saw it even first hand there and in my own union, Professional Employees' Federation, (state workers, far better off than blue collar) in shamefully surrendered NY State.
British labor has had a hard time of it; British wages have always been less than ours, yet they turned on the far left dominated Labor party in this election. Maybe British labor has finally realized that the Labor party has but ridden them in a consummate effort to make slaves of the productive and recipients and dependents of the unproductive.
Dr. Waddy: The "cuckooing" of existing institutions by the left is an old story. Through the dock workers'union, Communists tried to shut down the San Francisco docks in the middle of WWII! I saw in my own union (Professional Employees Federation in NY state) efforts to involve the union in the conservation of Hawaiian volcanoes, What duh !What does that have to do with NY employees' concerns? I've seen in documents surviving from my father's activism in the United Mine Workers,compelling evidence of Marxist indoctrination. When considers that many blue collar workers have little formal education, one can imagine their vulnerability to communist cadre.
ReplyDeleteInteresting analysis, Jack. Certainly many traditionally working class, Labour constituencies went for the Tories in this election. I unfortunately haven't been able to find an exit poll that breaks down the vote by demographic categories, but I would imagine that this election marks a high water mark for working class support of the Conservatives. It's funny, because we're told over and over again that "socialism" is all the rage. We're also told that youngsters wouldn't dream of supporting the right. Maybe these "truisms" have been overstated? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteMy main reservation about the 2019 election in the UK would be this: truthfully, Boris isn't all that conservative, and the Conservatives are quite capable of acquiescing to a soft form of socialism and political correctness, so both those ideas still "have legs", I'm afraid. And I hate to repeat myself, but as long as the CULTURE remains in leftist hands, momentary electoral victories for the right won't bring decisive change. There's much more work to be done.
Dr. Waddy: Your comments very plausible. At least it will be Brits calling the shots and not Eurofrivolous bureaucrats.
ReplyDelete