These attacks on Labour are attacks on Democracy

Well it seems British political life is about to go more towards the US model than any other political model I can think of, as the current leadership of the Labour party are far too keen to remove the Labour party away from the political routes that brought about the Labour movement and enshrine a new corporate elitist party, just like the US Democrats.

Ed Miliband has today said he is going to end the link between Labour and the Unions and make payments from Union members an opt-in system where Union members have to opt-in to paying Labour any money. Now Ed isn’t too bothered about the lost millions people seem keen to point out his party is going to lose, what with the hedge fund managers, bankers and corporate lobbyists all keen to fill the gap and give financial support to the Labour party I am sure their finances will probably be better off. But what of our democracy?

We already have a party beholden to the whims of big business, who allow legal loan sharks to write their manifesto; we call them the Conservative party. And as such, their policies are shaped to benefit the people who pay into their system, the party donors.

Political party donations are like an investment, you pay something into the party expecting something back! The Unions make no secret of what they lobby for when they pay money into the Labour party, they expect a party to help with their workers rights and perhaps even go as far as to introduce laws that protect workers with things such as equality, safety at work and perhaps even a pay increase.

Corporate paymasters of political parties get huge investment returns from their investments; a good example of this would be Monsanto in the USA. Monsanto owns many of the patents involved with the production of genetically modified foods, specifically for this example – soybean. As you all probably know, genetically modified soybeans have spread even into farms that tried to keep away from the GM stuff and keep au natural. However, with nature doing what nature does, this new crop quickly spread from field to field, farm to farm. And here is the kicker, for a farmer who doesn’t want GM crops, even if his farm is “infected” with them, Monsanto has the US law system wrapped up to ensure that they have the right to expect payment for their seeds (any seeds containing their GM patents) and can even sue farmers in court. And they win!

They do this because in the US whether you vote for the Democrats or the Republicans, they are already bought and paid for by interests that want to keep the money moving in their direction at the expense of everything else. Including the greater good, the health of the nation or even human lives!

I am far from a conspiracy theorist, but the facts speak for themselves and without a functioning democracy forces will be used to overwhelm the masses because power corrupts.

The current political system of the UK has already become corrupted by a cabal of elitists keeping political appointments and decisions within a select group. In order to join this group you simply need to attend the right school, University and basically kiss the right arses until at some point you get the wink that tells you that you’re in. Safe seats within Parliamentary catchments get dished out like jobs for the boys. So and so has been good so we’ll give him a job for life or until he or she screws up enough to warrant his or her resignation.

As an example, George Osborne never set foot in the North West until he was chosen to represent the Conservative party from a London based select club and then he moved to Cheshire and got his seat in Parliament after a life of buttering up the right people.

And the same happens in the Labour party, the Lib Dems and it keeps the politics of this country in the hands of the few and ensures the power and influence is kept to those who already have it. Power corrupts, we know this as a truism and we see it in every corrupt government on the planet.

At the centre of all of this is greed and contempt, greed for the money and power hungry elite and the contempt they feel towards others beneath them. The billions spent on tax breaks, quangos and privatised NHS trusts is at the behest of party donors who then profit from our government, they reap the benefits from our taxes. This system is simply a means to shift wealth from the poorest in society up to the richest, and it doest stop with the working class. I would estimate the hardest hit are the middle class, the people who aspire to move up the ladder.

And whilst they do this they try to confuse us with blame games. The country is in dire straits because of all those benefit scoungers! This country is in a state because of all of these immigrants taking our jobs! This country is in a state because we’ve been living beyond our means (let’s privatise ****)!

What they refuse to tell you though is the truth! They refuse to go on TV and say that the welfare bill is as high as it is because people who work on low incomes need to have their pay increased with tax credits, income support and housing benefit. They don’t tell you that the housing crisis hasn’t even started yet, the real problem is just around the corner and still there are no major programs to build affordable housing that would meet the needs of people paying rip off rents supplemented by the housing benefit bill.

And whilst all this happens, whilst the politicians dither about hamburgers and will they or wont they get a pay rise soon. This country sinks, poverty rises, but hey we got a few more billionaires so all might just be cosy.

I agree. They followed the Conservative lead in a bid to woo big business at the cost of the core voters and political base.

Deregulated the city a bit more so bankers could gamble with ease and that got us to where we are now. There are plenty of good honest Labour politicians, but we know they won’t make it into the shadow cabinet due to way the system has been set.

But if Labour become Conservative lite, don’t you agree the lack of a choice would be bad for this country?

I think a reformed political system is in dire need here. We should only be able to elect people who have lived in a political cathment for 10 years before they can stand to represent it. That way you don't get inner elites ruling political parties, but instead a broad coalition of people from different backgrounds but sharing certain values.

I mean, the Labour party (and the Conservative party) should be a coalition of sorts with people from all sections of their political base being a part of their policy making. Instead we see a Conservative party too scared to preach to their base (who in turn are moving to UKIP) and a Labour party too scared to move to the left of centre.

Sadly, the current system also puts most people off of politics. How many times have you been told by a none voter that voting is a waste of time because "they're all the same"?

This thread started as a rant, but the more I think about it I could easily see the political parties fractured because of these issues. We could see UKIP rise and rise until they are about a third or more of the Conservatives and a new left wing party rise out of the ashes of the lost ground abandoned by Labour!