30 Comments
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Brian's avatar

Well articulated Paul, but intelligent and articulate members of the working class who challenge the establishment are too often silenced.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

Agree totally Paul. You only have to look at the make up of Reform events audiences, mostly working class.

The Country has chosen the next government and it ain't Labour, Tory or Loony-Dem !

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The Martyr's avatar

I really hope you’re right Alan but fear that tactical voting on the left will have a serious negative impact on Reform in FPTP elections. Reform need to learn from what went wrong in Caerphilly.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

You're right of course but with Corbyn buggering around and those rabid green nutters destroying the left I think we'll be all right.

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Hilary more than one question's avatar

I hope these left idiots wipe each other out, I’ve never felt so miserable in my life! The day after the budget GB News went to South Shields (where I am from originally and where all my family live) and they interviewed two women, you may have seen it? Anyway, 1:5 are on benefit, these two were in that group. One Geordie girl and a Romanian (I thinks) both single, both with kids, on benefit UC, ‘free’ (not free) school meals, breakfast club and the new uplift in the child cap on UC, one of them did ‘part time’ hours(whatever that means) because all the benefit means you can’t work more than 16 hours or you lose them… but still moaning it’s not enough… I was ashamed and outraged… my daughter is a trauma orthopaedic nurse full time, 12 hour shifts and she brings home less than they do… go figure, dependency creating, aspiration crushing Labour… one of the stupid women said she was going to vote Green or Corbyn’s party next time… what a complete arsehole!

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Alan Jurek's avatar

Hilary,

Always remember you're a lovely and there will always be takers and givers, you and your daughter are givers as for those takers-Fuck 'em

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Hilary more than one question's avatar

Thank you fellow lovely, and I’m not supposed to wish ill on them, but I hope they get their comeuppance 👍

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The Martyr's avatar

I take a less charitable view than you and Alan Hilary. It seems to me that we’re getting their comeuppance.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

They have had their comeuppance already Hilary. Can you imagine being like them for the rest of your life they can't run from themselves !

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The Martyr's avatar

He is. Such a tragedy about the Farage falling out. We really can do without vendettas on the right as we will need every vote. Despite holding Nigel responsible, Reform will still get my vote as they’re the only show in town Alan when it comes to winning the next GE.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

So far, Martyr , so far. A lot of time to go and a week is a long time in politics and a lot can happen.

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The Martyr's avatar

I’m hoping you think they’ll kiss and make up rather than splinter the right vote share.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

There's always hope, maybe Trump will invade and make us No.51 State.

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The Martyr's avatar

Yes Matt Goodwin reminded me the other day that the left wing parties all hate each other and even if they made a coalition it would quickly collapse. My God we need a fit and firing Reform government so badly.

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Alan Jurek's avatar

I'm still shadowing Ben and Advance UK he's such a good and moral man, getting some great people on board.

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Hilary more than one question's avatar

I’m doing exactly the same Alan 🙏

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Peter Mott's avatar

The Wall Street Journal review was very complimentary!

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Daniel Teece's avatar

Hi Paul 👋

Its a fantastic book , i would throughly recomend it .

However , i am scepitcal about the new immigratuon proposels by home sec ( see commny on other thread ) , if we are to move away from the poison of "identiy politics " then we need people in charge that blieve in equality insted of a hiericay of racism .

On that , i am not conviced , in fact i forsee "despised 2 , they stil dont get it " or "Still despised " in a few years.

I woukd like to apologise for even more typo than normal , the latest update has eridicated predictive text from my phone .

I do geniuinly wish you all the luck in the world Paul

Have a lovely week Paul and other readers 😃

Ps caught you mate / comrade morris on gbnews other day withb nigel , loved his comments on tom baldwin , was a bit surprised that nigel appered to vcome to tom defence .

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Sean's avatar

Social media is allowing voices to be heard this helps

Your party is tone deaf for example you should be an MP instead of a fringe figure

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David Waddington's avatar

I think these articles will form the record of how it all ended as we finally fell asleep in the comfy chair.

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Paul B's avatar

There are two big questions not answered by Paul’s excellent book.

Then first is can a new party of the working class be built or to put it another way is political representation of the working class possible in a world where its organisational forms and communal structures have been smashed up?

Unlike Paul, I do not think Labour is recoverable (its leadership, MPs, most of its membership base and increasingly what’s left of its vote is progressive and largely middle class) and unlike a lot of Paul’s readers I recognise what Reform is and what it isn’t. Whilst it might present itself as ally its economic political programme offers nothing for us.

The second question relates to the working class itself and its capacity to re-remember its own culture and forms of social solidarity. It seems to me that 3 factors a) the political defeat of the organised WC b) a generational and cultural gulf within the class itself and c) a deterioration within the class itself makes this problematic.

Put bluntly, nobody is coming to save us, at least they aren’t until we take the necessary first steps ourselves to regroup, take some control of our own lives and communities and our ways of living and to actually put some effort in to better assert our interests and demands. Can we? If so, how?

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Paul Embery's avatar

A thoughtful contribution, Paul. I agree with much of it.

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David Garner's avatar

Share most of these sentiments. The working class were the heart of Britain but that heart has been ripped out., I honestly believe deliberately. When I’m abroad I’m just embarrassed now to be British. There’s a lot of people that need to wake up. I don’t think they will. Sadly I think we’re done. Time to go.

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Ellie Rofe's avatar

You're absolutely right.

But does anyone in politics actually care? It seems that politicians are more focused on voting blocs than lives lived. Is the working class substantial and consolidated enough to pose a threat to their incumbency / rise? If not, nothing will be done.

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Paul Embery's avatar

It's certainly substantial enough. But maybe not yet consolidated enough.

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Chris Fox's avatar

I can’t remember who said it, but it went something like this: once the working class people of Britain where considered to be the salt of the earth, not they are thought of as the scum of the earth. This is why they are angry.

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Hilary more than one question's avatar

With you all the way on every word Paul!

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L Simmons's avatar

I agree with much of this, but Brexit led to a big drop in standard of living. People are poorer for it.

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Sean's avatar

Why is France in such a mess

Read Peter shores separate ways this critiques the EU

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David Garner's avatar

Totally agree Paul. What is means there’s a huge reckoning coming. The people it alienated are not coming back. More to the point, Labour got elected on a centre Left agenda. The recent budget is a typical socialist tax and spend with no idea how to create wealth. This is not what the country voted for. It means Labour were elected on a lie. And this js unsustainable both in terms of economic collapse and the loss of trust with the electorate. So which ever way you look at it, Labour are done. finished. I won’t mourn their passing, I would welcome it. It needs to happen. Hopefully good people like yourself can take it forward as it should be. But that’s if there’s anything left.

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