We can't go on like this, they can't change anything

A short piece on why none of the parties are able to offer real change.

Submitted by Farce on April 9, 2010

We don't support any of the parties standing in this election. They might come out with apparently different messages, but all of them basically want to do the same thing: to keep the economy functioning the way it does now, which means trampling all over anyone who gets in its way. The fact is that, after the bankers’ bailout, the next government is going to need more money from somewhere, no matter which party gets in. And all of the parties seem to think that money should come from cuts to public services and workers' pay.

For example, Nick Clegg recently announced that the Liberal Democrats "can no longer afford" many of their key pledges because "the politics of plenty are over." (Those of us living on low wages might never have noticed "the politics of plenty" starting in the first place, but never mind.) Clegg's promises of "savage cuts" are matched by similar promises of cuts by Labour, not to mention Cameron's declaration that he'd be "very happy" to strengthen laws against workers trying to protect their pay and conditions.

It’s obvious that the problem goes deeper than any particular politician or party. That’s why we want to see a fundamental change in the way the economy is run, so that it's brought under the control of everyone in society. That might sound like a big challenge, but we think it can be done. It's worth remembering that the power of politicians is limited – not just by the state of the economy, but also by what ordinary people will let them get away with. The level of cuts we face won't be determined by which party gets in, but by how hard we fight back. Well-organised communities and groups of workers have managed to force governments to back down before, even during a recession. The rich and privileged are well prepared to defend their interests. We need to be organised and militant if we don't want them to walk all over us.

Comments

rottweiler

13 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by rottweiler on April 11, 2010

The worst thing they ever did was give us the vote. Now people think thats how you change things.

jojo

8 years 7 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jojo on August 24, 2015

Given that the problem facing the world is in fact "the econony" (ie capitalism) then trying to change it, which is impossible anyway, won't achieve anything.

We have to get rid of it and build communism.