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Student Protesters: Teaching the Left's old Guard a Thing or Two
The new generation seems determined to avoid the ideological nitpicking that has for so long blighted the British left
The student protesters of this winter of discontent are my heroes. Instead of giving up on politicians who failed to deliver their promises on tuition fees, the students have been galvanised into action. Their demonstrations and occupations are the antidote to the cynical bile that is spewed out on internet forums against anybody who dares challenge the notion that free-market capitalism is the answer to all our problems.
The ubiquity of the camera phone among the young has turned every protester into a citizen reporter, capable of accessing images that instantly refute the claims of the authorities. Those same handheld devices allow the protesters to communicate so swiftly that they are able to avoid being corralled by the police and unlawfully detained. They know their rights because they can Google them.
This was supposed to be a generation of slacktivists, willing to stop Simon Cowell from getting the Christmas No 1, but not prepared to take things any further. Instead they have taken the initiative, not waiting for the Labour party or the TUC to tell them what to do, making their own connections with others in society facing painful cuts and demanding that tax avoiders take their share of the pain, too.
From what I've experienced, they seem determined to avoid the ideological nitpicking that has for so long blighted the British left. This is the first generation to have the opportunity to create a form of socialism that is not tainted by totalitarianism. Those of us who fought the Tories in the dying days of the last century should listen and learn.
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58 Comments so far
Show AllOne hopes this will lead to a new British invasion....
This guy MUST be smoking something. They "know" their "rights" because they can "Google" them? Good God! Where do they get these guys???
These demonswtration's are accomplishing the same thing the Greek and French riots accomplished. Zippy-de-do-dah.
Revolting against reality is a waste of time and an occupation for spoiled children.
Spoken like a true defender of the status quo. What's your brilliant idea for effecting change?
He doesn't have a plan. I have talked with him in the past. He may like a few things about Europe but he still shows his hatred of Europe and continues to delude himself into believing that the "USA will fly". He thinks that the Republicans will save the USA as if there were a difference between both rotten parties.
LOL, at least their doing something nonviolent, don't if I'd have the same restraint at that age. Pity nobody's listening.
>^^<
You are truly ignorant mightymite, and an arrogant bore.
The spoiled children insult was also hurled against the hippies by opinionated no nothings like yourself.
"Revolting against reality is a waste of time and an occupation for spoiled children."
Reading your posts is a waste of time. Stick your pessimism where the sun don't shine!
"where do they get these guys?"
Well Billy Bragg happens to be a well known singer song writer,famous for his putting music to unpublished Wooddy Guthrie songs and for the radical themes he writes about. From his song Help Save the Youth of America:
The cities of Europe have burned before
And they may well burn again
But if they do I hope you understand
that Washington will burn with them
I really like the Billy Bragg & Wilco version of Guthrie's Unwelcome Guest played as theme song in the UnwelcomeGuests.net website where one can listen to many interesting audio talks and interviews especially IMO, the class discussions by Doug Dowd. Haven't gotten around to it but I've read that the Billy Bragg & Wilco Mermaid Avenue compilation of Billy Bragg music is pretty darn good. With a little extra pocket change I may get around to it soon enough. The Unwelcome Guest song can be listened on YouTube as well.
Billy Bragg also wrote new lyrics to "The Internationale", which imho does justice to the original and is more accessible to modern tastes. Here's a link, but you might have to download rather than stream it: http://folk.ntnu.no/makarov/temporary_url_20070929kldcg/internationale-en-billy_bragg_1990.mp3
dupe
You are in opposition to the resistance movement in Europe?
That is a yes or no question.
Europieans have been at each others necks since they first saw each other on the oppisite hillside, and old saw was "If you want to make a lot of money make something the Europieans can kill each other with" and that is a very old saying.
>^^<
Predident Adams warned us to stay out of the continents affairs. Americans don't listen too well.
What an ignoramus. Here's a hint: if you're reading CommonDreams and you dont know who Billy Bragg is you should probably shut your mouth rather than comment on British left-wing politics because the odds of you having anything worthwhile to contribute are precisely zero.
Feeding at the military trough is an occupation for greedy corrupt amoral people, such as mightymite.
I asked you a question.
Are you in opposition to the resistance movement in Europe?
Yes, or no?
Which one? I used to send to the orange men every year, during the troubles. I think the Prodistents should keep to themselves.
Theres some kind of resistance movement.
>^^<
As Dylan is quoted "What do ya got?"
What reality do you have in mind? Are you a Thatcherite? Do you believe that "there is no alternative to capitalism? Do you believe that "there is no such thing as society?" Are you a fan of the Manchester School, or its latter-day incarnation, neo-liberalism? Would you like to fuck Ayn Rand?
"Where do they get these guys???"
*SIGH*
It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove any doubt mightymite.
What demonstrating against wrongs does is expose activists to others of the same mind, which is galvanizing so they know they'e not alone, and encourages continued resistance against governmental wrongs.
Even if they don't meet their goals first time out (that never happens, anyway), they are mostly then activated permanently, even if their tactics vary over time.
If one never gets active, one never gets anywhere in the challenge of reforming or re-forming society.
Those post-ers who insist that demonstrations don't do any good have either (1) never done a thing or (2) are just too lazy to participate.
More like an attempt to guarantee equal access to higher education so that it does not become a preserve of the wealthy.
Your mother has nothing to do with it.
"Equal Access"? What are you smoking. As long as "free" college education attracts more potential students than there are places, spaces will be aportioned based on exams. And, take a WILD guess what economic demographic does best on exams.
What is going on in London is nothing more than a bunch of spoiled rich kids whining about paying their fair share. If the British government cared about equality, it would remove ALL subsidies from university education, and spend that money on improving public primary and secondary education for the poor.
"What is going on in London is nothing more than a bunch of spoiled rich kids whining about paying their fair share."
That is not true at all. Whatever their economic status, they were raising signs protesting in favor of affordable education for all. The difference between the UK and the USA is that people there see to it that government spends its taxes well and government listens at least some compared to the USA. The USA on the other hand is cornfed and ready to defend and fight for more abuse and cheating. Look at what happened earlier this year as news of more public schools closing in the USA was heard around the world? The USA just "accepted" it just like it has done on "austerity" for the last 30 years. The USA must change its slogan from "land of the free, home of the brave" to "land of the monied, home of the cowardly and the cornfed" !
I disagree. There was a social contract in place when these students were working on their basic education. Most of Europe has tracking in schools and these students gave up spots in technical training schools with the understanding they would be doing academic secondary education to be fitted in more white collar professions. This was reasonable to them because the university educations were accessible to them through large subsidies. Society benefitted from having capable intellects training for those essential occupations. Now without the subsidies, the uni educations are out of reach and they aren't prepared for skilled "laboring" jobs either. This reasoning ability to see they've been jilted demonstrates they are neither rich nor spoiled but unprepared to be betrayed.
What are you smoking? The rich kids have no problem having their parents pay for them, just as they have no problem having their parents pay for their private primary and secondary schools, their private preparatory colleges.
"If the British government cared about equality, it would remove ALL subsidies from university education, and spend that money on improving public primary and secondary education for the poor."
LOL. And in your dream world, what happens if you have 2 students with equal grades, going for the same university and the same place: student A can afford to pay ~ 15k pounds in fees per year, student B can afford to pay ~5k pounds per year. Guess who will be getting the place?
Who decides how many "places" there are? Why would there not be a place for every young person who wanted to pursue education? In grade school and high school here, a place is provided for every child. What justification could there possibly be for anything less than that? Or are you opposed to public education of any kind? Or do you apply different standards to different situations?
What is the difference between subsidies for university education - which you oppose apparently - and subsides for primary and secondary education - which you apparently support? What does "education for the poor" mean? Why should it be any different than education for the wealthy?
A government that acts like a truly honest and caring parent for the people is nothing to call selfish. But here in the USA, the brainwashed will continue to "fight" for a government that abuses its citizens with glee. Is that the government you are proud of?
Apparently, you failed to read what I wrote. I said "like a caring parent". But then again, nothing gets through to you even when others explain just as was the case on the Nader article where you still blame Nader for Algore's losing despite evidence to the contrary. If you knew anything about what the function of government was, you would be ashamed of what you just said.
Yes.
So, are you in favour of disbanding the military? The police? The courts? Getting rid of all laws, including those oh, laws on property? Those functions of government are much more "parental" than education, or health.
Oh wait. Let me guess, you aren't.
Yes.
Next question.
The government can implement policies that benefit the few, or policies that benefit the whole society. By making education affordable after the WWII through GI Bill the US experienced unprecedented economic growth after the war. A lot of poor people were able to get higher education, and consequently they got good jobs, paid taxes, (which by the way were in the 90% range at the high end, and the rich still didn’t exactly starve), which benefitted not only themselves, but the whole society. Families could afford homes, cars, and other amenities, as well as healthcare and education - for the most part on one income. Not only they were able to afford a decent living but savings rates were at an all time high. The government was able to not only invest in infrastructure like The Interstate Highway System, air ports, sea ports, schools, libraries, and national defense, but also help rebuild Europe through the Marshall Plan. Social Security and retirement systems were being fully funded. Both public and private sector benefitted.
I’m not sure why anybody would say that doing something that contributes to both individual and common prosperity is selfish. I think that most people would rather live in a society where everybody is doing well, rather than living in splendor in a gated mansion surrounded by slums. You might be an exception, Chris. BTW, do you work for Goldman Sucks?
British students are being stuck with a tripling of their tuition, now, not at some point in the future. Do you think you'd be pissed if you were in their shoes-especially if you were on a tight budget, and were having to plan your education over a four year period? Another way to look at it this: imagine you had your wages cut by 2/3-suddenly.Would you be pissed? Would you take to the streets? Most likely, although in your case, maybe you'd just roll over an accept 'reality'. British students are fighting for something they've always had-reasonable tuition, which is something Americans can't even imagine.Sour grapes, mate.
Spoiled brats. It hits their wallet directly and they protest. WTF were they en masse at the beginning of March, 2003?
"Billy Bragg is is an English alternative rock musician and activist."
More like some fourth rate songwriter no one gives a shit for.
Well..., 7 years is a long time when you are young. These 18 year olds would have been only 11. Saying that there was a million people protesting in London in March 2003. London was brought to a halt. There was so many protesters you could not move.
It seems like the arrogant idiots are coming out of the wood work today.
Yes. At least it is becoming more and more clear which side people are on.
Bragg has been a left-wing activist in the UK for 30 years, he uses his music to get a message over to people who are not necessarily "in the choir".
Where were those students in March 2003? Quite likely with their parents on the streets of London along with more than a million others protesting the invasion of Iraq.
Protestin? I thought Britan was right up there in the Colloition of the Willing.
Dam wouldn't that be a great name for a cathouse?
>^^<
God I could get behind smashing up that smug and arrogant English upper class, couldn't you?
They were 8-10 years old in 2003.
This seems to be the ruling class line from the UK - "spoiled brats."
What is wrong with protesting when it "hits them in the wallet?" WTF? Impoverishing us is the ruling class agenda, it is the problem. What do you think people should protest about? I mean really, WTF?
There are a very small handful of musicians in the English speaking world bothering to keep the Labor, left wing and protest song musical library alive. It us shocking how corporations and sanitized entertainment and culture have become. If you see no value in what Bragg has been doing, then you are no friend to any of us.
Attack the kids, attack the Labor and left wing music, attack the working class concerns about increasing poverty, attack an artist, defend the upper class - I need a f-ing shower after reading your post.
Um... excuse me... attack the institutions of warmonegering neoliberalism... march if it makes you feel good... demonstrate if it makes you feel good... all well and good... got monkeywrenches?
Huh?
So, people are not allowed to protest on decisions that affect them directly? The only issues that matter are neoliberal imperialism?
You have just demonstrated the flaws that Bragg highlights: an obsession with nitpicking, with the view that what matters to you is the only thing that matters.
An utterly idiotic post.
If people will not act to protect their own interests, it is not likely they will ever act on behalf of others. Inaction is our main problem.
Joe
The UK students remind me of the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. After Lord Krishna reinvigorated Arjuna's spiritual quest for justice, Arjuna woke up and helped annihilate the Kauravas. The US students are like Arjuna before Krishna enlightened him whereas the UK students are like Arjuna after Krishna enlightened him. There's one catch though. Students in the US are lured with tempting credit card offers, cell phones, and all those junky gizmos so waking them up is too hard. But after no jobs for them, then they'll wake up when it's too late. Maybe a great friend who my wife and I met this year in China was right when he said "Stupid Americans !". His daughter works in cell phone manufacturing by the way.
Maxpayne, I could never understand how the conclusion of all that Krishna had to say was "so go ahead and kill everyone."
Any way, I thought you might be interested to know that there is a new translation of the Bhagavad Gita by Mani Rao, who is herself a gifted poet.
Krishna's advising Arjuna wasn't about killing. It was about justice. We all know that justice doesn't always come cut and dry. Similar to what happened in the Mahabharata, this country has been trying to compromise to avoid justice the ugly way but the more it tries, the closer to justice the ugly way we get. Who can blame those students for standing up for justice? The way they do it may not look pretty but it sure beats our country's ways of solving problems. None of this is to condone violence and killing. I'm just saying that many of us try to exhaust all humane options before we're stuck with unsuitable choices.
By the way, I'll look into Mani Rao's version. Thanks.
Good to hear from Billy Bragg - I have long been a fan.
When I heard he was a communist - a bit of an exaggeration i'm sure - that's what got me interested in his music.
His song Levi Stubb's Tears is fantastic.
and what's so bad about being labelled a communist?
or a witch?
>^^<
nothing at all - except it appears he is a socialist, not a communist.