Personally, I’m conflicted regarding the moral case against taking another life for meat (I'm a part time vegan), but the environmental argument generally seems to be flawed.
We need to try and stop eating meat from environmentally destructive (and barbaric) factory farming, yes, but meat from regenerative farming? Potentially ok, or even beneficial for the environment.
Given that meat production is dominated by industrial factory farming, sourcing meat from regenerative farming is barely an option at the moment, so I’m pretty sure moving more towards an organic and local (where possible) plant based diet is still definitely the most environmentally friendly thing we can do.
But maybe see if there’s a regenerative farm near you and go check it out.
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
'The Tories aren't neoliberal'. A Response.
Response to a friend who said to me 'the Tories are nationalizing Northern Rail. This doesn't fit the narrative that they are neoliberals/Nazis':
That we have privatised rail in the first place is a really extreme example of neoliberalism. Even the US has nationalised rail.
Nationalisation of some industry doesn’t instantly make a system not neoliberal. It’s the same as saying Tory raising of the minimum wage makes them not neoliberal. But it really doesn’t. (Generally they’re just necessary concessions, to keep the system from totally collapsing, for a while at least).
People obviously need to be able to travel to keep the economy moving. Neoliberals, having caused problems such as this, are now forced to fix their mess. It should be a step towards acknowledging the damage/exploitation/inefficiencies/impracticality/failures of privatisation of major industry and resources in general, but I won’t hold my breath.
Tories aren’t Nazis, they’re just corrupt, crony, vapid, puppets of corporations/the rich; of capital. And they're imperialists - they may not be fascist themselves, but they support fascism abroad, that’s for sure. (But then so does much of the ‘left’).
Neoliberalism is a general ideology of ‘market knows best’, and individualism, pushed by those at the top who subsequently have more power and can continue making their billions exploiting the rest of us/the planet. Despite some western states now having to turn away from it, to an extent at least, (thanks to failures/public pressure), they still continue imposing it on poor countries, to make them privatise their industries/resources, so they can be extracted/profited from. Fucked up!
I very much doubt the Tories are going to significantly turn away from it though. This is just a last resort; a necessary undoing of something that was always pretty damn extreme. But if they do, I think we can be sure that whatever system they replace it with, will be one that mostly benefits the few, at our expense.
That we have privatised rail in the first place is a really extreme example of neoliberalism. Even the US has nationalised rail.
Nationalisation of some industry doesn’t instantly make a system not neoliberal. It’s the same as saying Tory raising of the minimum wage makes them not neoliberal. But it really doesn’t. (Generally they’re just necessary concessions, to keep the system from totally collapsing, for a while at least).
People obviously need to be able to travel to keep the economy moving. Neoliberals, having caused problems such as this, are now forced to fix their mess. It should be a step towards acknowledging the damage/exploitation/inefficiencies/impracticality/failures of privatisation of major industry and resources in general, but I won’t hold my breath.
Tories aren’t Nazis, they’re just corrupt, crony, vapid, puppets of corporations/the rich; of capital. And they're imperialists - they may not be fascist themselves, but they support fascism abroad, that’s for sure. (But then so does much of the ‘left’).
Neoliberalism is a general ideology of ‘market knows best’, and individualism, pushed by those at the top who subsequently have more power and can continue making their billions exploiting the rest of us/the planet. Despite some western states now having to turn away from it, to an extent at least, (thanks to failures/public pressure), they still continue imposing it on poor countries, to make them privatise their industries/resources, so they can be extracted/profited from. Fucked up!
I very much doubt the Tories are going to significantly turn away from it though. This is just a last resort; a necessary undoing of something that was always pretty damn extreme. But if they do, I think we can be sure that whatever system they replace it with, will be one that mostly benefits the few, at our expense.
Keir Starmer won't win a GE
Those who think Keir Starmer will have a better chance at winning an election because elite media will be kind to him need to understand that the only reason it’s being kind to him currently is that he’s less of a threat than Rebecca Long-Bailey.
When it’s him vs the Tories, he’ll be attacked.
That is, unless he goes full on Blairite, neocon wanker and signals that he might bomb some Muslims, expand NHS privatisation, etc. Then he’ll get Murdoch & co on side. I doubt he will be that bad though. He’ll probably be very bland, Ed Miliband 2.0. And that went well.
The only way we’ve any hope at winning is to either be Tory-lite neocon imperialists (ie to get Tory voters on side), or to continue with left populism; to continue with policies that are most definitely popular according to polls, and according to the 2017 election result; to continue fighting the elite and their media!
The latter - taking power from the exploitative, ecocidal, warmongering elite few, and giving it to the many - is really our only choice if we want to actually have a chance at creating a civilized society and saving the planet!
For centrists, Keir Starmer is a stepping stone back to Blairism. He's Ed Miliband 2.0. They know he won't win a general election. And when he doesn't, they'll be like 'yep, only option left is David Miliband'.
Need to keep left. Need to regain and build on what we achieved in 2017.
When it’s him vs the Tories, he’ll be attacked.
That is, unless he goes full on Blairite, neocon wanker and signals that he might bomb some Muslims, expand NHS privatisation, etc. Then he’ll get Murdoch & co on side. I doubt he will be that bad though. He’ll probably be very bland, Ed Miliband 2.0. And that went well.
The only way we’ve any hope at winning is to either be Tory-lite neocon imperialists (ie to get Tory voters on side), or to continue with left populism; to continue with policies that are most definitely popular according to polls, and according to the 2017 election result; to continue fighting the elite and their media!
The latter - taking power from the exploitative, ecocidal, warmongering elite few, and giving it to the many - is really our only choice if we want to actually have a chance at creating a civilized society and saving the planet!
For centrists, Keir Starmer is a stepping stone back to Blairism. He's Ed Miliband 2.0. They know he won't win a general election. And when he doesn't, they'll be like 'yep, only option left is David Miliband'.
Need to keep left. Need to regain and build on what we achieved in 2017.
Tuesday, 28 January 2020
The world agrees - capitalism is shit
According to this online poll, 56% of the globe’s population agree that:
‘Capitalism as it exists today does more harm than good in the world’.
And this is just those who have access to the internet. Seems rather likely that all those who don’t - ie those most impoverished by capitalist exploitation - will be most in agreement with that statement!
Also need to take into account the constant, Orwellian propaganda from elite media that free market capitalism is doing wonders for the world. It would be much higher than 56% without that, for sure.
‘Capitalism as it exists today does more harm than good in the world’.
And this is just those who have access to the internet. Seems rather likely that all those who don’t - ie those most impoverished by capitalist exploitation - will be most in agreement with that statement!
Also need to take into account the constant, Orwellian propaganda from elite media that free market capitalism is doing wonders for the world. It would be much higher than 56% without that, for sure.
Monday, 27 January 2020
Hell on earth - is there any hope?
Not sure exactly how accurate this is, but I read somewhere that if all arable land was divided equally between every person on the planet, we would each get half an acre.
Wouldn’t that be cool?
But sadly it is quickly reducing. Not so much because of population growth, but thanks to our unaccountable economic system and its need for constant growth, which is destroying that land via extremely destructive (and inefficient) agricultural practices; (in order to produce unhealthy, poisoned food that we are then manipulated into consuming, so that big food corporations can profit and the economic growth continues, whilst making us sicker and sicker - though we are kept alive with more and more drugs from the profit-needing pharmaceutical corporations, 'Big Pharma').
Incredibly destructive, bloody imperial interventionism/economic terrorism is waged to advance that economic system and to destroy alternative systems that threaten it.
Ugh. How did we manage to create such hell on earth?
I say ‘we’, but really it’s a very small number of people who did this and who perpetuate it. The neoliberal capitalist system rewards and empowers the worst of us, who then manipulate enough of the rest of us into keeping them empowered.
Hopefully we are becoming less easily manipulated. And hopefully we are waking up to the propagated, and dangerous, narrative of individualism; and realising instead that we are all connected; that we are all one; that one person's happiness and fulfillment is dependent on everyone else's, and on the health of the natural environment.
Hopefully those powerful few are becoming mindful as to what they're doing to the planet and using their power to enact massive system change as a result.
But I can’t help feeling that if this was going to happen, it would have happened by now, and we’d have had the change we need long ago - to create a system that works in harmony with nature; to put people and planet before corporate profit.
Instead, the elites are building bunkers, as they get ever richer from the burning of the planet. And we continue to reject the change we need, at the ballot box.
Our only hope is that enough of us can wake up and see through the constant manipulation. All we can do is continue trying to inform, unite, resist and revolt. Protests all around the world right now should give us some hope. We need a new system, now! We need revolution!
Wouldn’t that be cool?
But sadly it is quickly reducing. Not so much because of population growth, but thanks to our unaccountable economic system and its need for constant growth, which is destroying that land via extremely destructive (and inefficient) agricultural practices; (in order to produce unhealthy, poisoned food that we are then manipulated into consuming, so that big food corporations can profit and the economic growth continues, whilst making us sicker and sicker - though we are kept alive with more and more drugs from the profit-needing pharmaceutical corporations, 'Big Pharma').
Incredibly destructive, bloody imperial interventionism/economic terrorism is waged to advance that economic system and to destroy alternative systems that threaten it.
Ugh. How did we manage to create such hell on earth?
I say ‘we’, but really it’s a very small number of people who did this and who perpetuate it. The neoliberal capitalist system rewards and empowers the worst of us, who then manipulate enough of the rest of us into keeping them empowered.
Hopefully we are becoming less easily manipulated. And hopefully we are waking up to the propagated, and dangerous, narrative of individualism; and realising instead that we are all connected; that we are all one; that one person's happiness and fulfillment is dependent on everyone else's, and on the health of the natural environment.
Hopefully those powerful few are becoming mindful as to what they're doing to the planet and using their power to enact massive system change as a result.
But I can’t help feeling that if this was going to happen, it would have happened by now, and we’d have had the change we need long ago - to create a system that works in harmony with nature; to put people and planet before corporate profit.
Instead, the elites are building bunkers, as they get ever richer from the burning of the planet. And we continue to reject the change we need, at the ballot box.
Our only hope is that enough of us can wake up and see through the constant manipulation. All we can do is continue trying to inform, unite, resist and revolt. Protests all around the world right now should give us some hope. We need a new system, now! We need revolution!
Saturday, 25 January 2020
US liberals are nuts
Erm no Adam Schiff, people around the world living under oppressive regimes do not look to America as a beacon of law and democracy - they look at you in disgust/anger/fear, because you’ve been installing and arming those regimes for the last 70+ years.
This psycho is leading the ‘opposition’ to Trump right now. He also thinks Russia is set on invading Europe.
US ‘liberals’ are easily as brainwashed as any Nazi. Very sad.
This psycho is leading the ‘opposition’ to Trump right now. He also thinks Russia is set on invading Europe.
US ‘liberals’ are easily as brainwashed as any Nazi. Very sad.
What's life really like in China?
Western media coverage re China is pretty much entirely propaganda. So watch this, for some balance at least.
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