The UK Left should be smug, not wallowing in selfpity

This should be a booming time for the socialist and green movements. It is a time where we should be smug. Our smiles should be brimming from ear to ear at the prospect of the geminate sucker punch of ‘I told you so’ and the opportunity that is in front of us. Yet, we are instead waiting for other people to take the initiative. All this waiting is doing is to play into the hand of an Etonian, who is unmistakably buoyant that the only puissant opposition there is to New Labour is his band of affluent ninnies.

Five interdependent areas should be politically booming, where the red-greens should be taking the initiative by turning them into vote winners and realms of popular support. These are: the environment, terrorism, globalisation, socialist ideology and the factionary subject of nationalism.

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Environmentalists have long stated their claim for the theory of peak oil, and the dangerous race for biofuels. We are now seeing the results of these issues. The basic premise of demand and supply is that as the supply of oil goes down and the demand of oil stays the same or increases, then the price of oil will go up. Peak oil fits into this under supply. As oil is a natural resource, it is going to run out, there is not an endless supply of it. [http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/102302_campbell.html] There has not been a discovery of a ‘giant’ oil field since 1976 with a capacity of over 10 billion barrels. [http://www.peakoil.net/AIMseminar/UU_AIM_Robelius.pdf] Originally, oil companies would refuse to acknowledge the idea of peak oil, however now speculation of peak oil works to the benefit of oil companies because it drives up the price of oil and therefore profits. This is not to say that peak oil is just a theory, but instead supports the idea of regulating oil companies, taxing them more and using this money to lower petrol prices. So where are the socialists arguing this case? Even better than using the money to lower fuel bills is to plough the money into renewable energy to make Britain self-sufficient, lower carbon emissions and lower fuel bills. So where are the environmentalists arguing this case?

By becoming energy self-sufficient, we can end the terrorist threat – face it, the only reason we are encamped in the Middle East is because of oil – fight globalisation, and for the more conservative of you, will support British (renewable)energy companies.

There is further nationalism within the environmentalist movement because of its promotion of local produce, and by supporting British farmers. By fighting with this nationalistic stance, the left can win support from the floaters deflecting towards the far-right while at the same time help Britain end its reliance on foreign countries and lower its carbon emissions.

Biofuels is another ‘I told you so’. Politicians have long pushed for biofuels, believing them to be the best way to combat climate change without investing heavily into renewable sources. Environmentalists, instead of being appeased, are livid at such ignorance. [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11811-biofuel-production-may-raise-price-of-food--.html, http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article602228.ece] Although not all biofuels are bad biofuels, the demand for ethanol from crops such as corn has helped lead to an increase in the price of food. [http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/food-price-rises-force-biofuel-uturn-859979.html] As more crops are being used to feed our cars, there is less food to feed ourselves. Again, supply decreases so price goes up. It is simple economics! I have a letter from the office of the Transport Minister in 2007 (Stephan Ladyman) that claims they have found no correlation between high wheat prices and the pursuit of biofuels. (I will post it up here when I am next near a scanner). It is great to see our Government on top of things, I wonder what they would say now. [http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200828/1423/UK-government-to-proceed-cautiously-on-biofuels]

As with oil prices, the left need to be seizing the opportunity of high food prices to win the support of those worse off; the Tories, while providing the only opposition to New Labour, are not going to help them. [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/21/conservatives.labour, http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/7/18/74035/5652]

It pains me not to see the left take greater advantage of the current financial crisis. As with regulating and taxing oil companies, the same should happen to energy companies who will soon be passing on their increased costs to their customers.

Despite the unions becoming more active in support of pay rises for its workers, we see the demands being denied while business men in the city give themselves higher than inflation pay rises and bonuses. [http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2008/02/uk-chancellor-attacks-city-bonuses.html, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2022636/City-bonuses-defy-credit-crunch-and-hit-new-record-of-andpound13bn.html]

The current climate is perfect to preach higher taxes for the rich to decrease the wealth gap between the rich and the poor. Moreover, perhaps socialists should abandon their interest in the free trade market to preach protectionism in the case of the fear of businesses moving aboard when faced with higher taxes. ‘If you leave Britain when it needs you, you will never be able to come back and exploit its public.’ We are currently a consumerist market; no business will want to lose us. The change in attitude of the left to free trade markets and protectionism would be the perfect example of how the left can adapt and modernise, without falling into the hands of the affluent as Labour did in the early 90’s. (I do realise that Marx did state that free trade can be described as exploitation, yet it appears that free trade has appeared to have been accepted by many modern day socialists).

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So come on you socialists, you environmentalists, you angry liberal Brits, let us unite and fight this wave of bitterness.