Capitalism in Crisis - Tony Benn & George Galloway

[AndyDougs]

@mikeybrumbrum

[hermistressimage]

ruperbrooks0,

I think you are basing your opinion on the council estates of today which bear no resemblance whatever to those of my childhood. What we have today is the left-overs (the 'sink estates') after all the favourable couoncil properties have been bought up.

I lived in a council house as a child and it was the most peaceful and safe childhood I can imagine. With rare exceptions the neighbours were pleasant. There were even council bungalows for the elderly.

[rupertbrooks0]

What drivel. More council houses? So Tony Benn gets to stay in his £4 million house in Holland Park; one of the most expensive neighbourhood on the planet, while all us "workers" have to make do with council estate ghettos.

[oclandestin]

@rupertbrooks0 ... I think you're missing the point. Since the sell-off of council houses under Thatcher's government began in the 1980s, there is now a shortage of council housing for those who need affordable housing, with waiting lists that are years long in some areas. Where Tony Benn or anyone else who can afford to buy a house lives, is nothing to do with it.

[Threepwoodist]

@rupertbrooks0 yes you are missing the point.

[DYSW]

A video with my two favorite men. doesnt get any better. both of these men should have been pm in Britain.

[aranterranting]

Two pathetic losers living in dream land

[AtheistHumanist]

If it weren't for capitalism George Galloway wouldn't have so many victims he could extort money from and sue. He know's this as well. The hypocrite. He talks of socialism and then tells people in Respect that "I couldn’t live on three workers’ wages." Why? Bit more imprtant than the rest of the masses you claim to fight for are you George? He makes me sick.

[AtheistHumanist]

Two delusional Stalinists living in luxary while advocating all other working people (except their own kids) move back into council houses where they belong. Luckily neither of these two dinosaurs will ever get a sniff of power. So few people nowadays have the same apetite for their patronising tried and failed 20th century socialism.

[rugbyboy198127]

@AtheistHumanist tony benn doesn't live in luxury mate, check facts before throwing around accusations, he has lived in the same house in a modest suburb of london and while i agree i am not as left as perhaps benn but i'm certainly not in favour of wreckless and irresponcible capitalism either, where the bankers and co-operations are untouchable and never held to account, i'm sure with title of athiesthmanist you don't advocate the current system - totally inhumane as is monotheism ofcourse...?

[AtheistHumanist]

@rugbyboy198127 - "i'm sure with title of athiesthmanist you don't advocate the current system - totally inhumane as is monotheism ofcourse...?"

Absolutely. And that, more than anything includes Islamofascism - something these two pussyfoot around at every breathing moment of their pointless lives.

[rugbyboy198127]

@AtheistHumanist ok so how would you make capitalism fairer, more accountable... less like a post colonialist rape of the third world by those nations with economic influence (that would include china in africa btw) the world is changing i believe for the better, those countries with the actual resources are becoming richer themselves no longer having the profits of their trade taken by the traditional global elite, ie brazil, india - brazil has the 4th largest economy in the world now and good2

[AtheistHumanist]

@rugbyboy198127 - I'm confused by your assumption that Atheism means you have to be some kind of Marxist. Atheism has nothing to do with politics, some are left wing, some right wing, some centre. Listen to Galloway - he doesn't stop babbling on about all the monotheist Abrahamic crap going on his head, and amongst so many of his supporters. I'm of the centre-right, but am very isolationist and anti Iraq and Afghanistan war. I'm afraid I don't fit into the dialectical materialists' stereotype.

[rugbyboy198127]

@AtheistHumanist well i am too an atheist, however not the aggressive kind or 'new atheist' such as dawkins or hutchins - it was more the humanist which i associated with socialist ideology - not sure i even agree with the whole right vs left arguement, i am both liberal and traditional for example i am all for the house of lords, don't mind if its unelected and want it emptied of politicians, or ex politicians - think propaganda politics and tv, media manipulation is now very dangerous indeed!

[AtheistHumanist]

@rugbyboy198127 - interesting. I am also a republican and would like to see HOL's as an elected 2nd chamber. I am a Christian Apostate who converted to Atheism. Dawkins is a hero of mine lol. So I guess I fall under the "New" Atheism banner. I think Dawkins is very misunderstood. He just argues that Atheists should have an equal footing and considering that religion infects so much of our society and establishment, he appears aggressive. In reality the demands of new Atheists are pretty modest.

[rugbyboy198127]

@AtheistHumanist oh cool - at the end of the day i guess we hold fairly similar positions - check out this video with benn and dawkins - interesting stuff! i wasn't raised an atheist as such but raised as non-religous with two academics for parents, if one looks at the central message of all religion i believe the original message is one of forgiveness,tolerance and understanding, just human nature has taken over somewhat, the nature of greed and hate, love thyne enemy is a good message afterall

[rugbyboy198127]

@AtheistHumanist also i am english - here we have mostly protestant or agnostic christianity which by it's nature is very modest, doesn't interefere with science and doesn't push itself upon others - so i have no reason to feel any animosity towards church of england christianity, infact given the evils of catholicism i feel that luthernaism is something to be proud of - the german,british and scandanavian people took a stand against rome - martin luther king continued the high moral tradition!

[Vesman1]

i would rather have global capitalism than Benns "democracy"...

[mikeybrumbrum]

Tony Benn should run for PM, while he's guaranteed to win !

GUARANTEED !

(by me)

[Sexymike86]

me too!

[YouriH190]

is it just me or is the audio not working

[oclandestin]

I think it's just you. Maybe it's because you're in a different country?

[MrLovethelife]

@YouriH190

Audio seems fine......unlucky you must hear this!

[Iowa656]

Galloway doesn't have ANY savings? I find that hard to believe. but hey he's still the best MP in the UK ;)

[oclandestin]

Yes, I find it hard to believe too, but he mentions it alot, for some reason. He seems to use it as a measure to assert that he is still working class and not middle class (apparently the working classes don't have savings?). Despite his large salary as an MP, and access to middle class lifestyle choices, he thinks he's still working class. Whatever George. But yes, he's still probably the best MP in the UK : )

[Iowa656]

As an MP he earns £63,291, plus countless expenses. I wouldn't call that working class, but he does stick up for the working class more than anyone else, I'll give him that. I just hope he wins a seat again next election, and hopefully few another few Respect members get elected. I don't agree all that much with Respect (I'm more of a Communist) but they are the only "left-wing" party making any progress.

[oclandestin]

I agree; I think class is more to do with earnings, lifestyle and opportunities, and therefore GG is middle class, but he thinks it's based on your background/ parentage. That seems to me to be a very British definition of class. In the absense of a real Labour party, Respect is ok I guess.

[Iowa656]

Class is actually something that's a lot harder to define than you think, especially in modern times. I disagree somewhat with earnings and life style I would say there are mainly two classless, 1. Class of owners, (ie factory owners) and 2. Class of labourers.

[oclandestin]

Is yours a Marxist definition of class? The way 'class' is used to define ppl in British culture seems to be based more on earnings and background. By your definition, someone could be a millionaire (eg. a footballer) but still be classified as a labourer then?

[Iowa656]

Yeah that's near enough a Marxist definition. Definitely the general public see class as background and earnings. A footballer is a labourer because he sells his labour to a boss. The boss makes a profit from his labour. Even though the footballer earns millions their boss still makes a profit. A boss won't employ anyone unless they are going to profit overall. The boss controls the labourer.

[oclandestin]

Thanks for the explanation. I can't say I agree with Marxism or support it (probably because I'm religious), but I do think it's an important alternative set of ideas and values to Capitalism in western society.

[Iowa656]

Your welcome. That's fine, I'm not going to force any political belief onto you. I think there's certain aspects of Marxism everything sane person on earth agrees with, ie more equality, less exploitation etc. other parts perhaps are less accepted, but it's definitely and alternative system that needs to be considered in these difficult economic times.

[danielshacalis]

Your right in what your saying. At the same time, different varients of Marxist interpretations and ideologies also have played an immense role both negatively and positively in Marxism is portrayed in our system.

[rugbyboy198127]

@oclandestin yes i think you don't understand what class is in the uk, it is easily possible to be upper class yet pennyless at the same time even if you have bucket loads of money you can still be working class - you can't buy class - you're born with or without - eg david backham will always be working class, as will alan sugar despite being successful business man - it i defined by your backgound,upbringing,social status, not by how much money you have or what job you have, so yanks can never

[Redcarpet01]

In a trust fund maybe. In his name, but inaccessible or something.

[arcanekrusader]

It's not true capitalism. It's capitalism poisoned by socialism and fiat money: That's why it's going to hell in a hand-basket!

[steve62482]

I hope the weather's particularly bad whatever planet you reside on, you deluded muppet...

[arcanekrusader]

Explain yourself.

[TheSpineyOne]

This mystical "free market capitalism" you believe in can't exist. A financial market IS a set of regulations covering trade, it is inevitable that those with economic power will manipulate the market. Real socialism moves the power from the wallet to the ballot, thus limiting the capitalists distortion of the market. Money simply limits the distribution of abundant necessities sich as food by introducing false scarcity in currency. Whether or not you follow the gold standard is irrelevant.

[petetube99]

Yes, its all socialisms fault.

Give me striength.

[looobylou123]

well as it is a banking crisis it is by definition a recession caused by capitalism. because they are the investers and buyers of capital. anyone who is capable of independent thought can see that a philosophy based upon constant expansion can never be sustainable.