Young people and socialism: you heard it here first

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“Told you so!” was our reaction when we read Owen Jones‘ rather alarming Guardian article [1] on why young people are becoming more and more Lefty, and even a bit red. Not that we at LSS are great fans of Jones, you understand. But this time his points are too good to ignore, especially when we have ourselves been making them for some time (LSS 28 December 2020, et passim)

They are, to put it simply, that the infamous neoliberal policies associated with such luminaries as Thatcher, Hayek and company have produced such inequality that young people can no longer afford to buy homes, however hard they slave in low wage sweatshops like call centres and retail parks. Long standing readers will recall that LSS went further, advertising the danger of an educated lumpenproletariat with no stake in society and therefore nothing to lose if it came to Revolution.

There are delicious layers of dialectical irony here. The older lot, children of the Welfare State and Trades Unions, were transformed by their security into uber-Thatcherites, eagerly embracing tax cuts and low levels of welfare spending. The children born under the neoliberals are now turning to Socialism. If ghosts exist, then those of Hegel and Marx must be laughing fit to rattle their bookshelves right now. Even certain millionaires of our acquaintance, hard headed entrepreneurs par excellence, have expressed their sympathy to the Plight of the Young, and the thoughts of Owen Jones. To us. Personally. Today.[2] (There’s nothing like interview journalism!)

We’ll ask you to glance at Owen’s piece, and leave you with a health warning. Owen is an earnest man. However, he has hung out with some unlikeable characters in his time, both of uber- left and uber- right-so his judgement is far from impeccable. But this time, the little canary is singing a tune that’s worth listening to. Bless!

[1]https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/sep/20/eat-the-rich-why-millennials-and-generation-z-have-turned-their-backs-on-capitalism

[2] Unattributable briefing. Prominent businessman . Sources close to the bond markets. Label it how you like, it was a real guy!

#owen jones #inequality #housing #wages in work poverty #rich #poor