MAFIA HOPEFULS

The British Labour Party is presently holding its annual conference in Manchester and the British left  aren't exactly enamoured by what they've seen and heard so far. Here's a pithy observation from Anna Chen,  one of the UK's more prominent bloggers. You can read her at Madam Miaow.


Despite  everything we know, Labour is still acting as the soft wing of the capitalist party and continuing the pantomime that the poor have to pay for the bankers' crisis while defending the rich who have never had it so good. They may be points up on the Tories in the polls but they're still running scared at their own conference.

Profits at a record high, luxury goods going through their vaulted roofs because there is no recession at the top, and still Labour perpetuates the myths of the Tory austerity agenda. The Sunday Times Rich List top 1,000 may reveal a worth of £440bn and record profits during the crisis since 2009 but Shadow(y) Chancellor Ed Balls still insists that hard times are set to be longer  than people hoped — not for the upper crust, of course, just for the rest of us who are having to recapitalise the banks.

Watching the Labour Conference 2012 is like seeing Mafia hopefuls making their bones before the next stage of their careers. So Balls can pledge to be "ruthless" with our public services, and the Scottish Labour Party leader can promise an "end to the something for nothing culture", like they'll even touch the royals and their subsidised business chums.