"Despised...Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class"

 

I met up last week with a UNISON member and former work colleague. We meet 3-4 times a year for a meal and chat about politics and trade unions. He sent me this book by Paul Embery and we are planning to discuss it next time we meet. I will post further when I have finished reading it. 

I cannot resist linking this review from The Guardian.  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/08/labour-conservative-values-liberal-left-working-class-voters

Building the Baseline: Breaking the Class Barrier

 

I am part of the taskforce (which is now winding down) from the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF). If we continue to prevent talented working class employees from senior positions in our financial services industry then this will have an impact on the long term performance of our funds (never mind everything else!)

"First of its kind report highlights stark lack of socio-economic diversity across senior leadership in UK financial and professional services sector. 64% of senior leaders in UK financial and professional services are from higher socio-economic backgrounds. How does this compare to your workforce? Are you collecting the data? 

Here's why it matters. UK financial and professional services are out of kilter with the rest of the economy and are unrepresentative of the communities they serve. These inequalities not only threaten the productivity and competitiveness of the sector, but they reinforce existing inequalities and opportunities for the UK to thrive. This is a threat to businesses as it means that vital talent is being missed in the sector, especially at senior leadership level. 

I am proud to be a part of the Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and help contribute to this report and champion socio-economic diversity in the industry. I encourage other businesses to collect employee data on socio-economic background, setting stretching targets and monitoring progress towards ensuring a level playing field for all.   

To read the full report please follow the link. #WhoGetsAhead "

What a great photo of Black and White East End kids in the 1930s

 

Crown Street, Canning Town, 1930s. Hat tip Newham History Society facebook page "Your periodic reminder, Britain's multicultural history is working class history". Mary Evans Picture Library.

This is a fabulous picture in so many way but I especially appreciated this comment on the site "I remember once being told that I will never be a true east ender because I’m not white, seeing photos like this honestly fills me with joy 

"

Anyone know anything more about these kids?

My first Cawl

Off message. Ashamed to say that for the 1st time ever I cooked a traditional #Welsh #Cawl. 

Salt Marsh Lamb, carrots, spuds, parsnips & of course leeks. Forgot the swede. 

With wholemeal bread, welsh butter, caerphilly cheese, pickled red cabbage. 

Hat tip Jamie Oliver who uses 5 times world Cawl champion, Sue Jones recipe. 

Only salt and pepper seasoning. I didn't leave the dish overnight as recommended. 

Cheese and lamb went surprisingly well.

Lovely, even if I say so myself. Will cook my more usual #scouse next week to compare.

Lots of interest on Facebook about this post. Lamb stew in all its forms is very important to lots of people. I found it fascinating that one person remembered that the father had the lamb pieces while the children had mince. I wonder what the mother (and cook) had?

Working class home cooked food is as interesting (or more so to me) as all these posh professional cooking shows.  

Has Labour betrayed the Working Class?

I am not really into so called "betrayal politics" but recently I had a disagreement with someone over the cause of the relative decline in support for Labour by some white working class voters.

East European Immigration was given as the reason.

I argued that immigration policy is important but the main reason why some white and black working class people feel that Labour is no longer their Party is that they think they have been betrayed.

There used to be a compact in this country that if you were went out to work you would get a decent job with decent wages.

At work you would be treated with respect by your employer and protected if you became unemployed or sick. You would be able to afford good quality housing to bring up your family. Now, for decades we have had a decline in real wages, privatisation, often rubbish jobs that only pay a minimum wage, reduced employment rights, zero hour insecure contracts and completely unaffordable rents and house prices.

If you lose your job or become sick you are treated with contempt and as a sponger by the state.

The right wing media and UKIP racists whip things up by blaming "Johnnie Foreigner" for all these ills but the real blame lies elsewhere.

The solution has little to do with immigration.

I missed the Jeremy Corbyn "New Economics" conference today but it is about time that Labour promised to tackle inequality, build 100,000 Council homes per year and create high skill, high value and secure jobs.

( Picture of Aneurin Bevan visiting newly built Council homes in 1949).

"I am proud to be a trade unionist, to be a member of the Labour Party and to be a socialist"

Well said Dennis.

"Best Bluegrass Clog Dancing Video Ever Made"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs2j8f7H2WY&feature=related

Simply Brilliant. IMO.

Even if I am accused by some of having two left feet and being tone deaf :)

(Video embedding disabled for some reason)

"What do you think Prime Minister?"

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Hat tip "anon".  This song and the music takes me back to when as a teenager I lived in Holywell, North Wales, which overlooked Liverpool across the Dee Estuary and the Wirrel. During the Toxteth Riots of 1981 we could see parts of Liverpool burning from Holywell due to the disturbances. It was a sobering experience which I have never forgotten and which I remembered during the riots in London last year. To be clear - there is no excuse for such violence behaviour. Yes, we had Tories doing what Tories always try to do the poor in 1981 and 2011 but burning and looting your own community is just plain stupid. It is always the ordinary working class people who always suffer the most from such riots. Yet, anyone who does not think mass unemployment and extreme poverty will not result in such violence, sadly just doesn't get it.