A little while ago I posted about Thomas Piketty's insight that the ONLY thing that really altered income and wealth inequality in the west, despite over 250 years of revolutions and capitalist development, was the collective world crisis of the two world wars and the Great Depression.
For one thing, for one advanced capitalist country to defeat another one required the full mobilization of industry and manpower. In other words, "full employment." The Great Depression showed how a mass production, consumer economy requires masses of consumers with stable incomes at wages high enough to allow discretionary spending. That required unions. Full employment and unions.
In Europe, they had reconstruction after the war. The United States also had military Keynesianism, to confront the Soviet Union (a product of World War I).
As you know, I asked the fine people at EnMasse about what we on the Left had that could match the impact of these combined crises, and thereby reverse the increase in inequality that's been occurring since the 1980s. Alas! "Sibyn" took my challenge as an opportunity to trash me as a deluded and abusive egotist. Super-radical anarchist "Slumberjack" schooled me on the fact that shop-lifting from chain stores was just as important as any of the history-changing events described above.
Just thought I'd point out that using our present political system to legislate the citizenship rights of workers within their workplaces (full access to the workplace's financial information, rights of free speech and association, the right to employment [similar to a citizen's right to return to their country], and more besides) could effectively challenge the present power of capitalists to weaken us with unemployment and poverty if we don't dance to their tune, and to corrupt politicians and journalism with their money and their ownership.
Of course, I say this fully realizing that shit-heads like "Slumberjack" will continue to espouse simply not voting (in the belief that once our system collapses, a better society will be formed out of the ruins) as well as (we mustn't forget) shop-lifting, and occasionally demonstrating in the streets so that Veterans Affairs offices remain open. [?!?] Other people believe giving themselves heart and soul to Thomas Mulcair or Justin Trudeau, and cheering on whatever it is they plan on doing is the best option. Others have more eclectic sets of actions and beliefs I'm sure.
I can't be bothered to write anymore today.
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