The illogic of a progressive alliance

 

Hi All,

One of the common themes from the soft left, Guardian reading type is that of a ‘progressive alliance’  of the left to help boot the conservatives out, as evidenced by recent by-election defeats wherein the Liberal Democrats defeat conservatives in rural- suburban seats and Labour take on their more traditional heartlands.  As a bolt on to this alliance we are told that the nationalists parties and the greens must also be included.

The problem for this idea is that it forgets exactly why there are different parties of ‘the left’ in any event. For a start the nationalists of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are, well, nationalists first and foremost. That is they seek to become independent of the UK, so that the UK is reduced to its largest component, England. That the Scottish or Welsh nationalists appear to be ‘progressive’ is simply because to a popular add on to their nationalism, they include generous freebies that you can’t get anywhere else (in respect of prescriptions , dental care, university tuition) . This doesn’t make them ideologically ‘left’ or ‘progressive’. Even if they were, as soon as they get independence then the idea is moot as  they would be mostly poorer as a result, England would be left slightly richer and  with a conservative majority, except for the occasional times England goes a bit mad and  has given labour party a landslide , 1945/1997.  

In respect of the Greens, they hold 1 seat in the House and their policies, crafted by what if you are a martian would be  the comfortable and job for life middle-class who are often in conflict with the interests of the wider working classes, food and energy costs being a case in point.  Veganism (the new religion) , Sourdough and quinoa are the rage in SW7, but not one suspects in Hartlepool.  Britain is having- like the rest of the world- a inflation crisis brought on by energy and food- but even Germany is trying to keep open or even re-open some of its coal powered stations as a result.  This rather goes against what some green friends hoped who produce the end to ‘nukes and fossil fuels’, instead of the predictable gasp of governments to go for the cheapest and solution in terms of energy and to continue  to get foodstuff from South America (thus killing the rain forests) .

Then there are the liberal democrats. Well the last time they had an opportunity to form a progressive alliance, they, ahem, opted to put the conservative party and the doctrine of austerity in power…..