Mike wrote: Nope, not a clue.
Despite the fact that I earned my first pocket money helping my dad keep tabs on the members union dues when he was branch secretary for the Transport and General Workers Union for all of Ferrantis, (now BAE), in Edinburgh during the late 60' early 70's,
Then being a member myself of the Amalgamated Engineering Union as an engineer during the 3 day weeks, blackouts, government collapses, etc. Y'know, that pesky real world stuff of living it, rather than bumping yer gums about shit you read.

So tell me more Komrade Klownski.

feather wrote: I think your example was probably symptomatic of the Unions in UK, no interest other than what they could get out of it financially.

The unions really suffered from a lack of education and theoretical cohesion in the end, leading to them being broken under Thatcher during, hmm, i guess that would have been your generations watch.

Obviously that would have been much harder than today after 30years of fucking Neo Liberalism and attacks on any reforms organized labour had achieved before the days of your father, so I'm so sorry you had to struggle so hard.

Lol, nice try, no bite.

Mike wrote:
You're getting somewhere now aye

andyh wrote: Just a point about the british mindset really andy it's the substance the Union was composed of.

feather wrote: Arrogant bastard, your generation had it easy, lazy, flabby liberal offspring of the boomers have let the whole lot go up in smoke, well done

Mike wrote:
The vast majority of humanity on this planet are all motivated by money in some way or other.
When the top 1% of the 1% control the money too then you have a fucked up situation imho.

Mike wrote:
Beats living in russia I suppose...


Mike wrote:


Citiizen smith is on overtime today , must be working up a sweat

www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/russianow/...ich-poor-divide.html

Mike wrote:

lol, report him to workfare!!

You like being disrespectful to your elders, Mike.

But I'll bet you don't make it to 90, and if you do, you won't be able to do a double back flip like this lady.

Old man doing turtle freeze on a bottle

Gilly wrote: I bet you I don't live to 45 what do I win?

You lose.

I haven't read the whole thread, but when I was doing Sociology and politics A levels twenty five years ago I found Marxism to be quite interesting. I don't think that I actually read Das Kapital, but I remember hiring it from the library for a few months. I also hired Mein Kampf (and put it on my desk in Sociology lessons, just to piss the teacher off..)

I'm not really sure what my take on Marxism (or Communism) is now. It would certainly be a fairer system than the one we have, but I've yet to see it actually implemented successfully (or at least fairly) in any nation. It seems to be one of those ideological political systems that looks great on paper but can't really be put into practice.

As far as I can see. The best model for Government (with Social welfare) appears to be the Scandanavian model (Sweden/Norway), yet buying a pint there costs shitloads (I'm told), so even that system isn't perfect.

vizier wrote:
Yeah I borrowed a copy of Mein Kampf out of curiosity. Quite honestly one of the most boring reads I've ever come across (never mind it being complete bollocks to boot).

Perhaps something was lost in the translation...

I don't think I ever managed to get past the first few pages. But it was a statement I was making at the time, although I'm not sure what of..

I had been brought up during the Thatcher era (I was 9 in 1979) and my parents were both working class "Thatcherites", the typical downtrodden working class voter that aspired to get what Mrs Thatch promised and it never really prevailed. To be honest, my old man voted UKIP at the last election. Essentially, they were both from south London (in the 50s/60s) and Tory was the way to vote. I have never quite got their arguments (but I imagine there are slightly racist reasons for voting this way)..

Personally, I've always voted Labour, apart from the Clegg anomaly at the last election (as a protest - where did that get me?)...

vizier wrote:
Correct enough, their (norway for example) system relies on continuing oil and gas money and high wages it too is destined to collapse

m.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/a-8...es&sc=5-17&sp=-1&sk=