Labour (at least in the UK, I don’t know about AU) is not a socialist party, though at times it has had some socialist members and MPs.
And, regardless of that, there have been numerous socialist and social-democratic parties that have been authoritarian, not just the center-left. Left/right and authoritarian/non-authoritarian are independent dimensions.
The Labour Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for each of us the means to realise our true potential and for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, where the rights we enjoy reflect the duties we owe, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect.
-Labour Party Rule Book, clause IV.
(I’m not claiming the PLP are democratic or socialists, merely pointing out that they are breaking their own rules, and they they publicly claim to be socialist)
Aye, that’s true. My point was just that to claim the UK is Labour party led (in contrast with Italy’s neo-fascists) doesn’t really work as a contrast because they’re not really contrasting. The UK’s current Labour party is authoritarian, pro-capital, pro-austerity, anti-welfare state, anti-immigrant, anti-freedom of expression, anti-protest, anti-democracy, pro-Trump, and (indirectly) pro-Farage.
They’re not the Labour party any more (although that’s been obvious since 1997 when they rebranded as New Labour) but to those who don’t follow UK politics they still have the marketing of socialists, of pro-welfare state, of being pro-democracy and pro-worker. That is not the case, and they probably have more in common with Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, neo-fascist party, than they do with 20th century Labour from which they are so closely associated.
Labour (at least in the UK, I don’t know about AU) is not a socialist party, though at times it has had some socialist members and MPs.
And, regardless of that, there have been numerous socialist and social-democratic parties that have been authoritarian, not just the center-left. Left/right and authoritarian/non-authoritarian are independent dimensions.
-Labour Party Rule Book, clause IV.
(I’m not claiming the PLP are democratic or socialists, merely pointing out that they are breaking their own rules, and they they publicly claim to be socialist)
Aye, that’s true. My point was just that to claim the UK is Labour party led (in contrast with Italy’s neo-fascists) doesn’t really work as a contrast because they’re not really contrasting. The UK’s current Labour party is authoritarian, pro-capital, pro-austerity, anti-welfare state, anti-immigrant, anti-freedom of expression, anti-protest, anti-democracy, pro-Trump, and (indirectly) pro-Farage.
They’re not the Labour party any more (although that’s been obvious since 1997 when they rebranded as New Labour) but to those who don’t follow UK politics they still have the marketing of socialists, of pro-welfare state, of being pro-democracy and pro-worker. That is not the case, and they probably have more in common with Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, neo-fascist party, than they do with 20th century Labour from which they are so closely associated.