[lbo-talk] Who Knew ? Bill Clinton, Social Democrat !

[Michael Pugliese]

http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/sr196/fermont.htm
>...Several soundbites are borrowed from the Democratic Party, such
as, 'New Labour stands for the ordinary families who work hard and
play by the rules.' There is also a giveaway paragraph explaining the
benefits of 'ethical socialism'. 'Some socialist parties, such as the
SPD in Germany or the Australian Labor Party, resolved a generation
ago that they were unequivocally believers in this brand of socialism.
The SPD renounced Marxism at Bad Godesberg in 1959...' It's a strange
coincidence that Clinton, too, referred to this rather obscure German
conference while he was trying to get elected. Mandelson. and Liddle
deride Marxism as quasi-scientific. You don't have to be a scientist
to know what their vision of Labour would be like in office. The past
13 years in Australia under Labor have seen sweeping attacks on
workers, ending with Labor being trounced at the polls.

Clinton has overseen dramatic cuts in wages and welfare spending, and
has failed to realise a single one of his pre-election promises. Even
in Spain, where memories of right wing dictatorship are still fresh, a
heavy hearted electorate have decided they just can't take any more of
the 'socialists'.

The only hope I can take from this book is that if reviewers like Roy
Hattersley and Will Hutton are angered by it a lot of other Labour
Party members and supporters will be too.
The Blair Revolution: Can Labour Deliver?
by Peter Mandelson and Roger Liddle (Faber and Faber, £7.99)

   Mandleson is one of the prominant Blairites who was cadre in the
Communist Party of Great Britain or their Young Communist League in
the 60's.