"True, Bevan was the star of the Labour left. The fact however is that irrespective of the formal nature of post-war European parties, the policies of all of them - including welfare and health - were a response to the economic expansion of the time and to full employment, rather than concessions to working class demands. Thus European governments of
diverse political colours - whether Labour, Conservative or Christina Democrat - pursued essentially similar policies. The most right-wing bourgeois politicians - Macmillan, Adenauer or De Gaulle - were as committed to consensus politics and social welfare as Labour leftie Nye Bevan. "
This seems to say that the ruling class acts with broad agreement on social policies, whatever the differences of rhetoric of the main political parties.
--- Russell Grinker <grinker at mweb.co.za> wrote:
>
>
> Mike Ballard wrote:
> Aneurin Bevan had a LOT to do with the introduction
> of national healthcare
> in Britain and good old Nye had the backing of the
> Welsh working class among
> many others. Bevan was in the left faction of the
> Labour Party, a faction
> which has since pretty much been squashed by "New
> Labour".
>
> True, Bevan was the star of the Labour left. The
> fact however is that
> irrespective of the formal nature of post-war
> European parties, the policies
> of all of them - including welfare and health -
> were a response to the
> economic expansion of the time and to full
> employment, rather than
> concessions to working class demands. Thus European
> governments of diverse
> political colours - whether Labour, Conservative or
> Christina Democrat -
> pursued essentially similar policies. The most
> right-wing bourgeois
> politicians - Macmillan, Adenauer or De Gaulle -
> were as committed to
> consensus politics and social welfare as Labour
> leftie Nye Bevan.
>
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