Election period

[ahinton]

I agree, however, perpetual expansion based on ideas of incentive and principles based on competitiveness are endemic to capitalism. Controlling capitalism by taxing profits to fund its welfare raised peoples expectations higher than capitalism could sustain in the 1970s, following what some still regard as the happiest 30-year period in Western history for the majority, (so long as it was white, male and straight), because it made capitalism in this country uncompetitive, allegedly, and capitalism couldn't wait for a time when either trade union militancy could be stifled by law, third world anti-imperialist militancy strangled by CIA-MI5-backed military-fascist dictatorships, and the ending of "communism" offering an opening for exploitation.

I'm not so sure that this kind of capitalism predicated upon perpetual expansion of everthing sits all that comfortably with Thatcher's avowed belief that capitalism is tgurning sixpence into a shilling. The kind of capitalism espoused by someone I know who's built a modest new house in France to a very high standard of eco-friendliness, drives an electric car, grows as much of his own food as he reasonably can and consequently manages very comfortably on far less income than he used to do but also thereby avoids paying any taxes at all is very far removed from the greedy type of capitalist who always wants more, yet a fundamentalist capitalist he nevertheless believes himself to be; all that he could be said to "exploit", however, are available resources and local and national tax and social charges concessions granted to him because of the way in which he's set up his lifestyle.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm not so sure that this kind of capitalism predicated upon perpetual expansion of everthing sits all that comfortably with Thatcher's avowed belief that capitalism is tgurning sixpence into a shilling. The kind of capitalism espoused by someone I know who's built a modest new house in France to a very high standard of eco-friendliness, drives an electric car, grows as much of his own food as he reasonably can and consequently manages very comfortably on far less income than he used to do but also thereby avoids paying any taxes at all is very far removed from the greedy type of capitalist who always wants more, yet a fundamentalist capitalist he nevertheless believes himself to be; all that he could be said to "exploit", however, are available resources and local and national tax and social charges concessions granted to him because of the way in which he's set up his lifestyle.

If your friend doesn't employ labour through either owning a business or an estate I don't think many would describe him as a capitalist. To do so would overstretch a very useful term.

[ahinton]

If your friend doesn't employ labour through either owning a business or an estate I don't think many would describe him as a capitalist. To do so would overstretch a very useful term.

Really? Plenty of people own and run small businesses without employing any labour and, in legal (and HMRC) terms, everyone owns an "estate" as long as he/she has at least some assets (even if it's only last week's state benefits in a bank account and the clothes in which he/she stands up + any other chattels). He regards himself as a capitalist to the extent of exploiting tax and social charge concessions that are granted to him and avoiding taxes by being able to manage on a small income that isn't liable to tax; he's invested in his assets such as his home and car in such a way as to enable to to do this. I'm therefore no so sure that he's overstretching the term by so doing.

[jean]

Since I've lived here the councillors have been, first Tories x 2, then Labour x 2, then Lib Dem x 2, and now Green x 2. Lib Dems have been the only ones who ever put out newsletters other than at election time. But, vox populi ... :-)

I really don't think you should take this as evidence that it is somehow inherently Green not to do your job properly.

For as long as we have had Green councillors in this ward (first one, then two, now three), they have communicated far more efficiently and intelligently, and truthfully, than their Lib Dem colleagues

[french frank]

I really don't think you should take this as evidence that it is somehow inherently Green not to do your job properly.

And I really wasn't giving it as evidence of such a thing, since I mentioned Tories and Labour councillors as well, and I specified in the one ward where I lived.

Nevertheless, it has always been the Liberal [sic] custom to concentrate on blocked gullies, dumped rubbish, and broken street lights and not really to have any particular political stance other than to stuff leaflets through doors about very local matters. The strategy (?) used to be that keen activists raised the profile of the party in the hope that people might be persuaded to tranfer their votes to the Liberals when General Elections came round. It was the late David Penhaligon's axiom:

"Stick it on a piece of paper, and stuff it through a letter box."