Brixton’s Karibu Centre hosted an all-London meeting of 200 supporters of the left-wing Momentum movement at the weekend, Catriona Lischka reports
“Corbynomics: An Everyday Guide” was organised by Lewisham, Lambeth & Southwark Momentum, Verso Books, Red Pepper and Brick Lane Debates.
Workshops and keynote speeches discussed why the economy isn’t working; the causes of the housing crisis; and strategies for fighting cuts to local services.
A session on “myth-busting” addressed the fanciful idea that the 2008 financial crisis was caused by Labour government overspending.
Richard Gerrard of Southwark Labour Party pointed out that the biggest spike in UK government debt coincided with the massive drop in GDP that occurred in the period 2008-10.
In other words, he said, the increase in government debt was the product, not the cause of the economic crisis, he said.
He called for massive government investment in housing, infrastructure and higher education to put the economy back to work.
Former Lambeth council leader (1978–1986), 82-year-old Ted Knight, who was barred from office by an earlier Conservative government, received rapturous applause when he called for a campaign to mobilise the workers and trade unionists of Lambeth to oppose the Labour council’s proposed cuts to local services. “A Labour cut,” he said, “is no better than a Tory cut. Any cut is wrong.”
Activist Janine Booth outlined the 1921 Poplar Rates Rebellion which saw dozens of Labour councillors banged up in Brixton prison for contempt of court. It was led by the Poplar’s former mayor, Edward Lansbury, who went on to become Labour leader.
A final session looked at causes of the housing crisis, including the sale of council houses and the abolition of rent controls.
Momentum is a network of people and organisations to continue the energy and enthusiasm of Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for the leadership of the Labour Party.
Er, yeah. What Blob said. Look at this group of incredibly white, incredibly old, incredibly washed-up Lefties. I don’t think there’s a better possible metaphor for Corbyn’s doomed, head-in-the-sand, inability to look the modern world in the eye idiocy than this shamefully un-diverse group of whinging old Trots. Corbyn is a man from the 1970s and by the look of this so is the ethnographic make-up of his support base.
Disgusting.
Wow. For a meeting in Brixton, that’s the most unrepresentative bunch of people going. This is what’s wrong with the ‘new politics’ of the Labour party. Completely out of touch.