Friday, May 5, 2023

The Hard Iron Financial Fist — Ben Norton interviews Michael Hudson

Video and transcript.
 
Ben Norton interviews Michael Hudson for the Geopolitical Economy Report

Michael Hudson — On Finance, Real Estate And The Powers Of Neoliberalism
The Hard Iron Financial Fist
Michael Hudson | President of The Institute for the Study of Long-Term Economic Trends (ISLET), a Wall Street Financial Analyst, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and Guest Professor at Peking University

2 comments:

Footsoldier said...

A 'republicanism' interested only in the most superficial understanding of that term - 'government, no king' - and disinterested in representative democracy, the nation-state and notions of citizenship, doesn't really deserve the title. However, the culture wars have definitely made that with it for decades.

we aren't witnessing a combined class/civil rights/anti-oppression paradigm. Instead, de-politicisation is displacing anger onto debates about morals, aesthetics etc. That's how the ruling class like it and promote it so it happens.

This difference in perspective isn't communicated well. Polemics about 'tribunes of the oppressed' and the necessity of 'the battle of ideas' sail by it in the night. Agree or not this is the assumption - modern kulturekampf is an activity of mass displacement.


The standard response (there must be 100 articles with this tagline) is that 'if we lose the culture war it won't stop there - defeat will transfer into what are real politics'. Which only confirms that the liberal left culture warriors are involved in displacement and completely ignore what's really happening which is de-politicisation.

We have a situation where living standards for both the working class and lower parts of the middle strata are under constant attack. Yet a class-political response is sluggish and inarticulate after decades of set-backs. Where does that frustration go? Into 'the discourse'. The one realm where the uni graduate layer feels it has sway: as cultural producers and consumers. Hence the thousands of hand wringing arguments about consumption, platforms, celebrity culture, JK Rowling, Tar, Elon Musk, Dark Biden, WAP, Dear White People, referendums and war.

It's not that what we really need is a fight over class stripped of democratic or political questions - somehow separated from 'culture'. It's that the majority are doing the latter - neurotically, as fixation - to avoid the former. Set up by the ruling class.

Just sit back and watch how everyone is just politely waiting for the English Greens to prove themselves as horrible as they are everywhere else in Europe. Match the Scottish Greens in absurdity.

Just nodding and smiling while they pick up Tory votes, saying 'hmm yes well done' sure in the knowledge they will shortly do Their Thing. Follow the 5 year plans of the ruling class in the one party nation state. As the bags of spanners stand in the voting booths convincing themselves they have taken some power back and voted for real change.

The ruling class don't give a fuck if you can see the charade for what it is. As there absolutely nothing you can do about it. Why when the penny drops the ruling class just keep doubling down regardless. Laugh at you through your TV screens while they do it. The bag of spanners were broken as children in education camps from the age of 5. Potty trained into obedience regardless of their destiny.

The whole thing is a shit show and advertised to market as democracy. As empty as the promises on face cream and bubble bath.

Footsoldier said...

Once you break everything down to class it is so obvious what is going on. The left - right bull shit is just camouflage to hide the class war. The biggest con trick they ever pulled was to convince Labour they are capital.

And an argument can easily be made everything else is just noise at that point.

There is very little difference ( If any ) between a Trump working class voter and a Biden working class voter. Apart from rural and urban which is really the only difference. That and the Kool aid they are drinking where they look for their news.

That kool aid is no different from the psychosis endured in education camps as children and the newspapers left on the kitchen table by their parents. That convinced them they are different and need to pick a colour to get a voice and be heard.Why would it be. When those who organised the education now own the news.

If elections were fought on class instead of the left right bull shit the world would look very different. Why the ruling class will never allow elections to be run on that basis. They spend $ trillions to keep the left- right bull shit in vogue forever keep us divided. The one party nation state Inc rolls on.