Meeting held on Wednesday 20th November 2024
12 people were present.
Since our last meeting, the Presidential Election in USA had produced Trump, Rachel Reeves had given her first budget, and the situation in Gaza had got even more horrific.
While we were most unhappy about the election of Trump, we noted that he had not started any war while in office last time. He also seemed to be determined to stop the war in Ukraine. “But how?”, we wondered. Would he stop sending weapons to Ukraine? Negotiate some kind of territory swap and a demilitarised Zone, perhaps?
But it was suggested that the war in Gaza was not only an even worse humanitarian crisis, but a more severe danger to world peace. Trump, judging by his appointment of an ambassador to Israel who refuses to recognise even the existence of Palestine, is likely to give Netanyahu support in a possible conflict with Iran focussing on Iran’s nuclear capability. His support for Israel in Palestine is opposed by the vast majority of countries, as USA becomes more isolated.
Or, perhaps even more dangerous for humanity, was Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the significance of climate change, and his determination to remove USA from the Paris Agreement and backtrack on climate remediation. It was suggested, however, that the move away from fossil fuels was inevitable and that individual states, districts and businesses would promote their own progressive actions regardless of Federal opposition. Furthermore Trump’s right wing policies regarding climate would be economically backward.
Similarly, the emergence of tariffs, and opposition to global free trade could undermine the basis of neoliberal capitalism. Might that provide an opening for alternative models of the economy which might be more progressive? (But might not!). We felt that Britain should move closer to Europe in the light of USA’s increasing insularity.
At home, while we recognise some of the progressive developments under Labour we were aware that the Party is increasingly unattractive to the left or to youth. Just Stop Oil, XR and even the Green Party were of more interest to those seeking progressive change. We were dismayed that Labour was opposed to taxing wealth, while retaining the two child limit on child benefits. The Party seems afraid to say that the country’s disgraceful inequality should be addressed, even though many billionaires are saying that they agreed with the idea of a wealth tax for the super-rich.
In a final brief discussion of the NHS we were opposed to the increasing involvement of the profit motivated private sector, even under Labour, with Wes Streeting encouraging the sector.
Our next meeting will take the form of a Winter Party, on Wednesday 18th December.