In it Monbiot the Republicans against the bail-out, who he calls "neocon nutjobs" and argues that the car industry should be allowed to go to the wall to basically save the planet.
The best bit though is when he slates Bush for being in favour of the bailout, and then slates him for being a bastard to the workforce of the car industry.
Bush maintained that letting GM and Chrysler collapse "would deal an unacceptably painful blow to hardworking Americans", but as if to show he couldn't give a damn about such people, he insisted that the rescued manufacturers cut their workers' wages and benefits.That's pretty remarkable isn't it? To write a commentary piece which says "let Detroit die (and all subsequent jobs too)" whilst also writing "Bush is wrong to save Detroit and even though he has look what a git he's been to the poor working class people of Detroit that he is saving".
I believe this is one of those illustrative examples of ingrained irrational and automatic bias against George Bush that exists on the Left. Thus when he even does something inherently left wing, he's still a right wing bastard and it's all because of the evil oil lobby anyway.
8 comments:
I have seen it quoted that the old 3 motoring companies have an average salary of something like US$90 per hr taking pay, insurance, health pension etc etc
Toyota is something like US$50 by comparison
I think this is what Bush means
Of course the hatred of Bush is irrational - after all he has presided over the greatest socialisation of american politics in history. Given his supposed right-wing credentials it must be especially galling for the left to forced into agreeing with almost every action he has taken. No-one hears the incoming president suggesting that he will undo any of the Bush era economic packages or stimulus packages. The simple truth is that Bush has been surprisingly left wing in his economic policy, presiding over the greatest escalation of government spending and control of any president.
George Bush wouldn't know a good idea if it jumped up and slapped him !!!
Went to a private school with George - you always felt he was bristling with anger & confusion, partly because inthose days He had a terrible stutter, which he seems to have cured nowadays. I blogged about our diverse paths.
http://peteskelley.blogspot.com/2007/04/diverse-paths.html
Methinks you should switch your spellchecker on.
The more charitable reading is that Monbiot and Bush both don't care about the workers of Detroit, but Monbiot objects to Bush's hypocritical posturing on the subject, whereas Monbiot is being comparatively honest about his not really caring about the jobs involved.
Yes George Monbiot is a prat.
If the US (and potentially the UK) did a bit of thinking before cutting cheques to the car industry they could make a large difference. If they are going to spend taxpayer's money the taxpayer has to get something worthwhile from it.
Relax particulate emission regs in the US and they could have diesel engines by the armful.
Say to the two firms getting $billions: Your airfields of surplus cars are to be donated to military vets (To engender some much needed goodwill) and your average mpg across the models needs to be higher than the rest.
The taxpayer gets: To say thank you to the armed forces. Access to the fairly efficient diesels we've had for years. A car industry that will have to innovate to achieve the goals set by the Government.
I am against the notion of bailouts. I am against the nanny state. Yet all too often, particularly here in the UK, our money is dished out to all and sundry without a thought given to spending it wisely.
You couldn't make it up, could you? Eight years of anti-government, reactionary neo-cons and then this: Comrade Bush acting like your worst nightmare of a Labour government.
As someone who gave up on party politics years ago, it's great to watch the right tearing itself apart on this!
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