The Light Wing (Are you a Feel-Good Fascist?)

ReefBreak

The Light Wing

[Edit:] or Here

A friend saw this on a magazine of mine recently (The Dubliner) - he had planned to borrow and read it before he left for Oz, but never got the chance. Because I consider him to be a fully paid paid-up Light-Winger, I've gone and scanned it for him, but I thought you lot might like to read it as well.

Even if you don't like Brendan O'Connor, it's still very interesting.

(Oh and in case you were wondering, it was 2:30am and I was drunk when I bought it. I'd normally never go near the magazine, but the Feel-Good Fascist cover story intrigued me at the time.)

Nice typical o'connor piece,it hits home ...

only page one is working in the geocities site you linked to tho...

mm

ReefBreak

Looks like Yahoo's download limit is the problem, so I've also uploaded it to Here

Éomer of Rohan

Popularist middle class likes the 'controversial' trappings of revolution without the bite that would actually prompt change....old story if you ask me.

The authors have no conception of the reality of Sinn Fein...

The digs at the Green Party are a bit pointless...

Jim Corr? Who cares? It's not like he even makes page 23 anyway and probably wouldn't unless he came out and said he was sleeping with Andrea...

Having got to page 3, I swear I am not sure if the author just doesn't know what socialism is or wants to take the piss out of universities, or both...

M.D. Higgins = George Galloway et al, I expect?

I get the deal with Nelson Mandela; so the man introduced bourgeois democracy to South Africa; what a success story that has been for still black underclass which have no water until a florescent-orange-jacket wearing guy comes round, breaks into the private water companies valves and switches it back on...

'The left...failed...idealistic' - someone change the record from the new right.

'They can stop their kids from being feelgood fascists' - get a new soundbyte. Ass.

The most interesting thing about the whole thing was the rather innovative way that he closes the article, with the quote from Madonna.
All this crap from a right winger. I was bored five paragraphs in. Sorry and all that.

Zombrex

Originally posted by ReefBreak

Even if you don't like Brendan O'Connor, it's still very interesting.

He is not saying anything really incitefull, just a big rant about people who don't take politics seriously. Judging by voting figures I would say the country is full of them.

Some of his points are a bit silly and vague as well. I got the impression that he himself hasn't really formed his own idea of what a light-winger is.

Still well written with funny parts and I think everyone knows someone like that (and of course all the right wingers on Boards.ie think the left-wingers are completely made up of people like this, and vice versa :rolleyes: )

mike65

At the beginning of that article I wondered if I was Stephen but thank God, by the end I knew I was'nt!

Good read and bang-on for the most part.

Mike.

*I cant stand Patricia McKenna, Michael D Higgins, Gerry Adams, Adi Roache or Jim Corr*

Éomer of Rohan

Aw come on Mike, I have met Patricia McKenna; she is harmless. All the Green Party is harmless quite simply because they do not embody the ideas of the radicals.

ReefBreak

Popularist middle class likes the 'controversial' trappings of revolution without the bite that would actually prompt change....old story if you ask me.

...and probably the main reason why Socialism in Ireland (and Britain, becuase the article easily applies to that country also) will never be a major political force. Because people like stuff: cars, holidays, 5-disc CD changer. "Stop the War! Bring down the Government! What? The multinationals might stop investing if we change the system? Oh...hold on a minute."

The authors have no conception of the reality of Sinn Fein...

The reality being that they want a 32 county socialist republic? Or something even worse?

'The left...failed...idealistic' - someone change the record from the new right.

And there's a very good reason why that record is still playing. Perhaps because left-wing politics have failed? Simply because they valued idealistic dogma over harsh realities and the natural individualistic tendencies of people to want to consume and improve their own lifestyles. Maybe the people that need the new record are on the Left.

'They can stop their kids from being feelgood fascists' - get a new soundbyte. Ass.

Actually, I can only find the term being used once in the article and once on the cover of the magazine. I think it's a good phrase. The term "fascist" is one that is directed so often by the Far-Left towards people that they disagree with, that it's lost any real sense of meaning.

Typedef

Originally posted by mike65
*I cant stand Patricia McKenna, Michael D Higgins, Gerry Adams, Adi Roache or Jim Corr*

Ah but, Mike.

You're one of 'them' I'd say you used to be a big 'Tony' fan, hell I used to be a big 'Tony' fan, till all of that ugliness in Iraq.

New Labour, New Britian, Oasis, the Euro... British Republic just around the corner.

/

mike65

Well I am (a bit of) a Tony fan, though I would have voted Lib Dem if I lived in Britain. Would have as they blotted thier copybook with thier oppountinist opposition to the war in Iraq. It would never have happened under Paddy Ashdown.

Mike.

Éomer of Rohan

Quoted from ReefBreak
...and probably the main reason why Socialism in Ireland (and Britain, becuase the article easily applies to that country also) will never be a major political force. Because people like stuff: cars, holidays, 5-disc CD changer. "Stop the War! Bring down the Government! What? The multinationals might stop investing if we change the system? Oh...hold on a minute."

Failure to properly read or ignorance of concept? Since when has socialism required the middle class? As for people liking stuff, that is all well and good but it has only become what you have described since the Thatcher and Reagan years when crass commercialism became the highest order of the day and it became alright to be extraordinarily materialistic ('Clueless and Culture' is a really interesting pamphlet from the CPUSA if you ever manage to get a copy - it ain't online though, not that I am endorsing a Stalinist Party you understand).

Quoted from ReefBreak
The reality being that they want a 32 county socialist republic? Or something even worse?

Sinn Fein are a neo-liberal capitalist party as proven by every economically related action they have taken in the N.I. Assembly. I have no idea how they portray themselves in the South but from what I hear from Gearoid, a mate from the Republic, slightly pro-Sinn Fein, and an irregular poster here, SF try to be the party of among other things disaffected youth and the young left, which is a complete distortion of how they behave when actually in government.

Quoted from ReefBreak
Actually, I can only find the term being used once in the article and once on the cover of the magazine. I think it's a good phrase. The term "fascist" is one that is directed so often by the Far-Left towards people that they disagree with, that it's lost any real sense of meaning.

I was dismissing him as an ass for using such an inventive soundbyte at all. By the far left, I don't suppose you have any references for that outside of the popularist generalisation that everyone on the far left calls people they disagree with fascists? We fight fascism but we make it clear that we reserve that title for very specific groups; currently in Northern Ireland, we are rallying the trade unions and smaller community groups against the White Nationalist Party, a fascist group, which is nothing at all like the middle class suburbanites described in that article - they are very dangerous people and so far, several members and a youth member of the SP have been threatened because of written articles or letters to newspapers.

mike65

Originally posted by Éomer of Rohan

Sinn Fein are a neo-liberal capitalist party as proven by every economically related action they have taken in the N.I. Assembly. I have no idea how they portray themselves in the South but from what I hear from Gearoid, a mate from the Republic, slightly pro-Sinn Fein, and an irregular poster here, SF try to be the party of among other things disaffected youth and the young left, which is a complete distortion of how they behave when actually in government.

They are the party of the working class suburbs and "troubled" inner city down here, drugs, jobs and crime are thier three big areas as far as I can tell. With a nod towards the environment.

No doubt once they have cleaned up in places like SW and North/Central Dublin they'll be turning thier attention to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown etc.

Miike.

Éomer of Rohan

Most of the major parties up here do exactly the same in their constituencies; it makes no reflection on the actual party since with one hand they seem to be doing useful things and with the legislative hand taking them away, or possibly creating the opportunity to look even better, if one wanted to be cynical.

Fionnan

The Green Party are far from harmless. Read their manifesto!. They want everone to live in small self-governing, self-sustaining? agricultural villages. picture the famine if they get their way. Ie 1 area's crops fail and since their is no large-scale government or transport links, supplies couldn't be requisitioned from other areas. Their manifesto was quite laughable( circa 1999, maybe updated). Luckily they will never come to power.

DadaKopf

This article didn't say anything about anything really - well, aside from O'Connor's own right-wing fetish. Him and McCreevy should buy a cat together.

It reminded me of an article I read about the boom in TV chefs in recent years. People aren't cooking more, they're watching more cooking programmes as a substitute for cooking.

Basically, it's just the same old story: marginal group breaks into sub-mainstream consciousness, ravenous style-vultures 'discover' a new market, people are helpless to resist. They're helpless because they feel it's much easier to buy into something than really do it.

But like, apart from the article being a bit of bog reading to get you all flustered (a bit of anger is great for constipation), there's little substance to it (the article). I mean, charicatures are amusing but hardly the basis of a remotely serious attack on champagne socialists.

So what? People are lazy in the kitchen? I haven't been to a good five course dinner party in years. Maybe that's why we have to read so many trashy anti-capitalist books. We should take our cooking to the streets!

Éomer of Rohan

Champagne Socialists - where did this come from? Last I heard it was Cognac Communists, which is a direct quote from Lenin.

DadaKopf

Well, that's a long time ago. I mean, I obviously haven't read much Lenin, nor met him, but I probably heard the term somewhere in the real world. Perhaps at a neighbour's dinner party when we were talking about Dick Spring.

We've not ALL read Lenin's 50 million volumes of stuff like you like you're obviously inferring.

sceptre

I've never heard the phrase "champagne socialists" before, though I do remember "cognac socialists"

I've heard effeffers use the phrase "smoked salmon socialists" in recent years but I've never heard anyone else use that one either. It's probably a welcome change from the "pinkos" mantra but that's what a little more education can do.

DadaKopf

Yeah, apart from "sun dried tomatoes" socialists, "commerce degree" socialists, "two homes, one for the holliers" socialists, "timeshare" socialists, "Range Rover" socialists, "token immigrant housemaid" socialists, "I read the Guardian" socialists.

Oh, the list goes on....

Redleslie

Who are the "feelgood fascists" in the case of Unocal being taken to court for using Burmese slave labour to build a pipeline? Story here.

Originally posted by ReefBreak
And there's a very good reason why that record is still playing. Perhaps because left-wing politics have failed? Simply because they valued idealistic dogma over harsh realities and the natural individualistic tendencies of people to want to consume and improve their own lifestyles. Maybe the people that need the new record are on the Left.

Let's hope the left don't win this case eh? People everywhere might start getting ideas above their station. They might ask for things like 8 hour days (yeah the left failed there didn't they?) and wages and things. They should be reassured that due to harsh economic realities, corporations and military dictatorships need to use forced labour, torture and rape to get things done. After all, nothing must be allowed to interfere with the material demands and individualistic tendencies of talentless spoilt yuppie brats like Brendan O'Connor.

mike65

champagne socialists

Its always been Champagne as far as I knew...Cognac
may have been its basis but that does'nt flow as well...

Mike.

Redleslie

Originally posted by mike65
Its always been Champagne as far as I knew...Cognac
may have been its basis but that does'nt flow as well...

Mike.

Yeah I've never heard of "cognac communists" before but it's a good one. I seem to remember "champagne socialists" being used by The Sun to attack Labour in the 80's.