The View From The Right

by Rab Bruce’s Spider

 

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

BlueSky: @RabBrucesSpider.Bsky.Social

 

 

I know it is not good for my mental health, but I do try to keep up with news reports from a variety of outlets, including some with distinctly right wing leanings. It’s often hard not to swear when I read some of the stuff, but it does give an insight into the thinking of those who have been emboldened by the likes of Trump, Farage & Johnson.

 

I read one article the other day which insisted that Europe was being held back economically because of its deep-rooted DEI Wokeness, and advocating Trump-style solutions. I managed to dismiss it as just a little more barking mad than some articles.

 

Then I came across one which was perhaps more disturbing because it showed that, in some people’s minds, neo-liberal capitalism is still seen as providing the answer to enriching society.

 

This piece was about what has happened in Chile. It was written by someone who apparently travels the world and writes about places he visits. I will readily admit that I know very little about Chile, but this piece is more about the attitude of the commentator. He claimed that Chile had been South America’s most capitalist and neo-liberal society, had shown great economic growth and that life expectancy had increased considerably as a result. Now, though, after some serious riots, a socialist Government is in power. The poor commentator mentioned that he was warned to leave his Cartier watch behind in case he was robbed because, of course, socialists are notorious thieves. Maybe theft is now rife in Santiago, but the fact that the commentator owned a Cartier watch was a bit of a red flag for me.

 

The main thing that Chile has done which seems to have deeply offended the writer was that they have gone after wealthy people in a big way. No details were given of just how draconian these assaults on the rich were, but the commentator clearly recognised this change of stance as a bad thing. After all, he said, the wealthy are the ones who invest in the country. It struck me that he probably also believes that Trickle Down Economics is a viable model despite the years of evidence to the contrary, but the main thing that puzzled me was that he stated that the new socialist Government had been elected on a promise to build newer and better schools and hospitals. So if the wealthy class were the ones investing in the country, why do the schools and hospitals need upgrading and improvement? I could not glean the answer from the article.

 

Now, he was in Chile and I have never been there, so perhaps he is right and things have suddenly become desperately bad in that country, but the main thing I took from his article is that he judges a nation solely by economic criteria. Yet he never mentioned whether the new schools and hospitals have been built. For me, that was quite an oversight. He mentioned continued rioting and protests in Santiago, but that was his only comment on social issues. It struck me that he had little interest in anything very much except investment and GDP growth. Anything else was sidelined.

 

As for capitalism resulting in increased life expectancy, I am of the opinion that this is a false corelation. The UK, for example, saw an increase in life expectancy after the creation of the NHS, but has seen it decline after 14 years of unrestricted neo-liberal capitalism and austerity.

 

In summary, it was a very one-sided opinion piece. Yes, I know, so is this one, but my articles won’t be published by a major UK media outlet.

 

The problem, as ever, is the increasingly polarised political views we must all have. It seems we must either support rampant, unrestrained capitalism or back extreme socialism. Personally, I am increasingly of the view that any nation should work towards a wellbeing economy which values its citizens’ health and safety as well as encouraging economic growth with a form of controlled capitalism. We are, though, a long way from that, with countries seeming to go all out for right wing authoritarianism or, in a few cases, going to the other extreme.

 

The most concerning thing, though, is the fixation with economic growth as the only measure by which any nation is judged. A sound economy is important, but it cannot be the only criterion by which a society judges itself. Culture, health and wellbeing are equally important. And yes, the way the world is going, military security must also be a prime consideration. I know it is impossible to attain some sort of Utopia, but we really should not dismiss the efforts of a nation like Chile just because their political views do not align with the neo-liberal outlook which has brought us to the brink of fascism.

 

I sincerely hope that, should Scotland ever become a normal, self-governing country, our newly elected government will choose a path somewhere between the extremes, with a focus on wellbeing.