Anglo-Continental Labourism vs. Linke-ism

  1. Die Neue Zeit
    Die Neue Zeit
    Between two compromise ideologies...

    (Anglo-Continental) Labourism emphasizes trade unions and "labour movement" politics. Linke-ism emphasizes greatly and rapidly extending union privileges to non-unionized workers.

    Labourism is tied to the "industrial working class." Linke-ism is tied to pensioners, service workers, other "precariat" elements, as well as the traditional "industrial working class."

    Labourism is intimately tied to trade union bureaucratic fat cats, even the hypocritical likes of Bob Crow. Linke-ism is intimately tied to the unity of independent trade union activists and anti-capitalist radicals.

    Labourism's political road is one of rigid parliamentarism and the surveillance state. Linke-ism's political road is one open to referenda, scrapping all but anti-fascist surveillance, strengthening local democracy via participatory budgeting, "promoting civil society activists who tackle social tasks," and "new forms of politics from [the] grassroots level [including] political strikes and general strikes."

    Labourism can and has swung around to finance-dominated rentier capitalism. Linke-ism can and has swung around (at least rhetorically) to popularize the idea of nationalizing the banking system and the declaration "We want to overthrow capitalism."