I’m always angered by what I see in our history. The wealthy lived in such ridiculous extravagance in stately homes with droves of servants, huge gardens, banquets, coaches and clothes and jewellery and a lavish lifestyle that was unbelievable. The people who produced that wealth were the slaves out on the plantations and the poor factory workers and miners who were crammed into the slums, who worked fourteen hours a day for a pittance, who worked in terrible dangerous conditions, who lived in extreme poverty, disease and destitution.
It was only the work of the abolitionists, socialists, suffragettes and trade unions who fought for justice and fairness who screwed compromise out of the capitalists. They rightly improved the conditions of the working people, improved salaries, introduced the welfare state and brought in environmental legislation for the good of us all.
As the wealth of the nation has increased those gains have been eroded, the inequality has increased, the trade unions have been emasculated and workers conditions and pay have been diminished.
It is time we moved back to a real socialist agenda to bring back more fairness and justice for ordinary people.