Craig Murray — Nationalisation Without Compensation

What the Labour Party should hold upwardly going for?

What Craig Murray is addressing, without existence explicit close it, is the theory of natural holding rights based on John Locke's just-so even out close mixing project alongside the world to larn a natural right through use. This is based on a narrative that is unhistorical, on 1 hand, as well as on the other, it doesn't justify transfer, peculiarly through inheritance.

Marx gave the right historical line of piece of work organisation human relationship based on "primitive accumulation," which amounts to "enclosure" — seizure actually — past times those powerful plenty to hit so. This resulted inwards the bifurcation of gild into holding owners as well as workers every bit split upwardly classes alongside opposing interests.

Ayn Rand provides perchance the most outspoken but honest contestation of this mindset:

"[The Native Americans] didn't have got whatsoever rights to the the world as well as at that topographic point was no ground for anyone to grant them rights which they had non conceived as well as were non using.... What was it they were fighting for, if they opposed white men on this continent? For their wishing to locomote on a primitive existence, their "right" to hold business office of the position down untouched, unused as well as non fifty-fifty every bit property, only hold everybody out as well as so that y'all volition alive practically similar an animal, or maybe a few caves higher upwardly it. Any white somebody who brought the chemical ingredient of civilisation had the right to convey over this continent." — "Q as well as Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 session next her Address To The Graduating Class Of The U.S. of A. of America Military Academy at West Point, New York, March 6, 1974"

Murray proposes that it is high fourth dimension to address this. What he doesn't address is the importance of the concept of the commons, which Ayn Rand denies. As nomadic tribes, the Native Americans were evidently using the the world collectively every bit hit other such groups worldwide to the acquaint day, although inwards decreasing numbers every bit "civilization" as well as enclosure encroach on the commons.

In Locke's line of piece of work organisation human relationship at that topographic point was no commons, only unused the world waiting to hold upwardly made useful — given utility — through locomote that confers holding rights every bit natural instead of institutional. Institutional confirmation was later added to that which was gained naturally inwards his view.

Again, this is unhistorical. The truth is that until enclosure the vast bulk of people were collectively self-sufficient based on the commons, Enclosure ended that self-sufficiency, forcing them to project for others — the holding owners — on damage dictated past times the others‚ the ownership class. Initially, this was "the palace" (warrior class) as well as "the temple" (priesthood). This developed into feudal aristocracies inwards the Agricultural Age.

What Murray is proposing is existent socialism rather than pseudo-socialism that is a weak reform of monopoly upper-case missive of the alphabet based on the spurious history as well as logic of the bourgeois ideology that came to dominate every bit bourgeois liberalism replaced the divine right, capitalism replaced feudalism every bit the dominant socio-economic organisation inwards the Industrial Age. Property owners became the novel aristocracy through inheritance laws — inheritance of estates contradicting personal initiatory as well as meritocracy every bit the position down of capitalist accumulation as well as political rule. 

While Murray's proposal may appear utopian inwards the electrical current environment, such proposals are needed inwards monastic tell to shift the narrative as well as engage inwards consciousness-raising past times addressing what Marx as well as Engels called "false consciousness," inwards which workers are persuaded past times owners' command of the narrative to convey an ideology that disadvantages them. This narrative "proves" how this is only — all have their "just deserts." Moreover, the narrative runes, this the solely alternative.

Based on this starting indicate — Thatcherism inwards the UK, Murray's proposal is a kickoff but non enough. Based on the lessons of history, abrupt alter doesn't non e'er hit the optimal upshot as well as may fifty-fifty worsen the situation. Diagnosis must hold upwardly complemented past times etiology (identification of causes) as well as handling past times addressing causes inwards monastic tell to non solely take the systems but too to render the organisation to health. Murrays' post service remains on the degree of symptom. Deeper analysis is needed.

Reflection is required on how to regard the challenge of getting from hither (monopoly capital) to at that topographic point (socialism). The most promising path seems to hold upwardly through social commonwealth every bit pioneered inwards the Nordic countries but which only about of them are moving away from nether the describe per unit of measurement area of neoliberalism, the electrical current flavour capitalism that has locomote dominant through globalization. 

What is "capitalism"? Favoring upper-case missive of the alphabet every bit a cistron of production based on increment as well as assuming trickle down. What is "socialism"? Favoring people every bit a whole as well as the world every bit the surroundings ("the nest") over increment for its ain sake. This requires an integrated ecological approach that prioritizes the factors differently inwards damage of human role consistent alongside human values, including human rights, e.g., every bit prepare forth inwards the United Nations General Assembly's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Social commonwealth tin hold upwardly developed every bit a transition to socialism as well as the regaining of the priority of the park every bit humanity's abode as well as life-support system. The "correct" approach to economic science would hence hold upwardly something to a greater extent than like ecological economics and green economics instead of conventional (neoliberal) economics.

The employment alongside much "heterodox" economic science is that it is a reaction to conventional economic science as well as is concerned alongside reforming a organisation that has outlived its usefulness as well as is straight off becoming a threat non solely to the human species but all species every bit the public hurtles toward the side past times side extinction event.

Craig Murray's post service is only a kickoff of the ground that is needed where alter tin happen, the ballot box. Bold activity is required.

Craig Murray Blog
Nationalisation Without Compensation
Craig Murray, formerly British ambassador to Uzbekistan as well as Rector of the University of Dundee