How Capitalism Makes You LESS Free | Grace Blakeley Meets Aaron Bastani

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  • Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
  • Common sense tells us that free-market economies maximise freedom and that planned economies, typically found under socialist governments, curtail it. But what if this is completely the wrong way around?
    On this episode of Downstream Aaron is joined by economist and author Grace Blakeley to discuss Henry Ford, Boeing and the nature of democracy.
    You can buy Grace’s latest book ‘Vulture Capitalism’ here:
    www.bloomsbury.com/uk/vulture...
    00:00 Intro
    03:43 Why I Wrote ‘Vulture Capitalism’
    07:47 Myths About the State and Where They Come From
    15.48 The Problem With Monopolies & Boeing
    25:53 Henry Ford
    38:36 Innovation Myths, Workers & Hierarchy
    55:06 How do you Build a Democratic Society?
    1:01:03 What Is ‘Unfreedom’?
    Novara Live broadcasts every weekday from 6PM on UA-cam and Twitch.
    Episodes of Downstream are released Sundays at 3PM on UA-cam.
    __________________________
    Support our journalism by buying Novara Media merch:
    shop.novaramedia.com
    Donate one hour’s wage per month, or whatever you can afford:
    novara.media/support

КОМЕНТАРІ • 684

  • @DeltaV-sayno2CCP
    @DeltaV-sayno2CCP 11 днів тому +278

    They want you broke, fearful, helpless, fighting, dumb and ignorant. The system takes from hard working people and gives to the greedy, corrupt liars. Stand up, find your voice and fight back.

    • @coopsnz1
      @coopsnz1 11 днів тому

      gives to lazy people or poltical class steal it for there own intrest taxes is theft

    • @stevenredpath9332
      @stevenredpath9332 11 днів тому +24

      You left out isolated. That is the key aspect to it all.

    • @garethatkinson2549
      @garethatkinson2549 11 днів тому +4

      @stevenredpath9332 that was exactly what I was going to say...

    • @begoode2385
      @begoode2385 10 днів тому +12

      Now you know what Black people have been dealing with. How does it feel?

    • @JamesWalker-ky5yr
      @JamesWalker-ky5yr 10 днів тому +5

      'the system' is the key. Free market capitalism is a system. Marxist critique is philosophy. The UK has a vestige of feudalism. How does a system come about and what system will displace capitalism in an era of climate catastrophe, mass migration, AI and robotics. The concept of the working class will likely disappear. What are we if we aren't slave, serf or employee?

  • @user-vn5sd9ug5y
    @user-vn5sd9ug5y 10 днів тому +87

    I work in healthcare and Grace is CORRECT about the feedback loop from the ground up. So much of the highest management is disconnected from the realities on the ground and horrible decisions are made as a consequence.

    • @misscogito9865
      @misscogito9865 10 днів тому +3

      I work in finance and this is also the case.

    • @nasreenakhtar8521
      @nasreenakhtar8521 9 днів тому +2

      It worked during covid when front line took over planning and implementation of covid jab rollout.

    • @misscogito9865
      @misscogito9865 9 днів тому

      @@nasreenakhtar8521 excellent point

    • @decadentanciennebourgeoisie
      @decadentanciennebourgeoisie 5 днів тому

      @@misscogito9865cooperative decentralized economy is better and more humane than centralized capitalist economy where BlackRock and VanGuard have 10$ trillion in assets under management worldwide, which gives them enormous control over every aspect of life , and turns us into modern day slaves.

    • @rsimpson69
      @rsimpson69 День тому

      You work in captured industries. They are poor analogs for free market capitalistic effort.

  • @user-ys4ff8cr2w
    @user-ys4ff8cr2w 11 днів тому +202

    "When injustice becomes law, Resistance becomes duty"

    • @begoode2385
      @begoode2385 10 днів тому

      This country was built on hypocrisy. It’s was never based on justice, only domination.

    • @CHIEF_420
      @CHIEF_420 10 днів тому

      🇺🇲⌚️

    • @sufmeister786
      @sufmeister786 10 днів тому +6

      💯 Free Free Free Palestine 🇵🇸

    • @benfisher1376
      @benfisher1376 7 днів тому

      Anymore clichés??😂

    • @tuckerbugeater
      @tuckerbugeater 6 днів тому

      @@sufmeister786 mind control

  • @purplecrown505
    @purplecrown505 11 днів тому +217

    Privatise the gains, socialise the losses: Capitalism in a nutshell.

    • @Stoddardian
      @Stoddardian 11 днів тому +5

      It's brilliant though. All you can do about it is whine like a resentful peasant.

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +20

      ​@Stoddardian this is techno feudalism, so they let the peasants be keyboard warriors...
      Nonetheless, our power to stop this is nonexistent if we can't work together

    • @colorpg152
      @colorpg152 10 днів тому +8

      @@Stoddardian not any more brilliant than a robber its just immoral

    • @SuperZorgus
      @SuperZorgus 10 днів тому +5

      Isn’t that corporatism really?

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +9

      @@SuperZorgus capitalism is pretty much set to become corporatism and imperialism.
      And apparently, leading back into feudalism, which is essentially where we're at

  • @theredboneking
    @theredboneking 11 днів тому +189

    Mark Twain - 'If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it.'

    • @coreyc1685
      @coreyc1685 11 днів тому +24

      While I agree democracy isn't perfect I would reverse that statement and say if voting didn't have the potential to make a difference authoritarians wouldn't work so hard to take it away from us. The right to vote wasn't handed down to us by benevolent elites. It's not something they 'let' us do. Mass movements fought for it over centuries, opposed every step of the way by wealthy conservative interests.

    • @EmaryTegan
      @EmaryTegan 11 днів тому +22

      “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal,” is a famous quote by Emma Goldman, a Russian-born US political activist, anarchist and writer (1869-1940).

    • @gregprocter765
      @gregprocter765 11 днів тому +16

      @@coreyc1685 just because people fought for a scenario where they get a imagined democracy doesn't change the reality of it being a placebo.

    • @Stoddardian
      @Stoddardian 11 днів тому +3

      Cool it with the anti-Semitic remarks.

    • @autumngraves4322
      @autumngraves4322 11 днів тому +4

      @@Stoddardiando you get paid to troll or is this something you do as an individualist in your free time?

  • @waynekerr5645
    @waynekerr5645 10 днів тому +53

    ‘Workers in a sector, that have expertise in that sector, do not need to be managed’. I completely agree. I started work at a large media organisation in the late ‘80s and had one person between me and director level. When I left there were seven people. Managers managing managers made no sense and made my job a ball ache.

    • @philsanders9625
      @philsanders9625 9 днів тому +1

      Interesting. See on my side in tech, project managers are priceless. They facilitate communication between vastly different teams and views. We've worked a lot with teams that have flat hierarchy structures, and it's a mess. No decision can be made without full attendance, there's never full attendance. Professionals are often placed on the same level as amateurs on a particular topic. It also breeds a very clique attitude to work, where politics are rife and mob rule becomes a huge issue. I truly beleive management is a true skill, but it's based on communication and empathy, rather than force and position. Think of leaders over bosses.
      What do you think about all this? Very different experiences.

    • @jamesregiste960
      @jamesregiste960 8 днів тому +2

      You just rattled off the usual excuses for hierarchical systems, "I believe," the same as John Locke, !😮😅😊

  • @willboler830
    @willboler830 11 днів тому +80

    I've worked in engineering and research, and often times the projects I worked on were disrupted or sabotaged by management. Management was always the disruption in progress.

    • @CuriousCrow-mp4cx
      @CuriousCrow-mp4cx 10 днів тому

      OMG. Any innovation that disrupted the office political hierarchies were always deep sixed, sometimes by sabotage or by literally destroying people's reputations, health, and careers. And on a larger scale, corruption in government, Brexit, and things like the TTIP negotiations, where the US bribed EU Commission functionaries to try and push through a treaty which would have ripped off EU taxpayers (Which the Tories supported, because it would have driven through NHS privatisation). The timely failure off precipitate American oligarchs persuading British Oligarchs that Brexit was necessary, is Techno feudalism writ large on the Global system. Nevermind the absurdities they try to make us believe, so that they can perpetrate atrocities on us and others pursuit of profit. No wonder the global economy is like an overripe fruit, slowly rotting and breaking down as the capitalist global central planning is failing to keep ordinary people healthy, happy, and fed everywhere.

    • @jblazer2492
      @jblazer2492 10 днів тому +1

      Seagulls?

    • @scooble
      @scooble 9 днів тому +4

      Chess Playing Pigeons:
      They swoop in,
      knock over all the pieces,
      shit all over the board,
      then stomp about like they've won the game

    • @browncow7113
      @browncow7113 9 днів тому

      Interested to hear some examples, and WHY you think that happens - would it not be in the interests of management to have successful projects?

    • @thomaswikstrand8397
      @thomaswikstrand8397 9 днів тому +4

      ​@@browncow7113only tangentially. Managers need credit for success, not actual success. Thus they obsess over statistics they can present as achievements.
      And above all, they need to shift the blame for any failures downwards, even if they theoretically get paid more to accept responsibility.

  • @kitburns1665
    @kitburns1665 10 днів тому +32

    Boeing made $60 Billion in stock buy backs rather than develop safety, better pay, or a new plane. . . ..

    • @rsimpson69
      @rsimpson69 День тому

      And you would be freer to choose other options if the regulators were not so captured by the industry, and vice versa.

    • @Mikeybhoy1979
      @Mikeybhoy1979 День тому

      The ills of corporatism and financial deregulation.

  • @user-ek9wq5uy6d
    @user-ek9wq5uy6d 10 днів тому +27

    Grace is brilliant. I agree in any working place the shop floor will always be the place where innovation and improvements can be found. But it is also true that a good manager is vital and extremely rare and is always recognised by the shop floor workers .

    • @browncow7113
      @browncow7113 9 днів тому +1

      This is an important point I think. You maybe box yourself into a bit of a corner if you try to get rid of managers and hierarchy. There are "collaborative" managers and there are dictatorial managers. Similarly there are cases where a hierarchy is just a necessary decision-making device, and other cases where it is a status game.

    • @markwelch3564
      @markwelch3564 8 днів тому +5

      ​@browncow7113 the best management has support from below
      Bad management has to be imposed from above

  • @sophiejohere
    @sophiejohere 11 днів тому +54

    Grace always has an amazing view point

    • @tomasstride9590
      @tomasstride9590 11 днів тому +3

      Yes amazing, and totally daft;

    • @kongphooey7230
      @kongphooey7230 10 днів тому

      An 'Individual' and sees herself as one. Which is Ok IMO.

  • @wannabepolyglott8790
    @wannabepolyglott8790 10 днів тому +18

    Ah I love Grace. We’re so lucky to have this smart woman fighting for us 🫶🏻

  • @farinshore8900
    @farinshore8900 11 днів тому +29

    Belief that one is powerless makes one less free.

  • @phax71
    @phax71 11 днів тому +43

    BIG fan of Grace, looking forward to this… Go on girl….

  • @pbunting5143
    @pbunting5143 11 днів тому +17

    Grace Blakeley is my favorite guest, though Novara has many I enjoy

  • @Kestral1978
    @Kestral1978 11 днів тому +25

    Unfreedom... Good concept to capture contemporary illusory senses of freedom

  • @pd1323
    @pd1323 10 днів тому +7

    Grace is refreshing on a Monday morning. Great interview.

  • @zoo-xibbitjayne2081
    @zoo-xibbitjayne2081 10 днів тому +28

    Good someone else is finally saying this; ive been marginalized all my life as socially maladapted for voicing these realities.

  • @72rmboyd
    @72rmboyd 10 днів тому +13

    Ex workers will not fly on a Boeing plan.
    That's a staggering piece of information

    • @knuckles543
      @knuckles543 10 днів тому +2

      i mean that's down to capitalistic shortcuts in maintenance and upkeep, cutting corners and low priced parts
      any pilot; no matter how skilled, cannot fly a plane set up to break mid-flight
      it is gross negligence via economic greed, not ''DEI'' like some nutcases and swivel-eyed loons want to pretend it is; their way to defend that failing model of upkeep

  • @simonecasanova4545
    @simonecasanova4545 9 днів тому +6

    We need Grace Blakeley in Italy too

  • @EmaryTegan
    @EmaryTegan 11 днів тому +20

    “If voting changed anything, they’d make it illegal,” is a famous quote by Emma Goldman, a Russian-born US political activist, anarchist and writer (1869-1940).

  • @stevenredpath9332
    @stevenredpath9332 11 днів тому +19

    The UK has a top heavy government model with the office of the PM being at the top of the hierarchy. We need to take power from the establishment and into our communities.

    • @CuriousCrow-mp4cx
      @CuriousCrow-mp4cx 10 днів тому +2

      You need to do more than that. You need to stop believing absurdities before you stop the atrocities being carried out on you and others. You need to move from blame to accountability, and recognise that here is no free lunch. Unless you do, nothing will change.

  • @viviansutherland2169
    @viviansutherland2169 10 днів тому +5

    great commentary, thanks for always introducing us all to such brilliant new thinkers.

  • @kevinpaylor9573
    @kevinpaylor9573 10 днів тому +5

    another great adult discussion and conversation covering lots of issues. If only the world of politics could be like this.

  • @juanc3delgado
    @juanc3delgado 9 днів тому +3

    Found this interview so inspirational. Self conscious how bad my individualism is covering my understanding of things

  • @aumioishaat8167
    @aumioishaat8167 10 днів тому +5

    Finished reading Vulture Capitalism not 10 minutes ago and this video drops! Moving forward with not just a clearer understanding of the world, but also how to change it!

    • @jgalt308
      @jgalt308 8 днів тому

      Interesting. Do you realize that the "capitalism" to which words are attached is no longer "capitalism"?
      Also whatever an economic system turns out to be it is determined by the FORCE of the government in POWER.
      Finally, in those systems where those in POWER use FORCE, if there is not an equally opposing FORCE
      that can counter-act it, those without POWER are by definition "powerless"!
      All else is distraction.
      IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH; it's just not the strength of the ignorant.

  • @yeshua64
    @yeshua64 10 днів тому +14

    Viva la revolución 🇨🇺

  • @dmwalker24
    @dmwalker24 10 днів тому +13

    There seemed to be this suggestion that a group of mechanical engineers would be more capable of running a company than Aaron, which might be true, but isn't even the point. A company wouldn't just be run by engineers. There are accounting, and operations, sales, marketing, quality control, and logistics people, etc. They pool their knowledge, and the result is exponentially better than any group of executives could ever hope to achieve.

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +2

      We need both specialization and generalization to be most effective.
      And we need to have philosophy to tell us what it is we want to value and to effect

    • @Stafus
      @Stafus 10 днів тому

      sales and marketing could easily be done by any tramp on the street.

    • @jbob34345
      @jbob34345 10 днів тому +1

      I think a company requires competent leadership, just as a ship needs a captain. The world's companies run by committees would be chaos, imo.

    • @knuckles543
      @knuckles543 10 днів тому +3

      @@Stafus incorrect, you have college degrees on target markets and sales and market economics, understanding that is key, something a random might not have
      also nice generalization, good to know how you think of the people you deem ''lesser'' than yourself and a prospective employee by your standards

  • @chriswills9437
    @chriswills9437 7 днів тому +1

    A debate between Grace and Liz Truss would be cruel. Grace´s perspective on history is illuminating. Great guest.

  • @TheCazzer28
    @TheCazzer28 11 днів тому +12

    We love you grace

  • @algfourty9185
    @algfourty9185 9 днів тому +5

    Not sure I've ever disagreed more with Aaron's points than I have during this episode. Chiefly on managers: my brother, you're giving managers far too much credit, particularly middle management if you think this isn't an easily replaced group; most of these people take a business course that detaches them from reality and fluffs their ego until they simply make bad decisions confidently. Agree wholeheartedly with Grace's final point: power and autonomy for everyone is in and of itself a positive for the individual and society.

  • @mikecard7913
    @mikecard7913 10 днів тому +4

    Great information from Grace as per, I wish she spoke at the same rate as Norman Finkelstein. And give my brain time to take it all in.

  • @hens_ledan
    @hens_ledan 9 днів тому +3

    Wow. Grace Blakely is superb.

  • @stephen_pfrimmer
    @stephen_pfrimmer 23 години тому

    Management is not decision-making. Thank you for this Grace and Aaron.

  • @Koba262
    @Koba262 10 днів тому +7

    Galbraith already wrote about the industrial state some 60 plus years ago.The symbiotic relationship between state power and capital is there from the beginning.

  • @odetocycling
    @odetocycling 10 днів тому +3

    Always a great guest and I have her book on my birthday wish list. Community Interest Groups (CIGs) are definitely a great way to take back some control at a local level. If you get a chance to join or support a CIG do so with both hands....and if you're lucky enough to be able to financially support CIGs that's a great move also.
    Loving the new geeky student look Grace!

  • @Holismleith
    @Holismleith 10 днів тому +4

    Grace fan here ☝️😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙏

  • @MrGalvinjohn
    @MrGalvinjohn 10 днів тому +3

    Brilliant interview

  • @e.d.3729
    @e.d.3729 11 днів тому +6

    that was fantastic. thank you!

  • @davidalderson4980
    @davidalderson4980 10 днів тому +2

    Thanks Grace and Aaron. Looking forward to reading the book.
    Sad that Novara attracts so many trolls in the comments.

  • @davegubbins4428
    @davegubbins4428 10 днів тому +2

    1 more copy sold. engaging, clear explanation of what to expect.

  • @vbdullahm
    @vbdullahm 11 днів тому +2

    Thank you

  • @DwynAgGaire
    @DwynAgGaire 9 днів тому

    Enticing vision of a system that takes some of the best notions from both the capitalist and socialist ideologies. Love listening to (and looking at) Grace! Keep up the good work!

  • @BantuEconomicServices
    @BantuEconomicServices 10 днів тому +3

    i love this woman

  • @Gibboncore
    @Gibboncore 9 днів тому +2

    It’s great that Aaron refences Anarcho Syndicalism at 51:50 when talking about the failings of some trade unions. However Anarcho Syndicalim is more than just member run trade unions: neither Grace or Aaron make reference to the fact that many of the topics they are discussing are actually the basic tenets of Anarcho Sydicalism.
    I have ordered the book on the strength of the interview and am looking to reading it.

  • @space_ghost2809
    @space_ghost2809 2 дні тому +2

    There are always going to be powerful and powerless. No matter the system.
    As people usually say "Democracy is not a perfect system but it's the best we have", capitalism is similar in this way.
    It is still the only way where there are some small paths in wich the powerless can have a chance.
    And the dynamic change of falling and raising powers happens.
    Other systems though, the cracks are waaay less and way harder to fight against for people to try to change something.

  • @BartAnderson_writer
    @BartAnderson_writer 10 днів тому +15

    Just discovered Grace Blakely.
    Agree or disagree, one gains IQ points just by listening to her.

  • @leerowland9621
    @leerowland9621 5 днів тому

    Grace for Prime Minister. Her book is excellent, and so is this talk. Thanks.

  • @reinerz4591
    @reinerz4591 11 днів тому +1

    Good discussion - can not agree more !

  • @kongphooey7230
    @kongphooey7230 11 днів тому +9

    Fascism="Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power” ― Benito Mussolini
    * We do not have Free Market Capitalism (we have big gov & big corps ... incl cloudalists).
    * UK GOV c52 % of GDP (China c36%)

    • @Stoddardian
      @Stoddardian 11 днів тому +4

      By corporate he meant guild, not corporation. Nice propaganda though.

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +2

      ​@@Stoddardianthere's nothing wrong with propaganda inherently...
      It just means trying to convince someone of something.
      That can be good or bad

    • @Stoddardian
      @Stoddardian 10 днів тому

      @@MattAngiono Good and bad are subjective terms.

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +1

      @@Stoddardian yes, they are.
      What's your point?
      Literally everything about society and people within it is subjective.
      That's because WE are subjects.
      If you're going to get stuck at good vs bad because it's subjective, then why are you even bothering to speak at all?

    • @Stoddardian
      @Stoddardian 10 днів тому

      @@MattAngiono I'm not stuck at it.

  • @decadentanciennebourgeoisie
    @decadentanciennebourgeoisie 5 днів тому +1

    She read Capital but not Republic by Plato, Politics by Aristotle , Wealth of Nations by Smith , Philosophy of Right by Hegel and Utopia by Thomas More.

  • @vidzkid76
    @vidzkid76 10 днів тому +4

    One of the most fundamental points which was not discussed here, and I don't know if Grace addresses it in her book, is that believing in political agency comes from experiencing it. Experiencing it requires achieving it. Achieving it requires defeating and supplanting the current system of political agency in the form of the ruling class. That class will not tolerate even the slightest challenge and its power to suppress has gotten to the point where enormous violence will be required to overthrow it. Being willing to make mortal sacrifices in the class war requires a level of faith in the project and in such enormous numbers that is unimaginable. It seems like a chicken and egg problem.

    • @Stafus
      @Stafus 10 днів тому +1

      we are doomed, i'm just glad i'm old enough not to care any more.

    • @defaultpanic
      @defaultpanic 8 днів тому

      And anyway, in a multi-cultural society, there will never be consensus or solidarity. It's a fait accompli...

  • @danmcqueen5295
    @danmcqueen5295 6 днів тому

    Great show, great guest!

  • @gabhanachdenogla8342
    @gabhanachdenogla8342 10 днів тому +1

    Laissez-faire was mentioned here in Ireland during the famine, the British limited government aid on the basis of those principles.

  • @AlexWilkinsonYYC
    @AlexWilkinsonYYC 11 днів тому +6

    The part about the Welsh city seems odd. I live in a small town, and I'd love to do projects, like say build a hydroelectric dam or massive solar farm. We have the tractors and know how to do it. The problem is, there is no way in hell we'd be allowed to do it. And even if you were, if you were forced to buy the land there is no way the cost to do the project would be feasible. How is that little Welsh city getting around the legal structures to actually be allowed to do things that serve their local community? Here in Canada the vast majority of that would be illegal. I agree that people should fix local problems, and it's not that we haven't thought of doing that... we're just not allowed to. 🤷‍♂️

    • @JamJam0189
      @JamJam0189 10 днів тому

      A hydroelectric project for I think it was in Wales it was cancelled I heard on the news an couple of years back

    • @antediluvianatheist5262
      @antediluvianatheist5262 10 днів тому

      If THEY can't make enough money off of it, it won't happen.

    • @AlexWilkinsonYYC
      @AlexWilkinsonYYC 10 днів тому

      @@antediluvianatheist5262 well that's what I mean... How did Wales do it? In my province in Canada the electric companies would be all over you for creating any sort of power station, it would be absolutely impossible

    • @theskankingpigeon965
      @theskankingpigeon965 10 днів тому

      @@AlexWilkinsonYYC The Welsh Govt. is actively promoting community hydro projects to help meet its net zero goals. It often provides grants or business rate relief to help these projects.
      I couldn't quite make it out but I think the town she referred to is Blaenau Ffestiniog. I've found a few articles online about various community initiatives there (e.g. on ITV News, WalesOnline), but none that mention hydro power.
      The Community Energy Wales website talks about various community driven renewable energy projects (e.g. YnNi Teg Cyfyngedig (Fair Energy ltd)) but those are all over North Wales. I couldn't find anything specific to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
      Hopefully that's a good starting point for your own research.

  • @vzgg1973
    @vzgg1973 10 днів тому

    Great chat -thanks Grace

  • @colleenlally-ross7105
    @colleenlally-ross7105 10 днів тому +4

    Capitalism for the poor; socialism for the rich. Very sad but very true, unfortunately.

  • @Richard-ki4nk
    @Richard-ki4nk 13 годин тому

    Good points about people being able to organize and have the responsibility to participate in the governing apparatus

  • @deemich1815
    @deemich1815 13 годин тому

    brilliant chat

  • @brainbane8550
    @brainbane8550 10 днів тому

    Absolutely excellent interview.

  • @daotheeternalnamelessbeyon8778
    @daotheeternalnamelessbeyon8778 4 дні тому +1

    Freedom from freedom is what you really seek...freedom from materialistic/physicalist worldview...freedom from the known...true liberty from the prison of the "false self/ego"😮

  • @larryyank3566
    @larryyank3566 5 днів тому +1

    Sounds like Grace, Richard Wolff and Michael Hudson are traveling
    on the same 'Superhighway' ❣️
    Regards, Viet vet/Ecologist VFP

  • @Ryan-Fkrepublicnz
    @Ryan-Fkrepublicnz 10 днів тому +2

    No one talks about how our society has now entered CLASS MONOPOLY. As monopoly is exclusion of competitors based upon a competitive advantage yielded by scale or State. Now the entire CLASS of rentiers or Owners have placed all other classes into noncompetitive state through the direct control of capital itself... CLASS MONOPOLY

  • @jacquelinemahoney621
    @jacquelinemahoney621 10 днів тому

    Brilliant always love listening to Grace 😊

  • @petersz98
    @petersz98 10 днів тому +6

    Liked her giving the Blairite Lisa Nandy on Question Time a smack down for stealing Jeremy Corbyn's policy of taking the railways back in to public ownership!

    • @KevenHutchinson-gt1nn
      @KevenHutchinson-gt1nn 9 днів тому

      Thats more of an argument that favors Nandy. Grace said it was an empty manifesto. Nandy pointed out, taking rail back into public ownership, which was also in the 2019 manifesto.

    • @HistoritorJimaldus
      @HistoritorJimaldus 9 днів тому +1

      @@KevenHutchinson-gt1nnso the only thing they had was stolen - it’s empty of any content from Blairites

  • @erikdalna211
    @erikdalna211 9 днів тому +2

    Excellent genuine Marxist analysis, not distracted by form but rooted in the material substance of power.

  • @ricardosharry8944
    @ricardosharry8944 10 днів тому +3

    More grace please ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @user-wq9lb6vp2h
    @user-wq9lb6vp2h 10 днів тому +6

    I had a brief conversation with a green councillor recently about proportional representation. He was guardedly supportive citing the risk that it would let right wing representation in as well. I am a great believer in Grace's trust in people. Diversity of opinion is a strength. Testing that opinion in discussion with others is how we develop our thinking and achieve meaningful progress. In the end there is an innate goodness in people which if allowed to will direct their decision making. What gets in the way of this is poverty and being shut out of decision making. This is what gives fascism a voice.

  • @joeyrufo
    @joeyrufo 8 днів тому +1

    Grace has a mind like a diamond! 😁

  • @anttijumppainen9213
    @anttijumppainen9213 8 днів тому

    Great!! Thank you.

  • @garnhamr
    @garnhamr 10 днів тому +4

    it's like, why can't we buy a house that we live in for our entire lives? why we have to buy a 'starter house' and move and move again, and again. each time it costs 10k in fees and tax... Just another way we get ripped off. the way we live is so in-efficient, unless you're born into wealth though of course.

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому +4

      And that's if you're even lucky enough to afford a house at all

    • @Stafus
      @Stafus 10 днів тому +2

      I remember in the 80's when I first heard the phrase property "ladder".
      imaging people talking about a relationship "ladder" !

    • @defaultpanic
      @defaultpanic 8 днів тому +1

      Their are certain communities in our society that have always circumvented this, getting relatively richer as a consequence

  • @user-oc7jh3hw6e
    @user-oc7jh3hw6e 6 днів тому

    I've got an offer to study Engineering at Cambridge, and Grace's arguments about empowering workers make far more sense to me than any idea that Engineers are more intelligent than the average worker or trade union. Aaron's train signalling problems could be solved far more quickly by the RMT if they had the power to, than by BAE systems.

  • @facelessvaper
    @facelessvaper 10 днів тому +3

    Walk into any Jobcentre and you will instantly understand we are not free, I figured this moons ago.✌

  • @roders007
    @roders007 10 днів тому +3

    How is Grace not a model. She is stunning

    • @pavelm.gonzalez8608
      @pavelm.gonzalez8608 9 днів тому +1

      I'm gay (so I can't feel sexual attraction to women) but she's seems to be a pretty smart and sweetheart lady.

    • @HistoritorJimaldus
      @HistoritorJimaldus 9 днів тому +1

      🙄

    • @JohnnyFriendly
      @JohnnyFriendly 8 днів тому +1

      She has a first class degree from Oxford. Why would someone like that want to be a model?

  • @busterbuster1641
    @busterbuster1641 10 днів тому +1

    great stuff

  • @larrysherk
    @larrysherk 3 дні тому

    Glad to see this finally ! In capitalism, we are enslaved ultimately to money and its works.

  • @Swanwillow
    @Swanwillow 10 днів тому +4

    FREE MARKET: Refer Hudson's " J is for JUNK ECONOMICS " is the opposite of FREE. But free to exploit your fellow countrymen with overpriced services because you control a vital resource which once was publically owned and provided at cost or even really free. But is now used for rent extraction by extraction of profit on top and shareholder dividends and is not reinvested in such as water services: A rentier economy.

    • @Swanwillow
      @Swanwillow 10 днів тому +2

      We once had the " mixed economy " and that worked really well. The essential services and goods for a healthy economy and society were controlled by the people the rest private economy could do as it wished governed by rules and regs.

    • @Swanwillow
      @Swanwillow 10 днів тому +2

      @darrylsugg7230
      18 minutes ago
      How can we be free when wealth controls everything?

    • @MattAngiono
      @MattAngiono 10 днів тому

      I agree.....
      Wealth automatically prevents someone else's freedom to some extent.
      In techno feudalism, we have very little freedom.
      We are just wealth generating pawns for our overlords

  • @chriswalker7632
    @chriswalker7632 9 днів тому

    Engineers vs Managers: I thought that Grace's response to Aaron's point about Managers was a good one, where she brought up 'Innovation' which she tied to her argument about Freedom. I could feel myself approaching the comments for feedback before she said that. I think that broadly she makes a very good response. Firstly, I haven't been employed for 20 years, but I did study Engineering at Uni. I think, from an Engineering perspective, the way I would frame it would be in terms of Manufacturing vs Products (which I think basically Grace does) rather than Engineers vs Managers the way Aaron posed the question. Or even Manufacturing vs Products like Parents vs Children (to relate it to the last interview with Galloway). For example, a company like Ford and the Managers working within it would place a lot more emphasis on Innovation in the Manufacturing process over Innovation of the Products (Cars) they make - a good example would be in reducing the amount of components they use to make their Cars. So here you could have a hugely 'Innovative' system of repression (as Grace describes) essentially in the way Ford controls the Manufacturing process, making a product that isn't very Innovative (maybe it doesn't push the boundaries of what is possible with Electric Vehicles for example). However, where this gets complicated is when the Technological Innovations in Manufacturing then start to be used in the Products themselves (on one level they'll be cheaper) - the ultimate example would be futuristic Food Replicators (with infinite menu possibilities) or Transporters where the Manufacture and the Product become one and the same entity. But I guess Grace would say here that, despite the infinite possibilities available, everyone would just end up eating Gruel, and maybe she would also say that when you get Transported and turned into a data stream you would actually be killed. Is the structure of our world an inevitable consequence of our connected world though? - to the extent it doesn't matter if we try to make it bottom up rather than top down, it won't change the structure itself? I've taken an interest in the coin flipping game 'winner takes it all' - its a very capitalist way of viewing the world, and the 'winner takes it all' only happens when you have an Authoritarian (knock out rounds) structure to the game where you're only allowed to play two people against each other at a time. Allow everyone to play at once and you'd never get 'winner takes it all' (purely due to probability). The world we have is where some people are allowed to play against more people than others - richer people can play against more people than poorer people can, and so poorer people have worse odds than richer people... So this is either rigged or extremely unlikely.

  • @kevinpaul4788
    @kevinpaul4788 4 дні тому

    I'm generaly on the right of politics, but this was a really good debate between both Grace & Aaron.

  • @scottstevens78
    @scottstevens78 11 днів тому +4

    Amazing stuff. I am really worried now that the much used analogy of Starmerite Labour and the Tories being " two cheeks of the same arse" is maybe quite accurate! Help!
    I really enjoyed this and thanks for presenting so much food for thought.

  • @m.rebman7221
    @m.rebman7221 10 днів тому

    A relatively young person of great promise. A bit animated, but passion in these times is both good and needed.

  • @joeyrufo
    @joeyrufo 8 днів тому

    39:57 it's not about whether I'm "smarter" than anyone else! It's *about* what my specific skills are, and how I can use them for the common good!

  • @royloveday4350
    @royloveday4350 10 днів тому

    I feel like this is very much the topic of Adam Curtis' recent work. In these situations i always feel the need to ask for them on a round table to help me tease things out.

  • @pensarfeo
    @pensarfeo 49 хвилин тому

    Just because some people are more able (better), than other it does not mean they have to be infinitely rewarded.

  • @perroraton9515
    @perroraton9515 10 днів тому

    Truly inspiring!!!!

  • @Saltatory_
    @Saltatory_ 2 години тому +1

    Weird. I didn't think I would share so much common perspective with someone self described as coming from a Marxist context. I agree that government sponsored monopoly power is highly undesirable

  • @janlaag
    @janlaag 10 днів тому +29

    Capitalism is primarily based on distorted mindsets: it pathologises its own structural shortcomings as if they were isolated issues of the individual whilst distorting the meaning of individual differences until they're utilised to justify decontextualised and/or misplaced hierarchies.
    Seeing Grace explaining why those distortions are indeed distortions is always a pleasure, she's straight to the point, just let her talk you out of the mud and into actual adulthood.

    • @musiqtee
      @musiqtee 10 днів тому +2

      This first paragraph is philosophical ‘gold’.
      “Individualisation of Failure” & “Manufacture of Consent” well explained - Thanks…!

    • @janlaag
      @janlaag 10 днів тому +3

      @@musiqtee Please use it wherever and as much as you will then, just keep it as off from copyrights and distortions as the philosophy of the common good should be... This kind of paragraph is just as gold as it can stick to its purpose (:

    • @Stafus
      @Stafus 10 днів тому +3

      Financial profit is only derived from the deliberate and forceful creation of a large working class.
      Feudalism is to blame for that, then the capitalist took advantage of that ready made class system.
      without that foundational class system capitalism could not exist.
      The hierarchies of feudalism and capitalism are pyramid shaped, while every natural hierarchy of competence is a bell curve (IQ bell curve) with few at the top and bottom and the majority in the middle.
      Pyramid hierarchies are artificial and integral to capitalism/profit, there has to be a very large base of low paid workers in a capitalist hierarchy in order for profit to be generated.

      Financial profit is not possible in a natural (bell curve) hierarchy because there aren't enough people at the bottom to skim labor value from.
      Capitalism is not contrary to feudalism, capitalism is the lying thief that feudalism gave birth to.

    • @myjizzureye
      @myjizzureye 10 днів тому +1

      You talk an awful lot of bollocks.

    • @musiqtee
      @musiqtee 10 днів тому +1

      @@janlaag I “am” that dichotomy… 40 y in music industry, including hearings for copyright law. Being snubbed, snubbing others, getting sick from that and realising I’m fine - The sickness is capitalism, not me…
      Thanks, I’m mentally unable to carry the burden of furthering that distortion… :)

  • @TakeyMcTaker
    @TakeyMcTaker 5 днів тому +1

    1:05:00 incidentally a good explanation of the US elections in 2016.

  • @defaultpanic
    @defaultpanic 8 днів тому

    Collectivism requires various things one of which is time, the most underrated asset, the asset which truly exemplifies freedom - which is increasingly being taken from us. For example our own admin which is ballooning, counter intuitively, with the increasing reliance on the internet. Business, or government, has moved their admin on to us under the guise of making things cheaper, or more empowering, when in reality is only making their profits greater and their control easier. In effect we are all now doing their admin for them for free, whilst at the same time giving away our freedom.

  • @tobytilsed5333
    @tobytilsed5333 10 днів тому +1

    To your point about Elon not wanting to serve the wider market with cheap sustainable cars...this is back to front.
    The reason he started off selling roadsters to his billionaire friends was SO THAT he could generate enough capital and IP to ramp up production and drive down end user cost...over the course of a decade...which is what we are seeing with the Model 3

  • @saadabbas7282
    @saadabbas7282 11 днів тому +3

    god bless you girl

  • @TequilaToothpick
    @TequilaToothpick 10 днів тому

    Grace is awesome.

  • @jhegre
    @jhegre 11 днів тому +16

    I always found one of the ugliest lies peddled by the right, by the free market disciples is the so called "freedom of choice".
    This lie is meant to appeal to people's innate fear of losing out. Based on the inane assumption that the players in a free market are not first and foremost preoccupied with making money.
    Of course, as most people know, the fear of losing out is the key ingredience of aggressive marketing.

    • @jbob34345
      @jbob34345 10 днів тому +1

      That's a bit cynical, isn't the idea that society gets to vote on the products and services it prefers? It broadly works else we'd all be driving Ladas 🚗

    • @mattgilbert7347
      @mattgilbert7347 10 днів тому +1

      ​@@jbob34345we don't have a say on what goes onto the shelf, we can only choose out of the products that are made available to us.
      There's no voting, not with the ""dollar", although libertarians and Neoliberals love to talk about that because they are terrified of letting people have meaningful choice at the ballot box

    • @jbob34345
      @jbob34345 10 днів тому

      @@mattgilbert7347 Well by voting with our dollars for the products we buy I think this does influence the products on the shelf - as if a product is crap the company goes bust and the product is gone.. Additionally everyone is free to bring their own product to market. For all its flaws, capitalism is very successful in this regard.

    • @Fishstickification
      @Fishstickification 9 днів тому

      Positive vs. Negative Freedom

  • @loripapapetros4894
    @loripapapetros4894 11 днів тому +2

    McDonald'Douglas even had a shared accounting system with the Pentagon what could go wrong.

  • @user-ow7ll8qk6k
    @user-ow7ll8qk6k 8 днів тому

    That's the big guns right there. I could listen all day.

  • @petermanuel5043
    @petermanuel5043 8 днів тому +1

    So glad this wasn't a circle jerk and Aaron pushed back on ideas. If I could buy a budget EV Porsche with a 700 mile range, sounds good. I suppose that's why they're gonna stick 100% "free market" tariffs on them! 😅

  • @voncarniola
    @voncarniola 10 днів тому +1

    Has Grace heard about the exploits of self-governing socialism in Yugoslavia from 1950 to 1990? Under Yugoslavian socialism, a significant part of the economy was based on enterprises managed by workers. There was also a private sector of the economy. Private sector companies were smaller in production volume and number of employees; private companies could have a maximum of 30 employees. Based on data relating to the Yugoslav self-governing economy, the efficiency of privately owned enterprises could be compared with that of socially owned enterprises within one state, i.e. one could compare the efficiency of enterprises managed exclusively by private owners of the means of production and enterprises managed by workers

    • @Stafus
      @Stafus 10 днів тому

      Financial profit is only derived from the deliberate and forceful creation of a large working class.
      Feudalism is to blame for that, then the capitalist took advantage of that ready made class system.
      without that foundational class system capitalism could not exist.
      The hierarchies of feudalism and capitalism are pyramid shaped, while every natural hierarchy of competence is a bell curve (IQ bell curve) with few at the top and bottom and the majority in the middle.
      Pyramid hierarchies are artificial and integral to capitalism/profit, there has to be a very large base of low paid workers in a capitalist hierarchy in order for profit to be generated.

      Financial profit is not possible in a natural (bell curve) hierarchy because there aren't enough people at the bottom to skim labor value from.
      Capitalism is not contrary to feudalism, capitalism is the lying thief that feudalism gave birth to.

  • @stephen_pfrimmer
    @stephen_pfrimmer День тому

    Management companies, like accounting firms, are for for hire, and for fire, if they don't meet the needs of worker-owners and their customers/clients. The goal of every company should be operation in perpetuity. Perhaps worker-coop management companies and accounting and law firms. Keep the conversation open.

  • @benjaminmiller3075
    @benjaminmiller3075 7 днів тому

    Regarding innovation...a huge majority of American innovation was based on massive government intervention. From direct financing to funding research universities. Its public money for private profit

  • @neiluk1470
    @neiluk1470 7 днів тому

    59:20 I feel like this is not a description of the Bridge on the River Kwai that I saw lol

  • @Discovery_Nuggets
    @Discovery_Nuggets 8 днів тому

    Absolutely agree