11.01.1996

Blair woos the market

Businessmen and ex-dictators in Asia have been wooed by Tony Blair, as he makes clear his determination to safeguard the ‘enterprise’ economy

TONY BLAIR’s vision of life under a Labour government is becoming clearer every day. In a whirlwind tour of Asia, Blair lectured businessmen in Japan and Singapore about the virtues of the “stakeholder economy” - the ‘big’ new idea which will unite the middle class and business community around the Labour banner.

Blair reassured his Japanese audience that in the global market ‘financial orthodoxy’ was absolutely essential and promised to build upon the ‘achievements’ of the Tory government: “Some of the changes made by the conservatives in the 1980s were inevitable and are here to stay.”

His visit to Singapore, that well known vibrant democracy, was an even greater success. Harry Lee Kuan Yew, former dictator, confessed that he was “impressed”. Blair returned the compliment, telling reporters that Lee’s Singapore “very much reflects my own political philosophy”.

This should be a strong warning for the future. The working class in Singapore is subject to a battery of anti-democratic laws.  Lee has a very dim view of the welfare state, once declaring: “We have studiously avoided its practices.”

This is Blair’s not very secret agenda - to attack benefits and welfare rights. Here is the big new idea then: swap “stakeholder” for “shareholder” and ... bingo!

For the working class Blair’s ‘stakeholding’ economy will be harsh. Unemployed young people will be forced to take whatever slave-labour job or training scheme offered to them - or lose 40% of their below subsistence benefits. Even parents will be obliged to sign ‘home-school contracts’ - yet another big idea. Not to mention those ‘troublesome’ beggars, young offenders, homeless people ...

The Guardian may think this is “a liberation worth waiting for” (January 9), but we know that the bosses' system is edging towards crisis - and they want us to pay the price. To have a real stake in society we need to eradicate capitalism.