Policywonk, in Hobbs and em and ess, LIVE FROM THE G20

[policywonk]

YOWZA

It was hard not to hang out with the SWP when I was a student. If there was an issue, they were there, with a placard tailored to the issue (Workers Unite for a Pedestrianised City Centre!). They were a nice bunch of people, good supporters of the miners' strike, but I never joined ... anything.

Threadie, I don't understand, and am rather perturbed by, the new name.

Policywonk, just got back from hols and have had a lovely trawl through your posts - well done on a fab job (and dh says thank you for the Hobbs plug too, he works for them). Re your comment about journos' contempt for mothers or more precisely "mums", it is indeed very sad and depressing. Still, I feel far brainier now I know more about G20 so thank you for that.

Have to say that the name Mumsnet did put me off to begin with - I don't know why, but I'd always call myself a mother, not a mum (dd is not held to this, mind). But - that's an example of really the same pretty unthinking prejudice, and so maybe the MN name is really v. important in that context; that it doesn't matter what label women who have borne children put upon themselves, or have put on them by others - it doesn't change their intellectual capacity, ability to debate, consider perspectives, take on issues - very few places show that better than MN.

Schloer is a sparkly grape juice. Contained within a glass bottle.

Good point, habbibu. I was a bit about mumsnet as a name too - only in that "As a busy mum..."-type speak that seems to inhabit all tv commercials for domestic items, bluueergghhh. But now I embrace my mumness. It's a bit like reclaiming the word "bitch". Hey, how about BitchNet? Now that would be fun.

yes perturbed by namechange too Threadie.

Habbs - do they still make Schloer? A bourgeois drink if ever there was. I am. Asking about your injury.

I hate mumsnet as a name. It sounds to me too much like 'mumsy' or 'mimsy'. Buy I can't think of a better name for what it is. (I like bitchnet though.)

What about Matriarchy.com?

I was vey concerned about the schloer injury, Habbs, but too puzzled to inquire. It seemed like you were saying that you were injured as a result of staying sober.

But now I gather it was the glass what done it. Sympathy, etc., etc. Tell us all about it, and then present yourself to DS2 who has lately accquired a fascination with first aid.

I was once taken to the the opera by a member of the SWP called Rob.

I dunno what I'd call myself really Lenin. That's why I was interested when you posted about that book about equality that's recently been published. I think most things come down to equality - even environment/development issues, if you think about it in terms of distribution of resources. Equality of opportunity, equality of resources... Equality aligned with fairness I suppose (in that of course we can't all be exactly equal, and some people need extra things in order to enable them to have equality of opportunity.)

Have a kneejerk dislike of private sector so socialist in that respect I suppose - but can't imagine how society would work without private property.

Swedes will be along in a minute to point out a giant hole in my thinking.

Habs I did wonder about the Schloer but got distracted by visions of that awful Schloer ad. What happened, did you smash a bottle over your head?

Thank you wilbur

Finally! I was carrying said bourgeois beverage into the kitchen, fell over dd's bike, landed on knee and elbow, but base of my thumb landed apparently on big bit of glass. dd in bed, dh coming back from London, and me, sitting on floor, dripping blood and wondering what to do...

Was rescued by lovely friend and her GP partner, thankfully - poor dh arrived home to find me all bloody, and kitchen floor covered in glass and red Schloer. Which he took to be blood.

So now can't use right hand properly, have stitch in thumb and can't walk properly. And it wasn't even wine...

Have never knowingly been out with member of SWP. Spent uni years going out with members of the drama society

There isn't a single political spectrum, is there, anymore, against which we can define ourselves? And most of what you said policywonk about fairness and equality could be said by cameron too, though of course your politics are profoundly different from his.

The kneejerk mustrust of private sector might be a key identifier, mightn't it??

Really, in globalisation issues at any rate, the central feature is an issue-based diversity, with traditional labels -- socialist, communist, etc, somewhat displaced. Which just begs questions I suppose.

Yikes, how nasty. You poor thing. Did you have to go to A+E on a Saturday night?

ow ow ow oh poor habbibu that sounds horrible too horrible for punctuation even.

I doubt Cameron would argue for equality of resources - eg, large-scale income redistribution via taxation.

But agree that the old labels don't really mean a lot these days.

I fell over catastrophically last week because of one of these. Pushed my car keys into my palm on falling so now have stigmatum for easter.

I'd really recommend that you all find somewhere to store wheeled items.

Sounds very painful, wormy.

You are right policywonk. I keep speedposting without giving any thought. What I meant to convey that any general talk of political principle fails to pick out a real allegiance these days, perhaps because the currency of politiccal talk is devalued but also because of some degree of real convergence. I think that cameron would endorse equality of resources, as a genral principle, but would define it in terms of the formal equal availability of social goods like housing and education. So real differences are picked out in terms of actual detail of policy -- redistributive tax changes etc.

Yes, you're right about detail.

a stitch in the thumb? A bourgeois injury if ever there was.
Sounds painful Habbs.

Am puzzled by the Indo Board Threadie. What exactly were you trying to do on it? Does it create calf muscles of steel or something?