The Challenge of the New Capitalism. Bevan memorial lecture

By John Monks, General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation

Those of you who knew Aneurin Bevan can probably guess his likely reaction to my choice of the title tonight.

Capitalism was capitalism to Nye. It was enduring and unchanging. It was the South Wales coalowners, it was the slave traders, Cecil Rhodes and other rapacious exploiters of working people in the Empire and at home. It was greed and selfishness, the drive for money dominating and twisting all other human motivations. Bevan was often a lot more sophisticated then he might have be at a NUM weekend school giving the above speech. He appreciated the good things of life in full measure - even having at least a touch of what the French call ‘un socialiste caviar’.

But I don’t think he would have taken easily to a concept of the new capitalism. Many things do remain the same but my thesis tonight is that capitalism has changed in very important ways and that the Left generally has few intellectual, philosophical or political answers, at least as yet. It therefore warrants the use of “new” and the formulation of a new strategy to deal with it. My purpose tonight is to encourage others to pursue these questions.

Η παραπάνω ομιλία εκφωνήθηκε από τον Γενικό Γραμματέα της Ευρωπαϊκής Συνομοσπονδίας Εργαζομένων (ETUC) , John Monks . Ολόκληρη την ομιλία μπορείτε να τη διαβάσετε πατώντας εδώ.