Bradley Burston: In a reborn Israel, a glimpse of a new Israeli

[LeftishBrit]

...If this Israel were the same Israel, we would know that no one would bother to hit the streets for education, which, while vital, is, let's face it, domestic, and can wait. We would know that no one would go out and demonstrate for health care, which, while crucial, seems to eke along in any case, and can wait. We would certainly know that no one would raise a collective call for housing, which, while essential, only gets built for people wealthy enough not to live in it, and can wait.

But what if that young family is right? What if, in choosing the Israel we want Israel to become, ordinary people decided they could no longer wait?

Three weeks into this, I'm betting they're right. What have I got to lose? Politicians who have nothing better to waste their time on than concocting laws to end all laws, democratic processes to end all democratic processes, Cherno-Bills worthy of the Supreme Soviet? Or, for dessert, a new bolus of legislation, all the parliamentary sewage flushed into one, a bill so heinous it will make it impossible even for Israel's best friends to defend Israel as a democracy, so extreme it will remove every remaining moral obstruction to branding Israel outright apartheid....

(More at link):

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/a-special-place-in-hell/in-a-reborn-israel-a-glimpse-of-a-new-israeli-1.377631


(And this is about Israel, but similar considerations are relevant to MANY countries now!)

[bemildred]

1. "Cherno-Bills"

LOL.
So few people appreciate a good pun.

[shaayecanaan]

2. Amazing what the Left can achieve when it actually goes in to bat

for the working class, instead of focusing exclusively on middle class "liberal" issues of gender, sexuality, etc.

I would be well pleased to see something like this happen in Australia, the cost of housing is quite high here as well.

[oberliner]

3. What makes issues of gender and sexuality "middle class" rather than "working class" ?

Can you clarify the distinction you are making?

Which gender and sexuality issues are you referencing?

[shaayecanaan]

4. Because only the middle class care about them...

they're not working class issues, inasmuch as the working class are predominantly concerned with costs of living and wages.

For example, at the recent netroots conference, the discussions were overwhelmingly about gay marriage and reproductive rights. Not a great deal of discussion of economic justice.

Im all in favour of abortion and gay marriage, but the working class are not going to turn out in their thousands for those kinds of issues.

Some parts of the UK Labour Party seem to have realised this, and there is a growing movement called "Blue Labour" which aims to reorientate the aims of the Labour Party back towards their traditional, working class supporters, rather than middle class, liberal professionals.

[azurnoir]

5. well that remains to be seen, where's the money for change coming from?

Barak: Protests are 'important', but Israel's defense budget shouldn't be cut

Defense Minister expresses objection to slashing defense budget, says ministry will contribute to effort by closing bases in order to free up land, giving benefits to newly released soldiers.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/barak-protests-are-important-but-israel-s-defense-budget-shouldn-t-be-cut-1.377882

If memory serves the US tried that too, it sorta worked in the very short run