Nobody likes trolls. They are the people who crash in on websites they disagree with and argue against the main political direction of the site. 'Mike' is one on Lenin's Tomb. He plays the contented and complacent wage-slave and writes incessantly that no change is possible, the market will win in the end and that capitalism is the least bad system there is etc. Usually his observations are delelted. I don't know about that really. His points are so gross that they subvert themselves.
So trolls are sad people with nothing better to do than to antagonise their political opponents blogs. Well, I have to say, I had a pop at the Adam Smiths Institute's site over the weekend. I was interested in what their take would be on all the market short circuiting that's been going on. A "Sorry!" perhaps or "Maybe we should rethink our ideas." section. But not at all.
Their general take on all of this was that free markets has not been applied rigorously enough. The problem, see, is that there's been too much regulation over the past thirty years and that's what's caused all this recent mayhem. Irritated, I fired some bad tempered reply and presumed they'd axe it. But no -
"Not very convincing this is it really? " I intoned. "Your ideas have been in vogue for the best part of thirty years. All governments have sworn by them - deregulated, privatised and freed up. You cannot claim (because, really, believe me it sounds THAT desperate) that this hasn't been deregulated enough. I can just about accept the fact that the Soviet Union wasn't communism, but you guys using the same 'excuse' - face it - it's all over. You were wrong. All of you. You have merely provided ideological cover for a huge financial redistribution from the poor and lower to midle [sic - oops, bit tired here] classes to, well, you lot I guess. Well I hope you enjoy what's left of your ill gotten gains - before the lights go out, riots in the cities destroy what's left and national bankrupcy does for us all. Thanks again! "
Not best political theory I admit - but sound trolling.
Incidentally, it is an irony that the 1989 moment for the neolibs has them coming out with the same "excuses" some on the left made when the Soviet Union tanked and evaporated - "Ah, but that wasn't communism."
So, who's right to use this "Get out of empirical implosion free" card?
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