@bob @ginnymcqueen Here in the US at least they also love to crap on the poor if they don't fit a rich person's imaginary vision of what poor should look like. E.g. but they have a cell phone! Well they have money to go to McDonald's! Using SNAP to buy steak?!

@csaurus @ginnymcqueen there's a similar thing here, and I think it's partly a generational thing. 20 or more years ago cell phones were an expensive luxury item typically only used by business executives. Same for wide screen TVs.

@bob @ginnymcqueen That probably plays into it too - it's mostly just silly that a rich person has such a "highly" developed vision of how they would live as a poor person. My impression is that the UK's social safety net is probably better than in the states though, do you think that plays into it?

@csaurus @ginnymcqueen The UK social "safety net" is probably still better than the US, but has been deteriorating for decades. It's relatively easy to end up with zero income, even if you go through all of the bureaucratic processes and meet all of the criteria.

@bob @ginnymcqueen That's a shame, from what I've read the Labour party isn't really much of an advocate for workers anymore. So with no champion it sounds like it'll keep heading in that direction? Meanwhile we've got this: https://gnusocial.de/url/3812213

@csaurus @ginnymcqueen there is no significant voice for the working class inside of the UK parliament, and the Labour party hasn't attempted to represent them for a long time. At the last general election one Labour MP said that if you are unemployed then the Labour party has no intention of representing you.

There has been some hope around the election of Corbyn. Corbyn has some of the attributes of "old labour" as it was before the 1980s (the beginning of the rise of Capital in the Piketty book) and he occasionally mentions terms like "working class" and "socialism" which the last Labour administration never did. Unfortunately, nearly all other Labour MPs hate him and the only reason they can't overthrow him is because he has a large amount of grassroots support among party activists and unionists. If he wins in the June general election I think there will be another coup attempt shortly afterwards.

@bob @ginnymcqueen I'll have to check out the Piketty book, I have a copy but haven't read it yet.

That's pretty terrible that they won't represent the unemployed, though to be fair the US isn't any better in that regard. A number of social welfare programs are only offered if you're employed - somehow capitalists love the market but also love to ignore the fact that labor is a market, with all the issues that entails.

What's the likelihood of a coup? I'm not super familiar with parliamentary politics. It'd be nice (from my perspective across the pond) to have an actual worker-focused person in power in the UK rather than continuing the trend of reactionary people in power on the continent.

@csaurus @ginnymcqueen In the case of Corbyn his parliamentary comrades have already tried twice to get rid of him, with very well organised campaigns. Unfortunately for them Corbyn has always had a large amount of support among the ordinary party members, and it's one member one vote when it comes to the leadership.

So given that they've tried twice I think they will try again either way - whether Corbyn wins or loses. If he loses they'll say it was all his fault and if he wins the other Blairite MPs will be eager to get their mits back on the levers of power, one way or another.

@ginnymcqueen And now I saw the initial toot (it didn't federate).

Do people _do_ that? That's ludicrous.

Though, with US healthcare pricing, apparently not unreasonable. I saw some calculation that a hip replacement was more expensive in the US than travelling to Spain, living there for two years, and getting it there, then flying back...

@ginnymcqueen Indeed.

I wonder if you could get refugee status for medical reasons.

@ginnymcqueen Which is probably what you're referencing in the first place.

I'll just shut up now.