[Killer Whale]

It goes back a long way. I can remember criminals being regarded as an anti-capitalist vanguard in some academic circles back in the 70s.
Of course, in those days, it was assumed that only the bourgeoisie had anything worth nicking.

[davidjay]

That has got to be a piss take, surely? It makes fly tipping sound like some sort of heritage industry like basket weaving. What next, a push to legalise pickpocketing as a noble working class activity since Victorian times??!?

No, it's real. There does seem to be a growing pro-disorder element on the left, see the reaction to the Lib Dems' proposal to playing loud music on public transport.

It's getting back at the Man. You're all so bourgeois.

[davidjay]

I had a text this afternoon asking me to spread the word about another - don't all yawn at once - proper grassroots socialist party. This was followed by a What'sApp message saying the same thing but with added Dave Nellis. Did anyone else get the same? And how the hell did they get my private number?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Richard Murphy here. In response to a perfectly reasonable point that places with bigger states raise more money for it (sometimes much more) from average incomes, explains this away by saying everywhere in the OECD is "neoliberal". Chris Dillow points out that this doesn't sit very well with MMT, which will depend on a lot of consumption taxes on ordinary people to restrain inflation where necessary.

Murphy's attitude is baffling here. To his credit, he opposes a Wealth Tax. So God knows what his version of "let's get all the money off other people" is.

[Andy McDandy]

Usual rules about attacking the person, or their perceived stance (as opposed to their arguments) apply, it seems.

Mandy Rice-Davies really did give a gift to bad faith debaters with that reply of hers.

[Tubby Isaacs]

A nice sighting of the "person with actual heavyweight experience is a vested interest" trope too.

We don't have to agree automatically with anybody, but it might be worth at least allowing that they probably know stuff. Murphy's experience of tax is studying it as part of the chartered accountancy course and doing his own research.