No is Not Enough (Naomi Klein)

Naomi Klein
No is Not Enough: defeating the new shock politics

Excellent analysis of why it shouldn't be a surprise that Trump is in power and how he, and others like him, i.e. those running our capitalist systems, will continue to engineer massive shocks (economy, wars, environment) as it's precisely those that allow them to implement draconian laws (austerity whilst bailing out bankers, the war on terror and increased "security" aka police state at home, build nuclear power stations as low carbon alternative whilst also pushing further fossil fuel extraction). I was wondering at the time of Trump's triumph if I was a bit paranoid - maybe he is just a complete twat who accidently got into power. A bit like Johnson. But this book tells me it's not paranoia. Whilst most of the book is a depressing validation of how the world is going it ends on a positive note in that history tells us that some massive shocks can unite people and push for social justice - such as the introduction of the welfare state, NHS and nationalisation of industries in the UK after WWII. I tend to think that the march of history is towards a collective society although we sometimes have (major) set backs. I guess that's Marx in the background. Klein's view is that due to environmental melt down the next push forward must be a Leap (sounds a bit Maoist!) as we've no time to lose. Various pressure groups need to combine to push a wide agenda that covers all their wants. Whilst an excellent analysis I don't think that Klein gets to the logical conclusion in that if the wrongs of the world are due to the capitalist military industrial system then that needs to be replaced. With what isn't really articulated apart from greater democracy and local decision making. Maybe a book for the American market is going to far in stating that a collective, communist, anarchist model of society is the alternative to capitalism if you agree that the latter is bound to stamp on everyone and everything (environment) as that's what it's ethos is.

A few topics I think should have been covered, at least in passing, which I don't recall. The whole medical system built up to sell expensive drugs for ailments that are better tackled at source (our poor diets) often meaning that the taxpayer further subsidises big business whilst pricing poorer countries out of the market. On diet, the major contribution to poor health and poor environment is the animal husbandry / exploitation industry (I can't call keeping thousands of hens in a warehouse "farming") producing poor quality hormone and chemically laden foods, releasing poisonous chemicals into the environment, contributing massive CO2 transport costs and putting the means of production of foods into the hands of big business through genetically modified, and therefore patented, seeds. Brexit is also mentioned as an example of a xenophobic backlash of populism. Although a lot of the campaign that was high profile in the media was of that ilk and no doubt contributed to the vote outcome it's not as simple as Klein glosses over. She often references the way that the EU banks force austerity and privatisation of state assets onto faltering economies and indeed states that Germany post 2008 invested in it's economy including local energy production whilst forcing other EU countries (Greece, Italy, etc. etc.) down the detrimental "austerity" road. That's the reason why a lot of people voted to leave the EU - due to the unfairness in the powerful north European states butchering the southern states in a neo-colonialist manner. It's an irony that many saw Labour as pro EU and the Tories as anti EU whereas in fact many on the far left think of the EU as yet another institution supporting a failing capitalist system and the far right (economically if not politically) use it to artificially support failing industries through taxpayer subsidies, including large "farming" companies. Did the City of London want Brexit? I think that says it all. I hope that Klein hasn't made the classic mistake of thinking that UK citizens, or rather subjects but that's a topic for another day, are confusing being part of Europe with being part of the EU. One is a feeling of community and kinship with neighbours, the other an artificial institution that is bloated, full of red tape and at best wastes money and worse subsidises those that don't need it/

Having given my two cents worth this is an excellent book and the Leap Manifesto at the back is great.