Ceci n'est pas un blog
Save the crêperie!
The best café at Sussex University is facing closure. Do sign up to show your support. However, I was intrigued by this comment:
In a letter to Michael Farthing, one member of university staff wrote: “I feel that many people amongst the predominantly left-wing community at this university will be offended at the shutting down of a thriving independent café, to create a forced monopoly of institutional food with negative impacts on many people’s lives.”
What does "left-wing" mean in this context? Surely any true left-wingers should be entirely in favour of enforced state ownership and equality (of outcome) and opponents of an open competitive market? Or does "left-wing" mean "right-wing" now? (Tom, what do you think? Not sure anyone else will read this far!)
| Print article | This entry was posted by Anthony on 19 May 2010 at 1.40 pm, and is filed under Politics & Community. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
I live in York and I'm a research fellow in 
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about 1 year ago
I think you'd have to ask the person who wrote that! You're right though, the only real left part that I can see is that it is unfair to force out independant businesses...
about 1 year ago
Yay - a comment! But is even that part "left"? I'm asking out of ignorance, so do explain...
about 1 year ago
I think you've taken in too much politics to notice advertising... Clearly a cheap shout-out to the left-wing fanboys and fangirls (incidentally the most vocal and mobile population of the university, if not the most dominant) to rally to their cause.
But in the context of the politics, without the independent café the university then has a monopoly and will be able to exploit the university consumers; the "left-wing" students. I think the staff member is trying to instigate protest against the university's move towards café totalitarianism.
about 1 year ago
Suppose that makes sense - "left-wing ... will be offended" - "hold on, I'm left wing, so I guess I'd better be offended - where are the placards!!"
I think you're right about the monopoly stuff, but a move against café totalitarianism towards an open and free market with competition between cafés, the best flourishing and the worst closing, sounds more right-wing than left-wing. However, if the independent cafés were being priced out of business by the evil antics of Starbucks and Tesco it would be a different story...