The politics of class war are set to divide us all
IMAGINE if Fidel Castro decided, a few years into his regime in Cuba, that he’d really like to replicate the revolution somewhere else. It’s not that difficult to imagine – exporting revolution has been the mantra of socialist revolutionaries from the start.
Now imagine that he decided that the beneficiary of this plan would be the UK.
You may well laugh at such an idea. But if you’ve been watching the Labour conference in Brighton you’ll have seen a party that is now proposing a socialist revolution that would make Castro proud.
On Sunday, Labour voted for the largest seizure of private property in modern times. As part of its plan to abolish private schools – in itself an idea of astonishing illiberalism – the party committed itself to seizing “endowments, investments and properties held by private schools”. This will now be a manifesto commitment.
It’s one thing arguing – as even the former Tory education secretary, Michael Gove, has done – that private schools need to do more for those who cannot afford their fees and might have to lose the tax benefits which come with their charitable status. That is a perfectly reasonable argument to have.
But Labour is instead committed to simply taking control of private schools – of their physical assets and of the money they have been gifted and saved over the years.
THEY doubtless believe that, since less than seven per cent of children attend a private school, this will be a popular move. But it is deeply chilling. You can almost hear the cry “For the many, not the few”, as the Corbynite Commissar smashes down the school door to seize ownership.
It is telling because of the attitude it demonstrates towards private property. Labour believes that only the state is truly legitimate – and only institutions