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A more apt term than "gig economy" would be "crumb pecking" - as in "pecking at the crumbs that fall from the luxuriant table of the plutocracy". How governmen

A more apt term than "gig economy" would be "crumb pecking" - as in "pecking at the crumbs that fall from the luxuriant table of the plutocracy". How governments can be enthusiastically cheering on a return to pre-industrialisation labour practices is beyond me - unless they have a vested interest in doing so, or are doing their damnedest to mollify an increasingly agitated populace while toeing the line their donors and lobbyists demand. Trump & Brexit are both symptoms of the increasingly widespread anger and despair, and if nothing fundamental changes (UBI?), a descent into a totalitarian/terrorist (where the terrorist is anyone who opposes unfettered state power) dichotomy is inevitable. You already see the rhetoric in the press - traitors, saboteurs, etc. - and the political and economical landscapes are inseparable, despite what many wishful thinkers believe.

RobertoG 9y ago
"How governments can be enthusiastically cheering on a return to pre-industrialisation labour practices is beyond me [..]" This is only surprising if you think of the system as a happy place where everything is automatically optimal. For me the reason is obvious if you accept the old (and now unfashionable) idea that there is an ongoing conflict between capital and labour for who keep the profits. Government is the rope that those forces are pulling in order to get their goals and, it seems, one is pulling stronger than the other now. I watched this interesting interview(1) where the interviewed (around 6 minutes) mention how the view of the system as an ideal system (as something apolitical) without conflict appeared. (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTDei-dAKW8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTDei-dAKW8
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  > Government is the rope that those forces are pulling in order to get their goals and, it seems, one is pulling stronger than the other now. This is a very insightful metaphor. I haven't seen it before. Thanks!
icebraining 9y ago
Which governments are enthusiastically cheering on the gig economy? Most of the moves I've seen have been to restrict it.

RobertoG 9y ago

"How governments can be enthusiastically cheering on a return to pre-industrialisation labour practices is beyond me [..]" This is only surprising if you think of the system as a happy place where everything is automatically optimal. For me the reason is obvious if you accept the old (and now unfashionable) idea that there is an ongoing conflict between capital and labour for who keep the profits. Government is the rope that those forces are pulling in order to get their goals and, it seems, one is pulling stronger than the other now. I watched this interesting interview(1) where the interviewed (around 6 minutes) mention how the view of the system as an ideal system (as something apolitical) without conflict appeared. (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTDei-dAKW8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTDei-dAKW8

TeMPOraL 9y ago
> Government is the rope that those forces are pulling in order to get their goals and, it seems, one is pulling stronger than the other now. This is a very insightful metaphor. I haven't seen it before. Thanks!

icebraining 9y ago

Which governments are enthusiastically cheering on the gig economy? Most of the moves I've seen have been to restrict it.