OPINIONISTA: Things fall apart; the centre (and the right) cannot hold By Vashna Jagarnath
Tennis anyone?”, a phrase popularised at the turn of the 20th century in various plays, is usually used to express the disdain of the aristocracy and upper classes for the economic hardship and social ills suffered by social classes beneath them.it is no surprise that tennis came to be used as a marker of elitism. However, there was a moment in the life of the sport where a tennis court became the site of radical, world-historical change.
The establishment of a constitutional assembly imbued with the power of the majority of society in the time of absolute monarchy had been, even, a few months before, simply unthinkable. It became a pivotal event in the history of the modern world, an event that continues to shape our world today, including in Sudan where the movement against the dictatorship is facing brutal repression.
and bread scarcity had led to several food riots. The growing bourgeois classes found the feudal system detrimental to their profits, due to heavy taxations, closed markets and a backward legal system. By the second half of the 18had experienced exponential wealth growth but still lived under inferior legal status. They became acutely aware that while they were contributing to the coffers of the kingdom they were not enjoying any of its benefits.
Today, 230 years after the French Revolution, France is still roiled by popular protest as migrants and the increasingly impoverished working class continue to struggle for a fair deal and a better life. In France, and across the world, political authority increasingly serves the interests of the super-rich, at the direct expense of the majority. The phrase “Anyone for tennis?” seems more fitting than ever.
Many roots of this disastrous shift to the right lie in the 2008 financial crisis, which hit ordinary people hard. But it was not a crisis for capitalism or the rich. In fact, since then the number of billionaires has doubled. Globally the rich continue to get richer while the poor get poorer. Every two days a new billionaire is made
In many countries, there are important developments in this regard. For instance, in the US, Bernie Sanders’ call for democratic socialism is winning strong support, especially from young people, opening new political possibilities.
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