Or, let's be clear, the right-wing press. Socialism is trending on Twitter, apparently, thanks to a spasm of fear, the usual wave of panic anytime there's the possibility of a left-wing challenge to austerity; only this time it's not simple trade unionists (don't they seem tame now?) but The Reds, the real out and out Reds. Dun, dun, duh!
We might find it amusing to suddenly be the subject of the news but this is red-baiting going on, and red-baiting is bad news (remember: baiting does not succeed through logic or clarity but volume, and the Tory press has plenty of that). Though it's great to have the government on the back foot we should demure ever so slightly, not claim all the credit because: (1) many, many other people are campaigning against workfare slavery, not to mention many more are opposed it - it would be simply untrue to suggest socialists are behind it all (2) the government would like to suggest it's all part of the international communist conspiracy because it suits them to make people choose between the government and the SWP.
