Solidarity 065, 20 January 2005

NUS "left" undermines democracy

On NUS NEC, the factions have started cross-dressing. Time was when you pretty much knew who was left and who was right. Now some of the lefties — self-styled revolutionaries, no less — are taking the lead in voting down anything which smacks of socialist principle. These “Trots” come in different shapes and sizes. First, we have Kat Fletcher, elected President as a united left candidate but now on a fast track to the right. Kat normally insists on chairing NEC meetings so she won’t have to take a position on anything, but intervenes at points she considers crucial — most recently to push...

The Writing on the Wall

SERIAL DEFENDER Ex-Red Ken has done it again. He has reiterated his defence of fundamentalist religious leader Yusuf al-Qaradawi, whom he invited to speak in London last year, despite al-Qaradawi’s latest outburst, contending that the Indian Ocean tsunami was God’s punishment for “acts of abomination” committed by the victims. Livingstone claims that allegations that al-Qaradawi is in favour of suicide bombing, wife beating and the murder of gay men are “almost entirely inaccurate” despite the fact that they have been proven by documentary evidence still available in websites and publications...

The Guantanamo Syndrome

The release of the four British citizens detained without trial by the US government at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba is not a sign of a new-found respect for human rights in the Bush regime. According to a senior official quoted in the New York Times, three-quarters of the 550 remaining prisoners in Guantanamo Bay have no intelligence to provide, but are being kept in prison “to keep them off the battlefield”. But there would appear to be no evidence that they were ever on the battlefield in the first place. The Bush administration has undoubtedly been frightened by the uproar at home and abroad...

Army will resist demilitarization in Aceh

Since late 1999, there has been a strong movement in favour of holding a referendum to determine Aceh’s future status, as the peaceful way of solving the conflict. On the initiative of former president Abdurrahman Wahid, negotiations were held between the Indonesian Government and GAM, leading to a “Humanitarian Pause” in June 2000, loosely supervised by the Henri Dunant Centre in Geneva. The armed forces were never happy about this accord and the Pause barely affected the level of killings, which steadily mounted. The talks have now been suspended indefinitely. Following a decision by Exxon...

Indonesian socialists: "Strengthen international solidarity."

From a statement by the People’s Democratic Party (PRD) of Indonesia. In this disaster national, regional and international solidarity has proven to be effectively mobilised without the command of the government. This solidarity between the majority of the people proves that it is the people that are capable, not the government, nor the TNI [Indonesian army]. It is this solidarity that must be strengthened, in order to overcome the numerous problems caused by a government that is incapable of managing a nation, a slave to foreign interests, corrupt, slow, and militaristic, to the goal of...

Politics after the tsunami

Promises of aid from richer countries to the countries hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 have increased. Australia now heads the list, promising US$800 million. The USA has increased its initial offer of $35 million to $350 million, and on 6 January, embarrassed, dissolved its so-called “core group” of aid-giving US allies in favour of UN coordination. More aid is good. Millions of people are homeless from the tsunami, and need the resources and equipment that rich countries and their armed forces have available. But the workings of capitalism and class interest are not...

Trade unions against capitalism

The following extract is taken from Frederick Engels’ Condition of the Working Class in England. Writing in 1845, Engels described the misery of life for English workers at this time, particularly in and around Manchester. The book is a passionate indictment of capitalism, and is well worth reading for that alone. But it is also full of ideas. The nature of capitalism in the UK has changed in some respects — just as early industries were subject to many booms and slumps — but the imperatives of capitalist accumulation still rule our lives. The basic struggle between bosses, out to maximise...

Debate and Discussion: STWC and murders of trade unionists

The run-up to Iraq’s elections on 30 January has seen an escalation of bombings and shootings by Sunni ultra-Islamist militias, groups whose leaders condemn polling stations as “centres of atheism” and the whole idea of elections as “pagan”. Although these militias draw support from Iraqis embittered by the brutality of the US/UK invasion and occupation, many of their attacks are against Iraqi political groups taking part in the elections, such as the Shia-Islamist SCIRI; against Shia as Shia; or against trade unionists and socialists. The militias’ campaign is reactionary. One of those...

Debate and Discussion: Respect Correction

One statement that must be corrected in Amina’s letter (Solidarity, 3/64) is Respect “takes no concrete stand in favour of abortion or homosexuality”. At Respect’s November conference last year, two motions were passed with overwhelming majorities. These included motion 38 which read “Respect opposes any change in legislation that restricts abortion rights, and supports a woman’s right to choose”. Motion 57 called for “an end to discrimination against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people”, “equal partnership and pension rights”, and “strong policies to tackle homophobia in all...

Debate and Discussion: Fairtrade - Rehearse our scripts!

I’m convinced by Paul Hampton’s argument about the ineffectiveness of Fairtrade as a way to tackle sweatshops (Solidarity, 3/64). I also find the Fairtrade approach distasteful: it emphasises what is different between people in the developed world and people in the third world over what we have in common. From our end, it sounds like “what can I, who have so much (including a fearful chocolate addiction), do for you, who have so little (no shoes on your feet, no roof over your head, and dirty, illiterate children)?” And in doing that it gives a fundamentally false picture of most people’s...

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