London Eye
Active Member
From the Guardian article
This should be how Galloway and the left should be couching this dispute, but how is it that I'm not holding my breath?
No matter what is being said, this is about nationalism and its shady cousin racism, and the media - owned by the same boss class who have manipulated this, are quite happy to stoke the racist elements.
If this can happen with Europeans, what will happen when similar events occur with Africans, Asians and those from the Middle-East, all who have suffered for years through exploitation from the First World and who work in this country, if they are lucky enough to find jobs?
Despite the fact that it is about race, the mistake that polite, middle-class left always make is to tut tut at the workers's racist attitudes, who have every right to fear for their jobs and livelihood and who are having their worst traits magnified by those who know only too well how to do this.
I do not blame the workers for looking for a scapegoat. They have been manipulated into doing so, as all workers are. Suddenly I feel all Marxist (workers of the world unite etc). The problem is not Italian workers, or the British workers it is Italian and British bosses who are the same as bosses all around the world.
As the economic crisis deepens – and those of us who have studied it know who is to blame – we must remember that the majority of workers haven't the time to work out who did what to whom.
To those who say that the left "causes" the BNP to gain ground, I particularly detest this argument. The BNP will manipulate any sense of injustice to further their vile cause and vapid arguments.
But rather than this being because the left rightly cites racism and petty nationalism as a reason, it is more because the left is so divided, it has little time for the real fight (which MUST be against all bosses everywhere AT THE SAME TIME). And many in the centre-left are so ideologically and intellectually bankrupt and corrupted by the enemy, they cannot point to the real enemy, because they have been feeding off that enemy for years.
This enemy, who not only have led us to this financial and economic crisis, but have continued with bloody wars across the world, destroying communities and creating more anger, and using the media to keep people fighting each other and not the real enemy, has reached a point where their economic fantasy is being laid bare, and they are desperately trying to deflect attention away, anywhere but where it should be directed - at them.
Of course, we could sit around and discuss the politics and ideology and someone could try and sell a few copies of the socialist worker, and an anarchist could come along and say all socialists are scum, and then the People's Front of Judea will explain why the Judean People's Front are splitters, but the main point is that the coming economic depression (let's not piss around with stupid "credit-crunchie" names) will leave many manual, unskilled workers at the mercy of fate and resorting to desperate measures to protect their families, and both the far right and the right-wing Labour Party will seek to avoid blaming those at fault, while the far-left continues to bicker over ideological minutiae.
The far right will say it is about race. The Labour Party won't know what the fuck to say and will make up more spin, which will then be used by the unscrupulous to tar all those who believe in justice and who have a broad acceptance of the politics of Marx without being part of any ideological grouping.
So, it is time that links are forged throughout Europe to begin with. If it is true that Italian unions have spoken in solidarity with British workers (is there a link to that?) this is a good start. I always felt that the pivotal moment that could have stopped the war in Feb 2003 was when that fat cunt union leader (not Bob Crow but another one, forget which) threatened industrial action in front of 2million people and then went back on his word. A general strike would have stopped the war in its tracks, but even many who run the unions are part of the boss class, so the organisation may have to be outside the normal channels.
Nothing can stop the rise of mass action when it is about jobs, food on the plate and security for family. But in order for it to work the enemy must be correctly pointed to. It is not about race, it is not even about class as it is perceived (many who call themselves middle-class are going to be suffering too). It is about the "boss class" those who make and break lives with the flick of a pen, or button pushed to send an email or text.
They are the ones who need to be brought down.
Ok, OK, it's turned into some kind of "power to the people" rant. Maybe it was from the start. But it's what I feel to be the case now.
Workers of the world unite....an stuff...
This should be how Galloway and the left should be couching this dispute, but how is it that I'm not holding my breath?
No matter what is being said, this is about nationalism and its shady cousin racism, and the media - owned by the same boss class who have manipulated this, are quite happy to stoke the racist elements.
If this can happen with Europeans, what will happen when similar events occur with Africans, Asians and those from the Middle-East, all who have suffered for years through exploitation from the First World and who work in this country, if they are lucky enough to find jobs?
Despite the fact that it is about race, the mistake that polite, middle-class left always make is to tut tut at the workers's racist attitudes, who have every right to fear for their jobs and livelihood and who are having their worst traits magnified by those who know only too well how to do this.
I do not blame the workers for looking for a scapegoat. They have been manipulated into doing so, as all workers are. Suddenly I feel all Marxist (workers of the world unite etc). The problem is not Italian workers, or the British workers it is Italian and British bosses who are the same as bosses all around the world.
As the economic crisis deepens – and those of us who have studied it know who is to blame – we must remember that the majority of workers haven't the time to work out who did what to whom.
To those who say that the left "causes" the BNP to gain ground, I particularly detest this argument. The BNP will manipulate any sense of injustice to further their vile cause and vapid arguments.
But rather than this being because the left rightly cites racism and petty nationalism as a reason, it is more because the left is so divided, it has little time for the real fight (which MUST be against all bosses everywhere AT THE SAME TIME). And many in the centre-left are so ideologically and intellectually bankrupt and corrupted by the enemy, they cannot point to the real enemy, because they have been feeding off that enemy for years.
This enemy, who not only have led us to this financial and economic crisis, but have continued with bloody wars across the world, destroying communities and creating more anger, and using the media to keep people fighting each other and not the real enemy, has reached a point where their economic fantasy is being laid bare, and they are desperately trying to deflect attention away, anywhere but where it should be directed - at them.
Of course, we could sit around and discuss the politics and ideology and someone could try and sell a few copies of the socialist worker, and an anarchist could come along and say all socialists are scum, and then the People's Front of Judea will explain why the Judean People's Front are splitters, but the main point is that the coming economic depression (let's not piss around with stupid "credit-crunchie" names) will leave many manual, unskilled workers at the mercy of fate and resorting to desperate measures to protect their families, and both the far right and the right-wing Labour Party will seek to avoid blaming those at fault, while the far-left continues to bicker over ideological minutiae.
The far right will say it is about race. The Labour Party won't know what the fuck to say and will make up more spin, which will then be used by the unscrupulous to tar all those who believe in justice and who have a broad acceptance of the politics of Marx without being part of any ideological grouping.
So, it is time that links are forged throughout Europe to begin with. If it is true that Italian unions have spoken in solidarity with British workers (is there a link to that?) this is a good start. I always felt that the pivotal moment that could have stopped the war in Feb 2003 was when that fat cunt union leader (not Bob Crow but another one, forget which) threatened industrial action in front of 2million people and then went back on his word. A general strike would have stopped the war in its tracks, but even many who run the unions are part of the boss class, so the organisation may have to be outside the normal channels.
Nothing can stop the rise of mass action when it is about jobs, food on the plate and security for family. But in order for it to work the enemy must be correctly pointed to. It is not about race, it is not even about class as it is perceived (many who call themselves middle-class are going to be suffering too). It is about the "boss class" those who make and break lives with the flick of a pen, or button pushed to send an email or text.
They are the ones who need to be brought down.
Ok, OK, it's turned into some kind of "power to the people" rant. Maybe it was from the start. But it's what I feel to be the case now.
Workers of the world unite....an stuff...
