Socialist Standard 2005 1212 Aug

7/31/2019 Socialist Standard 2005 1212 Aug

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Editorial

+he recent tra*matic events inLondon provide a poi3nantreminder o4 the depths o4 an3er54r*stration and o*tra3e simmerin3

beneath the o*tward demeano*r o4 manypeople who are leadin3 apparently normallives: ;hen s*ch e


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Gobody has yet proven that thise


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Hear Bditors\eadin3 the article GTalk abo*t =ocialismG in*ly's !ocialist !tandardM be3an to wonder inwhat5 and how many5 di44erent wayssocialists approach the ar3*ment o4 Gh*mannat*reG:

GPeople are nat*rally laEy 3reedy

a33ressiveG5 etc: ? how easily these phrasestrip o44 the ton3*e5 *s*ally be4ore the brainhas been p*t into 3ear: ren't we all at sometime5 in certain circ*mstances5 laEy5 3reedy5a33ressive M wo*ld s*33est we are all acomple< blend o4 G3eneral psycholo3icalcharacteristics5 4eelin3s and behavio*raltraitsG KConcise


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SocialistStandard August 2005

Yt's not hard to see military recr*itment3oin3 on: merican comic books have4*ll pa3e adverts e


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;hy is the Third

;orld always third;hy aredevelopin3co*ntries still notdeveloped5 whenthe ;est is doin3so well ;hy areso many o4 thempoor5 and have theyalways been that wayMs it A*st their 4a*lt look at history revealsa di44erent story5 andone which e


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Nll(i)(all:( it(ca))ot(.-(a+28-*(t4at8)*-+*-V-lo;1-)t(is(*8-(to(34i+*(Do+l*

co8)t+i-s()ot(J?-tK(-)`o?i)2(t4-(.-)-Oits(oOca;italis1:(t4at(t4-?(4aV-(1iss-*(o8t(o)*-V-lo;1-)t(.?(1issi)2(o8t(o)(ca;italis1034-(t+8t4(is(t4at(t4-i+(c8++-)t(co)*itio)(is(a+-s8lt(oO(t4-(+ol-(t4-?(;la?-*(i)(t4-*-V-lo;1-)t(oO(ca;italis10(NO+ica(a)*1a)?(;a+ts(oO(Nsia(a)*(So8t4(N1-+ica:,-+-(colo)is-*:(Oo+1all?(o+(i)Oo+1all?:(Oo+t4-(sa]-(oO(t4-(M8+o;-a)(;o,-+s:(,4os-+8li)2(class-s(2+-,(+ic4(o)(t4-(;+oOits(oOt4is(-U;loitatio):(i)(a**itio)(to(t4-(s8+;l8sVal8-(t4-?(-Ut+act-*(O+o1(,o+]-+s(at4o1-0(!PAUL BENNETT

this is not 3oin3 to happen *nder capitalism:The di44erent capitalist states into which theworld is divided have di44erent ? and clashin3? interests5 s*ch as have come to the s*r4aceover fyoto5 which they will always p*t 4irst:t most5 all that can happen *nder capitalismwhen a 3lobal problem arises is Gm*ch toolittle5 m*ch too lateG:

That the leaders o4 the capitalist =tates o4B*rope are A*st as willin3 Ki4 not A*st as 4rankabo*t it as *sh to p*t the interests o4 theircapitalist class 4irst when it comes toenvironmental problems was shown by aheadline in the Times the 4ollowin3 dayGB*rope drops 3reen a3enda to p*t li4e back

into ind*stryG: The article reported that5 *nderpress*re 4rom 3overnments and 4romb*siness lobbies5 the B*ropean Commissionhas p*t o44 proposals to deal with the problemo4 air poll*tionGThe shelvin3 o4 the environment strate3iesmarks a tri*mph 4or the ritish ^overnment5which has called on the Commission to stop

prod*cin3 re3*lations that dama3eb*sinesses: n impact assessment hads*33ested that the air?poll*tion strate3y alonewo*ld cost between S:Q billion and R:Qbillion a year 4rom !Y!YG:Bno*3h said:

!obody cuts myemissions

Sketch of a West African slave, c. 1887

Salisbury - carving up Africa


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Mn QX the Chinese Comm*nist Party*nder Hen3 iapin3 embarked onre4orms that wo*ld steer China'seconomy toward transition 4rom state?

r*n to 4ree market capitalism:=ince then China's ^ross Homestic

Prod*ct K^HP has 3rown by an avera3e o4Q:S percent per year5 4aster than any otherco*ntry: China Aoined the ;orld Trader3anisation K;T in Hecember !YY andnow acco*nts 4or Z percent o4 world o*tp*twith a ^HP likely to overtake apan by!YO and merica by !Y!Y5 makin3 Chinathe world's lar3est economy:

Q1o0oN/1 ho8e00e$$hThis prodi3io*s 3rowth is attrib*table

to 4orei3n investment that has *tilised theco*ntry's remarkably 'liberal' b*sinessclimate to e



Factory property wasalle3edly dama3ed and tenworkers were s*bseD*entlyAailed 4or Z years b*t later4reed when the company54ear4*l o4 reperc*ssions5 sec*red theirrelease:

Lon3?term disre3ard 4or poverty andthe impoverished pli3ht o4 workin3 peopleand peasantry may well pose a si3ni4icant

threat to 3overnment a*thority: The3overnment has been compelled toameliorate worker conditions and in someplaces *nemployment ins*rance hasimproved and minim*m wa3es increased5while cities have endeavo*red to increaseemployment ? 3enerally by o44erin3assistance to new enterprises to employred*ndant workers: *t 4*ndin3 is stillminimal and o44icial corr*ption widespread:

owhere is the contrast between richand poor more stark than in =han3hai5 a cityo4 million and the centre o4 Chinesecapitalism: Nere poor livin3 conditions5overcrowdin3 and poverty are Ga 4ar cry4rom the empty streets o4 the 3atedcomm*nities in the east end o4 P*don35where hi3h walls and a plethora o4 3*ardsprovide a sa4e5 ins*lar heaven 4or thoselivin3 within:G KChina Haily5 !X pril !YYS

ne o4 China's main weaknesses iselectricity 3eneration and the rapid increasein demand5 e


12/20SocialistStandard August 20055!

+he barrister and writer Brnest el4ort

a< KXSR?Q!S5 even tho*3h hewas a prominent member o4 the=ocial Hemocratic Federation and

had even been 4or a while in the =ocialistLea3*e with ;illiam orris5 wasnotorio*sly preA*diced a3ainst women5 evento the e


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and obvio*s propositions *nder theconditions proposed even i4 there were noshriekin3 crowd a3ainst which my voicewo*ld 4ind it impossible to contend:

M will enter *pon a literary debate onsimilar lines to that M had with radla*3h on=ocialism5 and shall be pleased to arran3e4or s*ch a disc*ssion: y weapons in thiscontroversy are 4act and ar3*ment and notill?manners and name?callin3 either direct orindirect: This bein3 so M nat*rally pre4er thewritten method5 when 4act and ar3*ment areGa*sschla33eben:G ? o*rs sincerely5

E. BELFORT BAX.To the above the 4ollowin3 reply has

been sent ?Green Street GreenOrpingtonNov 19 1895.Hear a


14/20SocialistStandard August 20055R

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;hen ^ordon rownboasted at last year'sLabo*r Party con4erence

that Gno lon3er the co*ntry o4 mass*nemployment5 ritain is now advancin34*rther and 4aster to 4*ll employment than atany times in o*r livesG he m*st have realisedthat he was 3ivin3 a hosta3e to 4ort*ne: rperhaps5 since he also claimed that Gno lon3erthe stop?3o economy5 ritain is now enAoyin3the lon3est period o4 s*stained economic3rowth 4or !YY yearsG5 he had del*dedhimsel4 that5 as the th*s sel4?proclaimed bestChancellor o4 the B


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NertE is 4airly well?known as acommentator onand critic o4

3lobalisation: *t*nlike some5 shedoes not even makethe pretence o4bein3 anti?capitalist: Mn herprevio*s book The!ilent TaNeo:er5she made it clearthat she wasadvocatin3 another

4orm o4 capitalism in contrast to a laisseE?4aire version that sidelined A*stice anddemocracy:

The book *nder review 4oc*sses ondevelopin3?co*ntry debt and itsconseD*ences5 not A*st 4or the Third ;orldb*t 4or 'advanced' capitalist co*ntries too:For debt and possible de4a*lts can lead todesperation and terrorism5 environmentaldama3e and 3eneral economic recession:H*rin3 the 'Cold ;ar'5 loans were o4tenmade 4or strate3ic reasons5 to keep co*ntries4riendly5 whether W= loans to Latin mericaor \*ssian and Chinese lendin3 to 4rica:The collapse o4 Bastern B*ropean statecapitalism bro*3ht a s*dden end to this5 withloans bein3 called in and new lendin3 bein3on m*ch less 4avo*rable terms: NertE 3ives a3ood acco*nt o4 many o4 the mechanisms bywhich lendin3 occ*rs5 s*ch as the roles o4 the

Mnternational onetary F*nd and ;orldank: any ;estern co*ntries have eYSH DML)KE)M)E'M> CJ>>

The RulinH ssess will certainly make yo*la*3h b*t5 on the other hand5 the tho*3ht4*lreader mi3ht be dist*rbed by the identity o4the people who have provided the *tterlyabs*rd D*otations that make *p the book's!O pa3es:

The cl*e is in the s*b?title G littlebook o4 political st*pidityG and the peoplewho have *nconscio*sly provided thest*pidities are prominent politicians the very'they' in that *biD*ito*s opinion that 'theywill uhave to do somethin3 abo*t it:'

eneath the am*sin3 pict*re on the4ront pa3e is a D*ote 4rom the redo*btable rohn Prescott5 The inister 4or Transportand c*rrent Labo*r Hep*ty Prime inister: 'Mwant to wron3 that ri3ht'5 says r Prescott:The book's editor5 =tephen \obins5 in 3ivin3Prescott pride o4 place5 so to speak5 sees theobvio*s h*mo*r in this partic*lar piece o4asininity b*t5 on the other hand it co*ld be aserio*s comment on the vicio*s

a*thoritarianism o4 the present Labo*r3overnment:There can be no do*bt abo*t the mental

state o4 the man whose absol*te pearls o44ri3htenin3 i3norance wins him top spot inthis collection ^eor3e ; *sh5 thePresident o4 the most power4*l nation onBarth and the man with control o4 the n*clearb*tton: ^eor3e's 4ather5 we learn 4rom his3enero*s representation in this collection o4abs*rdities5 was the eD*al o4 his son in themo*thin3 o4 verbal inanities: This red*cesthe present 3reat man to a sort o4 second3eneration idiot and perhaps poses theD*estion as to why the mericanestablishment5 which boasts a 'smart' bomb5

sho*ld a44lict itsel4 with s*ch st*pidpresidents:

The collection is well inde



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Fifty Years Agoencr*sted apathy: Like hi3h?class catb*r3lars5 they leave prominent callin3cards statin3 'the days o4 plenty aren*mbered' or 'yo* have too m*chmoney5' and later read o4 their e


18/20

Declaration of Principles!D$, d08larat$+n $, tD0 9a,$, +7 +ur+r&an$,at$+n and3 908au,0 $t $,al,+ an $=4+rtant D$,t+r$8ald+8u=0nt dat$n& 7r+= tD07+r=at$+n +7 tD0 4arty $n 5MN3 $t,+r$&$nal lan&ua&0 Da, 900nr0ta$n0dO

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Socialist Standard 2005 1212 Aug