Socialist Standard (est 1904)
Official journal of the Socialist Party a companion party of the World Socialist Movement
www.worldsocialism.org/spgb  100 years for socialism-> -> Standard Online->->Connecting with->-> socialists->-> worldwide       February 2005
Contents
Editorial Here
COVER STORY
Aftermath of the Tsunami:Querying "American Values in Action".
$350m for tsunami aid,.$150b for war in Iraq,just what aer the Whte House priorities?John Bissett examines US values in the global arena
Here 
FEATURES
Floods of Tears
  You are here
A 'Free'Press
Is it really possible to have a free press in capitalism,or will the' independant' media always and inevitably dance to the tune of vested interests?Steve Trott investigates   Here
Reform ,Revolution and the Left
  Most people can think of aspects of  capitalism that they'd like to change.Individual changes can theoreticallly be made,but does reformism work as an overall strategy for real change? Here
Should the Left consider Socialism?
Everybody's a socialist these days but only becaus the meaning has been taken out.Richard Montague looks at what's Left.  Here
A 'Socialist' Leader
Bertie Aherne calls himself the last 'socialist' in Irish politics,but the media don't take him seriously and neither argues,Kevin Cronin,should we.
Here
REGULARS
Editorial Here
Pathfinders Here
Red Snapper  Here
+ Newsflash
Cooking The Books 1...+
Cooking The Books 2...

Both on... ...Here
Reviews   
    Books Review  tv review 
Meetings...Here
50 Years Ago...Here
Greasy Pole...Here
Voice From The Back...Here
with Free Lunch

Floods of Tears

The undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean on 26 December, and the ensuing tidal wave or tsunami, have devastated many areas in South and South-East Asia. At the time of writing, deaths are estimated at 225,000, a figure likely to rise, with millions having lost their homes and most of their possessions, and disease likely to increase the number of fatalities. Across the world, people have watched fascinated as their TV screens showed dramatic shots of the tidal wave hitting coastal areas, only to be appalled by the resulting devastation.

Such catastrophes make many reflect on their cause and what this reveals about the world. The religious strove to reconcile the notion of a loving god with the apparent evidence of uncaring brutality. While science can explain how and why these things happen, mystics and other believers have nothing to offer but nauseating platitudes. The secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain opined that ‘People of faith need to have a very firm belief in God almighty… It is for the betterment of mankind at large.’ Of course he neglected to explain how the deaths of so many can benefit humanity. The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales was no better, saying that Christians ‘trust that prayers and belief in an omnipotent God will bring good out of seeming evil and senselessness’. But again he failed to suggest how this might happen. 
While natural forces were responsible for the quake and tsunami, it is at least possible that an early-warning system could have been installed, which would have saved many lives, but of course the issue of cost was a real problem. And its effects have been magnified in many places (in southern India, for example) by developments taking place (in the name of profit) right on the beach, thus destroying natural protective barriers such as sand dunes and mangrove forests.

The Aceh area of Indonesia has been one of the hardest hit. But little attention has been paid in the media to Aceh’s situation before the earthquake. Despite its rich gas resources, its people have been blighted by poverty and malnutrition, as these resources have been exploited for the profit of Exxon Mobil and the Indonesian government. Aceh has also been subject to military occupation for years, with assassination and kidnapping rife, since the government refuses to allow a referendum on independence from Indonesia and persecutes anyone who advocates this. The Indonesian government and army have taken control of aid supplies shipped in to the local airport, and are only distributing these to those who support them.

Of course socialism will still see natural disasters, since it will not involve any kind of ‘mastery’ over nature. But their effect will be minimised by sensible precautions unencumbered by the profit motive. Action to relieve distress will be unhampered by nationalistic and military considerations, and will make use of well-established regional and global frameworks for cooperation and responding to emergencies. It is clear that such disasters call for working together rather than against each other and provision according to need rather than ability to pay.

PB