alanjjohnstone
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A fuller description of the political party bans
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/3/21/why-did-ukraine-suspend-11-pro-russia-parties
“…the decision to suspend the parties follows a pattern. Since last year, the government has imposed sanctions on opposition media and some opposition leaders on a regular basis, without providing any convincing evidence of wrongdoing to the public…”
Started to read the PDF
Shame he didn’t know or mentioned the SPGB re-publishing of State and the Socialist Revolution, keeping Martov’s idea circulating.
As usual, the Party does not get the credit it is due.
His extensive bibliography refers to Tony Cliff and others like Monty Johnstone but it seems the SPGB does not deserve any reference. Par for the course for academics.
Perhaps a possible Socialist Standard review of the book and it being sent to him will bring to attention his omission.
While we welcome the reception Ukrainian refugees are given, this forum has also highlighted how different that response has been for other refugees. This article relates the difference in attitude.
To Treat All Refugees Like Human Beings, Europe Must Confront Its Racism
Two Years and Over 1 Million Expulsions
The China South Sea in the news again
It is why I drew attention to the case of Grozny
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Grozny_(1999%E2%80%932000)
No condemnation of Ukraine using civilians as human shields but actually glorifying the impending slaughter, as you infer.
DJP, is anything perfect?
It is surprising that my prefered choice to flee is one that resulted in a very different reaction from the hosts of the refugees than if I had been a Syrian. No razor-wired detention camp to greet me.
The historical analogy with Denmark and its surrender is relevant. You yourself raised the issue of pointless sacrifice and suicidal defence.
Remember Grozny in Chechnya should have been the watchword of Yelenskyy when he views his cities surrounded and shelled.
Shocking as it might sound but the Russians have been so far relatively restrained so what will the outcome be if Putin orders full scale bombardment.
We talk of the power of the people but rarely define it, much less exercise it.
I recall the Kapp Putsch was foiled not by armed resistance but as they would say at the time, folded arms, a general strike.
Just how do you occupy a country that refuses to cooperate?
It is easy for an enemy soldier to attack one another, but demoralising if he has to face women and old folk as opponents.
It requires a great degree of indoctrination, years of it, to dehumanise those opposing and even then it requires extraordinary extreme brutality to strip a soldier of humanity. Could the death camps have been built during WW2 without first the murder of Russian POWs in the millions?
We see it already happening in Kherson and other areas where Russians have taken over. Protests and demonstrations. If Putin’s propaganda convinced his troops they would be welcome and only Banerites will resist, how confused the ordinary soldier will be. Rumour has it many Russians are already sabotaging their equipment and if not mutiny, dumb insolence is being practiced.
During Tiananmen Sq. the local barrack regiments were disaffected and deemed unreliable, its commanders eventually replaced, and non-Han, non-Chinese speaking troops from the provinces were deployed instead. Ukrainian has the advantage, they can communicate with the enemy.
Well over 20 million Russians have Ukrainian family connections
Unless we do debate and discuss non-violence and civil disobedience, DJP, how can it be put on on the table as an option. An yes it is a pity that the only source is the pious wishes of pacifists.
Lost in the number of posts on this thread was an earlier one where I drew attention to an article that the Ukrainians had a non-violent alternative to armed resistance to the invasion. It is worth a read
The sacrifice and slaughter could have been avoided. For sure some may have still been killed, after all, only one side would have been committed to mass peaceful disobedience, but not on the scale that is happening right now.
As an ex-performer, Zelenskyy is proving to be a good communicator. He addresses each nation with what they want to hear.
When he talked to the British he evoked the memory of Churchill.
Now when he spoke to the Israelis he appealed to the emotion of the Zionists. He quotes Golda Meir with her words “we want to live, but our neighbours want to see us dead”.
It is not the first time he uses the hyperbole of genocide, just as Putin does. Nor is it the first time that the influence of the Banderites is relegated to irrelevancy due to their poor showings in elections and not the exercise power of their propaganda.
No more than many other mega-cities, AC
Mumbai and Kolkata are far worse for trafficked prostitution.
Most of the prostitution in Thailand’s sex-industry is voluntary and consensual arising from widespread poverty with the prospect of marrying a foreigner as a route out of it.
Similarly with the Philippines.
Michael Albert of Parecon fame
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/03/19/war-and-warring-thoughts-reasons-rebel
“Whatever the motive of this invasion, all people of good will and human caring, much less leftists seeking a truly better world, need to steadfastly oppose it and, in particular, to support those opposing it around the world, especially inside Russia itself. When we find we disagree about interpretations of what is going on, or even about predictions of where events might turn next, this should have no effect on our supporting Ukraine, supporting the Russian people’s dissent, and opposing Russia, opposing NATO, and opposing the U.S. role in this and in other imperial and otherwise destructive, anti-human ventures around the world.”
Once again, what separates ourselves from such statements is the demand that we should support Ukraine because they are engaged in a war of defence against an aggressor. This is the mirror of the claim of Russia, too, that it is pre-empting NATO expansionism and encirclement.
Motherland and Fatherland are the proverbial wicked step-parents
PGB, DJP will no doubt respond to you in due course but I think the blog when this war broke out back on 24 Feb reflected his view
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2022/02/another-war.html
“The World Socialist Movement is not concerned with the so-called rights and wrongs of this war, whether the niceties of international law were breached or if the sovereignty of Ukraine was disregarded…it is incumbent upon ourselves to affirm that not a drop of working people’s blood should be shed in supporting either side of this capitalist conflict of which bloc can claim territory as part of its sphere of influence. Whether it is the Ukrainian nation or the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, it is not worth the sacrifice of our fellow workers’ lives. Who cares which parasitic class claims to own which patch of dirt?”
Rather than stay and fight for the nation-state of Ukraine, many on this forum would counsel our Ukrainian brothers and sister to to flee to safety and live to advocate the socialist ideas that would put an end to the war and its accompanying brutality and atrocities. Our appeal would be exactly the same to the Russian troops and those Russian nationalists in the Donbas.
This may appear to be the pacifist position on the surface but deeper down we are saying that capitalism will bring about war after war because rivalry between countries is built into its essence.
The local colloquial name for Bangkok (a name derived from the French) is Krung Thep.
The full proper name is however:
“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit”,Which means “City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra’s behest”
The local colloquial name for Bangkok (a name derived from the French) is Krung Thep.
The full proper name is however:
“Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit”,Which means “City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra’s behest”
https://www.codepink.org/openletter_ukraine
Russian Troops Out of Ukraine!
Ceasefire Now!
No NATO expansion!
Peace Talks NOW!
