ALB
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They are not Nazis, just Nasties. Meanwhile Biden calls a Russian arms dealer released in exchange for a basketball player a “merchant of death”. But what does that make him who’s been sending arms to keep the war going in Ukraine for free: The Father Christmas of Death?
Although the OHCHR can’t be regarded as an entirely neutral body, that extract confirms what I surmised — not all, not even a majority, of those in the “mass graves” were civilians fighting or helping the Ukrainian army to fight the Russian army (though some were), as the term suggests and is meant to suggest in NATO and Ukranian propaganda.
Their neutrality will be tested if ever NATO and its proxies conquer the Donbass and Crimea which would be bound to involve more mass graves and another mass exodus of refugees. But that’s the “war aim” that the politicians and the tame media are asking us to support.
The whole war is an example of the barbarity of capitalism. It’s an atrocity in itself.
Why do we have to accept NATO and Ukrainian propaganda about what is supposed to have happened at Bucha? “Mass grave” conjures up the idea of civilians being rounded up, shot and dumped in a pre-dug hole in the ground. But there are other possibilities of what happened. The mass grave could be filled with people who died in the crossfire, even some who died from natural causes, and who had to be buried quickly for health reasons. It could also include some armed civilians and scouts for the Ukrainian armed forces who were discovered and captured by the Russian armed forces and summarily shot. That would be a “war crime” but remember that at the time the Zelensky regime was irresponsibly urging civilians to confront Russian tanks with Molotov cocktails. And we know that the Ukrainian propaganda machine and Zelensky and his wife are constantly exaggerating and making things up.
I am afraid that engaging the Voice of Moscow here on this sort of thing is allowing him to land a few punches (besides distracting from the main aim of this forum).
The present British prime minister also believes in karma. He must regard himself as having led a very virtuous life last time to end up with so much money and as prime minister. And that all those in poverty must had been very bad in their previous life. Combined with re-incarnation, karma is a nasty and obnoxious doctrine.
The German plotters seem to have a different justification for not obeying the German state — that they owe their loyalty to a previous incarnation and regard the present one as illegitimate.
The IRA used to regard itself as the government of the whole of Ireland on the basis of elections in 1918 (which meant that Ireland was a military dictatorship) and presumably its various offshoots still do. Nobody else did but it was the philosophical basis for their violence.
You are right. Hallam sees his Common Sense in the 21st Century as a modern-day version of Tom Paine’s book, and says so explicitly.
This makes the political philosophy behind his justification for engaging in civil disobedience, ie not obeying the law, surprisingly old-fashioned. It’s based on the ‘social contract’ theory of the origin of government that underlies the 1776 American Declaration of Independence. This famously declares that all humans have “certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”
adding
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.”
Hallam subscribes to this myth that government exists to serve and protect its citizens and argues that, in not doing enough to protect its citizens against climate change, the government has failed in its ‘duty’ and, worse, has betrayed those they are supposed to protect. Hence their “natural right” to “rebel” against it — and Hallam’s strategy to overthrow the existing political regime and institute “new government”.
As you point out, this right to rebel was also (though for a different reason) claimed by many who took part in the riot on the Capitol in January last year.
I am not sure if the German Letzte Generation group use the same argument to justify their “rebellion”.
Letzte Generation is inspired by Roger Hallam, the chief ideologist and strategy of Just Stop Oil. Here is his view of how civil disobedience by only about 3.5% of the population can bring about “regime change”:
“We must adopt the most successful model for regime change shown by the social scientific research – the civil resistance model. This involves mass participation civil disobedience: tens and hundreds of thousands of people blocking the centres of cities to demand change. There are a number of tactical options, but the main process is as follows: • The people conduct mass mobilisation – thousands need to take part. • They amass in a capital city where the elites in business, government and the media are located. • They break the law – they cross the Rubicon. Examples include blocking the roads and transport systems. • They maintain a strictly nonviolent discipline even, and especially, under conditions of state repression. • They focus on the government, not intermediate targets – government is the institution that make the rules of society and has the monopoly of coercion to enforce them. • They continue their action day after day – one-day actions, however big, rarely impose the necessary economic cost to bring the authorities to the table. • The actions can have a fun atmosphere – most people respond to what is cultural and celebratory rather than political and solemn. After one or two weeks following this plan, historical records show that a regime is highly likely to collapse or is forced to enact major structural change. This is due to well established dynamics of nonviolent political struggle. The authorities are presented with an impossible dilemma. On the one hand they can allow the daily occupation of city streets to continue. This will only encourage greater participation and undermine their authority. On the other hand, if they opt to repress the protestors, they risk a backfiring effect. This is where more people come onto the street in response to the sacrifices of those the authorities have taken off the street. In situations of intense political drama people forget their fear and decide to stand by those who are sacrificing themselves for the common good. The only way out is for negotiations to happen. Only then will a structural opportunity open up for the emergency transformation of the economy that we need.”
This is taken from his 2019 manifesto Common Sense in the 21st Century.
There is evidence that in his mind the action started by Just Stop Oil at the beginning of October —and in Germany currently — could be the beginning of a movement he expects could rapidly bring about regime change.
In his manifesto he also declares:
“We should not make the mistake of thinking ‘the people have to rise’ in the sense of the majority of the population. We need a few to rise up and most of the rest of the population to be willing to ‘give it a go‘.”
I can see why the German secret police don’t take this seriously. Because it isn’t serious in the sense that it is not going to happen. Also because it is open and non-violent. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that the declared aim is “regime change” by minority action.
Added to the Harry Young Marxist Internet Archive article on the Labour Party’s 1945 election manifesto “Let Us Face the Future”:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/young-harry/1945/labour_programme.htm
It looks as if Zahawi’s comment might not have been a one-off slip but could have been the start of a coordinated campaign to discredit the RMT as Putin supporters.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/communist-and-kremlin-supporters-lead-the-rmt-r0cpr52xm
”the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, Sheikh Mansur Battalion, and the Separate Special Purpose Battalion in the Ukrainian army.”
Gangs of cut-throats (literally), fighting for Democracy, the Rule of Law, Good against Evil, etc, etc. But at least they are “our” cut-throats.
Incidentally, didn’t their sort as like the Ukrainian nationalists also fight for Hitlerite Germany in the Second World Slaughter?
There is another group in Germany that is seeking to overthrow the government there but not by means of a violent coup. They are planning to do this by the non-violent civil disobedience. But it is still minority action and so undemocratic. Like Just Stop Oil (who they are linked to and share the same ideology and strategy), they think they can overthrow the government with about 3.5 percent of the population engaged in such action.
https://letztegeneration.de/en/
The German secret police, however, don’t take them seriously:
https://amp.dw.com/en/german-last-generation-group-not-a-threat-to-democracy/a-63789202
With all these detailed and seemingly endless refutations of Russian propaganda we are forgetting Karl Liebknecht’s slogan that “The Main Enemy is At Home”. That means, in this instance, concentrating more on attacking the propaganda put out by NATO and its proxy in Kiev. It certainly means not using this propaganda to refute Russian propaganda.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/liebknecht-k/works/1915/05/main-enemy-home.htm
My virtue signalling: a NATO country must not be allowed to win the World Cup. If Russia has been excluded so should they have been.
Morocco have just disposed of Spain. Switzerland can kick out Portugal tonight. Brazil’s task to get rid of Croatia and Argentine to get rid of the Netherlands. That leaves England and France. The greater evil is of course England since they don’t want to hear any talk of peace. France can be dealt with at a later stage.
If you want to mix politics and sport ….
A rather more rational capitalist view than usual on the war and about how it could end and why it might have never started:
https://www.jns.org/opinion/it-is-in-americas-interest-to-end-the-war-in-ukraine/
