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No. In the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88 the West supported Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
And the why the Trotsky, etc “anti-imperialists” backed Iran under the Ayatollahs.That’s exactly what the article in the September Socialist Standard is about. It should be already on its way to you and other subscribers. Mine arrived yesterday.
ps. Reading paper books is good but I’m not sure what the scientific evidence is that reading books and articles online is not so good from a neurological view. But does it matter? Reading paper books is still better than reading them on screen.
Our campaign gets a mention in this report of the result:
Labour holds Tooting seat by 127 votes, denying Conservatives control
Of course I am. As it happens, there is an article on just that subject in next month’s Socialist Standard, the paper edition of which was sent out yesterday.
For the record, Labour won. For those interested in the vagaries of conventional politics another feature of this election is the collapse of the Green vote, from 14.4% in May to 5.1% yesterday. The Labour vote went up from 39.7% to 47.5%. Is the Green bubble deflating?
The percentage of spoilt ballot papers went up from 0.08% to 0.15%.
Just a passing thought. Rather ironic that a champion of paper should devote their time to expounding their view on the internet — instead, for instance, of writing articles for publication in the paper Socialist Standard.
Yesterday we distributed the last 300 of the 2000 set aside. We also held a literature stall outside Balham mainline and tube station. Both were filmed by a novice filmmaker.
While filming the door to door leafletting we came across a group of Labour canvassers (presumably councillors or would-be councillors — who else would canvass for the Labour Party?). They weren’t keen to be filmed and so the film won’t show them, but the exchange of views was recorded. Their main argument was that, in calling on people who wanted socialism to write ‘SOCIALISM’ across their ballot paper this risked letting the Tories win and so control the council. But this is to assume that such people would otherwise vote Labour which is highly unlikely and, in any event, Labour, Tory, Same Old Story.
We also found evidence that the Green Party had been leafletting in some streets in this part of the ward. The QR on their leaflet took you to a page with the Wandsworth Green Party’s 2026 manifesto. In it there was none of Polanski’s eco-populism and its wild promises to increase wages around and other leftwing nostrums. Instead, it was what the Green Party used to say before him — that the main problem was global warming and that measures (such as solar panels, insulation, less car use) should be taken by the council to shield Wandsworth from its effects.
The election is on Thursday.
This long article (see the translation above in #265492) is actually very good. Pity he writes “Marxism” when “Leninism” would be more appropriate.
Now, in threatening to impose secondary sanctions on states that continue to trade with Iran, Trump is risking a world trade war, seeing that China is a major trade partner with Iran. India, Russia and Japan won’t be too happy either.
On the other hand, the limits of “Great” America’s economic power might well soon be exposed.
Another 200 or so were distributed this morning in the Balham part of the ward, making 1700 so far. More could have been but we want to keep some for Sunday when a filmmaker doing a short film about the party wants to film an example of party activity. We are going to meet outside Balham tube/mainline station at 12 so we can be filmed giving out leaflets there and then putting them through letter boxes in nearby streets.
A further 500 were distributed yesterday. The Tories and Labour canvassers were out too. It is a vital by-election for them because, if the Tories win, it means they control the Council. The seat was held by Labour. So far we have seen 4 different Tory and 3 different Labour leaflets (and one Vote Green window poster).
Local online news outlet reports on our leafletting campaign:
It’s not going to be long before the media start talking again about “Marxist guerrillas” in Colombia. If their ideological pretensions are to be taken seriously they should be called Leninist guerrillas.
We distributed 600 or so leaflets inserted inside one of our general leaflets yesterday. We probably won’t cover the whole ward (no need to as we have no candidate) but will put a few hundred more through letter boxes before polling day on 27 August. Both the Tories and Labour have been leafletting too but none of the other candidates as far as we have been able to see. Just token candidates to keep their party’s name in the public eye.
SPEW, disguised as TUSC, contested this ward in May. It is difficult to see why as it doesn’t seem their territory with only 10 percent in “social housing”. In the event their candidate — Adam Powell-Davies, the leader of their student front organisation — got only 0.1 percent of the votes cast.
We met a real live fascist in the proper historical sense of the word. An Italian supporter of Mussolini. He showed us a photo of his father as a Blackshirt as well as a picture of Mussolini. He didn’t say who he would be voting for but there is no reason to suppose it would be RefUK as they are not fascists. Maybe he will write “Fascismo” across his ballot paper.
The first few hundred leaflets were distributed through letter-boxes yesterday. Here is what it says. It is designed to be distributed at elections where there is no Socialist candidate and has already been used in a by-election in Bolton and the elections for the new Mayor of Greater Manchester.
WHY WOULD ANYONE BOTHER WITH VOTING?
Can’t be bothered with voting?
Fair enough.
So let’s do this instead!We know, they’re all rubbish. Red, blue, yellow, green, whatever colour that other lot are this week. They all want the same thing: to keep things ticking along for the people who own everything while the rest of us graft for a living.
Not voting will look like you don’t care and these career politicians will use that as a mandate when the election is over.
Get down to the polling station. Take the pencil. And write SOCIALISM right across the ballot paper.
Why bother? Spoilt ballots get counted and published. Sitting on sofas doesn’t. It tells them, you’re not apathetic. It tells them you want the whole lot replaced, not just the faces at the top.
What we actually want: No bosses. No buying and selling of people’s lives. The factories, hospitals, land, the lot; owned by all of us, run for all of us. That’s socialism. Not state control. Not more welfare. Not reformism (tweaking the system) and hoping for the best. Actual common ownership.
None of the parties here are offering it. So don’t pick one. But don’t be silent either!
SPOIL IT PROPERLY. WRITE SOCIALISM.
for more information visit SPGB.NET
