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Two London branch members braved the cold yesterday to leaflet the anti-Gaza war demonstration in London held in conjunction with similar events in 30 cities worldwide. There are now only 100 leaflets left at Head Office. We will probably need a new wording for any future leaflet now that the UK has joined in the war (supported by the Labour Party).
There was a banner from the Clapham Town Branch of the Labour Party. As this is the electoral ward in which our Head Office is situated, I gave them a leaflet and asked if they expected to be expelled from the Labour Party. They replied no and that they had been told they could by Lambeth Labour Party and said that the two Labour MPs for the borough (Florence Eshalomi and Bell Ribeiro-Addy) were there too. So maybe Starmer’s incoming Labour government might have a problem here with some of its backbench MPs.
Another of the leaflets handed out yesterday at the anti-Gaza war rally was headed “It’s time to stop Starmer”. According to their website they’ve really got it in for him:
Even stating:
“Is a Starmer government better than a Conservative government? No, it will be worse. It will be the end of hope.”
Labour as the greater evil than the Tories. That’s a variation on the lesser evil theme.
The leaflet is calling for “not voting for Starmer’s Labour or voting for a viable alternative.”
Showing that this is not a Tory dirty tricks site, the leaflet indicates support from among others, George Galloway and former Labour MP (deselected and expelled) Chris Williamson.
One of the publications handed out at the anti-Gaza war demonstration in London yesterday was by a new grouping called “anti-capitalist resistance” which seems to be a front organisation for “Socialist Resistance” affiliated to one of the many Trotsktist Fourth Internationals (the late Ernst Mandel’s, I think).
The front page full page headline was “Stop Israel’s genocide” while the back page’s one was “Defend Ukraine! Victory to the Ukrainian resistance”. Clearly they are picking and mixing which activities by “American Imperialism” to support and which to oppose.
But the worst is an article on an inside page headed “Ukraine: Russia troops, stop the genocide” by Fred Leplat, one of the leaders of “Socialist Resistance”, in which he gives advice to the Ukraine government on how to wage the war:
“Ukraine could make much greater gains against the Russian army if it were supplied with the weapons it needs.”
So, go on, President Biden, supply Ukraine with more weapons, push through Congress authorisation to spend and send more weapons to Ukraine.
“Ukraine could do much better in the war if it adopted a ‘war-economy’ like the US and Britain did in World War Two which put private companies under state control to produce tanks and planes rather cars.”
But why not go the whole hog and demand the the Ukraine government nationalise the top armaments companies under workers control?
Incredible! You’d have thought that an organisation calling itself “eco-socialist” might call for a “ceasefire now” to stop the Ukraine war’s contribution to global warming. But no, they want the war with its destruction and pollution to continue.
Some Trotskyist are more contemptible than others and “Anti-capitalist Resistance” and its sponsor so-called “Socialist Resistance” must be strong contenders for the title of the most contemptible. But they are up against strong competition from other Trotskyist groups that support Russia in this war.
More on Fred Leplat here:
https://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?auteur93
Why doesn’t Fred he put his money where his mouth is and sign up with other mercenaries in the Ukraine Foreign Legion?
I was watching Aljazera and the person being interviewed was Victor Gao:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Gao
I see he is a member of the “Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang” which, apparently, is allowed to exist in mainland China alongside some other minor parties. I didn’t know that or that there were Taiwanese of Japanese descent. You live and learn.
I don’t think that was very likely anyway unless the separatists were to be so foolish as to try what the nationalists did in Catalonia. Anyway they only got 40 percent of the vote and so wouldn’t have majority support for such an adventure.
Just heard an unofficial spokesperson for mainland China say that they regarded the election as a local election and would respect the result unless the new administration did try to breakaway. He seemed as unconcerned about the result of the presidential election as the British establishment was about the SNP winning the Scottish Parliament elections.
So unless the new president does a Catalonia it looks like Armageddon is off the agenda (not that it was ever really on).
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4405820-biden-says-us-iran-not-in-proxy-war/amp/
He would say that, wouldn’t he? Of course the US is involved in a proxy war with Iran and vice versa. Its asset in the region, Israel, has bombed pro-Iran militias in Lebanon and Syria on many occasions and has carried on raids and assassinations in Iran itself. The US has also bombed Iranian proxies in Syria and Iraq and now in Yemen.
It is possible that the old fool and ex-lesser evil (for lefties) does not know what a proxy war is as he went on to say that “Iran does not want a war with us”. Precisely, it does not want a direct war with the US. That’s why it is waging a proxy war, ie using proxies to fight. It’s the same with the US. It is fighting Iran’s proxies, not Iran itself.
The stake in this proxy war between the US and Iran is of course oil and trade routes.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-67954799.amp
Sunak claims that Britain bombed Yemen in self-defence. That’s absurd. Everyone can see that the US and Britain attacked Yemen on their own initiative but unless you want to violate the UN Charter, piece of paper that it is, you have to invoke self-defence to wage war.
Note:
“The strikes have also been backed by Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, who was briefed by the government on Thursday night.”
The Liberals and the Scots Nats, on the other hand, and, rather daringly for a Labour MP, John McDonnell, have demanded a vote in the House of Commons as the body to authorise a war.
I watched Israel’s defence this morning. Their arguments were mainly technical and procedural (South Africa had no right to bring the case, it had not followed the proper procedure, the terms of the requested injunction were flawed, the court has no jurisdiction in the matter).
They explained away the references to Gazans as “human animals” and the appeal to smite the Amalekites (one of the many tribes in biblical times that the Jews’ tribal god ordered them to kill every man, woman and child as well as their servants and asses) as understandable anger immediately after the Hamas atrocity of 7 October or as unauthorised statements by ministers not in the war cabinet exercising their right to free speech.
They also argued that, even if there were excesses in their military campaign, this wouldn’t amount to genocide which implied “intent” to kill members of a group as such, but only to a crime under international humanitarian law. A bit like arguing they should have been charged with manslaughter rather than murder.
Personally I don’t think they are guilty of “genocide” (as defined by the convention on the matter). They don’t want to kill off Palestinians just to rule over and oppress them.
Not sure what the International Court of Justice will make if it. I can’t see them ordering Israel to stop the war, but, to maintain their credibility, they will have to come up something. Some of the judges may feel embarrassed about the precedent they might have set in ruling in March 1922 “that Russia must ‘immediately suspend the military operations’ in Ukraine, while waiting for the final decision on the case.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine_v._Russian_Federation_(2022)
We will know within a few weeks.
The US and Britain escalate the war by attacking Yemen which has taken the Iran side in the conflict of economic interest between the US and Iran over who controls the oil (and more recently gas) in the Persian Gulf and the trade routes to get it out.
The weapons deployed were significant;
As we have always said, wars are fought over economic issues like control of sources of raw materials, trade routes, markets and investment outlets. This time the military action is over a trade route which has become more vital for European countries since they switched from Russian oil to Liquified Natural Gas from Qatar, a change made for non-economic reasons that they may be regretting.
Meanwhile, as usual, ordinary people in Europe will suffer in terms of the rate of increase of prices going up again. In Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and now Yemen they suffer death and destruction at the hands of the US and its proxy Israel and in Israel at the hands of a group backed by Iran.
Another addition to the charge-sheet against capitalism.
I watched South Africa puts its case this morning before the International Court of Justice about Israel carrying out “genocide” in Gaza. Pretty impressive. At this stage what South Africa is asking for is a sort of injunction to stop Israel from continuing what it is doing pending the Court hearing and ruling in the facts of the case.
South Africa had to make out at least a prime face case that Israel intended to collectively punish the people in Gaza. It produced plenty of evidence from Israeli politicians and military commanders that this was the case.
I can’t see how the Court can do nothing. Up to now it has granted injunctions against Serbia, Burma and Russia, even if to no effect. But these were cases where the US and the West were in favour. This time, it would be against America’s pet and a state supported by the West. Israel’s actions are more extensive and damaging to people and infrastructure than all that Serbia, Burma and Russia put together did.
If the Court let Israel off the hook then it might as well rename itself the International Court of Hypocrites. If they rule against Israel this won’t make much difference on the ground but Israel’s reputation will be in tatters, branded what it called the UN — “a moral stain on humanity”.
And this must be the talk by Comrade Skelton that you heard:
http://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2023/05/socialists-are-against-all-war-1981.html?m=0
That 1982 pamphlet can be found here. I am sure they will be a few copies lying around our offices if anyone wants one. Price 20p + postage:
There are plenty of other options short of war. What’s the issue — control of the trade route through the South China Sea. Why would China go to war over that? Why would the US unless China did something incredibly stupid like try to block ships going through it or try to invade Taiwan? But why would China invade Taiwan, destroying much of the manufacturing resources there in the process?
Relax, the apocalypse is not going to happen on 14 January. And if you think it is, go out and enjoy the last 5 days of your life. But don’t do anything too silly like spending all your money — just in case it doesn’t happen.
No, I don’t.
If you think capitalist states don’t want to avoid a world war, ask yourself why NATO and Russia are anxious to avoid a direct confrontation in Ukraine.
It’s the same with China and the US. Neither sides wants an all-out war because both would be losers.
Before TM jumps to the wrong conclusion, it wasn’t a missile:
