The news in review
Algerian Independence
Before the last shots of the independence celebrations had died away, the new state of Algeria was engaged in a frontier dispute with neighbouring Morocco and the troops were being moved to and fro.
There was irony, too, in the political split between deputy prime minister ben Bella and his nominal chief ben Khedda. One of the supremely aggravating factors in the French suppression of Algeria was the power of the occupying army, and the use which was made of it by the political and economic interests which stood for French Algeria.
Of all people, ben Bella should have learnt a lesson from this. Yet in his power struggle he has recruited the Algerian Nationalist Army to his side and at one stage seemed about to use it in an attempted coup.
No hint was given by the Algerian nationalist leaders during the fighting that this might be the outcome of the bloodshed.
They promised much fairer times. Events have shown that Algeria will do its best to become a no nonsense capitalist state.
Now that the FLN has won, what can we look forward to?
Already, the new state is feeling its way in the international rivalries of capitalism. Mr. ben Bella’s policy of free alignment with any country which will play along with Algeria’s economic development promises to provide one of the political divisions of the future.
It is matter of time before the Algerian workers are told that it is up to them to work harder and to make sacrifices in the interests of the people who will really own the country.
The spurious idealism and the promises of the days of the revolution will be forgotten as the new Algeria struggles to take its place among the other capitalist nations.
And sooner or later there will be another Algeria to fill the headlines with horror. At the moment the slate is almost clean, but capitalism will throw up other colonial wars. Or worse.
Beeching’s Cuts
The axe man cometh.
This year’s report from the British Transport Commission indicated where the proposed cuts in rail services are likely to fall.
The Newport to Brecon line, for instance, in South Wales. Here, said Transport Minister Marples, a statistical half-man is being carried for one hundred and seven miles by a 160 ton train—about equal to a five-ton crane lifting a bottle of beer.
“It would pay us,” he said, “to give that man a car and close the line.”
That is the yardstick which the Beeching inquiry has had to use. Not: Is it useful? but: Does it pay? Some of the Commission’s undertakings can answer yes to this question. London Transport pays. British Road Services and the docks have increased their receipts.
Only the railways—and only some parts of them at that—fail utterly to conform to capitalism’s law of existence: Does it pay?
Mr. Marples is not alone in his recognition of this law. Labour Party spokesman George Strauss said, when the House of Commons were debating the Transport Commission’s report, that the railway losses gave people the impression that what he called “publicly owned” transport was a failure.
Mr. Strauss has his definition of a failure, and of a success. The report showed, he said, that the reverse was true because all the services except the railways and the inland waterways had made a profit.
Both Tories and Labour are united in the opinion that to succeed nationalised industry must make a profit. Which means they agree that basically nationalised industries are as much a part of capitalism’s economy as any private industry is.
One fact seems to have escaped notice. Removing the rail services from many parts of the country means that those areas are being left to depend upon road transport. This means that the government are virtually creating transport monopolies all over the country.
This is hardly consistent with the Conservative doctrine of what they like to call “healthy” competition. But really capitalism is impatient of all doctrines except one.
Does it pay?
Cold Comfort
Too late for the July SOCIALIST STANDARD came two noteworthy items of news. Minor in themselves, perhaps, they neatly show that the seriousness with which a person regards the housing question depends upon which end of the telescope he is rich enough to be able to view it through.
ITEM ONE: The London County Council reported that the number of homeless families in their care continues to increase and to set up new records as it does so. There are 803 such families now, involving over 3,800 people. This is the highest ever.
ITEM TWO : The Lord Mayor of Nottingham said that, on a recent visit to the Midlands Design Centre, Lord Snowdon had told him that the publicity given to the high cost of restoring Princess Margaret’s new home had not gone unnoticed. He would just as soon live in a small cottage.
To use that classical phrase: No comment.