Nick Rogers’ Article, Horror Rare in Bureaucratic Reports, Ahtissari the Chair
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A paper of Marxist polemic and Marxist unity weekly Hard right readies for n Letters and debate workern Marxist crisis theory phase two of Operation n Turkey overextends Discredit Corbyn n ‘Lobster’ review No 1084 Thursday November 26 2015 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union £1/€1.10 LU leadership: Despite the Corbyn floodtide it’s business as usual 2 weekly November 26 2015 1084 worker LETTERS Letters may have been is tug of war rather than a civil war. under Left Unity’s feet. Hence LU is now more social democratic approach will not time and recall the words of the then under- shortened because of Pulling to the right are those seeking to facing an existential crisis of purpose as its be keen about this being on the conference secretary general of the United Nations, space. Some names merge with the Corbo-movement. The right right wing follow the logic of 1945 politics. agenda, especially as the motion calls for Martti Ahtisaari, who prepared a report may have been changed trend has been proposing various tactics, The Left Unity’s left wing has to re- the policy, if adopted, to be included in any on March 20 1991 on the effect upon Iraq from resigning and joining the Labour Party evaluate, redesign and realign as a smaller manifestos, ‘What we stand for’ statements of the most massive air bombardment Block vote to turning LU from a party into a network, to organisation with stronger politics, from or similar policy documents published by in history. In a period of four weeks, the There was a minor, slightly amusing, affiliating to Labour and no longer standing which renewed growth will inevitably the PA. But we shall see what happens on United States and its junior Nato partners fracas on Saturday afternoon at the candidates. Pulling to the left are those who come. If LU is not going to be pulled December 5. used more explosive tonnages on Iraq, a LU conference. We were in the middle recognise that politics has moved in that down Labour’s plughole, it has to make a Steve Cooke relatively small nation of 17 million people, of voting when teller Ben Lewis (of direction. A left turn means sharpening the sharp break with Labourism. Its survival Teesside than in the entire seven years of World War the Communist Platform) stopped politics and programme and drawing a clear depends on an ideological purge of all II in Europe, north Africa and Asia. proceedings. One of the members was ideological differentiation between Labour vestiges of Labourism: that is, social Not for profit In a language that conveys a dread and holding up six voting cards, he informed and LU. monarchism and left unionism. To put Comrade Nick Rogers’ article, horror rare in bureaucratic reports, Ahtissari the chair. Surely that was not on? Conference saw a concealed struggle it simply, Left Unity has to become a ‘“Revolutions in value” and capitalist wrote: “Nothing that we had seen or read Trying to use a block vote was between Labour and Scotland, which ended republican socialist party. Scotland has crisis’ (November 19), contains some had quite prepared us for the particular form none other than Leeds LU member with a good old British fudge. At the extreme- turned the improbable into the possible. interesting ideas on the subject. But I must of devastation which has now befallen the Matthew Caygill, who revels in right end of the spectrum was the call for LU Steve Freeman correct him on one point. He attributes to country. The recent conflict has wrought attacking the organised left within LU to become a pro-Labour network, securing Left Unity and Rise me a proposition he calls “Machover’s near-apocalyptic results upon the economic as “undemocratic” and “sectarian”. about 10 votes. At the opposite end was a proposition 4”: namely “Machover’s infrastructure of what had been until January Five of his friends had left conference resolution calling for realignment with the Armed militia implicit conclusion … that the LTFRP 1991 a highly urbanised and mechanised early to catch a cheap train back new Rise party in Scotland, which gained There was an interesting debate in last cannot contribute to an explanation of society. home and left their voting cards with 13 votes. The centre ground won the day by week’s meeting of Teesside People’s capitalist crisis.” “Now, most means of modern life comrade Caygill, who then attempted passing three resolutions with contradictory Assembly, with an outcome I certainly I must disclaim this attribution. I neither support have been destroyed or rendered to vote for all of them. messages. Left Unity would carry on as an didn’t expect. stated nor implied any such proposition. tenuous. Iraq has, for some time to come, This is, of course, the same Matthew independent party. But it would not stand The PA has called a national conference In fact, the article to which Nick refers - been relegated to a pre-industrial age, but Caygill who (together with his comrade candidates against Labour. “Left Unity for December 5 and each branch is ‘Saving labour or capital?’, October 6 2011 with all the disabilities of post-industrial Nick Jones) organised the division of gives up its fight with Labour” was how the invited to submit a motion for debate - was not about what he calls ‘LTFRP’ (law dependency on an intensive use of energy Leeds Left Unity branch on purely Daily Politics show headlined it. at the conference. And so, given recent of the tendential fall in the rate of profit). and technology” (UN report S/22366). political grounds. They found it In the last year the biggest challenge to the murmurs about armed-forces resistance This is evident from his explicit remark that The report describes the results of “intolerable” to continue working with ruling class was in the Scottish referendum, to a Corbyn-led Labour government and he does not think that “LTFRP is intended to indiscriminate incineration through the handful of Workers Power members which mobilised and politicised millions the speculation about a military coup in theoretically predict a long-term fall in the fuel air-bombs and weapons, which in Leeds and subsequently set up their and shook the foundations of the state. The Greece against a Syriza administration that rate of profit”. Since my article contained obliterated all means of sustenance for the own branch: Leeds North and East. referendum had its extended impact on the had (initially) promised to end austerity a specific refutation of what I described civilian population of Iraq’s major cities. Caygill also initiated a conference result of the general election and the defeat policies, I proposed that the Teesside branch explicitly as “the traditional Marxist Reservoirs and water pipes disappeared in motion (52), which, if successful, would of New Labour. It was the revolt against submit a motion advocating the abolition theoretical argument claiming to prove Iraq. Virtually all hygienic facilities were have committed LU to a McCarthyite New Labour in Scotland by the working of the standing army and the formation of that the average rate of profit has a long- decimated. Electric power ceased, leaving code of conduct, demanding that class in the ‘yes’ cities of Glasgow and a people’s militia under democratic control. term tendency to fall”, it cannot have been Iraq without the means to restore it. Neither members of minority factions “do not Dundee that gave the Tories the opportunity I thought it was important to make about what Nick calls ‘LTFRP’, which, as water nor sewage could be conveyed, as no promote the politics and practices of to defeat Miliband in England. the point that the capitalist class will he tells us, makes no such prediction. We pipelines remained, nor was there power to another organisation … in public, in So, instead of prime minister never respect the democratic mandate must have been talking about two different pump liquids. branches, in the open social media”. Miliband, we now have Jeremy Corbyn of a government that attempts to things, despite the verbal similarity. Civilian communications were Horrible, unacceptable, totally as leader of her majesty’s opposition. implement an anti-austerity programme By the way, my real view about the destroyed. Transportation for the population misdirected control-freakery. “A recipe The bigger picture has not impinged on and socialist policies - even one elected causes of the cyclic crises of capitalism - were obliterated, as were roads, bridges and for witch-hunts and a police regime”, as the thinking of Left Unity’s right wing. with majority support. It will use all which does not contradict the one proposed tunnels. Iraq, dependent upon imported Jack Conrad described it quite rightly in The strange aspect of the Left Unity the means at its disposal - legal or by Nick - is explained in my article, ‘Too food, lacked the oil revenue with which to last week’s Weekly Worker (‘Charting conference was its focus on recent events otherwise - to defeat any policies that big not to fail’ (September 5 2013). buy it. All refineries were reduced to rubble. our future’, November 19). Conference in England in the Labour Party. Perhaps threaten its privileges and power. Moshé Machover As the grain and food sheds and warehouses did not get to the motion, but I am sure that reflects a conference where 95% or I anticipated this would provoke an email were targeted and destroyed, there were it would have been voted down by a higher of delegates were from places such interesting debate in the meeting, but would simply no more foodstuffs to distribute.