Socialist Fight Issue No. 7 Autumn 2011 Price: Concessions: 50p, Waged: £2.00

Imperialism faces its worst financial, economic and political crises since the 1930s—Page 22

Éirígí demonstrate against the British occupation of the six counties—and Martin McGuiness will welcome the Queen if elected President! Gerry, Ray and Liam Contents Page 17: The mathematics of the imperialist butchers’ terrorism Page 2: Editorial: The Three Principles for Revolutionary Re- Liga Comunista Brazil groupment Page 18: Letters pages Page 3: They threw down the gauntlet and Grangemouth sparks Page 22: Imperialism faces its worst financial, economic and shoved it down their throat! political crises since the 1930s, Statement by the Liaison Com- Page 4: SWP capitulates to the Unite Bureaucracy By A J Byrne: mittee for the Fourth International (LCFI) 15 September 2011 Page 5: The Hounding of Abdul Omer Mohsin by Unite the Union Page 24: The fall of Tripoli reveals the new global balance of By A J Byrne class forces, Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth Page 6: Abdul Omer Mohsin and the Terrible Letter By A J Byrne International 18 September 2011 Page 9: Build the Grass Roots Left on the London buses by Tony Fox Page 25: South Africa's Mini Revolt By Ret Marut Page 10: Report on the Fête de Lutte Ouvrière By Gerry Downing Page 26: Israel’s war on Palestine and the ‘Arab Spring’ By Ret Page 11: The Irish Labour party, austerity measures and lifestyle Marut choices By Charlie Walsh Page 27: Those who ‘howled along with the wolves’ and those Page 13: Marian Price detention illegal! By Michael Holden who took a neutral position on the war in Libya Page 14: Catholic Ghettos Erupt in Face of Orange Provocation Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth International and Police Brutality By C., Dublin 14 September 2011 Page 16: Facebook debate on the Anti-imperialist united front Page 32: The riots, the left and the sectarian By A J Byrne

Socialist Fight is produced by the SF Editorial Board. Signed articles do not necessarily Contact: PO Box 59188, London, NW2 9LJ, [email protected] represent the views of the SF EB.

,đoàn kết là sức mạnh, Jedność jest siła اتحاد قدرت است ., ,Unity is strength, L'union fait la force, Es la unidad fuerza, Η ενότητα είναι δύναμη ykseys on kesto, યુનિટિ થ્રૂ .િા , Midnimo iyo waa awood, hundeb ydy chryfder, Einheit ist Stärke, एकता शक्ति, है единстве наша сила, vienybės jėga, الوحدة هو ,unità è la resistenza, 団結は力だ", A unidade é a força, eining er styrkur, De eenheid is de sterkte ,אחדות היא כוח ,bashkimi ben fuqine

!Ní neart go chur le céile, pagkakaisa ay kalakasan, jednota is síla, 일성은 이다 힘 힘, Workers of the World Unite ,القوة Socialist Fight Page 2 Editorial The Three Principles for Revolutionary Regroupment

he 15 September celebrations of David the most degenerate and moribund Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy over the such as the AWL and Permanent fall of Colonel Gaddafi in Tripoli high- Revolution. To these youthful forces light yet again the crisis of leadership of now falls the mantle of revolution- Tthe working class internationally. Because this ary Trotskyism, they must now was the end sought by the majority of the left expose and defeat the class com- groups, this was their ‘revolution’ this was the promisers and the nationalist chau- outcome they wished for. As we write the brave vinists and fight for the interna- soldiers of the Libyan national army are fighting tional revolutionary leadership of the NATO-rebel forces with outrageous courage. the working class. Imperialism has robbed Libyan oil and they are And we have now a force in the celebrating complete neo-colonial domination of trade unions which aims to organise the country. And still the slaughter goes on with the isolated leftist militants and the the support of renegades from Trotskyism of sections of the workers who want A girl holds a picture of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi dur- Workers Power, the SWP, the SP, the AWL and to fight under its umbrella; the ing a pro-government rally in the Gaddafi hometown of Sirte. the rest. This in the midst of the worst economic, Grass Roots Left. It has enormous “mounting concern over the humanitarian situation in the city social and political crisis since the 1930s. potential as opportunities will ap- (of Sirte)” not from the savage NATO bombing which is slaugh- This war to ‘protect the lives of civilians’ has cost pear everywhere; it must pick up tering thousands but from NATO reports that “Gaddafi forces the lives of at least 30,000 people and 50,000 that fallen flag of workers’ fight- (in the city) are endangering “hundreds of families!!” wounded, according to the TNC health minister back. For that reason we quote here from both Lenin Naji Barakat. Half the total are Gaddafi’s coura- The political and industrial go hand in hand. We and Trotsky to demonstrate that the war on geous troops, about 2,000 rebel troops and the must tackle the first in order to advance the Libya and the fight against the TU bureaucracy in remaining 13,000 or so civilians. second. In order to begin the regroupment proc- Britain can only be conducted by the United The Guardian’s Ian Black and Chris Stephen, in ess we need agreement on two fundamental Front and Transitional Programme method – In an article of unbelievable hypocrisy on 26 Sep- principles and agreement to begin the discussion defending the United Front Lenin quoted from tember, reported that there was “mounting on the third position. the German ultra lefts in Left Wing Communism: concern over the humanitarian situation in the 1. The principle that we are for the defeat of our "All reversion to parliamentary forms of struggle, city (of Sirte)” not from the savage NATO bomb- own ruling class and its NATO-rebels agents in its which have become historically and politically ing which is slaughtering thousands but from war on Libya obsolete, must be emphatically rejected" This is NATO reports that “Gaddafi forces (in the city) said with ridiculous pretentiousness (says Lenin), are endangering “hundreds of families!!”.” 2. We are for rank-and-file-mobilisation and and is patently wrong. “Reversion" to parliamen- These lying scoundrels of the mass media and organisations; tarianism, forsooth! Perhaps there is already a pro-imperialist politicians right into the ranks of “in the trade unions to should always strive not Soviet republic in Germany? It does not look like the leadership of the majority of the far left only to renew the top leadership of the trade it! How, then, can one speak of "reversion"? Is groups are prepared to lie and cover up for this unions, boldly and resolutely in critical moments this not an empty phrase? slaughter in the hope of benefiting materially or advancing new militant leaders in place of rou- politically from the booty robbed from Libya. Trotsky also opposed this wrong ultra-left tine functionaries and careerists; but also to method internationally against Imperialism: This is a measure of is the political collapse of create in all possible instances independent mili- the far left into the arms of the trade union tant organizations corresponding more closely to “The only salvation of the workers and peasants bureaucrats. The chief manifestation of this is the problems of mass struggle in bourgeois soci- of China is to struggle independently against the the SWP’s capitulation to the Unite Bureaucracy. ety; not stopping, if necessary, even in the face two armies, against the Chinese army in the The SWP have implicitly agreed no longer to of a direct break with the conservative apparatus same manner as against the Japanese criticise the ‘left-wing General Secretary’ of of the trade unions.” Trotsky – The Transitional army” (say his ultra-left opponents). And Trotsky Unite as the price of retaining their places on the Programme, 1938. explains “to participate actively and consciously Unite Executive and the SP and the AWL have in the war does not mean ‘to serve Chiang Kai- 3. The third position, on which agreement is not indicated that they had already made that politi- shek’ but to serve the independence of a colonial necessary to begin with, is the relationship to cal grovel by agreeing that the mild SWP criti- country in spite of Chiang Kai-shek. And the the Labour party. Is the Labour party still a bour- cism of the British Airways betrayal by Unite (no words directed against the Kuomintang are the geois workers party and by extension do bour- details of the protracted machinations by Simp- means of educating the masses for the over- geois-workers parties internationally exist in son et al to isolate the dispute and to frustrate throw of Chiang Kai-shek. In participating in the large numbers? This discussion cannot be the strike votes) was ‘ultra-left’. The terrible tale military struggle under the orders of Chiang Kai- avoided because it concerns the method behind of how this left Abdul Omer Mohsin isolated and shek, since unfortunately it is he who has the the theory of the United Front and Trotsky’s facing eviction with a serious heart attack threat- command in the war for independence—is to Transitional Programme – how do small groups ening because of acute stress is just one of the prepare politically the overthrow of Chiang Kai- of revolutionaries relate to the mass of the most visible consequences of that collapse. shek... that is the only revolutionary policy”. working class Labour voters? That would a very depressing scenario – whole- So here is Trotsky in 1937 elaborating a policy Socialist Fight’s Where we Stand document says, sale collapse of the left in supporting their own not only of critical (but not political) support for “The emancipation of the working classes must capitalist class in a war on Libya and wholesale left bourgeois nationalist government of Chiang be conquered by the working classes themselves. collapse before the TU bureaucracy on the aus- Kai-shek by participation in his army in the war The struggle for the emancipation of the working terity measures. But of course that is not the against Japanese Imperialism. That is the class means not a struggle for class privileges whole story. Within the ranks of almost every method we must use in our fight against the TU and monopolies but for equal rights and duties group that betrayed the class by their stance on bureaucracy as well as against the war-mongers and the abolition of all class rule”. Libya oppositions have emerged – apart from in of the right.

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 3 They threw down the gauntlet and Grangemouth sparks shoved it down their throat!

other trades would make that more likely. So Class Struggle inundate Bernard McAulay with emails, ber- [email protected] demanding a rotests in the building industry have date for the ballot. And don’t wait until the end of broken out are over the threat by eight December, Mr McAuley. major Joint Industry Board (JIB) contrac- Of course we want a ballot but we can’t afford to p tors to withdraw from the nationally sit back and wait or it will be too late and we will negotiated agreement by March 2012. Paving the be on £10 .50 an hour. So we must force the issue way for hourly rates to be slashed by up to 35% and spread these actions across the country. Lets and de-skilling of the electrical industry. step it up a gear: blockades, occupations traffic In the battle to protect the JIB agreement from jams, until an agreement has been reached. being ripped up five of the eight have upped the It is imperative that everyone joins Unite and elect stakes. Balfour Beatty, Crown House Technologies, stewards. Make sure stewards off the sites, once Workers protesting outside Blackfriars Station Spie Matthew Hall, Shepherd Engineering Services elected, meet area officials from Unite before any and NG Bailey have issued Unite with legal notice means that they will continue protesting up to meeting with your employer. Unite officers only Christmas and beyond if necessary. Indeed of their intention to dismiss, by giving the legally meet with the employers when all stewards are required 90 day notice to thousands of employees plans are being made to get round all the sites present. None of this ‘we meet the employer, sort where one of the eight is working. before re-engaging them on inferior contracts on out a deal and tell you to accept it’ crap. December 7th. Balfour Beatty’s Blackfriars Station That set up must come to an end, its totally un- So answering the TUC’s call this week for “Civil democratic it may have been Hardacres style but On Wednesday 24th August 2011, 200 electri- Disobedience” against the cuts, on Wednesday we he’s gone. Democracy is vital, a settlement on the cians protested outside Balfour Beatty’s Black- obliged, and the action kicked off across the coun- rank and files terms is the only honourable settle- friars Station construction project in the first of try. At the Grangemouth site in Scotland, sparks ment. We are fighting for our futures and the many. and Pipe-fitters working for BBES voted to walk off future generations. Demand these basic trade the job marking a major advance in our struggle Alan Keys said, “What a great turn out and this union principals from Unite no sell-outs we can is just the beginning now let’s push on. We can against de-skilling and the vicious attacks on JIB and will win this dispute. Unity is strength! agreement. Also in Scotland sparks protested at win this battle and turn over the 8 firms who the Faslane site. London Olympic site have threatened to pull out of JIB agreement we’ve done before and we can do it again. The In London 150 protested at the Olympic site, In the week that the TUC meet in London unof- last time the electrical contractors attempted to blocked the main gate and then marched to the ficial protests by electricians and fitters at high cut wages by de-skilling the electrical trade was A12 main road and blocked the highway in to profile construction sites are spreading across 1999 which led to coordinated strikes on the Stratford for 20 mins causing a major traffic jam the country. Jubilee Line, Royal Opera House, Pfizers and eventually PC plod moved us on but it certainly This morning at 6.30 am, rank and file Unite and projects across the UK. caught the public attention which is great. other union members are holding a protest at The disputes sparked off because 8 major elec- Manchester chipped in with a protest at the BBES the prestigious London Olympic site in Stratford, trical contractors announced withdrawal from Papermill site. It all amounted to another fantastic Pudding Mill Lane. This spot was deliberately the Joint Industry Board (JIB). They are Bailey day of rank-and- file activity but, the 8 have de- singled out to put the employers under the Building Services, Balfour Beatty Engineering clared war and 5 of them are going for a rout by spotlight. Services, Tommy Clarke, Crown House Technolo- issuing the December 7th deadline letters. The Over the last few weeks hundreds of workers gies, Gratte Brothers, MJN Colston, SES and SPIE rank-and- file workers on these site must respond have been targeting sites in London, however, Matthew Hall. by downing tools and walking off site. in an escalation of the dispute, last Wednesday Taking the piss or what, last year the chief ex- Unite are slowly getting involved, 2 officials were saw simultaneous demonstrations in London, ecutive of Balfour’s gave himself an 8% pay rise at Olympic protest, while we welcome the support Newcastle and Manchester. yet for us they propose 3 new grades for electri- let’s be wary of a takeover followed by sell outs. There is clearly a lot of anger and electricians cians: metalworker £10.50 per hour, Wiring £12, This is a rank-and- file dispute and it’s our futures won’t stand for it, these rank and file, grass Terminating £14. The current electricians JIB that at are at stake. Unite has told employers that roots protests will only get bigger. rate is £16.25 per hour across the board. For the these bullying tactics will lead to a sharp deteriora- worst hit it’s a 35% pay cut coupled with major Future meetings to organise protests are being tion in industrial relations on major sites up and changes to other terms and conditions. down the country, putting into jeopardy the ability planned in Hull, Cardiff and Liverpool as well as of companies to deliver projects on time and in Scotland where it will see its first demonstra- There is a lot of anger and electricians won’t within budget. Unite has called on eight break- tion at the Grangemouth oil refinery near Glas- stand for it, these rank and file, grass roots away construction companies, who are imposing gow on Wednesday. Interestingly, up to now protests will only get bigger and we will be pro- semi-skilled grades into the mechanical and elec- Unite the union has kept away from protests testing at major sites across the country until trical sector, to ‘pull back from the brink’ before although an officer from London did show up at the employers change their minds. industrial relations deteriorates to harmful levels. the most recent demo. This was only the start of the campaign: Bernard McAulay, the National Officer has said: One of the organisers, Alan Keys said: There are also demos being planned for every “These rogue employers should pull back from the Wednesday in the North West. The fight will be brink as their attack on workers’ skills, pay and “It was great to see one of our officials at the tough, together united we will win. terms and conditions is causing widespread anger Shard, a real boost for the protestors. All being among workers”. well, Unite will get behind its members and Reports from organise a ballot for industrial action” Words are fine but Unite needs to be put under Unite Construction Rank and File pressure to negotiate a proper deal for us. A ballot He went on to say that whatever happens the for strike action of all electricians, pipe-fitters and obvious anger of rank-and- file union members

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 4 SWP capitulates to the Unite Bureaucracy By A J Byrne: How the SWP sold its soul to the bogus left front for the Unite bureaucracy, the United Left.

he BA offer to its cabin crew, as recom- stop ‘destabilising’ Ed Miliband’s leader- mended by the Unite union, was in- ship?” deed terrible and represented a defeat To which Newman replied: “Correct. The for those workers. Sadie Robinson’s left’s job is broadly to support Ed Mili- TSocialist Worker article, ‘BA workers should band against the threat of the Blairite reject shoddy deal’, was entirely correct to point right; and certainly John McDonnell has out the unacceptable features. shown a lack of tactical judgement, de- These included “employing workers on lower spite his many admirable qualities.” pay and worse conditions”, the job cuts im- But what of Andy’s very pertinent ques- posed in November 2009 remaining in place, no tion to the SWP? - “... if they cannot act guarantee that sacked workers will be rein- in a disciplined way to defend the left stated, the promise by Unite not to support any leadership of the union, then why are member bringing legal action against BA, the they in the United Left? Correct me if I below-inflation pay offer for 2011-12 and 2012- am wrong, but don’t the SWP owe their 13 too. Comrade Robinson went on to add: places on the exec to their being part of “Allowing scab labour makes the current deal the United Left slate? In which case they worse than previous ones” (Socialist Worker would seem to be having their cake and May 21). eating it. More generally though, I feel The reaction to the article of the union’s United there is a definite loss of patience with Left was predictable: coming out in defence of the ultra-left in the unions now, as we are “our left general secretary” against the “ultra- gearing up for very serious challenges, left” Socialist Workers Party. Nonetheless, some and can do without the infantile cho- aspects of the letter from UL chair Martin Mayer rus” (www.socialistunity.com/?p=8170). and secretary Paul Birkett were shocking in their The SWP met in Birmingham on June 4 to refusal to countenance any criticism of the un- decide what to do. It had already written ion leadership. Referring to the Socialist Worker a grovelling letter to apologise for the article, they claimed it “caused offence by im- article; now it was time to make its posi- plicitly criticising our left general secretary, Len Andy Newman, “...if they (the SWP) cannot act in a tion clear. After all, even the Socialist disciplined way to defend the left leadership of the McCluskey, ... for recommending this ‘terrible Party and Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, deal’” (unitedleft.org.uk). union, then why are they in the United Left? Correct having previously semi-defended the me if I am wrong, but don’t the SWP owe their places The UL has become an open tool of bureaucratic SWP for fear of the consequences for on the exec to their being part of the United Left? “ oppression of all militants within the union to themselves of a full-scale anti-left witch- the unprincipled manoeuvres of the top bu- hunt, were now saying that the reasonable has published no further articles on the BA deal reaucracy. Rank-and-filers everywhere can only article by Sadie Robinson, with which no serious and in any case Sadie Robison was not a mem- react with revulsion to such a position. militant could disagree, was over the top and ber of the SWP Unite caucus, which therefore should not be blamed for her article. The letter from Mayer and Birkett ended with a ultra-left. clear threat: “... our BASSA reps are saying they Note that it was the UL national coordinating I hear the discussion at the NCC went something do not now wish to attend United Left meetings committee (NCC) which was to take the expul- like this: if SWP members are present ... We therefore sion decision: the UL as a whole could not be ‘But you did sell that issue outside the caucus invite comments and views especially from trusted. The members had refused to go along meeting, didn’t you, comrades, implying you United Left regions ... on what United Left with the previous attempt to expel the SWP agree with your newspaper’s line on the BA should do with regards to acceptance of SWP over its support for Jerry Hicks in last year’s dispute? Say sorry and promise never to do it members within our organisation.” general secretary election and there was a clear again.’ ‘We promise, we promise. Please don’t When Andy Newman posted the letter on his danger that Mayer and Birkett (read McCluskey) expel us, sir!’ Socialist Unity website on May 27, he managed would lose again if they took the matter to the UL membership. ‘On probation then. Your last chance. But the not only to demand that all criticism and opposi- next time an ultra-left SWP militant attacks tion to McCluskey cease within Unite, but that In the end the SWP decided to send Gill George, some Unite bureaucrat you are gone.’ we must all get behind Ed Miliband in the La- one of its most prominent rightwingers, to the bour Party - left reformists like Jeremy Corbyn NCC - some have joked that the SWP was think- So the effect of the UL intervention in the inter- and John McDonnell should cease their opposi- ing of sending her partner, the even more right- nal politics of the SWP has been to reverse the tion to him. wing Pete Gillard. Both had argued passionately defeat the leadership suffered last year, when its Unite caucus eventually voted by 25 votes to The following comment thread showed where (but ultimately unsuccessfully) against support- ing comrade Hicks at the SWP Unite caucus in five to support Jerry Hicks - the leadership had this cowardly capitulation is leading. ‘E’ ended wanted to back McCluskey in order to keep in his remarks with a question to Newman: “The 2010 (see my article, ‘Jane Loftus syndrome’ Weekly Worker August 26 2010). the UL’s good books. Now Gill George is in prac- logic of this would surely be that nobody on the tice back in charge of the caucus. Labour left should criticise Ed Miliband, for the Comrade George obviously gave the NCC simple reason that the Parliamentary Labour enough assurance regarding the SWP’s future But we cannot just mock the SWP. The Grass Party is so rightwing that no socialist is likely to good behaviour to mollify the witch-hunters-in- Roots Left’s aspirations to build a genuine rank be successful in mounting a challenge. Is that chief and secure the lifting of the expulsion and file movement against all trade union bu- really your position? John McDonnell should threat. The argument was that Socialist Worker reaucrats has suffered a serious setback.

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 5 The Hounding of Abdul Omer Mohsin by Unite the Union By A J Byrne: Unite's inaction and SWP vacillation and the consequence of capitulation

bdul Omer, then a member of the “Why is it that each attempt by *Omer+ and Sudanese Communist Party, fled Sudan his supporters to raise these issues is met in 1977. Following the counter-coup of with manoeuvres, evasion and excuses to Gaafar Muhammad Nimeiry against prevent any campaign? As we face an em- Athe communist -backed attempt at power in ployers’ offensive that is leading to many 1971, SCP leaders were being executed and more attempts to attack our best activists at members were forced into hiding. Omer was sent BA and beyond, when is Unite going to stand to Britain for medical treatment following a strike by our reps, beginning with a campaign to on his behalf by students at the University of defend Abdul Omer Mohsin?” Khartoum. They collected the money needed for Omer had asked for Unite’s support in organ- him to go. He emerged from the plane weighing just six and a half stone and at death’s door. He ising a campaign to stop the union-busting at Sovereign, including a ballot for industrial had been six years on the run. action to win his reinstatement. But the treat- Abdul Omer had asked for Unite’s support in organis- Having joined the Socialist Workers Party, Omer ment that Omer has been subjected to is ing a campaign to stop the union-busting at Sover- was elected convenor at the Sovereign bus com- shameful, said Hicks. He went on to ask: “How eign, including a ballot for industrial action to win his pany - the only SWP convenor or shop steward in can we allow one of our best activists to be reinstatement. He is still waiting over 18 months later. London buses, with its 23,000 drivers repre- isolated, victimised, sacked and then left with sented by some 83 union branches. No other left minimal financial support and no official ballot not received the motions from the branches - group has had one since the mid-80s, such is the for action?” He pledged that if he was elected someone had apparently ‘forgot’ to forward rightwing, bureaucratic dominance and collabo- general secretary “defending the union and our them. “But I have a copy here,” Omer objected. representatives” would be “an absolute priority”. ration with management. “No, that will not do. I must get the motions in He was, of course, defeated by Len McCluskey. At a rally during the campaign for pay parity in advance,” claimed the hostile bureaucrat. So no July 2008, Steve Hart, then Unite regional secre- But the evasions and manoeuvres by regional discussion was allowed on the case of the sacked tary, said, to prolonged cheering: “We are saying industrial organisers at the behest of central convenor. that it is not right that the driver of a No13 bus leaders like Peter Kavanagh, Regional Secretary But worse was to come. Omer had spent £43 going down Oxford Street, employed by Trans- for London and the South East, and Steve Hart, getting to the meeting in Chelmsford despite dev, gets 18 grand a year and he passes the No25 now promoted to the new post of Unite Political being on unemployment benefit, so he presented from East London Bus Group on 27 and a half Director, have continued. For instance, they this expense claim to the acting chair at the end grand a year. How can it be right that two drivers questioned payments to Omer from branch of the meeting. The ignorant bureaucrat refused in the same street, driving the same buses, are funds; it took several months to find there was to sign the expenses sheet, saying Omer was not £10,000 different in their basic pay?” nothing amiss. a union member and should not even be at the But the campaign for pay parity launched by A letter from Gerry Downing to the Weekly meeting, as he had not paid his union dues since Unite was dropped as soon as Bob Crow from the Worker last month stated that the capitulation of he was sacked - what back-stabber went to the RMT agreed not to represent the 1,000-plus on the SWP to the United Left meant that “The UL trouble to dig that out? There was no question of the buses who had joined his union and the sub- has become an open tool of bureaucratic oppres- taking a collection to defray his expenses - as- prime mortgage crisis struck. However, Abdul sion of all militants within the union to the un- suming union rules were deemed to override all Omer took the matter seriously as convenor and principled manoeuvres of the top bureauc- natural justice in this monstrous way. Anyway, it negotiated a deal which eliminated the £4,000 racy” (June 23). We had less than a week to wait seems that other union rules were ignored: Omer gap in pay between Sovereign drivers and the for that dire prediction to be confirmed. When I should have been informed of the arrears much bigger London United garages, owned by visited Abdul Omer in Hillingdon hospital on July (around £15 at unemployed rates) before being the same company. Drivers had walked out on a 3, he told me the details. excluded from membership. No-one even told wildcat strike in Edgware over the imposition of him not to bother coming and so save the fare. The drivers at the two Sovereign garages of Har- new schedules, inspired by his leadership. They Omer’s house was under a repossession order, as won total victory. Such action has been very rare row and Edgware had just seen off the attempts of the bureaucracy to get them to abandon the his mortgage was almost three months in ar- on the buses over the last few decades. struggle to reinstate him by voting in a new con- rears. And the stress of all these manoeuvres got This led to Omer’s harassment by Sovereign. First venor. Both garages soundly rejected this at- to the old battler. He collapsed in Chelmsford he was suspended following an altercation over a tempt. Omer then prepared for the important town centre on his way back to the station and Unite Against Fascism poster. Then, following his quarterly meeting of the regional industrial sec- was taken to hospital. They said he had had a return to work, he was outrageously dismissed tor committee (RISC) on June 29 by getting the panic attack and discharged him. He collapsed for making allegations of institutionalised racism two branches to move motions demanding a again on the street in Harrow on Saturday July 2 against the company, when defending a black campaign leading to a ballot for strike action and passed out. They told him he had a heart member facing disciplinary action. After Omer’s (eventually!). They sent them to Steve O’Rourke, problem and was kept in hospital for two days. sacking on March 31 2010, the union officials the chair of RISC, and to Kavanagh. He also wrote The doctor said the most probable reason for his cancelled the agreement he had won on pay a letter to O’Rourke (copied to Kavanagh) basi- collapse was stress. If it continued it could cause parity, with the result that Sovereign were able cally complaining that his chances of mobilising a massive heart attack. He will have to be moni- to win the 251 route from Metroline. The com- the members and getting reinstated were dimin- tored regularly by the hospital and his GP. pany was very grateful to Unite for their assis- ished by the apparent reluctance of the union to The SWP has always argued that Omer must tance. fight for him. keep Unite the union onside; he must not alien- On November 16 2010 the online journal Perma- When he got to the meeting, neither O’Rourke ate the officers by denouncing their actions in nent Revolution reported a comment from Jerry nor Kavanagh were present. The stand-in chair public or they will abandon him, not represent him, and withdraw Hicks, candidate for Unite general secretary: said the case could not be discussed, as he had Continued on page 8 Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 6 Abdul Omer Mohsin and the Terrible Letter By A J Byrne: the further terrible consequence of capitulation is yet more arrogant reaction from the Unite bureaucracy

his is the text of the terrible letter from for London and South East, following Hart’s Peter Kavanagh to Abdul Omer Mohsin elevation to the newly created post of Political as posted on the internet by Brent TUC: Director Unite. T 8 July 2011 Now to analyse that shocking letter in some Dear Omer, detail: I hope you are keeping well. “I hope you are keeping well.” It has been brought to my attention that you We might conclude from the tone of this letter have paid no union subscriptions since Decem- that he was hoping for the exact opposite. It ber 2010 and are currently therefore in Arrears was clearly written to increase the psychological of £228.82. pressure on Omer. The Facebook post had de- tailed his very fragile state, having collapsed You will be aware that Unite has taken a deci- twice just over a week previously (on 29th June sion to support your claim to a Tribunal in spite and 2nd July) when he had been given the of advice received by our lawyers about the bum’s rush by S. Higgins, the appallingly brutal poor prospect of a successful outcome and even bureaucratic stand-in chair of the RISC at of the danger of costs being awarded in the Chelmsford on 29th June. Omer had previously event of losing. written to Kavanagh informing him that he was Unite has paid substantial amounts of money to suffering acute stress because of the way he you in terms of hardship. (Kavanagh) was treating him by the prolonged You will be aware that you need to maintain investigation of his branch over payments to him and the withholding of monies collected for your membership position if you wish the Union The Terrible Letter to Omer from Kavanagh to act on your behalf. Will you please therefore him using this excuse. This was a delaying tactic make arrangements, without delay, to forward which produced nothing at all except to defer by “You will be aware that Unite has taken a deci- your backdated subscriptions to the Member- several month the union’s ‘support’ for Omer. If sion to support your claim to a Tribunal in spite ship Register Department, Unite the Union, 218 he intended to push Omer over the top yet of advice received by our lawyers about the poor Green Lanes, Finsbury Park, London N4 2HB. again this had the desired effect. On reading the prospect of a successful outcome and even of You will also need to make immediate arrange- letter Omer suffered another panic attack with the danger of costs being awarded in the event ments to re-commence your membership if you racing heart and an ambulance had to be called of losing.” wish us to continue to support you. as a massive heart attack was clearly threaten- During Christmas 2010 retired Unison member ing. Yours Sincerely, John Tymon who had been Shop Steward, Hous- “It has been brought to my attention that you PETER KAVANAGH ing Convenor Branch Secretary, and finally Presi- have paid no union subscriptions since Decem- dent of Brent local government Union Nalgo REGIONAL SECRETARY (ACTING) ber 2010 and are currently therefore in Arrears met Omer and discussed his case. Tymon wrote This is surely one of the most terrible, spiteful of £228.82.” to Unite members and other trade union mem- and vindictive letter ever written by a trade As Kavanagh was the central Unite figure deal- bers involved with the case. "I have just made a union official to a victimised member. It is a ing with Omer’s sacking he was aware of when social call to Omer and I was shocked and dis- complete fraud, full of so many distortions, half he got sacked and that he had been unem- gusted at the way his case is going". Although truths and dissimulations that its message ployed ever since so should have been on un- Thompsons were given the case Tymon discov- amounts to a total lie about what has happened employed rates, which according to the Mem- ered that the most basic work had not been to SWP member Omer. bership Register Department when Omer en- done. Thompson’s Solicitor Ellie Reeves was It was obviously in response to the Facebook quired, means he owed £16.00 not £228.82. The appointed but not provided with the most basic post on Gerry Downing’s site “The Hounding of Facebook post said. “The ignorant bureaucrat information about the case, so that in turn the Abdul Omer Mohsin by Unite the Union” by A J (who we now know was S. Higgins) refused to Barrister could not be briefed for Legal opinion Byrne at 12.35 on that same 8th July (a version sign the expenses sheet, saying Omer was not a about the prospects. Tymon found Abdul Omer of this appeared in Weekly Worker on July 14th, union member and should not even be at the in very low spirits, he had tragically lost his only http://www.cpgb.org.uk/article.php? meeting (of the Unite RISC on 29 June) as he had daughter only months previously, he had no article_id=1004481). This contained the follow- not paid his union dues since he was sacked – money, had not eaten for days, he was at risk of ing sentence “Anyway it seems that other union what back-stabber went to the trouble to dig losing his home, whatever sleep he grabbed was rules were ignored; Omer should have been that out?” Now we know who that back-stabber in an arm chair between cups of coffee, he was written to to inform him of the arrears before was who verbally informed/instructed Higgins not sleeping for days at a time, and felt deeply expulsion”. This was the immediate response. to do the dirty on elected RISC member Omer. hurt as those he had supported for so long had deserted him. Tymon spent the next three Kavanagh’s career as a union official in the Lon- However he was so anxious to dump on Omer months with Abdul doing what Unite officers don TGWU suffered a bit of a setback when he that he forget to enquire what the records were being paid to do, but which they had was shunted to the margins of Docks and Wa- themselves showed; or did Omer not ‘officially’ grossly and wilfully neglected. He even had to terways under Bill Morris but returned to the inform them of his sacking so Unite did not chase up Unite officials to obtain statements limelight as Senior Regional Industrial Organiser ‘know’? The woman in the office had heard at from them. He listed the witnesses and ob- for the buses following the ouster of right- any rate but did not know she was supposed to tained statements from them. He typed Abdul's winger Eddie McDermott as Regional Secretary be so viciously bureaucratic to a victimised witness statements, which recalled detailed in 2006 and his replacement by the ‘left’ Steve member. No doubt she has been spoken to accounts of several meetings and events, which Hart. He is now the Acting Regional Secretary sharply to remind her of the proper attitude to take to troublesome leftists in future. he then sent to Thompsons Lawyers, who were

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 7 now seeing the full horrors of Abdul leftist individuals on the strength of the official Omer's case for the first time. He ar- appeal. Less than £500 was raised from ranged meetings for himself and Abdul Branches in his own region so that was all that with lawyer Ellie Reeves, and then her Unite matched from central funds. successor Jahad Rahmans, at Dagenham, However Unite had no shortage of funds when and finally met and briefed Counsel. it came to looking after one of their own treach- After three months of hard work they erous bureaucrats. The Dear Unite website and met and briefed the Barrister appointed a subsequent Guardian article shows where the by Thompsons to assess the case on 18 true sympathies of the union leaders lie, in their Feb 2011. This was the first proper legal own privileges: “It's just been revealed than ex assessment of Abdul Omer's case. Hav- General Secretary Simpson was paid £510,659 ing read all the information the Barrister last year. This was made up of £361,347 in sev- was convinced that the case was a win- The SWP’s call for a General Strike is an ultra-left pos- erance pay, £97,677 in gross salary, and more ner, but was worried that time wasting than £51,000 in housing benefit and car allow- tactics was weakening the case for rein- ture to avoid the fight against the trade union bureauc- racy, as Abdul Omer’s case shows. But at least they are ances.” http://www.dearunite.com/2011/07/ statement. So we are entitled to ask advocating industrial action and class struggle; both simpsons-golden-wheelchair.html. It is not re- which lawyers gave Kavanagh this advice recent splits to the right, Counterfire and the ISG, op- corded that Peter Kavanagh wrote a letter to which contradicts the barrister’s opinion pose this because they oppose the class struggle itself, him complaining of what he cost the union. So it and what are the details? not because it is an avoidance of the real struggle. is an outrage that Unite spends less than £500 Tymon commented "that any organisa- on a union militant to keep him going for a year tion whether Trade Union, or other organisa- the union did not believe it could win. As is and a half but par for the course when they tions representing workers that will stand idly by shown by Kavanagh’s letter above and their hand out £500,000 of members’ subscriptions in and fail to defend the very best of its fighters, actions Unite does not want him to win the ET a year to a useless bureaucrat who spent his life particularly when they are framed up, as is the or reinstatement by industrial action and have dumping on the membership! We will leave it to case with Abdul Omer, cannot lay claim to rep- put every obstacle in his path to prevent him the readers to decide who got the “substantial resent workers, and must be picketed and pillo- doing so. amounts” and who was in need of hardship ried, until they are forced to stand up and fight, As to the threat of costs being awarded against assistance. otherwise our task must be to rid Unite of such Unite, according to Emplaw.co.uk, “An award of When Omer came to that London Grass Roots cowards”. costs is especially likely if the tribunal considers Left meeting on Monday 11 July he was at his When Omer was sacked on 30th March 2010 that "the party in bringing the proceedings, or wits end. Indeed his case was now publicised by Unite immediately applied for interim relief, i.e. he or his representative in conducting the pro- the Weekly Worker but still he could not pay his protection of earnings, which the company, ceedings, acted vexatiously, abusively, disrup- mortgage; three months arrears, a repossession Sovereign, would have to pay but they withdrew tively or otherwise unreasonably, or that the order and nowhere to get the £1050. He was it soon after, obviously following advice from bringing or conducting of proceedings was mis- hiding in his house, afraid to turn on the lights those dealing with the Omer’s case, the Re- conceived" (at one time the power to award and fearful of the next knock on the door, facing gional Industrial Organiser (RIO) Wayne King costs arose only where conduct was "frivolous or imminent homelessness. Shamefully we still and Peter Kavanagh. These two had organised vexatious" but over the years it has been gradu- took it as business as usual and made plans to the annulment of the parity agreement of the ally, but considerably, widened to get to the launch a new appeal in the unions etc. But So- Sovereign drivers with London United which current position).” http://www.emplaw.co.uk/ cialist Fight’s Charlie Walsh intervened in the Omer had negotiated and which would have lawguide?startpage=data/2004rule38.htm end with a typical outburst: “If we had a victim- resulted in a hike of £4,000 pa for this work- That is Kavanagh believed he has now manoeu- ised member like that in the old WRP we would force, one of the lowest paid in London. Omer vred matters to such an extent that Omer’s make sure he could survive and pay his bills. I discovered the process was already in train for whole case based on the previous history of will give a £100 now, that’s what’s needed”. the annulment when he went to clear his locker victimisation because of union activity would be Gerry Downing promised to match it and the following the loss of his appeal. This is in con- ignored. All the evidence of company manoeu- following morning launched an appeal based on trast to the RMT, who pressed forward and won vres and the whole reasons behind the sackings the two donations. Within two or three days the interim relief from London Underground for the would not be examined, the union would sur- entire mortgage arrears were raised and the two sacked Union activists, Arwyn Thomas and reptitiously convey to the tribunal its desired SWP leadership were shamed into promising to Eamonn Lynch. The Evening Standard reported outcome and a right wing judge would oblig- fund Omer’s mortgage until his hearing in No- this, “Employment tribunals ruled that Arwyn ingly concur. The lawyers and barrister would be vember. It must be stressed that Omer won this Thomas and Eamonn Lynch, both from south misinformed and so unable to put his full case. particular battle because he ‘played the field’, London, should be paid their £45,000 salary But Tymon’s intervention has scuppered this he appealed to, and participated in, a wide until full hearings take place”. This judgement plan, although Kavanagh does not seem to be range of organisations outside the remit of the obviously helped to win the employment tribu- aware of this. SWP according to his political sympathies and nal later. But the RIO, Wayne King, insisted that “Unite has paid substantial amounts of money preferences and fortunately found militants the evidence relating to trade union activity not to you in terms of hardship.” prepared to push his case independently of the be part of Omer’s defence in his disciplinary SWP and the Unite bureaucracy and regardless hearing or appeal. By extension they argued it Up to when the London Grass Roots Left met on of the disapproval of that latter corrupt organi- therefore should not be part of the employment Monday 11 July Omer had received just £3000 sation. It is worth recording those initial dona- from Unite but all monies had dried up from all tribunal case. He made this case because he said tors (some are retired or low waged) and their sources by then, which is why the possession it would harm the chances of victory in the organisations: order was issued against him for non-payment Tribunal if they won the protection of earnings. Charlie Walsh, Socialist Fight, Grass Roots Left John Tymon’s intervention thwarted that plan. of his mortgage. In fact Unite only issued an appeal to branches to help Omer and then the and Irish Republican Prisoners Support Group: The barrister confirmed that the withdrawal of £100, Gerry Downing, SF, GRL and IRPSG: £100, Unite’s claim for interim relief and delaying London and South East region pledged to match any funds raised from branches in that region. Natalie, Workers Power and GRL: £50, Anony- tactics in securing industrial action harmed the mous, Free Mumia Abu Jamal Campaign: £100, chances of victory, as it seemed to indicate that The bulk of the £3000 was raised in Scotland and the Midlands by SWP members and other Carol Foster, SF, GRL and IRPSG: £50, John Ty-

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mon, GRL and IRPSG: £50, Sheila Cohen: GRL, £50, Tushar Sarkar, GRL: £50, Bridget and Ant, J7, Free Mohammed Hamid: £100, Michael Holden, IRPSG: £50, Amanda Logan, SWP: £100, Graham Campbell, SWP: £100, Ben Rickman: £60, Chris Ford, GRL: £50, Jake Lagnado: £25. There were many more SWP and other dona- tions later but we only have the details of these initial vital donations. The implications of this case for the SWP are obvious. They had abandoned their own victim- ised member; he would not even have been mentioned at all at Marxism 2011 during the ‘how to built fighting trade unions’ (sic!) debate between Ian Allison and Steve Hart had he not performed the publicity stunt of collapsing in the street twice in the previous couple of days and the presence of two Grass Roots Left mem- bers at the meeting. Perhaps they did not know about his desperate financial state and so that was why they took no collection for their most important victimised militant at the huge five Mohsin and Simpson: “So it is an outrage that Unite spends less than £500 on a union militant to keep day event which attracts thousands of trade union militants; that only shows the measure of him going for a year and a half but par for the course when they hand out £500,000 of members’ subscrip- their neglect of him in their pursuit of accom- tions in a year to a useless bureaucrat who spent his life dumping on the membership! We will leave it to modation with the United Left bureaucrats, the the readers to decide who got the “substantial amounts” and who was in need of hardship assistance. source of their positions on the Unite Executive. He was an embarrassment to them in these Omer needs a public campaign of lobbying and trial action in general. If SWP militants do not endeavours; they had abandoned their own public meetings etc. to demand an official ballot make an open and public stand over Omer they member and were it not for the intervention of for industrial action for his reinstatement is put will end up the same way. This is an appeal the other political contacts he had made out- to them after a full campaign explaining the especially to the seasoned militants in the SWP side of his own ‘revolutionary’ organisation he whole case to all the members. who know the iron rules of the class struggle. would be homeless now facing certain defeat in Omer is very loyal to the SWP and in a sense he They must know that if their leaders continue to the November employment tribunal. As it is he has a point because that organisation does flout these rules in this way destruction beck- faces a difficult task with an uncertain outcome contain some of the best militants in Britain. But ons; how many Jane Loftus’ do we need? Those in that case. They say he must put in an official he owes no loyalty to those SWP leaders who rules must surely point them in the direction of complaint about Peter Kavanagh’s terrible letter have treated him like this; those who put ad- the Grass Roots Left in the first place and out of and await the outcome; he must wait yet longer vancement in the ranks of the TU bureaucracy the bogus bureaucrat’s front, the United Left. and not alienate the Unite bureaucracy even above fighting to raise the combativity and And finally to other left groups, the Socialist now. political consciousness of the union members Party and the Alliance for Workers Liberty in the But nothing will move the Unite bureaucrats and workers in general. Those who voted 30 to main who mock the SWP now because of this apart from a public campaign and a revolt of 5 to back Jerry Hicks in 2010 did so against their case. They have no internal problems appar- their members; it is to the members of his own own leadership and in the face of bitter opposi- ently. They both slandered SWP journalist Sadie union in the two bus garages of Edgware and tion from the aspiring TU bureaucrats in their Robinson’s very mild – she did not detail the Harrow that he must orient now; they hold the own ranks. Omer must give them a clear lead; manoeuvrings of the Unite bureaucracy to wear key. We (all his genuine political supporters in he has the authority to become a rallying point down and demoralise the strikers by constantly all political groups and none) must launch a for this very vital militant left opposition who refusing to heed their mandate for effective support group modelled on the Defend Yunus are still there. The organisation has suffered strike action – but truthful article on the British Bakhsh Campaign. The employment tribunal two debilitating splits to the right recently, Airways strike as ‘ultra-left’. That is they were found Yunus was unfairly dismissed by North- made far more damaging because political clar- much further up the rectum of the left TU bu- umberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust because ity on their capitulation to the capitalist neo- reaucracy than the SWP as a whole, there is no of trade union activities in July 2010 after a liberal offensive was never fought out. These left opposition in prospect there to their leader- model vigorous public campaign by the SWP are now eschewing the working class and indus- ship’s capitulation to the left bureaucracy. and a wider range of other trade unionists.

From page 5 legal assistance from his indus- reinstate him. He did not mention the appalling So is Abdul Omer to be hung out to dry - the trial tribunal, etc. However, events of a few days before on June 29. Two result of bureaucratic treachery and cowardly following the SWP’s capitulation to the bureauc- Grass Roots Left members, this writer and Billy capitulation? Maybe there is enough fight left in racy by agreeing not to criticise the “leftwing McKean, put in slips to speak on Abdul Omer, but the anti-bureaucratic wing of the SWP to stop general secretary”, matters could only get worse. we were not called by SWP central committee that happening, but if they fight the bureaucracy Steve Hart shared a platform with the SWP’s Ian member Michael Bradley, who vetted the slips. It openly for Omer’s reinstatement they will surely Allison at Marxism 2011 on Saturday July 2. Ironi- was remiss of us not to stand up and shout out be expelled from the United Left. cally they were debating ‘How to build fighting what had just happened and direct the anger of The old fighter is out of hospital now and says he unions’. Ian did not mention Abdul Omer at all, the whole meeting at Steve Hart, who simply and neither did Steve Hart. But leading SWP ignored Peter Gillard’s demand on Omer and is still up for the fight. We must now demand that the entire labour movement rallies behind member Pete Gillard was called to speak and he went on to justify the union’s sell-out of the BA this redoubtable communist militant. demanded that the union arrange a campaign to dispute.

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Airways and Abdul Omer’s sacking, Unite Build the Grass Roots Left on the London buses are seeking to demoralise and defeat the workers by refusing to organise strike by Tony Fox action and refusing to organise London wide support. They are not even telling t a rally during the campaign for equal union membership now, Kavanagh’s “almighty drivers throughout London what is going on. pay in July 2008 Steve Hart, then army” was left leaderless and as for O’Rourke’s Back in March, Socialist Worker reported that Unite Regional Secretary, said, to “round two knock-out” the red corner threw in drivers voted by 987 to 413 to continue negotia- prolonged cheering and chants of the towel and the blue corner won by a walk- tions, and by 399 to 26 to be balloted for indus- A “strike, strike”: over. trial action. But drivers answering yes to nego- tiations were told they could not answer the “We are saying that it is not right that the driver This betrayal of London busworkers had dire second question. “Of course we want our reps of a No 13 bus going down Oxford Street, em- consequences. Note the two companies com- to negotiate—but they shouldn’t be posed as ployed by Sovereign Transdev, gets 18 grand a pared were Sovereign Transdev, still the lowest contradicting one another” one driver told So- year and he passes the No 25 from East London cialist Worker. Bus Group on 27 and a half grand a year. How can it be right that two drivers in the same But the situation is ongoing and unresolved. street, driving the same buses, are £10,000 John Griffiths, the Unite Regional Industrial different in their basis pay? . . . London bus- Organiser, said in June: “This is the result of the workers united will never be defeated.” mayor's tendering policies in the London bus market which is leading to an accelerated and At the same rally Peter Kavanagh, then Senior ugly race to the bottom”. Regional Organiser now Acting Regional Secre- tary said, So Unite officially blame the tendering system to avoid blaming the bus companies. Conse- “We have 28,000 organised who, if they get quently they do not call for renationalisation of themselves together, if they get themselves the buses but have no campaign for ending the together, if they stand shoulder to shoulder tendering system either. Meantime all the big- they will be one almighty army. We have de- ger companies are not only losing routes to scribed London busworkers as a sleeping army, each other, with all the disruption to the lives of no more, no more, we are on the march, we are drivers this causes, but increasingly smaller organised, we are going to fight anyone that companies who have bad terms and conditions gets in our way, aren’t we?” like Sovereign and Abellio are winning routes, Chairing the rally, Steve O’Rourke now Chair of leading to increased pressure for cuts in wages the Regional Industrial Sector Committee (RISC) and conditions in the bigger companies like they and London Bus Conference said “We are at got in 1993. round one, we do not expect to go more that And as in 1993 this Unite leadership in London, round two before we get a knock-out” and else- The Jerry Hicks 2010 campaign for Unite Gen- Peter Kavanagh and Steve O’Rourke, are doing where, “Listen comrades, you know we are not everything to make sure there is no united fight- eral Secretary was the inspiration for the Grass going to achieve this in one year, but this is a back, there is no possibility of uniting the strug- campaign, this not a sprint but a marathon”. Roots Left, a national rank-and-file organisa- gles like they falsely promised would be tion to fight the bosses and defeat the union Of great significance was the presence of small achieved by the Olympics when Kavanagh told numbers of RMT flags and baseball caps at all bureaucrats in all unions who are ever more us no one would get to the starting line if we did these rallies. On 22 October 2008 14,000 bus- cowardly in agreeing to and supporting every not achieve a united “almighty army” by then. attack on their members. workers were pledged to go on strike but one The Grass Roots Left will be standing candidates small company in south London with only 1,000 in the coming branch elections fighting for a drivers, Metronet, obtained an injunction paid in London and East London buses. Have the rank and file movement to lead the fightback to against the strike and the convenors represent- earnings of Sovereign drivers increased? No, it is defeat this attack on drivers; to be successful ing the rest of the busworkers immediately lower now than in 2008. But whatever about we must defeat this useless bureaucratic Unite gathered and called off the strikes, not even Central Pay Bargaining we are getting harmoni- leadership who are in the pockets of the compa- informing their own members in many in- sation, but by the “race to the bottom” because nies in almost everything. stances; company notices appeared on manage- East London buses are now having a 15% wage ments notice boards triumphantly telling drivers cut. London busworkers need to fight for these de- that strikes were called off. mands; Abdul Omer Mohsin, Convenor of Sovereign, That common claim was abandoned by the 2008 took the matter of parity of pay and conditions 1. Renationalise the buses annual London Busworkers Conference. Now all across London seriously and negotiated a deal 2. End competitive tendering the talk was about the abstract “principle” of which eliminated the £4,000 gap in pay be- Central Pay Bargaining without any reference to tween Sovereign drivers and the much bigger 3. Reinstate the campaign for one set of wages harmonising pay and conditions and very soon London United garages, owned by the same and conditions throughout London they even stopped talking about that. No expla- company. Omer was sacked on a trumped up nation was offered to the members. But the charge on 30 March 2010 and the Company 4. Reinstate Abdul Omer in Sovereign reason did appear in a letter from RMT General then not only cancelled the parity agreement 5. Victory to the East London busworkers Secretary Bob Crow posted up in all the garages but have gone on to impose worse conditions by Unite branch secretaries; the RMT would no than back then. 6. Build the Grass Roots Left on the London longer represent members on the London buses buses. and RMT busworker members were to rejoin East London buses are determined to slash pay Unite. There was no serious competition to by 15 percent or sack 250 drivers. Like at British

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Report on the annual Fête de Lutte Ouvrière Revolutionary shorts By Gerry Downing GRL and SWP Unite for Omer Members and supporters of the Grass Roots ocialist Fight had a stall at the annual All the groups present, apart from the Interna- Left and the SWP have formed a join Defend Fête de Lutte Ouvrière in the grounds of tional Bolshevik Tendency (IBT), either supported Abdul Omer Campaign. A committee of 9 was a château near the small village of the attack on Libya or supported the Benghazi formed at the fundraising social on 24th and Presles, in the Val d'Oise, Ile-de-France, rebels. Some amazingly oppose the NATO bomb- the first meeting is in Edgware on Friday 30th S50 kilometres north of Paris, on the weekend of ing but still support the ‘revolutionary rebels’, Sept. Welcoming the formation of the Cam- 11-13 June. This is the largest gathering of the their ground army. The IBT, together with the paign, Jerry Hicks, Chair of GRL said, “It is good revolutionary left in the world, attracting up to two other members of the ‘Spartacist Family’, to see comrades working together in the la- 40,000 visitors over the weekend. We sold many the International Communist League and the bour movement in defence of Omer, who has issues of Socialist Fight and In Defence of Trot- Internationalist Group, refused to take a stance suffered so much at the hands of Sovereign skyism, the press of the Socialist Fight Group, with the Gaddafi regime against the ‘rebel’s’ and the Unite bureaucracy. Hopefully this will Qina Msebenzi, the press of the Revolutionary before the NATO bombing war began, but then became a model for rank-and-file organisation Marxist Group of South Africa and O Bolchevique took the correct stance of calling for an anti- on the buses and in the whole trade union of the Liga Comunista of Brazil. imperialist united front without political support movement. Too many left wingers have be- come simply adjuncts of the TU bureaucracy This year’s event appeared smaller than recent to Gaddafi against the imperialist assault and the today—the GLR will give them no quarter in years and certainly the cité politique, where all rebels. The IBT Forum, in which we intervened, defence of militants like Omer”. the left groups have their free stalls and engage foolishly sought to prove that China was still a in political debates in the Forums, was smaller deformed workers state. Dale Farm Call for TU support than ever. In the 80s and early 90s this was huge, The Lutte Ouvrière organisation itself is making a Phien O'Reachtigan, [email protected]> the largest section of the Fete. strong pitch for the mantle of Trotskyism in Tuesday, 27 September 2011 Dale Farm France, sensing a hole in the market. The proper I’m one of the Travellers behind the barri- The political crisis of the left was evident. The cades, can we please ask that the trades un- name of the international group is The Interna- New Anticapitalist Party (Nouveau Parti anticapi- ions give some support as quickly as possible tionalist Communist Union (Trotskyist). But why taliste, NPA), had a large stall. The Revolutionary or by the time they do it will be in support of is ‘Trotskyist’ in brackets? asked one long- Communist League (LCR, USFI), which claimed to something no longer there, Phien be the largest ‘Trotskyist’ group in the world, had standing member, revealing internal disputes (WSWS) dissolved itself into the NPA in 2009 expecting to traditionally kept well hidden by the group. Argentine bus drivers strike get more votes in elections. The result was the And on Libya it opposes the NATO bombing but Argentine bus drivers lift five-day strike Bus drivers for Buenos Aires’ suburban Line 60 opposite; the radical French workers deserted fudges the rest; no anti-imperialist united front bus route returned to work September 24 them in droves, reducing their electoral appeal with Gaddafi and no stance on seeking the de- after five days on strike over nonpayment of from a high point approaching 10% for all the far feat of NATO’s ground forces, the ‘Benghazi wages. The drivers will await the findings of a left groups on 2006 to about 3% now. A comrade rebels’. Labor Ministry commission due in 60 days. from Chile discussed with us and refused to And on the closely linked question of the trade The drivers union UTA accused the Monsa bus believe that the NPA was demanding that the unions they covered up for the betrayals of the line of miscalculating salaries, and on Septem- rest of the world’s imperialist powers and all the trade union leaders in strike struggles last Octo- ber 20 the Labor Ministry ordered Monsa to world’s bourgeois states recognise the Benghazi ber-November by oil and port workers and stu- pay the drivers 600 pesos (US$142) each while rebels as the legitimate government of Libya. “I dents against pension cuts. Their growing col- a commission investigated the company’s pay will ask them” he said and reported back “you laboration in the unions with the Communist for its 1,600 drivers. Although UTA officials are right, but they said that was just their lead- Party in France (PCF) has become more than worked out a “social peace” deal with ers, they did not agree with the call”. Well if it is legitimate United Front tactics; it is clearly be- Monsa—to return to work while negotiators the case that the ranks of the NPA are more Anti coming a strategic orientation to advance their hashed out the issues—members rejected it in assembly and voted to remain on strike. -Imperialist than their leaders then they surely own careers in the union bureaucracy. Look at have enough democratic rights within their or- how they justified the sell-out by the bureau- Brazilian construction strike (WSWS) ganisation to overturn that leadership. The sup- crats at the end of last year: Construction workers at Sao Paulo’s Maracana posed ‘revolutionary’ base, which the reaction- “The union leaders had a right to hope that, on Stadium went back to work September 20 ary leaders in Benghazi are ridiculously supposed such a social problem, they would be associated after a judge declared their strike illegal. It was to have, could expect no such workers democ- with the negotiations and that they could justify the second time the workers had walked off racy but a swift execution, like the black workers, the job. The Maracana Stadium is in the midst their role and their preference for negotiations for raising such opposition. of a refurbishing and is scheduled to host the with a few concessions they could use against World Cup finals in 2014 as well as the 2016 the workers’ discontent. Well, they were most Olympics. In August, a worker was injured certainly not associated with the negotiations!” when a barrel containing solvent exploded. Lutte Ouvrière group defends union betrayal of The workers walked off the job with a list of French pension strikes, By Alex Lantier, 10 De- demands including increased safety, better cember 2010 http://www.wsws.org/ pay and conditions, expansion of health care articles/2010/dec2010/lutt-d10.shtml and an increase in their meal allowance. Prom- ised by union negotiators and management Now is the time to intervene strongly in such that the demands would be met, they re- groups where they leadership are drawing closer turned to work, only to be frustrated by com- to the trade union bureaucracies and thereby pany foot-dragging. They struck again two the imperialist states interests themselves as weeks ago, but a judge ruled against them on shown over the refusal to mobilise against the The press of the three groups who issued the joint September 16. According to the Jamaica Ob- cuts and against the war in Libya and whose statement on Libya at the LO Fete: the Socialist Fight server, “the workers agreed to return after militants are becoming ever more concerned at Group of Britain, the Communist League of Brazil and being guaranteed a new meeting with con- the Revolutionary Marxist Group of South Africa. the direction of their groups. structors.”

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 11 The Irish Labour party, austerity measures and lifestyle choices By Charlie Walsh

early a quarter of people in the South welfare. Bruton’s comments of Ireland have less than €20 a week were Thatcherite, according to to live on after all their essential bills Sinn Fein’s social protection have been paid, an income tracking spokesman Aengus Ó Snodaigh. N survey published recently found. He said Bruton’s comments, in The survey, by the Irish League of Credit Unions, which she described depend- illustrates just how hard austerity measures and ence of social welfare as a life- price hikes are hitting people and paints a very style choice, were outrageous bleak picture for many who are finding it in- and another example of the creasingly difficult to make ends meet. The sur- Labour party moving to the vey found that 23%, or 805,000 people, now right. have just €70 a month left after all their essen- However, spokeswoman for the tial bills are paid while one in two adults say they Irish National Organisation of are unable to meet all their financial obligations the Unemployed Bríd O’Brien each month, while 47%, admit they are forced to said: “The INOU does not agree Joan Bruton. “The INOU does not agree with the Minister for pay at least one bill late. with the Minister for Social Social Protection’s claim that young people are choosing to go on Just over a quarter of 1,000 people surveyed by Protection’s claim that young the dole as a lifestyle choice”. the League last month said they had less than people are choosing to go on 5% of their income left when all their bills were the ‘dole’ as a ‘lifestyle choice’. “I just can’t understand why they granted the paid, while 82% said they would be unable to “In the summer of 2007, just before the Live mortgage to my father in the first place,” he cope if there were further cuts to their income Register started its initial slow climb up to the says. For now Byrne is still living in the family or social welfare. The survey also found that 45% very dramatic levels we now see, young people home but under a constant threat of eviction. of those with less than 5% of their income left accounted for 20 per cent of the register. In June Byrne was one of more than 100 people at the after all their bills were paid did not believe they of this year, they accounted for 19 per cent. meeting, which was organised by the United Left or their families had a future in Ireland. “At present it is possible for an unemployed Alliance, each with their own story of debt and Meanwhile Joan Bruton, a Labour Party Minister person to liaise with the State and yet not meet repossession. in the coalition government with the right wing anyone who is in a position to discuss with them Joe Bray, a 60-year-old man who got sick in 2006 Fine Gael party has announced €65 million cuts their employment, education and training op- and has been surviving ever since on disability in social welfare. Ms Bruton, Minister for Social tions,” she said. allowance, says he was evicted from his home Protection (surely a joke) has announced cuts to last month and forced to spend several nights fuel, electricity and phone allowances for social United Left Alliance meeting at- tended by those in mortgage arrears sleeping in the back of a jeep. “I owe about welfare recipients which will have a major detri- €144,000,” says Bray, who admits he made a big mental effect on vulnerable older peoples, chari- From the Irish Times of 4 July. mistake by hiding successive letters from the ties representing the poor and elderly have said. “John Byrne’s home in Tullycanna, Co Wexford, subprime lender Start Mortgages from his wife: The government approved cuts in fuel allow- has been in his family for more than 50 years. “The first my wife knew about the mortgage ances and household benefits schemes will af- His grandmother was born and raised in the arrears was when the sheriff turned up at the fect more than 630,000 people. house and her father before her. But Byrne, a door.” The Minister said that while the government carpenter struggling to make ends meet in the Many people at the meeting did not want their wished to protect social welfare payments recession, and his mother are fighting a legal names published but several couples spoke “regrettably there is an ongoing necessity to battle with one of the State’s biggest subprime about the huge stress that mortgage debt is achieve savings due to our commitments with mortgage lenders to try to keep the family causing for their families. “I work in Bus Éireann the IMF/EU/ECB Troika.” This shows Bruton and home. and my take-home pay has been cut by a third. I the Labour party in their true colours: defending “My wife and I have tried everything to keep the knew I was going to be in trouble and tried to capitalism and its institutions while attacking the house in our family. We went to the lender and contact Bank of Ireland to see what could be working class, the poor and the vulnerable, mak- offered to pay €800 a month for 40 years. It is all done . . . but a staff member told me nobody had ing them pay for the crisis and bankruptcy of we can pay. They wouldn’t listen and last No- time to talk to customers until a first default had capitalism. Meanwhile the Irish government is vember the High Court granted a repossession occurred.” Another man working in the building about to reverse it policy on maintaining welfare order,” he says. trade says he separated from his wife a few rates. Minister Bruton, that woman again, is years ago and had bought another house. He is Byrne is one of an estimated 60,000 people in preparing the ground, according to a spokesman in mortgage arrears of €6,000 and the house is mortgage arrears in Ireland. At a public meeting for the opposition Fianna Fail. Ms Bruton was now worth €100,000 less than he paid for it. “My quoted in a Sunday paper as saying, “What we in Dublin yesterday addressing the evolving wages are down 50 per cent and it is difficult to are getting at the moment is people who came mortgage crisis, he broke down as he described meet the mortgage payments,” he says. into the system straight from school as a lifestyle how his father, an alcoholic, drank himself to choice”. So according to Bruton being on the death a few years after remortgaging the family Joan Collins TD, a member of the United Left dole because capitalism cannot give you a job or home to pay for repairs. The banks are driving Alliance, says it is a crazy situation to put people a future becomes a “lifestyle choice”; again the people to alcoholism, suicide and you name it,” out of their family homes and then have the working class are paying the price for the failures says Byrne, who has not been able to pay the State pay people’s rent.“This is a throwback to of capitalism. mortgage since his father got sick in 2008 and the 1800s when absentee landlords threw peo- went into hospital. His father died in April 2009 ple out of their homes . . . The situation will get In an interview with the Irish television station owing more than €300,000 and it appears, al- worse this week when interest rates go up RTE Bruton said she wants to reform the social though this may be disputed in court, there was again,” she says. “Hundreds of thousands of welfare system and how we think about social no life assurance policy in place. people are struggling with debts they can’t sus-

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 12

(ITGWU), becoming National Secretary for the majority of ordinary Irish people carry on their union in 1980.” gilt-edged existence, pay themselves ever larger Politically he started out in Official Sinn Fein the salaries plus expenses and tell us without blush- Workers party, which became the Workers party ing that, in the words of Susan Denham, "Judges and then the Democratic Left which merged are not, nor have they ever been, opposed to with the Labour party in 1998. He became its playing their part in sharing the financial pain leader in 2002 and stepped down in 2007 after required of everybody at this difficult time." that disastrous election result. He participated in Well, Susan, I don't think you will suffer much the Rainbow Coalition of Fine Gael, Labour and pain existing on only €257,822 per annum. I am the Democratic Left from 1994 to 1997. All along sure you will manage somehow. You could al- he has progressively shed his alleged socialist ways get a job as a cleaner to make ends meet. principles ending up as a supporter and de- In a country of 4 million people what is happen- fender of capitalism against the interests of the ing in and to Ireland and its people is frighten- working class, the unemployed, the poor, the ing. And to cap it all we have a president Mary sick and the elderly. And he and his party will McAleese being paid €300,000 per annum, plus give every support to Enda Kenny to protect the €200,000 expenses. The above I think just about interests of the rich and powerful. sums up the madness, the political and eco- Pat Rabbitte (on the right), “He has progres- nomic madness, that has brought Ireland and sively shed his alleged socialist principles ending Letter to the Irish Times the majority of its people to their knees. up as a supporter and defender of capitalism Recently the new chief justice in Ireland, Mrs against the interests of the working class, the Justice Susan Denham, announced she will not Meanwhile, Richard Bruton, Minister for Enter- unemployed, the poor, the sick and the elderly.” be taking the €38,000 increase in salary that prise and Jobs in the coalition government and a goes with the position. She said her salary would member of the Fine Gael party, has ruled out tain while bankers, brokers and solicitors are still remain at its existing level until measures were the compulsory recognition of unions by compa- partying.” in place for deciding judges' pay. This means she nies. He went on to say that the government would reform the current law on employees' Energy policy: The multinational oil will receive the not insubstantial €257,822 per annum, rather than the €295,916 she is entitled rights to engage in collective bargaining. And and gas companies need have no to. A referendum is to be held sometime in the Bruton said there wasn't any commitment to fears autumn to amend the constitution to allow the recognise unions. He further stated that Ameri- can companies operating in Ireland would be From an Irish Times report, July 17, 2011: government to marginally reduce judges' sala- ries. very sensitive to any question of compulsory “Pat Rabbitte, Labour TD and Minister for En- union recognition. ergy in the coalition government has said he has Mrs Denham said judges were acutely aware of the financial crisis and judges are not immune The possibility of special legal entitlement to "no plans" for a moratorium on issuing new Sunday premium payments being dropped for petroleum licences off the west coast before any from the effects of the economic crisis. Well, let's compare and contrast. While Mrs Denham workers by Joint Labour Committees was first review of the State's existing terms for oil and raised by the previous government last Febru- gas companies… is doing very well with her €257,822 per annum salary, almost half a million Irish people are on ary. The submission raises the issue of whether A 2006-7 consultancy study for the Department the dole while, according to a recent survey there should be any provision made in employ- of Energy estimated a total reserve of 10 billion from the Irish League of Credit Unions, nearly ment regulation orders in respect of Sunday barrels of oil equivalent beneath the west coast one quarter of Irish people have less than €20 a premiums, leave (holidays) and rest breaks. The sea bed. The trade union SIPTU’s recently pub- week to live on once all their essential bills have submission also asks whether instead they lished report on the issue has said the 2007 been paid (see article opposite). should refer to the Organisation of Working estimate was "potentially worth €750 billion" at Time Act on these issues. It also asks whether an current prices, and "the equivalent of Ireland's Now let us compare the struggling poor in Ire- inability to pay provision should be put in place. supply needs for 100 years based on current land with some of Ireland's richest men who are Under the Organisation of Working Time Act, consumption". challenging overtime payments and Sunday employers have a choice of ways by which to premiums. John Magnier of Coolmore Stud Farm The SIPTU report noted the current licensing recognise work carried out on a Sunday. This and Racing Stables at Ballydoyle, who has a includes the provision of time off in lieu. The system transfers ownership of resources to the personal fortune of €600 million and who gets lease holders, and companies are not required government has decided that Joint Labour Com- huge subsidies from the State in terms of his mittees will no longer set Sunday premium to sell any oil or gas or both into the Irish market training industry, and is a tax exile who is bring- - but can sell at full market price. The report says rates, workers will have to rely on the Organisa- ing low-paid agricultural workers earning €9.10 tion of Working Time Act, while companies will a revised fiscal system - such as a contractual per hour to the courts because he feels their system - would afford the State more return and be able to derogate from the official rates in wage demands are excessive. A case of greed case of financial difficult. more control, and could be used to pay for the over need by Mr Magnier. While Pat McDonagh, transition to renewable energies.” number 68 on Ireland's Rich List, like John Mag- The above shows the attacks on the working €750 billion would overcome Ireland’s present nier, is challenging the overtime payments and class, on their right to union recognition and woes. It is interesting to look at Pat Rabbitte’s Sunday premium payments. He founded the also the right to be paid for Sunday work, over- political evolution. According to Wikipedia, Quick Service Food Alliance and owns Super- time, unsocial hours, etc. The deafening silence “While at university Rabbitte became involved in macs. All I can say is what is happening in Ire- on the part of the Irish Labour Party shows it several college movements before serving as land is a total disgrace. An Ireland where an elite agrees totally with the right-wing trajectory of President of the NUI, Galway Students' Union in like Susan Denham and her legal colleagues, the Kenny led coalition government. While the 1970–1971. Between 1972 and 1974 he John Magnier et al, politicians of the three larg- trade union bureaucracy is silent on the govern- achieved national attention when he served as est parties, top civil servants, CEOs of private ment attacks on its members and refuses to lead President of the national Union of Students in companies, bankers and leaders of multination- the fight back. Ireland (USI). Following the completion of his als. This minority of rich and powerful people, Yours Faithfully, presidency in 1974 he became an official in the not forgetting the well-paid and well-fed media Charlie Walsh Irish Transport and General Workers' Union people, who despite the terrible suffering of the

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 13 Irish Republican Prisoners Support Group page: Marian Price detention illegal! By Michael Holden

he events of August 9th 1971 are well chronicled in Irish republican history and folklore. It is the day the British government introduced 'Internment without trial' in the Six Counties in an Teffort to quell and subdue the street protests which had bro- ken out a year or more earlier in Belfast and Derry. Men and women were rounded up at dawn and interned in Britain's newest and latest concentration camp - Long Kesh - simply for holding political views and ideologies which the government of the day disagreed with. Even those who had died years earlier

were on the RUC 'wanted list'! The policy of internment with- Irish Centre Irish to markthe anniversary 30th the hunger of strike out trial however proved a disaster and a dismal failure and Lobby IRPSG Sinn Fein conference on Sat June18 Londonat was ultimately abandoned. Like all other 'British solutions' it just did not work! List of anti-Good Friday Agreement POWs But the leopard cannot change it's spots and now forty years Maghaberry Gaol Gavin Coyle Dundalk later almost to the day, republican activists find themselves Roe 3 FEMALE REPUBLICAN IRSP prisoners: interned again without trial. Old Road WING Owen Clail Marian Price - a founder-member of the 32 County Sovereignty Ballinderry Upper Marian McGlinchey Denis Dywer Movement - is one of a number of political activists held with- Lisburn Price Eugene Kelly out trial. To be a member of the 32 County Sovereignty Move- Ireland INDEPENDENT POLITI- Paul Kelly BT28 2PT ment is by no means illegal, nor is it a criminal offence to sup- CAL PRISONERS Paddy Wall Joe Barr port or join this organisation. It is not proscribed by law, nor is Noel Maguire Thomas Kelly Barry Boardmann the Irish Republican Prisoner's Welfare Association (which Portlaoise Gerard Kelleher Francis Carletonn Marian Price helped found) and was until her arrest and Portlaoise Gaol Neil Myles Brian Cavlann Portlaoise (illegal) detention that group's secretary. Jonathan Keogh Joe Connor County Laoise Her 'crime' apparently is she 'poses a significant threat to soci- Noel Mooney Colin Duffy Ireland ety.' ! Gareth Bryne Dominic Dynes E-2 Marian Price has always been a political activist. Released Anthony Lee Harry Fitzsimmons Patrick Tierney from Armagh Women's Prison in 1980 after serving over seven Other Gaols Michael Johnstonn Liam Rainey years she continued her republican activities - organising, fund MAGILLIGAN PRISON Darryn McCallionn Tom O'Hanlon -raising and generally promoting the republican cause for na- Jackie Bates Point Road Brendan McConville tional liberation and justice. Nothing illegal in that! So then, Ciaran Dunne Limvady Co. Derry Sean McConvillen why is she held in solitary confinement in Maghaberry Prison Ken Donohoe BT 49 OLR indefinitely (which is a male prison)? If there IS evidence Jason McCormack Tony Hyland Liam Hannaway Marian Price poses a 'significant threat to society' then put her Mark McGuigan Robbie Kearns The Grove in the dock and produce this illusive 'evidence.' Is that too Gerard McManus Michael McDonald Castlerea Gaol much to ask? Damien McKenna Michael McKevitt Castlerea, Apparently so! Damien McLaughlin David Jordan Co Roscommon Ireland Now what has recently surfaced is the fact Marian Price was Martin McLoone Toirealach MacD- hómhnaill (IRSP) Eddie McGar- released from Armagh Prison in 1980 having been granted an Christopher Nash rigle RPM - a Royal Prerogative of Mercy - as she was suffering from Kevin Barry Nolan Cormac Fitzpatrick Johnny McCrossan anorexia and tuberculosis brought on by forced-feeding and ill- Cavan E-3 treatment. This means the Secretary of State was not legally Phil O'Donnell Derek Brady Ecrou 293249 Div. 1 Cellule 217 entitled to order her return to prison as she had been released Stevie O'Donnell John Brock Maison D'arret De la by Royal Prerogative of Mercy - and not on licence. The Price Robert O'Neill Sean Connolly Anthony Crowley Sante legal team are now thought to be preparing to launch a legal Liam Raineyn Bernard Dempsy 42 Rue De La Sante challenge in the light of this information. Sean O'Reilly Aidan Hulme 75014 Tony Rooney If the authorities expect us to believe the Minister of Justice Robert Hulme Paris, Cedex 14 was unaware of this situation when he revoked her licence Brian Sheridan Jim McCormick France D1217 back in May let him then tell us yet another lie trying to explain Gary Toman Thomas Morris Kieron Doran it! Daniel Turnbull Fintan Paul O'Farrell LUKISKES PRISON The Irish Republican Prisoners Support Group calls for the im- Willie Wong Barry Petticrew Lukiskiu bstr. 6 mediate release of Marian Price and the other political activists John Paul Wooton Declan John Rafferty Vilnius, LT 01108 held without trial - an end to torture - and the implementation Special Supervision E-4 Lithuania of the 2010 Maghaberry agreement. Unit - Isolation Liam Grogan - Kildare Michael Campbell Liam Campbell Darren Mulholland -

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 14 Catholic Ghettos Erupt in Face of Orange Provocation and Police Brutality By C., Dublin, blogging at http://theredbadger17.wordpress.com/

he most intense rioting seen in the British Northern Ireland Statistics and occupied North of Ireland in over a dec- Research Agency (NISRA) at the ade erupted in a number of Catholic end of May this year demon- ghettos in response to provocative Prot- strated, the overwhelming major- Testant supremacist parades marking the 12th of ity of the most deprived communi- July. Genuine working-class revolutionaries are ties in the North of Ireland have a not indifferent to these conflicts, but rather stand population of 75% or more of with the oppressed Catholic workers and youth people “from a Catholic commu- against the loyalists [1] and the British imperialist nity background.”*3+ Coupled with state that backs them. As the economic crisis some of the worst living condi- continues to take its toll on living standards and tions in Western Europe is the State terror so blatantly in the service of sectarianism was frustration rises among both Catholic and Protes- constant threat posed by loyalist inevitably going to meet with a more robust response in an tant workers in the North, further loyalist parades gangs who often attack Catholic area with a long history of resistance to such despicable tactics. threaten to spark more unrest. It is therefore homes, small businesses and se- crucial that we draw correct conclusions from verely injure and occasionally murder individual than their violent resistance. But the rioting in these most recent riots so that revolutionaries can Catholics. Ardoyne should nevertheless remain an inspira- show how the struggle against Protestant suprem- It was effectively in celebration of this state of tion to genuine revolutionaries everywhere. acy in the North can advance the aim of uniting affairs that the Orange Order planned to march Bourgeois politicians and media have attempted workers across the sectarian [2] divide and in a through Ardoyne. In response to this plan, the to portray the scenes of young people fighting struggle against imperialist capitalism that exploits Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC) [4] pitched street battles with riot police in Ardoyne all. petitioned to have the march re-routed away from as an aberration and an attack by “sinister ele- The 12th of July is celebrated by Protestant su- historically Catholic areas and presented the re- ments” on the “progress” supposedly delivered by premacist or “loyalist” organisations such as the sults of a survey showing that over 1,000 house- the GFA. Sinn Féin [8] representatives in particular Orange Order, as the date of the Battle of the holds in the immediate vicinity of the route of the have gone out of their way to condemn the rioters Boyne in 1690 at which the Protestant forces of march were opposed to it going ahead. Yet the and to establish a link between the outbreak of Dutch-born William of Orange defeated the talking shop that is the Parades Commission [5] violence and “dissident Republicans.” This be- Catholic forces of King James II of England. This gave the Protestant supremacists the green light trayal of communities they claim to represent and and other victories for “King Billy” led to a to go ahead with their parade regardless. In the ostracizing of those whom they would have once strengthening of the Penal Laws in Ireland which face of this provocation, GARC organized a peace- defended reflects their growing desperation as severely restricted the rights of Catholics, Presby- ful protest of which the socialist Republican group their grip on such communities is beginning to terians and all non-Anglicans. It also ensured éirígí [6] was, to its credit, a particularly promi- slip. The scale of the recent rioting is certainly no political dominance and economic privilege for nent supporter where many other socialist groups longer the norm in the North of Ireland, but that is those loyal to the British state for centuries to failed to take a stand. not to say that such incidents are entirely unex- come. On the day of the parade protesters gathered at a pected. So-called “dissident Republicans” have There have been numerous modifications to this major intersection on the parade route through long been effective scapegoats for all the ills that trend since then which have been dictated by the Ardoyne, linked arms and sat down, wearing t- beset the floundering “peace agreement,” but it is needs of British Imperialism at any given time or shirts declaring their aim of “Peaceful Protest” clear that such lies are now beginning to wear have come about as a result of the pressure of and holding signs declaring themselves thin. popular struggles. The most recent of these “Residents, Not Dissidents.”*7+ But hundreds of Not all of the mud flung the way of the rioters has ‘compromises’ was the Good Friday Agreement riot police from the Police Service of Northern come from the usual quarters. Some self- (GFA – so named because it was signed on Good Ireland (PSNI) had also mobilized and they re- proclaimed revolutionaries, deciding that such Friday, 1998). The GFA re-established a local ad- sponded with great violence. When they failed in explosions of rage by the working class and op- ministration at Stormont castle, the historic seat their attempts to move the protesters in order to pressed do not fit their narrow economistic and of Protestant rule in the North of Ireland, based let the parade through, they began firing (by their opportunistic approach to politics, have jumped upon a system of “forced coalition” between own admission) some 70 plastic bullet rounds into on board the hysterical bandwagon. A glaring loyalist and nationalist political parties. Besides the crowd and from armoured vehicles even tar- example is that of the Socialist Party (SP)[9]: institutionalising sectarianism and a “neo-liberal” geted women and young children with water The rioting was indefensible and only leads to economic agenda set by London, other features of cannons. further misery and increased sectarian tension. this reactionary agreement include the abolition State terror so blatantly in the service of sectari- [10] of the rights of political prisoners, the demand anism was inevitably going to meet with a more that all paramilitaries disband and that they sur- So claims Ciaran Mulholland in an article featured robust response in an area with a long history of on the SP’s website. He goes on to say: render their arsenals of weaponry. resistance to such despicable tactics. This re- Despite being a right-wing, sectarian organisation, Despite these modifications the trend of Protes- sponse, as elsewhere in the North of Ireland, was tant or loyalist “ascendancy” nevertheless contin- provided by local working class youth who fought the Orange Order has the right to parade. The residents of local areas have the right to object to ues to this day in the North of Ireland and forms the police with stones and what homemade the material basis for triumphalist displays by weaponry they could muster and whose courage parades through their areas with all the accompa- nying coat-trailing and intimidation. But, most loyalist reactionaries such as those witnessed this in opposing the state and loyalist reactionaries at year in Ardoyne, a predominately Catholic area in great risk to their own personal safety should be importantly, the working class as a whole has the Belfast city. In many ways Ardoyne is typical of saluted. It is certainly regrettable that the youths’ right to avoid being dragged into serious sectarian Catholic ghettos in the North of Ireland; character- lack of organization and leadership beyond some conflict over the issue of contentious parades. ised by crippling poverty, a disproportionate level (alleged) orchestration by “dissident Republicans” In other words, the reformist Taafeites of the SP of unemployment, inadequate access to essential meant that their struggle could not take more have a right to bury their heads in the sand for services and so forth. As a report published by the organized, powerful and politically targeted forms fear of alienating backward sections of the work-

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 15

ing class, specifically loyalists. turn into establishment politicians a decade or so strations or otherwise congregate publicly, along The SP’s strategy of economism – refusing to later. [13] with the unequivocal demand for the immediate stand against Protestant supremacists like the No, those who promoted armed struggle only to release of all political prisoners should be integral Orange Order and instead preaching an abstract capitulate to Imperialism and become establish- to the programme of a much-needed revolution- ideal of working-class unity – will inevitably fail. ment politicians did not do so because of the ary organization in Ireland. Working-class unity cannot be forged between military means of struggle that they once pro- Notes Catholic and Protestant workers by simply ignor- posed, but because they always pursued the ing what currently divides them. Whether the SP nationalist aims of the Catholic bourgeoisie and 1. In connection with the North of Ireland, the term “loyalist” refers to people, essentially from a Protes- cares to admit it or not, the reality is that Protes- middle class and not the revolutionary socialist tant religious background, who are militantly in tant workers benefit from the oppression of the interests of the working class. Indeed genuine favor of union with Great Britain and are thus Catholic community and the denial of the democ- revolutionaries know that the capitalist state will “loyal” to the British Crown. ratic rights of Irish people in general by British give the working class no choice but to defend Imperialism and its subordinates both North and itself, arms in hand, and pacifist sentiment like 2. The term “sectarian” is used here to refer to political conflicts based on religious identifications South of the Irish border. The correct method for this expressed by the SWP can only serve to hold and in the North of Ireland refers to struggles based winning Protestant or even ostensibly loyalist back the most radical, class-conscious workers on the Protestant-Catholic divide. workers to the cause of socialist revolution is to from preparing for that. clearly explain to them that while they enjoy a 3. www.ninis.nisra.gov.uk/mapxtreme/linkeddocs/ What is lacking is a revolutionary perspective and Deprivation2010/NIMDM%202010%20report.pdf relative privilege at the expense of their Catholic an organisation that can carry forward a pro- 4.www.greaterardoyneresidentscollective.blogspot. or nationalist brothers and sisters, they are also gramme that can unite the working class en route com ensnared by a system that exploits them and to the socialist revolution. Such a perspective indeed keeps many of them living in impoverished being Trotskyist, that is to say genuinely Marxist, 5. The Parades Commission was set up by the Good Friday Agreement with the supposed responsibility conditions also. The SP’s position that the sectar- must uphold the right of the oppressed to self- of “regulating” such “contentious” parades but ian forces on both sides are on an even keel ne- defence, be it against the state, reactionaries or typically encourages such sectarian fanfare as the gates the fact that one side has the backing of the both (as in the case of the North of Ireland). Orange Order’s 12th of July celebration. state and behind that state lays an imperialist Whether such defence requires the working class power. or oppressed to arm themselves depends on 6. éirígí’s website can be found at www.eirigi.org . Others on the left have fared better with the specific conditions, but revolutionaries should 7. The term “dissidents” is used to describe several Cliffite Socialist Workers Party (SWP)[11] rightly never shy away from or try to conceal the fact organizations and factions that have broken away declaring itself on the side of those fighting the that the masses will ultimately have to be armed from Sinn Féin and the IRA over the years and loyalists and the PSNI and correctly attacking Sinn in the course of the revolution as severe counter- whom the capitalist media is constantly pointing to Féin for their capitulation to the Orange Order. revolutionary violence is inevitable. as wanting to bring back the violence of the years [12] However that brave statement was made on after the late 1960s that are known as “The Trou- While addressing the divisions fostered by capital- bles.” their website – the SWP has thus far failed to ism in this epoch of decay, revolutionaries must 8. Sinn Féin is the bourgeois nationalist party that account for why it did not mobilize its forces to also advance positions that can enhance working has long held sway over the nationalist community join the protest against the Orange Order march class unity. Obvious examples exist in the current that attempted to pass through Ardoyne or why it in the North of Ireland. Today it participates in the context of the “Great Recession.” Not only should power-sharing Executive of the Northern Ireland did not stand shoulder to shoulder with other we support workers struggling to defend their working class communities affected by events Assembly, which is dominated by the loyalist De- living conditions but we must also call for job mocratic Unionist Party. surrounding the 12th of July. creation and the expansion of beneficial social 9. Irish section of the Committee for a Workers’ The reality is that the SWP has abstained from programs. In the case of the North and South of International. such struggles for fear of promoting sectarianism, Ireland this translates as a call for a general strike 10. www.socialistparty.net/component/content/ and like the CWI, they have contented themselves to halt cutbacks and other assaults on the working article/62-northern-ireland/451-riots-expose-reality with an economism that promises avoidance of class and to force a retreat on the part of the -of-sectarianism such political disputes and emphasis on workers’ bourgeoisie. A general strike would also demon- “bread and butter” concerns as the road to work- strate the power of the mobilized working class; 11. The Irish section of the International Socialist ing-class unity. Indeed in writing about the strug- the greatest force on Earth! Tendency, whose website can be found at www.swp.ie . gle in Ardoyne, the SWP added a pacifist perspec- Such an approach combined with the fight against 12. www.swp.ie/news/orangefest-turns- tive on the legacy of “The Troubles” in a lame threats like the Stormont administration’s Public hatefest/3403 attempt to counter the arguments of Irish Repub- Assemblies Bill, which under the auspices of deal- 13. www.swp.ie/news/orangefest-turns- licans still engaged in armed actions: ing with disputes relating to the loyalist marching hatefest/3403 If the last thirty years has taught us anything, it season would virtually remove the right of trade should be those who promote the armed struggle unions and political organisations to hold demon-

Continued from p. 16 capital in its current 1939. And they rob their own working class more temporary and conjunctural ally against Imperial- severe crisis. So to repair effectively by telling them that this robbery will ism (Gaddafi in this case). But it cannot support a their bank balances they wish to rob the world benefit them, and ‘British jobs for British workers’ war on Libya or Iran and hope to advance its own without let or hindrance. But Ahmajinedad and is the best that can be achieved right now. struggles against its own capitalists at the same Gaddafi are an obstacle to this, so they must go So you are rejecting the number one principle of time. to war to right this ‘wrong’ which is hitting their the class struggle in failing to advocate the defeat Ray: Liam you are failing to understand what balances so hard. Obama, Sarkozy and Cameron of your own ruling class in its wars against semi- Imperialism is in the modern sense. The Roman are their direct representatives. colonies (remember defined economically) and Empire was Imperialism in its own time i.e., in the However there are other imperialists, Germany rival imperialist powers: The world’s working class colonial nature of its predatory wars for slaves and the BRICS, who oppose this drive because it is can only advance itself by uniting its struggles and bounty, but that is not the same as monopoly directly threatening their trade and bank balances against its main enemy, Global Imperialism. It capitalism Imperialism. Today's Imperialism al- and their opportunity to expand them. So the must make temporary alliances with ALL forces lows no restriction on its global outreach of threat of WWIII emerges over the ‘right’ of impe- fighting that monster; it must always guard its predatory inclusion and nation submission. rialist powers to rob semi-colonies as in 1914 and own class independence and never trusts its

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 16

Facebook debate on the Anti-imperialist united front Gerry, Ray and Liam n an article, The Anti-Imperialist United overriding question in Libya today is not “Who Front, its applications, possibilities and limi- are the imperialists attacking?” It is “How can the tations on 31/12/2010 Workers Power Libyan Revolution succeed in overthrowing Gad- leader Simon Hardy quotes Trotsky in 1937 dafi's regime?” he wrote just a few weeks after I on the Sino-Japanese war, writing the above. “Let us imagine, for an instant, a worker saying to Liam: Except Libya is not a case of a semi-feudal himself: "I do not want to participate in the strike nation with an anti-imperialist national bourgeois because the leaders are agents of capital." This -democratic movement in which the workers doctrine of this ultraleft imbecile would serve to movement can form a United Front (there is no brand him by his real name: a strikebreaker. The strong workers movement under the Gaddafi Japanese bomb Chungking during the Sino- case of the Sino-Japanese War is, from this point dictatorship for one). It is a case of a capitalist Japanese war. Trotsky, “The victory of China will signify, on the contrary, the social revolution in of view, entirely analogous. If Japan is an imperi- country, in which Gaddafi is an authoritarian form Japan and the free development, that is to say alist country and if China is the victim of Imperial- of bourgeois ruler who has for a long time col- unhindered by external oppression, of the class ism, we favour China. Japanese patriotism is the laborated with Imperialism and has his own re- struggle in China.” hideous mask of worldwide robbery. Chinese gional imperialist ambitions in a struggle with patriotism is legitimate and progressive. To place another bourgeois force. The 'classical' Marxist the two on the same plane and to speak of "social analysis from the Lenin-era cannot just be trans- capitalist states so the stark division between patriotism" can be done only by those who have posed ahistorically on to modern times. That's oppressed and oppressor nations is not exactly read nothing of Lenin, who have understood like travelling on the Paris metro with a map of the same as it was in Lenin's time when the KMT nothing of the attitude of the Bolsheviks during the London Underground. It's fundamentally un- were trying to unite China against British, French the imperialist war, and who can but compromise Marxism. and Japanese Imperialism for instance. Also, the working class is much, much larger. Conse- and prostitute the teachings of Marxism. The Ray: Simon Hardy, and his ridiculous 5th Interna- Eiffelites have heard that the social patriots ac- quently, the promotion of independent working tional, is a pompous strutting student of leftism class politics and eventually 'permanent revolu- cuse the internationalists of being the agents of who has no idea what constitutes a revolutionary the enemy and they tell us: "You are doing the tion' is very much on the agenda rather than fighter for socialism. To wit, he and many others Marxists lining up behind anti-working class re- same thing." In a war between two imperialist of this ilk have been conspicuously silent on their countries, it is a question neither of democracy gimes with spurious anti-imperialist credentials. 'neither Tripoli nor Benghazi line' over the recent The real anti-Imperialism is anti-capitalist revolu- nor of national independence, but of the oppres- days. That he has the gall to quote Lenin and sion of backward non-imperialist peoples. In such tionary socialism based on independent class Trotsky on Imperialism when himself indulging in politics, not Gaddafi or Ahmadinejad or any num- a war, the two countries find themselves on the the most flagrant repudiation of those very prin- ber of populist regimes. same historical plane. The revolutionaries in both ciples he cites as 'core values' of communism. It is armies are defeatists. But Japan and China are told however, that he is very good at both playing Gerry: Liam, Your post is based on two wrong not on the same historical plane. The victory of and evaluating fictional computer games - this assumptions and in fact abandons the theories of Japan will signify the enslavement of China, the may well be true. combined and uneven development and Perma- end of her economic and social development, and nent Revolution themselves: Gerry: Liam, I would suggest the world is still the terrible strengthening of Japanese Imperial- basically the same in terms of the relationship of You imply that Lenin, Trotsky and the Bolsheviks ism. The victory of China will signify, on the con- (and the revolutionary Comintern) only made the trary, the social revolution in Japan and the free world Imperialism to the oppressed nations of the world and to its 'own' working class as it was distinction between oppressed and oppressor development, that is to say unhindered by exter- in Lenin's time. True there are more bourgeois nations because, nal oppression, of the class struggle in China.” nationalist forces now, far fewer remnants of 1. Imperialism only oppressed colonies and semi- This is the Facebook thread on that feudalism but Lenin showed that class relation- colonies where feudal relationships dominated article: ship in Russia were capitalist and not feudal in and the working class was small. Russia had just 1898, if I remember correctly. And Trotsky con- emerged from this position by 1917 so was differ- Gerry: Trotsky argues “But Muammar Muham- stantly pounded on this relationship between ent to the rest of the oppressed nations; had mad al-Gaddafi? We need have no illusions about bourgeois nationalism and Imperialism until his become an oppressor nation, in fact. Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi, his party, or death. And Ray, I have ploughed further into the whole ruling class of Libya, just as Marx and 2. Once capitalist property relations dominated Simon Hardy's article and found this gem: "The and a big working class emerged then there was Engels had no illusions about the ruling classes of physiognomy of resistance movements. In the Ireland and Poland. no longer a distinction to be drawn, it was now event of an imperialist attack on a country a resis- the entire global capitalists against the entire Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi is the execu- tance movement usually develops. Whilst many of global workers without distinction. tioner of the Libyan workers and peasants. But the bourgeoisie will go over to the imperialists, today he is forced, despite himself, to struggle offering themselves as willing quisling puppets for This is wrong because it misunderstands the essence of Imperialism. That consists of the domi- against Imperialism for the remainder of the their new masters, some bourgeois and petty independence of Libya. Tomorrow he may again bourgeois forces usually move into a struggle nation of the planet by the huge global finance houses in Wall Street, the City of London, Ham- betray. It is possible. It is probable. It is even against the imperialists. Where these seek to inevitable. But today he is struggling. Only cow- mobilise the masses in a fight for 'national inde- burg, Paris, Tokyo, etc. The attacks on Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, etc. are to secure the ards, scoundrels, or complete imbeciles can re- pendence' or 'in defence of the nation' they can fuse to participate in that struggle.” put themselves at the head of serious forces." You unfettered penetration of these economies by finance capital, their exploitation and the repa- could not make it up! I have mangled a Trotsky quote (he referred to triation of those profits to Wall Street etc. Native China, of course) above from an article by Simon Liam: You're exactly right about Lenin showing bourgeois nationalist regimes, like Iran, Libya etc. Hardy of Workers Power to marvel at how it is that Russia had capitalist social relations; that's wish to exploit their own workers in partnership possible to make correct theoretical points and kind of my point. Many self-styled 'anti- with Imperialism, but wish to retain far too much do the total opposite when it is required of you to imperialist' rulers are actually just presiding over of the loot for themselves put your words into practice over Libya; “The regional imperialist projects (Iran!) in pretty much for the liking of finance Continued on p. 15

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 17 The mathematics of the Imperialist butchers’ terrorism Liga Comunista Brazil: http://lcligacomunista.blogspot.com/ September 11, 2001 to 2011, Afghani- stan, Palestine, Iraq, Haiti and Libya, The challenges and the actuality of anti-imperialist struggle

On September 11, 2001 less than 3000 people peoples in Asia and Africa if their methods are died in the attacks on the WTC and the Penta- successful? Given that NATO, the UN and the U.S. gon. According to the Unknown News site, which treat them as barbarians, they cannot deny them provides a detailed statistical number of deaths the full benefit of their barbarism. If their kidnap- in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 919,967 people pings, their surprise attacks and suicide bombs were killed between civilians and military in both and midnight massacres are what we call cow- countries since the invasion and occupied first by ardly, "civilized terrorists" should not forget in the imperialist coalition from 2001 until August their papers that the Chinese could not resist the civilians for every German soldier killed. The 2010. During the same period, the site records European means of destruction by making use of numbers are there to show that they are taking that 1,739,547 people injured in the two coun- their ordinary means of warfare. into account only the item body count (i.e. disre- tries. In Iraq alone the death toll is 900,338. On May 2, 2011, President Barack Obama offi- garding the vastly superior military power of the http://www.unknownnews.org/casualties.html. cially announced that Osama bin Laden had been Yankee Reich with atomic bombs, chemical The Iraq Body Count, which uses a different killed in Pakistan by a special command of the weapons with depleted uranium, missiles, methodology, which counts only the deaths of United States who invaded the country by sur- drones, etc.). And just about Afghanistan and civilians in Iraq that are recorded in newspapers prise that night and slaughtered the enemy. Iraq (with the exception of Haiti, Palestine, Leba- or on TV, has much more conservative numbers: "Justice has been done. Tonight, I am able to say non, Somalia, Ivory Coast), the Nazi-Yankee Im- 111,937 civilians were killed in Iraq alone. In a to the Americans and the world that the United perialism of the Bush and Obama is 33 times country ravaged by daily violence, it seems States led an operation that killed Osama Bin more destructive than the Nazis of Hitler's Third unlikely that the report of every man, woman Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and terrorist re- Reich. and child dead - or even most Iraqi deaths - were sponsible for killing thousands of men, women It is worth noting that Hitler's Nazi regime lasted mentioned in the media of that country. and children." 12 years (1933-1945). The governance of the USA ONE MILLION lives during this decade was what The financial costs of all this appalling burden, on the planet followed the end of the second war imperialist terrorism that affects the whole worth at least $5 trillion, according to Brown thus far, an area at least five times. The Nazis had world, imposed directly on the Afghans and Iraqis University, are paid by parasitism imposed on the no opportunity to fully develop or drop the alone. 100 000 lives per year! About 333 times occupied countries, the U.S. working class and atomic bomb on other people. The U.S. has more people were killed in Afghanistan and Iraq the workers of the world. wiped out thousands in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Years later, they dumped tons of Agent Orange than in the U.S. in the attacks of September 11, But before the greatest empire of fear in all of 2001. According to data compiled by the U.S. over thousands of Vietnamese. The predatory human history, the victims of terror learn what war of American Imperialism does not stop, just State Department, more than 130 times more they can from their own executioners. Over the multiply. people were killed in these wars and occupations past 20 days, resistance guerrilla organizations than in all the "terrorist attacks" in the world have carried out attacks at the UN headquarters Nazism Yankee is the turbocharged successor of between 1993-2004. in Nigeria, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and NATO Nazi Germany. As Trotsky noted, "the belief in an headquarters in Afghanistan. automatic development is the most characteristic "Civilized" Empire versus “savage” trait of opportunism." Far from the illusory pros- Every year on September 11 we cannot forget “terrorist” oppressed people pects around the enhancement of democratic the first time this date has become synonymous The terrorism of the imperialist states is greater capitalism, the trend of Imperialism is towards with massacre. In August 2011, the Chilean gov- increased repression, militarism and the increas- today than at any time. Concurrent with this the ernment announced a new statistic of victims of response of oppressed people increases through ing domination by force to control the growing the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet began contradictions and inter-imperialist disputes. The suicide bombings, ambushes, etc.., Especially in on September 11, 1973: from victims of torture, opposite extreme, but no less stupid, is the belief Asia (Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq) and Africa disappearances and deaths, 40,000 people, 14 (Nigeria, Somalia ,...). in the fatal catastrophe, the faith that one day times more than the number of dead in the WTC. Imperialism will come to a no-win situation and To paraphrase what Engels teaches us in "Persia - Imperialism cannot not stop terror, only a world self-implode. China (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/ revolution can only stop it. They have now em- The revolutionaries must recognize the legiti- works/1857/06/05.htm), how long the imperial- barked on the killing in Libya. In just 100 days the ist invaders enter and remain in the occupied mate acts of guerrilla resistance by organizations balance sheet of Operation Dawn Odyssey of the fighting against Imperialism and defend them nations against the growing anti-imperialist resis- NATO bombing campaign on the African country tance? The politically against the persecution of empire. approved by the UN "to spare the Libyan popula- After all, as taught in one of the founding fathers, "civilized ter- tion a massacre perpetrated by wild dogs" al- Thomas Jefferson, "when injustice becomes law, rorists" that ready account for the tragic figure of 6,121 civil- bombard de- resistance becomes a duty." But these type of ian deaths and injuries. The data were presented actions are limited by the political orientation of fenceless cities by the Ministry of Health and confirmed by the can condemn the guerrillas and their subordination to the Libyan Red Crescent Society and the University of vacillating and treacherous national bourgeoisie. the rape and Libya Tripoli Nassar. (a figure of 30,000 is now These actions are not enough to win the national denounce this mooted by the TNC themselves— ed) system as cow- liberation of oppressed peoples. Imperialism will ardly, barbaric The Yankee Fourth Reich is still survive, destroying humanity and nature, until and cruel, but much more bloodthirsty than the the only revolutionary class in modern society, what difference the proletariat, organize all the righteous anger will this con- German Third Reich of the oppressed to finish off capitalism through d e m n a t i o n In the territories occupied by Germany, the an internationalist party. The possibility of libera- make to the Wehrmacht (armed forces of Germany during tion of humanity from the valley of tears caused o p p r e s s e d the Third Reich) had a kill ratio of 10 enemy by the imperialist regime of terror depends en-

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 18

from Benghazi. Letters pages I for one am inspired by the resolve of the peo- ple of Tripoli and other parts in their determina- tion to overcome these armed robbers, the Letters to Socialist Fight from Irish predators from Britain, France, Italy and the US, Republican Prisoners: and their marionettes. Another thing that might happen which wouldn't surprise me is that the A Chara, bombers and the minions might fall out over I received the copy of Socialist Fight and just how the payola is divided out. Hopefully the wanted to send my thanks. It was a great read continued resistance of the Libyan masses and with some very good articles. Fair play to all will bring out all of these contradictions and involved and I appreciate you taking the time make the job of driving them back and out of Counter-revolutionary rebels celebrate NATO and expense to send me a copy. the country sooner than we might otherwise bombs, Micheál O’Cionnaith, “Another thing that Do Chara have hope for...... Beir Bua, might happen which wouldn't surprise me is that Kieran Doran, Paris, France. Micheál O’Cionnaith Co Leitrim, 29 Jul 2011 the bombers and the minions might fall out over A Chara, how the payola is divided out.” Thanks for the recent copies of Socialist fight Letter from South Africa: a (Issue 6) which you forwarded to us. They were "workers party" is not always a the way, we will not abstain from this moment, distributed amongst comrades within the block. this historic breakthrough which you as the I am interested in hearing/learning more of the 'workers party' heroic black working class have fought. Vote work of the Irish Republican Prisoners Support Dear Comrades ANC! Break the Alliance! Build the Workers Group in London and would be grateful to re- Let me say at the outset that I cannot presume Party!" ceive any updates of your ongoing efforts. to speak for the organisation (RMG) on this 2) The masses had illusions in the ANC. We Given our limited access to information and matter but I will reflect some key issues from characterised the ANC as bourgeois nationalist communication (on internet facilities) we are our perspectives documents and historical ex- party. Abstention from the 1994 election not always au fait with various developments. perience: would have been a political mistake or mindless Your message of solidarity (page 6 S. Fight) was 1) The CWG (a forerunner of the RMG) called sectarianism. A critical vote enabled us to con- welcomed by comrades here especially as it for a critical vote for the ANC in 1994. As early nect with militants and advanced layers, par- articulated a maturity regarding political differ- as the end of 1992 we recognised that - if elec- ticular the militant socialist workers in the trade ences. tions were called in which the vast majority of unions. Other comrades in the RMG partici- pated in standing left candidates in the 1994 I’ll close for now, extending best wishes to you the working class and oppressed masses elections. We are however in agreement that and your comrades in your endeavours. would participate and if no significant break to without significant mass implantation and sup- Is mise le meas, the left had by such a time occurred - we would engage in mass propaganda and agita- port from vanguard layers electoralism is E4 Landing Portlaoise Goal. tion against the bourgeois ANC leadership, merely adventurism ala WIVL or the rather Please write to the Irish Republican Political solidarise with the masses and the militants in unfortunate Workers List Party. The lessons Prisoners; their names and addresses are given the trade unions and other democratic forma- from that experience should serve to remind in the IRPSG pages. tions, opposing bourgeois electoral illusions comrades of much of what is outlined in com- rade Gerry's article (SF 3, p.24, Bourgeois- with a fighting programme of demands. In short our view was: workers' parties: behind the mask of pseudo- Imperialism’s plans for Libya not revolutionary intransigence by Ret Marut and "You as the workers have fought and struggled going so well Philippe Couthon ): Pure "revolutionary" elec- for genuine democracy - for a meaningful end of toral interventions juxtapose the revolutionar- Hi Comrades, Apartheid and the achievement of true freedom. ies against the masses on some false reified Your faith remains with ANC but the ANC is now Am I correct in thinking that things are not political basis; Centrist electoral amalgams do a part of the bourgeois ruling class, its main job going according to plan for the imperialist much the same on a confused political platform is to keep your militancy in check, to pro- predators and their temporary minions, the which essentially amounts to anyone outside vide conditions for new bourgeois democracy to gangs from Benghazi. So far it is now the the traditional organisations of the class are flourish against the needs of the masses and the world's biggest armed robbery. The British and "good" and anyone of and in these formations working class. They cannot provide even the American predators seized Libya's assets, recog- are "bad", either way not advancing the strug- meagre promises of the RDP (Reconstruction nized the Benghazi gangs as the legitimate gov- gle of the masses themselves against their "own and Development Programme). This democracy ernment so that they can share out the payola leaders". is a fraud, but it is a serious advance from the under the guise of authorisation presumably system of Apartheid. Prepare to struggle for 3) The Alliance (ANC/SACP/COSATU) is a form from the gangs political front, the TNC. But the your demands through class methods, distrust of popular frontism, albeit a unique form masses of Libya and the army are proving far your leaders, control your organisations and shaped by the historic conditions in South Af- more resilient, which may cause fracturing in break the trade unions from the wretched tri- rica. The ANC represents the bourgeoisie, the the imperialist camp. Then of course, if the partite alliance which serves no purpose other emerging black bourgeoisie and sections of the imperialist bombers are called off we are likely than to chain the working class to incoming petty bourgeoisie with a strong hold over the to witness the fastest retreat ever by these bourgeois nationalist political and economic rural masses and pauperised sections of the motley gangs. I mean, by any criteria of meas- project. The ANC has already betrayed the de- working class. COSATU represents the black ure these people could not take a country on mands of the working class in favour of bour- working class, sections of the militant and so- their own, and they certainly could not hold it. I geois electoralism and subservience before cialist youth and marginally (i.e. less meaning- think the Libyan people have shown tremen- Imperialism. Their rotten democracy will mean fully) the interests of working class communi- dous resolve, they know what they have to do more misery and hardship but we will go ties. It is the "social democratic" wing of the and there will be no forgiving or forgetting the through this experience with you, every step of alliance, preferring the stability of capitalism cowardly and criminal role of these gangsters achieved through co-determination, "pro-

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 19

quate position - workers and work- democracy is obviously not universal. In the US ing class communities still have a in particular the tactic of the Workers Party strong attachment to the bourgeois remains important, even if like in South Africa, democratic forms as against the old this tactic may not primarily find expression in Apartheid system and the parties of and through the organised trade union move- what is popularly perceived as the ment - the task of building an independent white ruling class elites. The ANC workers party may fall to the rural or landless Youth League in particular has been masses, sections of the organised workers, key to promoting a left bourgeois working class youth and/or organisations of nationalist version of the ANC which working class communities. It would be incor- is "true" to the Freedom Charter and rect in South Africa today to persist in calling for more akin to Chavez, Mug- a Workers Party based on the trade unions ex- abe, Qaddafi and other left "anti- clusively. imperialist" leaders. It has made 10) I cannot see fundamental disagreement President Jacob Zuma, SACP leader Blade Nzimande and presi- calls for nationalisation of land with- dent of Cosatu, Sidumo Dlamini - Break the Triple Alliance! with the article reproduced by Cde Gerry out compensation, nationalisation of against abstentionism and ultra-leftist electoral- the mines and the banks. The next ism in general (from Socialist Fight No 3 p. 24). It poor" policies and Keynesian economics. issue of Qina Msebenzi (August 2011) will focus is a matter of debate and close theoretical study The SACP represents the Stalinist wing: It has no specifically on this emerging trend, its causes and practical struggle about the actual class and independent mass class constituency, it is petty and consequences for mass struggles etc. political dynamics which should assist us all in bourgeois in both its class composition, pro- 7) While it is a issue for debate (our electoral sharpening our methods, tactics, slogans and gramme and outlook. Sections of the new black tactics in 1994) and different comrades have actions in each situation. bourgeoisie maintain direct links with the SACP different views on the matter, in all essentials Revolutionary greetings through its central committee and politbureau. the position taken is in my view correct. Simi- The ministerial political elite is heavily repre- larly our no vote position against the ANC was Munro Tom, Revolutionary Marxist Group sented on the Central Committee of the SACP. equally correct but this has taken place without Letter from France: "lutte de The left labour bureaucrats make up the rest of a political-organisational continuity and would places" instead of the "lutte de the SACP hierarchy. have to be assessed as we move forward in 4) Our orientation is to break the alliance, call building the RMG. classes" - "Une époque de merde!" for working class independence in politics on its 8) In respect of a general analogy of electoral Comrades, own class programme. The break is against the tactics which equates the ANC with the PT and There are only three real parties and one faction reformist leadership of COSATU, the Stalinist the British Labour Party - it is obviously a matter with some seriousness, looking from my home SACP and the bourgeois nationalist ANC. We do which requires careful consideration and politi- in provincial France which is not the best place not regard the SACP as a mass class formation in cal debate from the standpoint of historically to take a look. Little groups are mostly based in its own right but rather as a parasitic caste of conditioned factors and the overall viewpoint of Paris, and I am not a Trotskyist and have never one wing of the labour bureaucracy with some making revolutionary Marxism valid to these been. The Independent Workers' Party, Parti influence amongst more socialist minded work- conditions whilst being consistent with the Ouvrière Indépendant, (POI) is a 2008 rebrand- ers and sections of the youth. In the past we methods, analyses and tools of the Communist ing of the old Lambertist party which works have called for a Workers Party based on the International and the FI. At a glance the PT and seriously but they are mixed up with national- trade unions as the most important political and ANC are similar or at least share many key char- ism and they are in the same party together organisational step towards securing the vehicle acteristics and political class dynamics. The LP is with republicans and others. They work hard, through which the class can fight for both its a different matter - what is obvious is that a have some influence over the workers but are in immediate economic and social demands as bourgeois workers party cannot be such a thing the bureaucratic apparatus of the Force Ou- well as express its own political (class based) in perpetuity and surely we must consider what vrière Union. Today they are looking for "unity" interests. 100 yrs of "bourgeois workers party" means in but on their own terms and with the sectarians 5) We do not regard the SACP as "bourgeois today's class struggles and political battles. This who would cause internal fights. Lutte Ouvrière workers party" or as having the potential to be task means understanding what building a revo- (LO) and NPA (New Anticapitalist Party) have such- it is a Stalinist caste of high priest whose lutionary workers party means today in Britain, just give them 'une fin de non recevoir" (a sharp only job is to preserve the semblance of radical- what is our assessment of the opportunities to answer no ). ism of the bourgeois politics of the ANC. In break the vanguard layers from the labour lefts NPA will remain, as the LCR (forerunner of the many respects the Stalinist stand on the right- and labourites in general? For example we could NPA) has remained for decades, always the wing of even the bourgeois nationalist politics of anticipate that the ANC would become a bour- same, "finding" new "developments" in every the ANC and the Alliance as a whole. This is not geois nationalist party but we could not antici- new petit bourgeois tendency that surges to deny that many socialist workers have an pate what forms this would take i.e. the degree around the world. LO, you know them a little, association with the SACP but this is not the neo-liberalism would come to dominate the will continue their orientation to the working organisational or political character of the SACP. ANC. The PT must have undergone its own spe- class but without any (or with a very dimin- We do however orientate ourselves specifically cific evolution and enmeshment with the bour- ished) national presence. Their work with the to the Young Communist League and its militant geoisie in Brazil and similarly must have rede- working class will "pay" if a big class struggle layers in particular, including faction work, agi- fined its relationship to the working class? develops, but if not, they will surely have inter- tation and propaganda. Naturally in the trade 9) What I think this means is that a "workers nal problems, or they will lose people (the way unions we pay special attention to the commu- party" is not always a 'workers party' much like some militants protests against the direction nist (SACP) layers who are class militants. Trotsky pointed out that "A is not equal A" etc. when they don't find the political reasons). 6) In the most recent elections for local govern- The thing in and of itself must first be under- The LO Faction "Etincelle" who is in the NPA ment we called for a "No Vote for the ANC" as stood and static notions and categories are not with one leg in and the other out, does the well the its main bourgeois rival, the Democratic necessarily helpful in guiding our thinking and same work as LO, but they are fewer and are Alliance. We called on workers to go to the polls action in a living class struggle. The American perhaps not so politically mature. Their perspec- and spoil their ballots. This is of course an inade- and British experience of "two-party" electoral tive, orienting towards the working class, is a

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 20 good one, but they are unknown to the public disappear from na- and that makes for great difficulties. As old Mao tional public political said "All depend on the masses", that's what I life instead of making think. The problem is that the masses are look- a compromise. Gods ing around for a solution of their increasing blinds the ones they problems and perhaps they will take the far condemn. right option. Perhaps some left people who There are some other voted LO and NPA will now vote Jean-Luc Mé- new developments in lenchon (The Left Party, Parti de Gauche) as this NPA. Two sections, candidate is well known as a former minister those of Clermont but he does not awake any real enthusiasm. Ferrand and Limousin There is perhaps some chance that the NPA, LO (not too big regions in campaign might gain some momentum if they centre of France), Jean-Luc Mélenchon. They (the NPA) are in serious internal difficulties make a very good class struggle campaign. But I both who had "good between right wingers (friends of Mélenchon, ecologists, décrois- am not sure they will. They are saying as the fox electoral results", saneurs" (minimalists) and petit bourgeois of that ilk) and "left" ones looking the grapes "it is not important this elec- (17% or more of the tion..." vote) and got some (mainly ex-LCR and factions from LO, from PT who joined the NPA). Don't bother with the NPA. There is a chance it local authorities mili- won’t last. They are in serious internal difficul- tants of NPA elected have signed an appeal, mate or a little triumph which is rare nowadays ties between right wingers (friends of Mélen- uniting with Front de Gauche (Mélenchon, PCF in France) and a real working class militant. chon, ecologists, décroissaneurs" (minimalists) front) and stated that they will not obey the He is really a blue collar worker who speaks the and petit bourgeois of that ilk) and "left" ones decisions of the new direction nor the agree- language of the working class and has not the (mainly ex-LCR and factions from LO, from PT ments they have recently made, naming Phillipe "langue de bois" (stereotypical language) of who joined the NPA). They are credited only Poutou as candidate to the presidency of France others. There is a clear difference between his 0.5% in the next presidential elections...after (a worker near VdT ex-LO faction expelled in general rank and file worker aspect and the one Besancenot has quit (or deserted). Well, elec- 1996 (?) I think). They are saying they will work of Nathalie Arthaud from LO who is an econom- tions are far ahead (April 2012), but if they with the FdG for the parliamentary election on ics teacher and a petite bourgeois from origin make even less than LO (credited 1.5%), there the same date as the presidential (not a word of even if she has more than 20 years of militancy are good reasons to think that they will shrink to the presidential one), and they are calling for a in LO. She has no big charisma but she delivers the LCR (the "best" option) or just split and meeting and a "summer university" of all the the party line. disappear. ones like them nationally to meet there to dis- I suppose that the left line will last till the next Libya is a taboo subject here in France. From cuss a ‘Unitaire’ NPA. (Unitaire for "unite with change of mood in the ex-LCR leading staff (who time to time there is a brief note made by the Mélanchon and the PS. I suppose there are no have the overwhelming majority now) or they LO, not so sharp but just the minimum not to others who should want a United Front with will rest in the same position as the ex-LCR with incur too much criticism from their members. them). little concessions to their "allies". No doubt, Some Maoists (who are very few and with no In fact this is a split that doesn't use the word. there are many very subjective opinions that influence whatsoever) make net statements of This will make it even more difficult to gather need correction. I am not a theoretician but a the same kind, perhaps betters. Everyone is the signatures (500) needed to validate a candi- worker on the dole. The devil takes them all! waiting for the next presidential elections or in date, and is a terrible blow to the NPA by the Everywhere traitors and opportunists! the hypothetic hope of "des luttes" (the strug- same ones that were presented as the future of I am not Trotskyist and isolated and old. What gles of the working class). But I think the bour- the political left. A lot of people, die hard social- an epoch! "Une époque de merde!" as they say geoisie has succeeded in putting everyone in democrats and petit bourgeois, are seeking for here. their place for this elections. what here is called "lutte de places" (fight for Your Comrade Yao Wenyuan, France And everyone is fearing the consequences of the election, the representative posts) instead the crisis that is looming over our heads. No one of the "lutte de classes" (class fight). They don't Casus belli; WRP-related "sleaze" is prepared, and the class, the masses, the peo- bother with respecting discussions and votes ple who are close to me who will vote Mélen- inside the party and they have no regret if they Comrades, chon because there is no other perspective with split or kill the NPA. As for casus belli, who knows what was in the even a slight chance of having a "decent" result. To me, it's a matter of survival to put all those minds of Cameron and Sarkozy all those months People who voted LO said today that it is people out and as fast as possible. But, without ago? To me at least, it was clear from day one "useless" and they prefer, knowing Mélenchon, them the NPA will became a LCR minus the ones that the Libyan "rebels" had little or nothing in to vote for him just to make a counter weight to who has been demoralised by their erratic common with those in Morocco, Egypt and the Socialists and Sarkozy. march. elsewhere and that something was up. Obama Mélenchon, a bastard, uses very sharp lan- The NPA is going now in a "left" course. Re- hadn't at first a clue what to do - it was, it guage, but in the main points he is a brave dog cently the "left" tendencies (there are at least seemed, Cameron's Churchill moment. of the bourgeoisie. There is no hope other than three) gained control of the direction against (Remember that picture of Thatcher sitting on a weakening of the fighting spirit of the working "minimalist", rightist looking for Mélanchon top of a tank and wearing that fetching head class. But people here, knowing what’s happen- without any condition, ecologist and the like. scarf?) ing in Greece and Portugal and Ireland and This is more or less the ancient LCR plus some Cameron is a nasty piece of work who, unlike Spain and next Italy, and as a large portion of little "help" coming from Claire tendency (ex-PT Thatcher, is disloyal to colleagues. (Note how he the class still have something to defend today POI) and "Faction l'Etincelle" ex LO faction shafted Kenneth Clarke over long-overdue-even (working aristocrats) they prefer to wait and and others even more little groups who joined -in-their-terms prison reforms just to get over a pray this crisis will not came to France. These the NPA at its beginning. There are some illu- few Red Top rants.) He'd be perfectly happy to are stupid illusions, but real illusions. sions for Phillipe Poutou that is a very fighting bomb the fuck out of Libya to humiliate Blair There is no other thing to do but wait and work worker (led a 4 years struggle against Ford and look good to the US whatever wiser counsel for a minimum union of the extreme left. But Automibiles in Bourdeaux and achieved a stale- he may have been given. those monkeys don't want it. They prefer to OK, I accept that the essence of imperial inter- Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 21

vention is the protection of assets and power by 2.1 Militarily, it has large whatever means necessary but I'd argue that contingents of very-far- the accidental, the psychological and so on are right-indeed, battle- how that essence appears. (See, I really am that hardened Islamic funda- old-fashioned.) mentalists. These earlier My hunch is that Cameron will now hope to use posed such a threat in the war to keep Lib-Dims in tow over upcoming Libya and Iraq that the spats such as Human Rights reversals, heavy US and Britain managed NHS cuts and the like. If the Cleggsies do cut up, to overcome their post- Cameron can threaten a snap election, looking Lockerbie hatred of to the "Falklands Factor" to get him an overall Gadaffi (not that Libya majority over a Miliband-led Labour Party had any part in Locker- which, it has to be said, is beginning to recover bie but that's another from the Brown shambles. story) and Gadaffi over- came his mistrust of the In either case, Clegg is finished - most Lib-Dim West. The Telegraph reports what the pro-imperialist ‘left’ do not want to rank and filers despise him even more than the They collaborated to hear; the first major reprisal against supporters of Gaddafi's regime. And voters do, furious that their party is, despite as so often in Libya, there is also a racist undercurrent. Many Tawargas, their efforts, possibly as badly shafted as it was suppress the Islamists. Tripoli airport was though neither immigrants nor Gaddafi's much-ballyhooed African mer- in 1906. So keeping schtum while clutching cenaries, are descended from slaves, and are darker than most Libyans. Cameron's coat-tails is Clegg's only hope now. clogged with politicos on In short, the war was partly vanity but in large friendship visits. As we e.g. the following MSM reports: measure a wheeze to divert attention from all now know and many already suspected, political tensions, worsening economic woes Britain even felt able to outsource the thumb- ** Libyans Turn Wrath on Dark-Skinned Mi- and, of course, poor, dear Rebekah's troubles. screw contracts. grants (New York Times) (Such a strong girl.) This fact, understood by all except Blue Rinse http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/world/ What humbles me is that I had to trawl through and the middle-to-far-left, underlies the con- africa/05migrants.html?pagewanted=all all sorts of right-wing shit to understand that. cerns of many about the wisdom of the cobbled ** Libyan rebels 'targeting African nationals Little or nothing from the left, esp. the British -together Anglo-French initiative that led NATO mistaken for mercenaries' (Guardian) to switch to backing the alliance of Islamists and left, offered a clue, obsessed as it is with dis- http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2011/ tancing itself from WRP-related "sleaze". right-leaning oppositionists against Gadaffi. (Presumably it hopes to deal with the Islamists aug/31/libyan-rebels-african-mercenaries-video ** Why Is Much of Africa Giving Libya's Rebels Yours etc. Jock McFadden, Scotland later. After all, it worked a treat in Afghanistan.) the Cold Shoulder? (Time) The "Arab Spring" and the Libyan 2.2 Politically, the rebellion's leadership is domi- http://www.time.com/time/world/ revolt; Reply to a Renegade nated by renegade Gadaffi heavies. As you article/0,8599,2090615,00.html know, former justice minister Mustafa Jalil has ** African women say rebels raped them in Comrades, chaired the TNC since February and the US- Libyan camp (Miami Herald) The continuity between the "Arab Spring" and educated Mahmoud Jibril, an unashamed and http:// the Libyan revolt has to be shown, not merely influential far-right economic "reformer", is www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/07/2395392/ assumed. So what is the evidence that there is a acting prime and foreign minister. difference between the two? afri can -women -say-rebel s -raped.html He it was who persuaded Sarkozy and Hague to "Human rights advocates have decried what 1. The NATO powers did what they could first to send in the bombers. It takes a brave commen- appears to be mistreatment of black African defuse then to accommodate to the move- tator to suggest that he is not determined to workers, and U.S. Ambassador Gene Cretz, ments in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere. In Bah- open Libya up to the sort of "investment" that speaking in Washington on Wednesday, admit- rain, they stood aside while the regime put led over the years to the appalling mess in ted it's a growing problem." down unarmed protestors with the help of the Egypt. Saudi military. In none of these cases was there ** Rebels settle scores in Libyan capital 3. If the rebels needed foreign assistance to win any threat either of "armed struggle" or of input http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/ and to protect themselves from a massacre, from Islamist elements. (In Egypt, the middle-of- africa/rebels-settle-scores-in-libyan-capital- why did they not appeal to the black proletariat the-road Muslim Brotherhood tended to side 2344671.html (Independent) to join their struggle? And why are "socialists" with the establishment.) ** Gaddafi's ghost town after the loyalists re- so quiet about this obvious omission? In Libya OTOH NATO rapidly intervened on the treat - Telegraph The answer is clear to those who bother to look. side of armed rebels with a lengthy and aggres- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/ The "rebels" are in the main intensely antipa- sive bombing campaign. It seems to know the africaandindianocean/libya/8754375/Gaddafis- thetic to the black working class in Libya. If difference even if you don't. (The argument that ghost-town-after-the-loyalists-retreat.html there were strong anti-black currents in Libyan they are doing so the better to control the re- society before the "rebellion" (and there were), There's plenty more. You say, "As the imperial- bellion is too fatuous to merit serious considera- they are definitely making their mark now. ists try to catch up, it is not unexpected to see tion.) Much of the contempt for Gadaffi stems not the sadder remnants of Healyism backing the 2. The "Arab Spring" movements were by and because he's a tyrannical, grandstanding buf- oppressors". large spontaneous and attracted few defectors foon but from his adoption of a Pan-African To which I reply "I have to say I never expected from incumbent regimes even though these (rather than pan-Arab) agenda and his bankroll- to see the day when even the saddest of the regimes were eventually forced into minor ing of the African Union. The Libyan middle class remnants of Healyism were happy to condone concessions such as the departure of the Tuni- does not in the main like blacks be they ethnic racist pogroms, right-wing economic reforms sian prime minister and the show trial of the or immigrant. and NATO bombing campaigns". Shame on you. senescent Hosni Mubarak. The leadership of the No, that doesn't mean I'm "pro-Gadaffi", it Best, Walter Campbell, Scotland armed Libyan "rebellion" is very different. means only that I can read a newspaper. See

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 22 Imperialism faces its worst financial, economic and political crises since the 1930s Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth International (LCFI) 15 September 2011

he US is still the only major superpower contemplate for the world imperialists. But there in terms of military might. The emerging is no alternative; to prepare for this global cur- rival imperialist powers bloc of Germany rency the exploitation of the working class in the and the BRICS countries, Brazil, Russia, metropolitan countries combined with the subju- TIndia, China and South Africa, who abstained in gation of the remaining semi-colonial hold-outs the Libya no fly zone vote at the UN (apart from must be enormously increased. And that really South Africa who was not then a member) have requires WWIII as the working class will not toler- been intimidated into accepting the situation; ate this and the rivals of US Imperialism cannot pressure on Germany has cowed that rival and in tolerate their continued propping up of the US turn Russia and China has been forced to accept economy by means of the dollar’s position as the that the military might of the US and its allies global reserve currency. The consequent ability Britain, France and other smaller European impe- of the US treasury to print dollars in ‘Quantative rialist countries cannot be challenged on a global Easing’ exercises forces the rest of the world to scale. It is clear that this is very much the weaker pay for US debts and, incidentally, fund the enor- Imperialist power bloc; they do not have the German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the mous US military spending which is aimed ulti- economic might to replace the dollar and they do French President Nicolas Sarkozy; defend the mately at war on them. not have anything like the military strength to euro “but (for Germany) not at any price.” oppose the US and its allies in a war. And there ‘Double dip’ after 2008 or new and are really only two rival theories of world Imperi- buyer of last resort to repel bond-market conta- greater global crisis? alism and we are Leninists; it will not be possible gion, the viral assailants are now closing in on What stage of the global economic crisis are we ultimately to resolve these inter-imperialist con- Berlin. Many of Merkel’s natural supporters are at? It is clear that the so-called 'double dip' the- flicts as Karl Kautsky thought. These will inevita- uneasily aware that, were Germany and other ory explains nothing. The LCFI suspect that the bly lead to WWIII and great revolutionary up- creditor countries to submit to demands that they current crisis expresses the depletion of a cycle heavals where the world revolution of decent formally pool government borrowing with the marked by the hegemony of the dollar standard. into generations of barbarism will again be other euro states, that could mark the gradual Here it is clear we are in the period of a new sharply posed. end of Germany’s own economic sanctity.” crisis of global capitalism. But the sociological terminology has some pur- The logic of the crisis is forcing a choice upon Details like France’s manoeuvres against Italy chase here; it is a multi-polar world now with the Germany to split Europe no matter what it wants over Libya reveal the change to protectionism in decline of US Imperialism and the rise of the to do. If it is to bail out Italy and Spain after the minds of the ruling class and the seeming Asian economies – these now account for almost Greece, Ireland and Portugal – and France is also irrationality of the drive to war. But in reality this 36% of the world’s GDP, with the US and EU on in trouble – how will it manage to avoid hyperin- is the perfectly rational class interests of the about 20% and the rest of the world on about flation and economic collapse? As Marsh on capitalist class that is now so much a feature of 24%. But the relationship is much different when Monday says, this crisis. it comes to military spending. Here the US mili- “Wolfgang Reitzle, the well-regarded boss of The US is provocatively patrolling the South tary budget accounts for 43% of the world ex- industrial gas giant Linde, says he supports the China Sea and fomenting disputes over four penditure; almost six time that of its nearest rival euro “but not at any price.” Kurt Lauk, the head separate groups of islands claimed by China. A China. The US has accused China of duplicity in of the economic council of Merkel’s Christian recent article in China’s state-run Daily Times its military spending data but “There is no such Democrats, a former finance director of motor described the South China Sea as a “second Per- thing as a so-called hidden military expenditure group Daimler and energy company Veba (the sian Gulf” according to an article on the WSWS in China,” Li Zhaoxing, spokesman for the Fourth former Eon) even talks of a “currency reform” if website US Imperialism and the South China Sea Session of the 11th National People's Congress, euro supports arrangements fail to work.” crisis on 26 July 2011. They say: said at a March 4 news conference announcing China is desperately propping up the Euro and the budget. Whatever the truth of this allegation “The South China Sea is also the key passageway demanding a new world currency to replace the the massive imbalance cannot be denied. for China’s energy imports. About 80 percent of all dollar. But there is little prospect of that happen- oil brought into China crosses the Indian Ocean But in economic terms it is a very different mat- ing. The wars on Iraq and on Libya followed from the Middle East and Africa, entering the ter. Look at the GDP graph. Clearly Asia is rising moves by both regimes to ditch the dollar, Iraq South China Sea via the Straits of Malacca. Other strongly, with China to the fore, and the US and following Iran in adopting the euro as its oil cur- Asian economies, including Japan and South Ko- particularly Europe are declining not only rela- rency and Libya promising to use a gold dinar rea, are similarly dependent on the daily passage tively but in real terms also. Therefore imperialist which could see a new move to restore the gold of oil tankers through the South China Sea, making rivalries and tensions continue to grow. Accord- standard to all currencies internationally. the naval route a key strategic choke point.” ing to the website Marsh on Monday on Aug. 22, 2011, Germany was forced to make a choice: Us But when Nixon abandoned the gold standard in Following the imperialist war on Libya China, 1971 (and so effectively defaulted on its interna- or them? We read; smarting at her obvious loss of influence and tional debts) gold was set at $35 to an ounce. It contracts there and in the rest of Africa, deliv- “Last week’s meeting between French President now hovers around $1,900 to the ounce. Estab- ered a blunt warning to the US. According to the Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela lishing a global currency based on gold would European Union Times on May 22nd, 2011, Merkel, which brought more promises of require gold at a far higher price and would also “China has officially put the United States on “economic government” (called, unhelpfully, require the liquidation of such quantities of debt notice that Washington’s planned attack on “economic direction” in German), predictably built up over the last forty years since Nixon’s Pakistan will be interpreted as an act of aggres- failed to calm the markets. Since there is no firm fateful decision that it is as yet impossible to

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 23

upstairs” -- meaning the Secretary of Defense’s office -- “today.” And he said, “This is a memo that describes how we’re going to take out seven countries in five years, starting with Iraq, and then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and, finishing off, Iran.” They are a bit behind schedule but they are get- ting there. It is clear the Syria is next as that opposition has been definitely subordinated to the interests of Imperialism, despite the legiti- mate demands of the initial protests. sion against Beijing. This blunt warning repre- The “War on Terrorism” has brought death and sents the first known strategic ultimatum re- destruction to millions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Paki- ceived by the United States in half a century, the picateros in Argentina in 2001-2. going back to Soviet warnings during the Berlin stan, Somalia, Yemen, etc. but it has met with fierce resistance; there has been no easy victory In the United States itself, the land of the mighti- crisis of 1958-1961, and indicates the grave dan- est imperialist power the world has ever seen, ger of general war growing out of the US- for Imperialism there. The wars sapped the eco- nomic and political strength of the US and trade union struggle is practically illegal following Pakistan confrontation… Responding to reports the Wisconsin attack on union rights in February that China has asked the US to respect Pakistan’s strengthened Iran as the regional power, the total opposite of their intention. They are facing 2011 and the WSWS site reports on the latest sovereignty in the aftermath of the Bin Laden statistics on poverty in the US: operation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesper- defeat in Afghanistan and in the last decade the rise of China has proceeded apace whilst the US “The poverty rate increased nearly a full percent- son Jiang Yu used a May 19 press briefing to state Beijing’s categorical demand that the, and Europe have declined as global imperialist age point, from 14.3 percent in 2009. It was the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan powers. But new bellicose noises are issuing. The third consecutive annual increase in the poverty US is again threatening Pakistan and Syria, the rate and the fourth consecutive annual increase must be respected.” new NTC government in Libya is threatening in the number of people living in poverty. Last According to Pakistani diplomatic sources cited Algeria and war on Iran look inevitable. In fact year, there were 46.2 million people living in by the Times of India, China has, we may well be seeing the opening wars of poverty, defined at the absurdly low level of “warned in unequivocal terms that any attack on WWIII. But with global conflagrations come revo- about $22,000 a year for a family of four and Pakistan would be construed as an attack on lutions which must develop on a global scale to $11,000 a year for an individual. The number of China.” This ultimatum was reportedly delivered win. people earning less than twice the poverty rate at the May 9 China-US strategic dialogue and We are confident that the British riots that began (about $44,000 for a family of four) stood at 103 economic talks in Washington, where the Chinese in Tottenham on 6 August after the police shoot- million in 2010, or about 34 percent of the popu- delegation was led by Vice Prime Minister Wang ing of Mark Duggan are a portent of the coming lation.” Qishan and State Councillor Dai Bingguo. Chinese revolution, a reflection of the deep going anger The laws of history are stronger than the bureau- warnings are implicitly backed up by that nation’s and despair of a whole generation of youth de- cratic apparatus, Trotsky affirmed, the bureau- nuclear missiles, including an estimated 66 ICBMs, nied a future and consigned to criminalisation crats will be swept aside and the whole class will some capable of striking the United States, plus and oppression as the economy enters a new being to fight for its life and future internation- 118 intermediate-range missiles, 36 submarine- phase of its crisis; the sub-prime crisis of banking ally. This does require a new Trotskyist interna- launched missiles, and numerous shorter-range debt has been replaced by sovereign debts of tional, a recreated Fourth international. That is systems.” whole nations which is insolvable – bourgeois the prime task the present crisis poses to all What does this mean for the future of the semi- commentators have taken to quoting Marx and serious militant and Marxists internationally. colonial world? It is clear that there is a new some even Lenin in reference to the currency Workers moving from defence to attack need to ‘grab for Africa’ and victory in a war that appar- crisis. These were an expression of the holding understand the new situation that presents ently did not cost a single NATO life will encour- back of the class struggle on behalf of the capi- itself, the inter-imperialist crisis and growing age the unfolding of the plan that Gen. Wesley talist class by the TU bureaucracy, like the Chil- offensive against the world proletariat. Only then Clark revealed to Amy Goodman in that famous ean high school and college students who are can we establish a program of action to organise interview in September 2001, just after the 9/11 demanding free, quality education and are fight- the political resistance of the masses. The LCFI attack: “I said, “Are we still going to war with ing against the neo-liberal politics of the right was born to organise this resistance from the Iraq?” And he said, “Oh, it’s worse than that.” He wing government which has lead to such appall- perspective of permanent revolution and inter- reached over on his desk. He picked up a piece of ing levels of inequality. Similar also were the nationalism. paper. And he said, “I just got this down from Banlieu riots in France in late 2005 and those of

Continued from p. 24 existing misleaders of the the anvil of bourgeois nationalism and centrist fought Stalinism to the death, and they were the working class, independ- revisionism, the path is a narrow one for those of only ones who did. ently mobilising their base to set it against the us who still believed in the World Revolution.” By the time of the great purges, they could only leadership in struggle. This is the central princi- His following comments gives us courage and shout their rebellion in the freezing wastelands ple of the rank and file tactic in the trade unions; inspiration and a determination to politically where they had been dragged in order to be no capitulation to the left trade union bureau- fight to clarify and win to Trotskyism the new exterminated. In the camps, their conduct was crats, mass agitation to mobilise the class into forces of that world revolution seen in the recent admirable. But their voices were lost in the tun- action combined with focused propaganda to riots in Britain, in Greece, in Spain in Chile and dra. win to Trotskyism the class conscious natural elsewhere. Trepper commented later in the leaders of the class that emerge in all serious "Today, the Trotskyites have a right to accuse same book, those who once howled along with the wolves… struggle. Paraphrasing the well known words of Leopold Trepper, leader of the Red Orchestra in Who rose up to voice his outrage? The Trotsky- Let them not forget, however, that they had the ites can lay claim to this honour. Following the enormous advantage over us of having a coher- WWII in The Great Game: Memoirs of the Spy example of their leader, who was rewarded for ent political system capable of replacing Stalin- Hitler Couldn’t Silence we can say, his obstinacy with the end of an ice-axe, they ism. They had something to cling to in the midst “Between the hammer of world Imperialism and

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 24 The fall of Tripoli reveals the new global balance of class forces Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth International 18 September 2011

n the night of 21-22 August 2011 vigour.” Tripoli fell to the NATO-rebel forces Of course the complete opposite is the case, as of world Imperialism, with the assis- Trotsky explained so well about Abyssinia, China tance of NATO bombs nd Special and hypothetically Brazil in 1936, 1937 and 1938. OForces from several imperialist countries and Any victory for Imperialism will strengthen chau- troops from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. vinism and reaction in the form of the hold of the Despite the fact that powerful resistance contin- TU bureaucracy over the working class primarily ues it is clear that NATO and their stooges, the in the metropolitan countries where it MUST be TNC rebels, have dealt a major blow at the inde- defeated ultimately and challenged strongly now pendence of Libya. It is no satisfaction to have in order to advance the cause of the working our direst predictions confirmed. In the State- class globally. And it will strengthen the pro- King Idris’ flag signals the reversion of Libya to ment on Libya by the Liga Comunista of Brazil, imperialist grouping and leaderships in all the colonial status. the Revolutionary Marxist Group of South Africa rest of the countries engaged in the 'Arab and Socialist Fight of Britain on 21 April 2011 we Spring'. This can only point in the direction of said: defeat. The argument that defeat will allow the huge advantage over other groups. We honour “The greatest proof that the "rebels" are nothing working class to organise as a class in this region Trotskyism whilst others "Trotskyists" have be- but butchers and Libyan agents of Imperialism is ignores the fact that the working class is a global trayed its essence. We believe that the MAIUF is that they have invoked NATO bombing on their class; a serious wound to its head will not allow the best continuity of the defensive tactics of own people, as did the collaborators at all times its peripheral organs to function properly. This Bolshevism and Trotskyism: Russia 1917 of the class struggle since the Paris Commune was the argument at the accession of Yeltsin in (Kornilov), Germany 1933 (Adolph Hitler), Abys- Thiers (1871) to Lebanon (2006). As each day 1991, what serious Marxist does not now recog- sinia 1935 (Haile Selassie), China 1937 (Chiang passes it becomes clearer that the native agents nize that as a victory for neo-liberal Imperialism Kai-shek), Brazil 1938 (Getúlio Vargas). of Imperialism are merely open cat’s paws for and a defeat for the global working class? It is no It is important to abstract the lessons of this multinational intervention in the country. They accident that in this previous “4th August” mo- struggle over Libya. This defensive concept has a are racists and xenophobes, the enemies of all ment for the left groups, the majority chose wide application to other similar situations. A black working class Saharans in Libya. In the hunt defence of “democracy” over defence of the defeat of the remaining workers states of North for "Gaddafi mercenaries” they seek to demoral- nationalised property relations of the USSR. (On Korea and Cuba, of any other oppressed semi- ise the work force in the country, preparing it for 4th August 1914 the German Social Democrats, colonial nations or of any of the guerrilla organi- the super exploitation in a new era of extreme the largest self-declared revolutionary Marxist sations military fighting Imperialism; Irish Repub- Imperialist plunder. The Libyan "rebels" are party on the planet, voted the war credits to the licans, Colombian FARC, the Taliban, the Iraqi bunch bourgeois turncoats from the Gaddafi Kaiser to enable WWI to begin its mass slaughter fighters, Maoists in India and Nepal, etc. is a regime in favour of big business internationally.” of the youth of a whole generation to solve its defeat for the global working class in their fight Nor did we make any concessions to third world crisis of the rate of profit). against their own ruling classes; the anti- apologists for the national bourgeoisie who Even in Libya a defeat for Imperialism would not imperialist struggle is an absolutely essential part sought to prettify Gaddafi, dismiss or excuse his have returned it to the status quo. Gaddafi had of the class struggle. At the same time we cannot crimes against the working class and so marginal- been obliged to promise the renationalisation of be identified with those fake Trotskyists like ise the political struggles of Trotskyist interna- the oil industry and had armed the masses. As Michel Pablo, Ernest Mandel, Guillermo Lora, tionalism for the world revolution: Trotsky argues over Brazil, Nahuel Moreno, James Cannon, Joseph Hansen, Pierre Lambert, Pierre Frank, Alain Krivine, Gerry “It was the anti-working class, neoliberal policies “If England should be victorious, she will put Healy etc. who ideologically and politically ca- of Gaddafi during the last decade that paved the another fascist in Rio de Janeiro and will place pitulated to Stalinism and to semi-colonial petty- way this reaction. Gaddafi has established new double chains on Brazil. If Brazil on the contrary bourgeois nationalists like Tito, Mao, Ben Bella in agreements with Imperialism, destroying the should be victorious, it will give a mighty impulse Algeria, Castro, Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Yasser gains of the process of nationalisation of the to national and democratic consciousness of the Arafat, etc. and many others. We have to make means of production and post-1969 energy re- country and will lead to the overthrow of the the class differences in the orientation of our sources. Gaddafi banned trade unions and strikes Vargas dictatorship. The defeat of England will at fight against the Imperialism. But we demand and made racist anti-immigrant agreements with the same time deliver a blow to British Imperial- critical but unconditional defence of the bu- Berlusconi, he has sponsored the election cam- ism and will give an impulse to the revolutionary reaucratised workers' states, all oppressed na- paign of Sarkozy and privatized and made auc- movement of the British proletariat. Truly, one tions and all the guerrilla organizations fighting tions with the energy resources of Libya. Thus, must have an empty head to reduce world an- against Imperialism. This is the touchstone by the caudillo of Tripoli has lost popularity with the tagonisms and military conflicts to the struggle which we judge all international movements; for Libyan and African population and fuelled the between fascism and democracy. Under all or against global finance capitalism, i.e. Imperial- appetite of sectors of the native bourgeoisie to masks one must know how to distinguish exploit- ism, the prime enemy of all progressive human- negotiate directly with Imperialism, freeing up ers, slave-owners, and robbers!” ity. Gaddafi’s clan.” The central point of our previous statement Like the early Comintern we regard this as the What do we have to say to the following com- (Statement on Libya by the Liga Comunista of natural extension of the United Front (UF) tactic Brazil, the Revolutionary Marxist Group of South ment, all too common on the ‘left’? in the domestic class struggle; with the trade “Whatever the contradictions of the situation the Africa and Socialist Fight of Britain, 21 April 2011) union and labour movement leaders in struggle was the Military Anti-Imperialist United Front rebel victory in Libya strengthens the chances of against the bosses where possible, without and rebellion in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain - if Gaddafi (MAIUF). Our position was Leninists because we against them where necessary to carry the strug- kept our complete independence from Imperial- had won, Assad and the other tyrants would gle to victory. This is the UF from both above and have felt stronger and repressed with even more ism and Gaddafi. With this position we had a below; demands on the Continued on p. 23

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 25

South Africa's Mini Revolt By Ret Marut outh Africa to is experiencing its own tember Malema, mini revolt because of the global crisis “scored a minor political victory over Zuma after linked to the war in Libya. Of course it is the cabinet expressed displeasure about the the complete betrayal of South Africa to Botswana government's recognition of Libya's Sis experiencing its own mini revolt because of national transitional council. While Malema has Supporters of controversial ANC youth leader the global crisis linked to the war in Libya. Of been charged for ill-discipline for advocating Julius Malema demonstrate on August 30 ahead course it is the complete betrayal of the black "regime change" to remove Botswana's of his disciplinary hearing. Hundreds of Malema masses by the ANC government of Zuma which "puppet" government, he found allies in the supporters threw stones and bottles at police has fuelled this uprising but it has a new cham- cabinet on Wednesday. while burning the ruling party's flag and T-shirts pion, ANC youth leader Julius Malema who is The Minister of International Relations, Maite bearing the face of President Jacob Zuma. now seeking to fill the role that Winnie Mandela once filled. He has been given only a warning Nkoana-Mashabane, briefed the cabinet about Political Analyst Dr. Somadoda Fikeni says, Botswana's decision to break ranks with the and partial court cost after he was found guilty "Remember that the Youth League was calling of singing “shoot the boer”. However was still African Union position not to recognise the Lib- for a leadership change and sometimes even charged with expulsion from the ANC together yan council as the country's interim administra- mentioning leaders by name among the current tion. Apparently cabinet members were angry with the entire ANCYL national leadership, leaders and that would have caused the kind of Malema’s deputy Ronald Lamola, secretary- about Botswana's move, although the cabinet tensions that we see. Also the difference in terms released only a mild statement restating South general Sindiso Magaqa, his deputy Kenetswe of what the ANCYL is proposing as its policy Mosenogi, treasurer-general Pule Mabe and Africa's commitment to the AU's road map on options of nationalisation and of taking over spokesman Floyd Shivambu. Libya.” land without compensation. As well as the for- He faced charges of bringing the ANC into disre- This reflects also not only the upsurges of the eign policy stance had already caused division masses in South Africa against Imperialism but pute, sowing divisions within the party and for between the Youth League and the ANC....So this his comments that whites are criminals. His real also SA affiliation to the BRICS group which with is simply another phase, another manifestation crimes are to challenge Zuma for the leadership Germany is now a rising imperialist rival power of such divisions." bloc in increasing conflict with the more belli- of the ANC and calling for nationalisation South Africa's mining industry. On June 16 at a Youth cose and blood thirsty imperialist bloc of the US, Financial Appeal: Donate to our Build- UK and France. Malema has also distanced him- Day event he accused whites of "stealing land" ing Fund, Subscribe to Socialist Fight self from China, the memory of the 1977 deba- said, "The only option is to take the land without Four Issues: UK: £12.00, EU: £14.00 cle when China found itself on the side of Jonas compensation, if you refuse to give us an alter- Savimbi’s UNITA and the invading Apartheid Rest of the World: £18.00 native”. army in the Angolan civil war is still fresh in Cheques and Standing Orders to Socialist Of course this is demagogic grandstanding but it South Africa. Fight Account No. 1. does reflect the growing anger of the masses at Unity Trust Bank, Sort Code 08-60-01, the increasing inequality of a society which is In other words he is seeking to manoeuvre be- tween imperialist powers and is looking for a Account. No. 20227368. now among the most unequal in the world, form of neo- Keynesian capitalism at home, not Contact us at: worse than it was under apartheid. to direct the anger of the masses against capital- PO Box 59188, London, NW2 9LJ According to the Times live online on 11 Sep- ism itself. The challenge to Zuma is building. Where We Stand – Socialist Fight EB workers’ parties despite their pro-capitalist leader- society itself. ships when conditions are favourable. Because we 6. We fight racism and fascism. We support the right 1. We stand with Karl Marx: ‘The emancipation of see the trade union bureaucracy and their allies in of people to fight back against racist and fascist the working classes must be conquered by the work- the Labour party leadership as the most fundamen- attacks by any means necessary. Self-defence is no ing classes themselves. The struggle for the emanci- tal obstacle to the struggle for power of the working offence! We support ‘No Platform’ for all fascists but pation of the working class means not a struggle for class, outside of the state forces and their direct never call on the capitalist state to ban fascist class privileges and monopolies but for equal rights agencies themselves, we must fight and defeat and marches or parties; these laws would inevitably and duties and the abolition of all class rule’ (The replace them with a revolutionary leadership by primarily be used against workers’ organisations, as International Workingmen's Association 1864, Gen- mobilising the base against the pro-capitalist bu- history has shown. eral Rules). reaucratic misleaders to open the way forward for 7. We oppose all immigration controls. International 2. The capitalist state consists, in the last analysis of the struggle for workers’ power. finance capital roams the planet in search of profit ruling-class laws within a judicial system and deten- 4. We are full in support of all mass mobilisations and Imperialist governments disrupts the lives of tion centres overseen by the armed bodies of po- against the onslaught of this reactionary Con-Lib workers and cause the collapse of whole nations lice/army who are under the direction and are con- Dem coalition. However, whilst participating in this with their direct intervention in the Balkans, Iraq trolled in acts of defence of capitalist property rights struggle we will oppose all policies which subordi- and Afghanistan and their proxy wars in Somalia and against the interests of the majority of civil society. nate the working class to the political agenda of the the Democratic Republic of the Congo, etc. Workers The working class must overthrow the capitalist petty-bourgeois reformist leaders of the Labour have the right to sell their labour internationally state and replace it with a workers’ state based on party and trade unions. wherever they get the best price. Only union mem- democratic soviets/workers’ councils to suppress 5. We recognise that class society, and capitalism as bership and pay rates can counter employers who the inevitable counter-revolution of private capital- the last form of class society, is by its nature patriar- seek to exploit immigrant workers as cheap labour ist profit against planned production for the satisfac- chal. In that sense the oppression of women is dif- to undermine the gains of past struggles. tion of socialised human need. ferent from all other forms of oppression and dis- Socialist Fight is in the Liaison Committee for the 3. We recognise the necessity for revolutionaries to crimination. Because this social oppression is inextri- Fourth International with the Liga Communista of carry out serious ideological and political struggle as cably tied to private property and its inheritance to Brazil. It is produced by this Editorial Board: direct participants in the trade unions (always) and achieve full sexual, social and economic freedom in the mass reformist social democratic bourgeois Gerry Downing, Ray Rising, Charlie Walsh, Carol and equality for all we need to overthrow class Foster and Aggie McCallum. Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 26

September, the day of the call for the UN vote on state- Israel’s war on Palestine and the ‘Arab Spring’ hood for the Palestinians and the PA has been forced to By Ret Marut echo his call. They have called for millions to attend, clearly hoping for mass Jewish participation. The cam- srael’s war against the Palestinian nation has led to options open with the US. paign will be called “Palestine 194″ ; Palestinians its increasing isolation. This lynchpin of US policy in iii) The Palestinian Authority (PA) called for a UN secu- would be the 194th member of the UN. Any sizable the region now faces hostile masses in the whole rity vote on recognition of Palestine as a separate state Jewish participation will be disastrous for Ofer Eini and of the Middle East and North Africa. The radicalisa- on 23 September. We do not believe in a two state Netanyahu. Ition of the Egyptian working class and that of the whole solution to the Israel Palestine conflict; a separate According to Wikipedia: region is shown by the emergence of powerful anti- Palestine state would strengthen the racist Zionism “Ben-Dror Yemini, an editor at Maariv, used his 26 imperialist sentiments which were initially held back by state ideologically and by population transfers and the August 2011 weekend column to report a strong left- the petty-bourgeois leadership of the revolt at the Palestinian state could never be any more than a Bantu- wing turn of the protests that would attempt to connect beginning of 2011 and confused by the war on Libya. stan for Palestinians, without even the degree of inde- the 'social justice' to the events leading up to antici- Israel itself faces attacks on four fronts. pendence of the most oppressed of present-day semi- pated September protests on the West Bank. Yemini i) The Egyptian masses forced the breaking of the siege colonies. However this vote at the UN has created a revealed an agreement summarized after protest lead- of Gaza in May as Wikipedia reports “Egypt opened the huge crisis for Israel and its puppet Mahmoud Abbas ers met with left-wing leaders and anarchists including Rafah border crossing permanently on 28 May 2011. who is the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organi- the heads of The National Left and Peace Now to dis- Women of all ages and men aged below 18 and above sation (PLO) and still claiming to be President of the cuss combining activities such as marches to the 40 are able to enter Egypt without a visa, although Palestinian National Authority although his term of 'border' and to bring the Palestinians into the protest.” there are still severe restrictions on the movement of office ended on 9 January 2009. The new Grab for Africa, as well as the Grab for the personnel and goods to and from Gaza. In practice, US Reactionaries had vowed to cut all aid to the Pales- Middle East has now established a pattern; internal however, a great deal of goods are smuggled in through tinians and to urge Israel to cease the transfer of taxes opposition calls in outside help from Imperialism, re- tunnels between Egypt and Gaza, and the quantity of to the PA if they press the vote at the UN. If the US uses gional stooges give their support, without the votes of goods smuggled in has increased greatly since the its veto as promised the masses in the region will be South Africa, Nigeria and Gabon the No Fly Zone resolu- Egyptian revolution in early 2011”. This has now been even more outraged than now, as shown the fact that tion would not have passed through the UN Security followed up by the sacking of the Israeli Embassy on 9 Qatar headed a delegation of Arab foreign ministers to Council. Then bombing campaign can begin to install September following the murder of five Egyptian bor- urge the permanent members of the Security Council to the new more-western friendly regime. Now the der guards and Palestinian fighters by the Israeli army. vote for Palestinian UN membership. counter-revolution moves on to Syria. Despite the This follows the car bomb attack on at the United “The delegation was headed by Qatar, who interest- brutality of this regime it is as clear as it was in Libya in Nations headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja on ingly enough is both rich in oil and hosts the largest US February that the US, Turkey, Saudi and Lebanon have 26 August. Although it was carried out by the Islamist military base in the region rent-free, which is the loca- now dominated the opposition whose agenda is pro- group Boko Haram (figuratively, "Western or non- tion for Centcom, the US military command centre for imperialist. They really have hijacked this uprising now Islamic education is a sin” according to Wikipedia), who the Middle East and Central Asia… the Arab League, (none of them were revolutions). And Turkey, lest we are fighting to establish Sharia law in Nigeria its attacks which consists of old American allies Saudi Arabia and get the impression that there is anything genuinely anti are clearly directed in this instance against a symbolic Egypt, pledged in July to “take all necessary measures -imperialist in its (temporary) opposition to Zionism, is presence of western Imperialism. and to rally needed support of all world countries, seeking to take the leading role in forging the pro- ii) Even more worryingly for the US and Israel Turkey's starting with members of the security council, to recog- imperialist oppositionists into a united grouping capa- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Cairo on nise the state of Palestine…and to win full membership ble of forming a pro-western government. According to 12 September in the first visit of its type in 15 years of the United Nations. In addition, the Former Saudi the WSWS website, “It has therefore hosted several because the masses in Turkey are outraged by Israel’s Arabian Ambassador to the US recently revealed that conferences of Syrian dissidents in an attempt to form a refusal to apologise for murder of 9 Turkish activists by “There will be disastrous consequences for U.S.-Saudi unified opposition with which Turkey and the major Israeli commandos on the Mavi Maramara on 31 May relations if the United States vetoes U.N. recognition of powers can do business. Last week, Syrian opposition- 2010. Erdogan has promised to supply Turkish naval a Palestinian state,” said Prince Turki who is believed to ists meeting in Turkey announced the formation of the escorts for humanitarian aid ships bound for the Gaza reflect the thinking in Riyadh.” Syrian National Council, consisting of 94 members and Strip. But it is one thing for Israel to slaughter Palestini- Going global - east meets west - articles of interest, with Burhan Ghalioun as president.” ans at will, it is quite another to visit national humilia- http://articlesofinterest-kelley.blogspot.com/2011/09/ But the danger of the whole uprising degenerating into tion on a major nation like Turkey. Al Jazeera reported tuesday-september-20th-united-nations.html fratricidal religious and ethnic warfare, like in Iraq, is him as saying, "We have humanitarian aid to be sent iv) The internal revolt in Israel is causing a huge political clear. The Kurdish forces did not attend Turkey’s con- there. And our humanitarian aid will not be attacked crisis. Upwards of 400,000 demonstrated in Israel on 3 ferences for obvious reasons, their nationals are being anymore, as happened to the Mavi Marmara. Turkish September in a movement that began on the housing bombed in Turkish Kurdistan as we write and Saudi warships will be tasked with protecting the Turkish question and then moved on to outright opposition to Arabia is financing Sunni Salafist armed militants boats bringing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip." the entire neo-liberal agenda of Netanyahu. Clearly part against the minority Shia and Alawite sect of Assad and Clearly Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has over- of the uprising in the entire region it raises the possibil- the military generals. And oppositions are also seeking played his hand following the fall of Tripoli; masses ity of united class struggle between Jewish and Pales- assistance from the Egyptian military. And, of course, have played a big part in pushing both Cairo and Egypt tinian workers and thence with the working class of the the US itself is funding oppositionists and intervening into feigning opposition to Israel. But they also have entire region. through the CIA. their own futures to think about, they are not just Whereas demonstrations against war have been fre- Of course the ultimate target is Iran, the other major pushed by the masses; “the coalition of the willing” is quent in Israel this is the first mass demonstration on power in the region with huge oil resources vital to coming apart at the seams. Let us remember that social issues. And as such it has attracted Palestinians in both the US and to China. The difficulty for Imperialist Gaddafi was a trusted ally of Imperialism at the start of big numbers with placards in both Hebrew and Arabic; intervention is that there is no special area controlled 2011. Clearly the rulers of all semi-colonial regimes in from Haifa and Afula in the north of the country to the by Syrian rebels to give them a bridge head from which the region with any elements of national independence international tourist resort of Eilat in the far south. But to advance a ground assault. And an intervention by the are now fearful for their own futures; the principle of the issue of Palestine itself was not mentioned by the troops of any other regional power like the Saudis or humanitarian intervention could apply not just to Syria TU bureaucrats leading the march; in fact Ofer Eini, the Turkey would mean that Iran would be obliged to go to but to any of these now. They are warning the warmon- leader of the Histadrut did everything to keep the war immediately to defend its ally, Assad. Unfortu- gers of France, Britain and the US to back off as their demonstrations within reformist bounds, as the petty nately the intervention of the working class as an inde- main ally in the region is vulnerable and increasingly bourgeois leaders had done in Egypt. But they may not pendent force is not likely here, unlike in Tunisia, Egypt isolated. But they surely will be careful not to push this be able to achieve this. Imprisoned Palestinian leader and Bahrain. The Syrian revolt now belongs to Imperial- too far and meantime both regimes are assisting the Marwan Barghouti had called for mass marches on 23 ism, so we must offer our critical support to Assad in pro-imperialist opposition in Syria, again keeping their another Military Anti-Imperialist United Front. Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 27 Those who ‘howled along with the wolves’ and those who took a neutral position on the war in Libya Statement by the Liaison Committee for the Fourth International (LCFI) 14 September 2011 et us now accuse those who their 'own' capitalist class. Do we ‘howled along with the need to say which of the two great wolves’, using the same ideol- remaining global classes were ogy and often the very phrases strengthened politically by the fall Lused by imperialist leaders them- of Tripoli? To ask the question is to selves to welcome the national hu- answer it. The vultures gathered in miliation and subjugation of another Paris at the start of September to semi-colony by imperialist finance pick over the economic and political capital. These have had their 4th corpse of Libya. Premature celebra- August moment in taking the side of tions by Imperialism and their bogus the counter- revolution. What effect leftist stooges maybe but they have can this have on their orientation to all tied their fates to Imperialism the class struggle if these centrist now. They are no longer revolution- groups cannot seek the defeat of aries and Trotskyists; they bring their own ruling class and its allies shame on our names, they are rene- in a war against a semi - colony? gades from the cause every bit as What revolutionary perspective can bad as Kautsky was in his day. now guide work in the TUs, in the The International Workers anti- cuts groups, in the Labour/ Sean Matgamna's AWL. “It is irre- ) Social Democratic parties etc if Im- League (LIT sponsible and morally degenerate to perialism cannot be opposed in a The IWL (LIT), the South American simply demand that it (the bombing) war on a semi-colony? This must political followers of the late Nahuel ceases, or to oppose it ever taking now be only radical reformism at Moreno, produced a statement by place. We believe that the gains of best with all that implies; capitula- the International Secretariat of the the uprising vindicate that view.” tion to left TU leaders and Labour IWL-FI, on 24th of August 2011 reformism and opposition to rank proudly headlined, to say. and file mobilisations. If you cannot “Great victory of Libyan people and The LIT are Objective and Subjective tackle Imperialism at its highest ex- of the Arab revolution People in international scoundrels in the ser- pression then you cannot fight in arms demolish the Gaddafi regime!” vice of imperialism on Libya. They the working class as revolutionaries. directly supported the occupation of And it goes on in nauseating fashion the Libyan Embassy in Brazil by roy- What revolutionary perspective can to support this grovelling capuitiali- now guide the work against the UN alist agents of the CIA! The PSTU, tion to the masters of life until we the main party of the LIT, protested occupation of Haiti led by Brazil, get to this purple passage explaining and all the evictions and repression at the Libyan Embassy in Brasilia in ‘dialectical’ terms how a victory with the Libyans royalists CIA. The to achieve the World Cup 2014 in for world Imperialism is in reality a Brazil? We must build a revolution- PSTU camouflage the pro- imperialist victory for the forces of the world invasion as the ‘democratic’, "Our ary workers' opposition to the gov- revolution, ernment Dilma which stands out as members were in Brasilia in front of one of the best managers of capital- “…Consequently, Imperialism staked the embassy demanding the Dilma ism in Latin America, forcing work- directly on his fall. This is the great government immediately break dip- ers to pay for the crisis. contradiction of the process. In the lomatic relations and cease and middle of a civil war – an element trading with Libya, so long as this As reaction triumphs in Libya petty - that did not occur in either Tunisia dictatorship exists" (PSTU site, 19 / bourgeois parties are on the side of or in Egypt – Imperialism was com- 08 / 2011). that triumphant reaction preparing pelled to intervene militarily in or- further cuts against the workers. der to defeat Gaddafi... The contra- Alliance for Workers Liberty They reproduce the war propaganda diction is that, within military scope, This is what those absolute political of imperialism with a left gloss. there was a United Front between scoundrels the AWL, apologists for In the twentieth century, we have but with directly opposite ultimate global Imperialism, Zionism and the known the Social Democracy, Men- aims: the masses wanted to free the Loyalists in Ireland, have this to say, shevism, Stalinism and Pabloism. country from oppression and Imperi- “The NATO intervention helped They tended to make opportunist alism wanted to stop the revolution them by preventing the crushing of alliances with the national bourgeoi- so as to be able to keep on looting the uprising at a critical point. That sie against imperialism, the monar- the wealth of Libya and the Middle is a good thing. But this victory does chy and landlordism. At the begin- East.” not belong to NATO, who intervened ning of this century, in the war for Imperialism has won with IWA sup- for their own reasons. It belongs to domination of Libya, we see a new port and “the masses” (led by pro - the Libyan people who fought and development, self -proclaimed Trot- imperialists) will now begin to stop died to get rid of Qaddafi and who skyist groups who are in favour of a them “looting the wealth of Libya remained resolute in the face of con- united front with imperialism, the and the Middle East”? And pigs ditions far worse than any more -anti monarchy and tribal landowners might fly! Of course now the real - imperialist - th a n - thou demagogue against the Gaddafi regime and for robbery begins, Gaddafi was just not on the British left will ever have to the recolonisation of Libya. making anything like the concessions face. The Leninist tactic of defeatism is they needed so now they have what We know Imperialism will only act in used by revolutionaries to promote they want. For the IWA have taken its own interests, and if and when it revolutionary crises by undermining the Queen’s shilling are now the intervenes it will do so using its the faith of the working class in Queen’s men, as the Victorians used Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 28 own, blundering, means. We offered apart from a bogus anti-intervention NATO no positive support, trust or banner, “No foreign intervention – confidence. But when such an inter- Libyan People Can Manage it alone” vention is all that stands between most probably flown in by the CIA? the continued existence of a revolu- Some of the larger groups who sup- tionary movement and its annihila- ported the rebels are now back ped- tion, it is irresponsible and morally dling and attempting to put a gloss degenerate to simply demand that it over their betrayals by warning of ceases, or to oppose it ever taking the dangers posed by the rebels and place. We believe that the gains of being far from enthusiastic over the the uprising vindicate that fall of Libya. view.” (my emphasis) Socialist Appeal (IMT) Perhaps the world’s most famous anti-imperialist Imperialism was inept at not bomb- sculpture, the fist of a defiant people crushing a ing effectively, complained many Whilst reporting approvingly on the US warplane, erected to show Libya’s defiance former leftists, hence “blundering”. fall of Tripoli Socialist Appeal (IMT) And to demand that the imperialist omits to mention the presence on after the 1986 bombing and assassination at- bombing of Libya ceases or to op- the ground of all those Special tempt on Gaddafi, is torn down by the pro- pose it ever taking place is MORALLY Forces and makes light of the influ- imperialist rebel army—oh what a great DEGENERATE!!! ence of Imperialism. They tell us, ‘revolution!’ won for you by world Imperialism! Workers Power “Without this air cover the task of floundering by the idea that the, the rebels would have been more In a piece that could only be written “victory for the Libyan people was difficult. However, it is not the case also a success for Imperialism.” We by someone with no practical alle- that NATO won the war. The war was giance to Trotskyism or indeed the know that was what they said on the fought and won by the rebel fighters TV comrades but it was a lie. You desire to google beyond the propa- on the ground. This is an important ganda of Sky News or the BBC Work- cannot advance Imperialism’s vic- fact and one that will determine tory and the victory of the working ers Power in the name of its Interna- what happens in the next stages.” tional the League for the Fifth Inter- class at the same time, they are mu- national (LFI) produced the follow- An obvious lie, without NATO they tually exclusive, and one must ad- ing statement on 22 August, would have lost within a week. They vance at the expense of the other, a then say ‘zero sum’ rather than a ‘win -win’ “The victory of the Libyan Revolu- situation we would suggest. Of tion’s first phase. The revolution in “The Libyan people did not fight to remove one gang of corrupt gang- course the use of the word ‘people’ Libya is making a huge advance. A might mean that they accept that combination of an uprising in Tripoli sters merely to replace them with another, even more rapacious, gang. capitalists and workers have ulti- and a fast advance by rebel fighters mately the same political and eco- on the city has captured large parts Workers and youth of Libya! You have shown your courage and ability nomic interests in far away lands. of Libya’s capital from Gaddafi and But once you pay the first tranche of his murderous regime. The rebels’ by your actions. Do not allow anyone to snatch victory from your hands. the protection money the Mafia will advance into Tripoli was apparently always be back for more. helped by the defection of the com- Trust only yourselves, your own mander of the city's defences, who strength and your own revolutionary The Socialist Workers party organizations! The overthrow of secretly agreed with the rebels to The Socialist Workers party have a open the gates and withdraw his Gaddafi was only the first step. The real Libyan Revolution starts now.” similar problem with Imperialism. forces. Both Gaddafi’s sons have Having backed its ground troops been captured.” The counter revolution is triumphant they are obliged now to warn This is a complete lie. Apparently and you must only hope the world against the inevitable consequences our author just did not notice all does not keep reminding you of of their betrayal, 24 Aug 2011, what you have helped to impose on those NATO bombers or indeed no “As Gaddafi’s brutal regime col- one told him about all those Special the people of Libya as that tragedy now unfolds. lapses… Don’t let west hijack Arab Forces and troops from Qatar and Spring. The intervention of the West- UAE directing his ‘revolution’ . Then The Socialist party (CWI) ern powers is a real threat to the he wags his finger lest we ignore the Arab revolutions. It allows the dicta- ‘dangers’, The Socialist party (CWI) are some- what more circumspect, tors to pose as defenders of national “Now the question is what a post - •independence. In fact it is the dic- “While many Libyans are celebrat- Gaddafi Libya will look like. How can tators, who have relied on the ing, socialists have to be clear that, the NATO imperialists, who backed West’s support for decades, who unlike the ousting of Ben Ali in Tuni- the Benghazi based National Transi- ensure the grip of Imperialism. Nei- tional Council (NTC), be prevented sia and Mubarak in Egypt, the way in ther NATO nor its planes can bring from stealing the fruits of the peo- which Gaddafi has been removed liberation. The only way to win real ple’s revolution? There is a very real means that a victory for the Libyan freedom and democracy is by our people was also a success for Imperi- threat that the NATO powers will own hand —solidarity within the alism. Without NATO acting as the impose a pro-western government on Arab revolutions. Anti -Imperialism is rebels' air force or the soldiers, Libya, led by former officials, police, in the fabric of the Arab political military and security officers from weapons, organisation and training movements. We cannot separate the the old regime. Defending the inde- that NATO and some other countries fight for democratic freedoms from like the feudal Qatar autocracy sup- pendence of Libya from Imperialism the struggle to defeat Imperialism.” is the next stage of the revolution.” plied, Tripoli would not have fallen to the rebels in the way that it has.” All very well but really how can you So, “There is a very real threat that now begin fight the enemy you as- the NATO powers will impose a pro - So a more truthful approach, the sisted to come to power? To whom western government on Libya”. Did ‘revolution’ was won with the assis- are you directing your appeals? To they not do that back in February tance of Imperialism. That has the ex-Gaddafi TNC agents of Impe- sorted out their former comrades in without any apparent opposition rialism? Or to the Islamacists now Socialist Appeal but one is left

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 29 fighting them for control of the soldiers who struggled against such booty? You can scarcely complain if overwhelming odds to defend their you invite the wolf into your house country against Imperialist assault. to kill the rat and he eats your child. Although they have criticised Gilbert Achcar at times they are essentially The Mandelite Fourth Inter- no different to him. national We concur with the conclusion of The theory expounded by Gilbert the WSWS article, Achcar (who is a leading ‘Trotskyist’ “In the final analysis, the basic posi- of the Mandelite Fourth Interna- tion of the NPA on the Libyan war is tional) is that the lack of sufficient no different from that of the most bombing by NATO was so blatantly powerful and reactionary sections of discriminatory and showed such a No jail term for this Libyan looter; as long as he world Imperialism. Like the Bush is assisting Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy to lack of enthusiasm for the administration did while invading loot Libya’s oil he can loot all he wants! 'revolution' that, far from trying to Iraq, the NPA advances the lie that overthrow Gaddafi, they were actu- imperialist war can help bring about paign for some kind of “partial de- ally helping him to survive and democratic change. It has placed thereby subverting the legitimate mands” to be presented to Kerensky: itself squarely in the camp of social arrest Milyukov, arm the Petrograd aims of the hired racist murderers of reaction.” the western oil companies. It is a workers, summon the Kronstadt, right wing neo- con attack on Imperi- FLTI (LOI-Argentina, WIVL-SA) Vyborg and Helsingfors troops to Petrograd, dissolve the Duma, arrest alism with a very transparent gloss The FLTI angrily attacks the posi- of leftism. In fact it just about the Rodzyanko, legalise the transfer of tions of the Trotskyists RMG -LC-SF the landed estates to the peasants, type of apology for Imperialism so as to present the NATO mercenar- Kautsky used to make after the Rus- introduce workers’ control over ies as “revolutionary." And they tell grain and factories, etc., etc. Writ- sian Revolution. Here Achcar bitterly so many hilarious lies: complains of the lack of bombing by ten on August 30 (September 12), approving quoting from the Specta- "With the help of the intelligence 1917) tor: and logistics for the U.S. Fifth Fleet http://www.marxists.org/archive/ and the Yankee imperialist army Ka- lenin/works/1917/aug/30.htm. “Andrew Gilligan could write accord- daffi tries to crush the heroic revolu- ingly in The Spectator (4 June): For tionary upsurge of the masses" (OOI The bizarre case of FLTI proves that all the ritual incantations about 12, Part II). Delirious and suffering opportunistic triumphalism in excess “intensified” attacks and “heaviest from shook the FLTI present the ri- is bad for lucidity and for the truth bombing yet,” the bombing is and diculous surrealist message that im- and is good for the image of imperi- always has been relatively light. perialism is sponsoring Gaddafi alism and its agents. To paraphrase Across the whole operation, the against imperialism itself and the Trotsky, delusions and liars elevated number of Nato strike sorties —only insurrection to overthrow Gaddafi! to this degree is equal to the be- a proportion of which actually result trayal of the causes of anti - in airstrikes —has averaged 57 a day, "These teachers of red Qina Mse- imperialism and Leninism. benzi, Socialist Fight and the Com- less than half the number in the alli- But what of the other currents who ance’s very similar mission in Kos- munist League, want us to believe that imperialism wanted to over- took a ‘neutral’ position between ovo, and a mere fraction of what the the rebels and Gaddafi and declared US and Britain did in Iraq.” throw their strong man in Libya" (Qina Msebenzi, Socialist this the essence of anti -Imperialism. The NPA position Fight and Communist League of Bra- In this ‘third campist’ category we will place the Revolutionary Socialist As for Franc’s New Anti Capitalist zil march with the imperialist agent Organisation (RSO), the Lutte Ou- party Kumaran Ira reported on the Gaddafi against the Libyan masses) vrière of France, the Social Equality WSWS site on 6 September "The masses smashed the state Insti- party and the joint statement of the “France’s New Anti-Capitalist Party tutions in the East (something which League for the Revolutionary Party (NPA) has applauded NATO's war to caught imperialism by surprise) and (U.S.) and the Internationalist So- topple the regime of Colonel Muam- when they were marching on imperi- cialist League (Israel/Occupied Pal- mar Gaddafi in Libya, praising it as a alism sent mercenaries from Chad estine). victory for democracy. On August 22, and Niger to prevent Gaddafi from it published a statement, “Gaddafi falling." (Ibid.) Revolutionary Socialist Or- has fallen, now it is for the people "While there is a petty bourgeois ganisation to decide.” It declared, “The fall of influence in the militias that does The Germanophile Revolutionary the dictator Gaddafi is good news support the NATO invasion, there is Socialist Organisation (RSO) is based for the people. The NPA is in full a LEFT WING that is openly against in Austria, Germany and Switzerland solidarity with the revolutionary Gaddafi, against any intervention by with close ties to Lutte Ouvrière in process that is continuing in the NATO and is against capital- France. Its position of Libya is simi- Arab region.”The NPA’s claim that ism." (Ibid.) lar to the LO and in practice is neu- the ouster of the Gaddafi regime by "The Intervention of imperialism tralist. The RSO-Theses on Anti- NATO’s imperialist intervention is would have been openly against the Imperialism 19 May 2007 is very “good news,” let alone a masses and to support the Gaddafi principled and detailed, obviously “revolutionary process,” is a reac- regime." (Ibid.) drawing on the work of Stuart King’s tionary political lie.” "The Bolsheviks never called for The Anti-Imperialist United Front: a Indeed France’s right wing President weapons for Kerensky" (ibid.). But debate with the GOR 30/03/1986. Sarkozy has implemented all of the the did place demands on him as However the Theses defines the NPA’s demands in this war, recognis- follows, AIUF too narrowly, ing the NTC as the legitimate gov- “Without therefore excluding the ernment of Libya, supplying arms to Lenin: The change, further, is that the all-important thing now has be- abstract possibility of an Anti - the rebels and assisting them by imperialist united front within the blanket bombing the brave Libyan come the intensification of our cam-

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 30 meaning of the Fourth World Con- anti- imperialist Trotskyist fighters. gress the solution must after all be Thus is a total dereliction of the attributed in a very limited role, internationalist duty of the RSO. even in the propaganda.” The Lutte Ouvrière But that is a position that could be argued out in a single organisation The NPA are very similar to the Com- or International group. However, munist party of France in their war- unlike Permanent Revolution and mongering chauvinism in support of Workers Power (with whom they the imperialist adventure in Libya. have no relations now) the group LO, in contrast seem very left -wing. obviously have such internal diffi- They have not organised any demon- culties that they are unable to take strations against the war or urged any position at all on Libya now. any industrial action but they have Their first statement was written by strongly opposed the bombing. LO Stefan Horvath (RSO Vienna) on 23 make the point that the working February 2011 and was fair enough class was centrally involved in the for someone who obviously knew struggles against the western - little about the country but was try- backed dictatorships in Tunisia and ing. It finished with the following, Egypt, even if under the leadership Civil War poster: Trotsky slaying the reactionary of the middle classes but as Lutte de dragon; “but the masses are by no means iden- “But there are even less independ- Classes points out in Libya the work- ent organisations of the working ing class is; tical: there are revolutionary masses, there are class here than in Egypt or Tunisia, passive masses, there are reactionary masses.” let alone domestic revolutionary “largely composed of immigrants workers parties. And so it will be coming from neighbouring countries and from the rest of Africa, from capitalist leaders and ideas. In terms difficult to direct the revolution in a of a general revolutionary approach, socialist direction. Nevertheless if Turkey, from Bangladesh or China, has been devastated by the effects the struggle in Libya is no excep- the mass movement in Libya should tion.” succeed to overthrow the hated head of the civil war and find itself com- of State, it will be another milestone pletely atomized and quite often By the 8 April it was already crystal in the development of consciousness forced to flee the imperialist’s bom- clear which side world Imperialism of the oppressed in the Arab region. bardments and the pogroms which it supported and why, they had begun And this is not to be underesti- is the victim from all sides, espe- mass bombing on 19 March. We will mated.” cially from the opposition.” dismiss with contempt the ludicrous notion that Imperialism supported Well we could excuse that if we sup- But LO are very soft on the rebels. They say that “help(ing) the rebels the ‘revolution’ in order to defeat pose he did not know the history of it. This argument is so wrong be- the region and had not noticed the give some credit to the imperialists leader’s democratic speeches,” cause it ignores the masses support enthusiasm with which world Imperi- for Imperialism and its intervention alism and Arab reaction was sup- It is incredibly naive to give credit and takes as proof of anti - porting these rebels even then. We to the Imperialists as if they were Imperialism the single banner “NO did not get another statement until really bringing ‘freedom and democ- FOREIGN INTERVENTION – Libyan a month later, and this statement racy’ to the country. And they do People Can Manage it ALONE.” This risibly avoided all controversial is- not attack the reactionary stance of was almost certainly supplied by the sues entirely. the NPA and the PCF. Nowhere does CIA and ALL rebels supported the “The pleas of Western Governments the LO advocate military defeat for “no fly zone” resolution – those that and their journalists are once again the own ruling class in this war or were opposed quickly learned to humanitarian. The interests, how- call for an Anti-imperialist united keep their mouth closed to stay ever, solid: Petroleum, natural gas, front with Gaddafi against both the alive. strategic control of the region and rebels and NATO. As old Karl Liebknecht says the main enemy is And by then also the lynchings and getting rid of a suspicious regime. beheadings of black workers had We are against this imperialist mili- at home but not apparently for the LO. become common, which is still ongo- tary campaign and hope that it ends ing in rebel- held territory. And how for the gentlemen in Paris, Washing- The LRP/ISL Joint Statement can we possible refer to rebels as ton etc. in a disaster. Our basic posi- In their 8 April A Joint Statement by “the masses” and not consider the tions on the anti-Imperialism can be pro-Gaddafi masses, almost certainly found here” Wednesday, 23 March the League for the Revolutionary Party (U.S.) and the Internationalist the mass of the Libyan population 2011, (link to RSO AIUF Theses sup- before the fall of Tripoli? There was plied). Socialist League (Israel/Occupied Palestine) we find the following po- no chance that the rebels could mo- And there it has finished. There is sition; bilise anything like the two million nothing further on Libya apart from strong demonstrations in Tripoli be- “The masses typically launch their a plea to defend the refugees, not fore it fell, and remember those struggles still burdened by pro - even on the fall of Tripoli. But you were courageous manifestations of capitalist leaders – even at times have to apply your theory to con- anti- Imperialism in a city under openly p ro- imperialist leaders – that crete reality and say where you siege. stand. In deference to the LO do not represent their interests. One of the tasks of revolutionaries is to And really comrades we cannot think stance, in practice a neutral position of a single instance of a fight between the rebels and Gaddafi, the take the masses' side whenever they are fighting in their self -defence and against Imperialism where “The RSO has been unable to take any masses typically launch their strug- stand on this most vital question for for progressive aims, no matter how they are being misled. But revolu- gles still burdened by pro - capitalist the global working class which has leaders – even at times openly pro- split the left internationally be- tionaries do this always with the purpose of not only building the best imperialist leaders”. Using the word tween apologists for Imperialism “struggle” here neatly avoids asking and the NATO rebels and principled immediate defence but also to ex- pose the treacherous role of pro - what it is there are struggling for?

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 31

But of course the “masses” in (Austria ) this instance are fighting on Just look at this absolutely hi- Grass Roots Left National Conference the side of Imperialism, that is lariously reactionary tract: “their struggle” and it is the Birmingham 12 noon to 4pm duty of all serious Trotskyists “The Libyan revolutionaries who to oppose these reactionary had taken a strong anti - Saturday 5th November 2011 imperialist position in the early and counter - revolutionary Comfort Inn Conference room, Station Street, masses. days of the rebellion had little choice but to enter into a mili- B5 4DY. [Opposite New St Station] “With their military interven- tary bloc with NATO against tion, the imperialists inserted the s emi -fascist Gaddafi. At themselves in the struggle as this point the semi -fascist Gad- the main overall enemy and dafi regime has been defeated UCATT election for General Secretary: ‘why it work ing -class internationalists by the insurrection. It remains effects all of us’ & a financial appeal. stand for their defeat, support- to be seen the extent to which You may be aware of the election for the General Secre- ing protest actions against the the revolutionaries(!) have illu- intervention and opposing all sions in 'democratic' Imperial- tary of UCATT. Nominations have finished and the ballot- steps toward the seizure of ism or how far their opposition ing of members begins on 18th November. power by forces like the TNC to Imperialism takes on the There is only one candidate who pledges to take an aver- who base themselves on imperi- form of Islamic radicalism.” (my age wage if becomes GS. Only one candidate who believes alist support. Instead, revolu- emphasis) tionaries have to continue to in direct action and actually takes part in direct action. fight for the independent or- To defeat the TNC and its impe- Only one candidate believes that the grass roots, rank and rialist backers the revolutionary ganization of the workers and file member are the most important element of any trade oppressed in Libya, and more forces must continue the armed struggle at this point directly union organisation. Only one candidate would make em- than ever advocate the strategy ployers sit up and take notice. That candidate is Mick Doo- of international workers’ revo- against Imperialism, and all the lution as the only solution.” pro-imperialist factions of the ley. Now tell me we would not all be better off if Mick national bourgeoisie squabbling Dooley won the election and became General Secretary of The line of advocating the for the imperialist franchise, to UCATT and that is why we should help. strategy of international work- finally win national independ- ers’ revolution as the only solu- ence and set the example for The election has been forced upon UCATT following Mick tion in opposition to the mili- the other Arab states in their Dooley’s successful challenge in proving illegal malpractice ta ry a n ti -imperialist united ongoing national, anti - surrounding the previous election in 2009. [Sounds famil- front was denounced by Trotsky imperialist revolutions. iar, didn’t we do that something like that with Derek Simp- thu s, Note from the RKOB: ...We also son] The union appealed the decision and lost. However in “In my declaration to the bour- believe that the sentence – the mean time UCATT has sacked Mick Dooley. As I write geois press, I said that the duty “The Libyan revolutionaries (…) this note we await Mick’s tribunal result against the unfair of all the workers' organiza- had little choice but to enter tions of China was to partici- into a military bloc with NATO dismissal pate actively and in the front against the semi -fascist Gad- Mick Dooley is contesting the election and without any lines of the present war against dafi.” – is misleading. In fact it doubts stands a great chance of winning, the other main Japan, without abandoning, for was a weakness of the Rebels candidates can be best summed up as ‘establishment a single moment, their own pro- that they did not look for an hacks’. gram and independent activity. alternative strategy and did not But that is “social patriotism!” issue a strong appeal to the However all of this has taken its toll financially and a call is the Eiffelites cry. It is capitula- mass movements in the Arab now being made to supporters who want to see UCATT as tion to Chiang Kai -shek! It is countries and the international a fighting union. the abandonment of the princi- workers movement for volun- Please make a donation for the fighting fund and to do any ple of the class struggle! … The teers and material and military thing you can to support Mick Dooley in this vital election. only salvation of the workers aid.” September 10 2011. and peasants of China is to Donations to: ‘Friends of Mick Dooley’ So the RKOB signed the state- struggle independently against Lloyds bank: Sort code 30 97 84 ment whilst disagreeing funda- the two armies, against the mentally with it! And they did Account number: 41395168 Chinese army in the same man- not appeal to the working class ner as against the Japanese because they were lynching and army. ” These four lines, taken beheading them from day one from an Eiffelite document of The Bookshops that sell Socialist Fight of the ‘revolution’ and already September 10, 1937, suffice had a far better ally, World News From Nowhere, Liverpool L1 4HY, England. entirely for us to say: we are Imperialism. Of course the “the concerned here with either real London Bookmarks, 1 Bloomsbury Street WC1B 3QE. semi-fascist Gaddafi regime” traitors or complete imbeciles. was defeated by NATO, the Housmans, 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London, N1 9DX. But imbecility, raised to this c ou n te r-revolutionary rebels, degree, is equal to trea- New Beacon Books, 76 Stroud Green Road London, whose popular support was son.” (my emphasis) never tested, stood no chance Rebecca Books 131 Crwys Road, Cardiff, CF2 4NH. Joint Statement by the without NATO bombers. Word Power Books, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, Scot- HWRS, CWG, RWG, RKOB We hope that this assessment of the crisis land, EH8 9DB, UK. Humanist Workers for Revolu- of Trotskyism has helped those who wish to Glasgow Barrett Newsagents, 263 Byres Road, Glasgow, G12 8TL tionary Socialism (USA), Com- fight for genuine, orthodox Trotskyism and October Books 243 Portswood Road, Southampton, SO17 2NG. munist Workers Group will lead you to reject the arch-reactionaries (Aotearoa/NZ), Revolutionary who howled along with the wolves and also Books Upstairs, 36 College Green D2, County Dublin, Ireland, Workers Group (Zimbabwe, those who could not take a principles stand Berlin Schwarze Risse, Gneisenaustr. 2a, U-Bhf , Mehringdamm Revolutionary Communist Or- for the Military Anti-Imperialist United ganisation for Liberation Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Front with Libya against world Imperialism

Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward! Socialist Fight Page 32 The riots, the left and the sectarian By A J Byrne

etween the 6th and the 10th of strike are still there in the British working what they August 2011 the anger of the class. believe to be oppressed youth in England Of course the riots were not “solely the the path to exploded. It was sparked by the product of a criminal underclass”. As one revolution Bpolice murder of Mark Duggan in Totten- university lecturer remarked in a letter to with enormous ham and the frustration at the lack of a The Guardian if one of his students gave self-sacrificing future, the abolition of the EMA such an answer to a question of why riots dedication. – ‘ex-left’ is a meaningless Comrade (education maintenance allowance of occurred frequently in France in the late term, have they now become right wing- By Dil Sahni £30 to assist working class youth to stay Middle Ages, for example, they would fail ers? No, they are centrist, inconsistent Comrade! in education), removal of the prospect of the exam. reformist/revolutionaries. When you were in the University education from the children of CM: “Their leading lights are, for the One publication which took what was an street the working class and lower middle class, most part, either firmly ensconced within apparently principled stance on the riots You spoke revolution the police brutality and the next looming the trade union apparatus—often at the was David North’s WSWS website. In an Comrade! recession which removed any hope of a highest level—or in academia and various article by Chris Marsden he correctly When you were in the future. Looting was simply appropriating local government departments. They do highlight the reactionary stance taken by slums what consumer society now denied not genuinely view the unions as an the CPB’s Morning Star, the Socialist You spoke liberation them. And the savage regime of sentenc- agent of social change, but as the best party and the Weekly Worker. The Morn- Comrade! ing showed the true social values of means of suppressing the class struggle ing Star demanded that, “Homes and When you were with the capitalist society - two men who pro- and safeguarding the existing order. They businesses must be protected, which people moted a riot via Facebook which never employ socialist phraseology only in order means that police have to have resources Like the fish in the water happened got four years. A woman who to oppose any movement that threatens to contain violent outbreaks.” The Social- You spoke Marxism had not taken part in the riots received to break out of the political and organisa- ist Party (SP), wanted to ‘restore order’.” You spoke Leninism five months for receiving a pair of stolen tional straightjacket of the trade union And the Weekly Worker complained of You spoke Maoism shorts. Manchester police used Twitter to youth having “wreaked wanton destruc- bureaucracy.” celebrate that five month sentence. You spoke so much tion” and of the “anti-social gangs that This is describing an ongoing process as a Socialism and Commu- It is undoubtedly true that the artificial lurk on our council estates.” It too finished relationship. – We have high- nism repression of the class struggle by the praised small shopkeepers who had lighted this process, see SWP capitulates And what not trade union bureaucracy was the cause “succeeded in driving away the rioters” to TU bureaucracy p 4 but not as Chris But now Comrade! of the outbreak in this manner. Of course as a model for the “left” to “build perma- does here. I know there is much opposi- When you are in the chair it was unorganised and could not be nent self-defence units” to “provide our tion within the SWP to this. We can claim You do not hear organised in the form it appeared, al- own protection against rioters, looters, we assisted in getting the SWP to over- th What the street would though on Monday 8 Nottingham Can- English Defence League hoodlums and— turn its own leadership and support Jerry say to you ning Circus Police Station was attacked yes—police thuggery.” That is they are all Hicks instead of Len McCluskey in the But now Comrade with firebombs as were other stations conservative defenders of the status quo. Unite Gen Sec elections last year (or When you are in your and police cars, displaying an awareness However the extreme sectarianism of the course North would say we cannot sup- heavenly kingdom of the police’s role in maintaining ine- group now emerges when they take their port the left against the right because You do not visit the slums quality. Bankers and corrupt politicians criticisms of these groups, and the trade neither of them are revolutionaries. Even just to confirm can rob the working class blind and are unions to the extent of saying they are Trotsky though otherwise in that TP now Whether they are happily rewarded by their peers with enhanced not part of the working class. Marsden junked by North, dead bonuses, the working class must pay and now attempts to lump the centrist CM: “Patrolling the streets, negotiating Or still alive face the prospect of being conscripted groups with the reformist groups with with the police, determining sentencing— But now Comrade! into a new war if the experiences of the the capitalist partied and thence with the such are the political ambitions of the ex- When you are in the decades before WWI and WWII are any- state forces in an orgy of sectarianism left.” palace thing to go by. not seen since the Stalinist Third period That is total slander, it is correct to point You do not face the peo- As with the cuts and the war on Libya the of 1928-35. We have highlighted our to the appalling vacillations of a sharply ple attitude of much of the ‘revolutionary criticisms of the rest of that article. moving centrist leadership, to say they even just to ascertain left; was to defend private property and CM: “For more than a quarter of a cen- are now as bad as the fascist as this sen- What complaints they the status quo. Although unorganised tury, the unions have collaborated in a tence implies is total political confusion would make riots cannot fundamentally challenged historic transfer of societal wealth from and lying propaganda of the worst vari- Frankly speaking capitalism, as we saw in 2001-2 in Argen- the poor [fails to distinguish between the ety. If you don’t mind tina’s picqueteros and the Banlieu riots in leaders and the ranks Ed] to the super- CM: “Workers and young people should What you were in the France in 2005, nevertheless this brings a rich and a narrow, wealthy layer of the past Comrade new layer of youth into confrontation take note. This was their response to a upper-middle class. The latter is the privi- few nights of rioting. In the event of the You are not in the pre- with the police, they learn the brutality leged social layer represented by the sent and the appalling injustices of capitalist emergence of a serious revolutionary “trade union leaders. And it is this same threat to capitalism, these forces will take You are wonderfully society and become steeled for the inevi- layer for which the ex-left groups speak.” changed table massive confrontations bound to their stand on the side of the ruling class It fails to distinguish between leaders of and its repressive state apparatus.” When nothing is changed emerge as the class moves into confron- with your kind permis- these centrist groups and the ranks so This is to predict an outcome that is not tation with the state itself. sion there is no tactics to win any of them to predetermined. Who will become reac- Initially this will be through its primary May I ask you the crux of genuine revolutionary politics, the old tionary and who will rebel is partly deter- organisations, the trade unions but seri- the question WRP did not win a single recruit from mined by how a revolutionary party ous confrontation will raise the need for O Comrade! other left groups since the early 70s, we fights these groups. The SEP are crude broader forms of workers councils. The Are you still a Comrade think – North absolutely will never and sectarians whose approach which can lessons learned by the experiences of Or everything does not want to win any of these com- never build a mass revolutionary party. police brutality during the great miners’ rades who spend their life fighting for Except a Comrade? Leon Trotsky: I am confident of the victory of the Fourth International; Go Forward!