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The tradition of Marxists „„Letters and debate worker„„Iran's unstable banks opposing referendums goes „„Brexit realities back to the time of Napoleon III „„Noam Chomsky's past No 1193 Thursday March 8 2018 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union £1/€1.10 Mercy, mercy, me What's going on? 2 weekly March 8 2018 1193 worker LETTERS

Letters may have been and they don’t like the way that Jewish individuals or organisations of black economic empowerment other as one class and thereby bring shortened because of Palestinians have been treated either, who made the demands, quoting (BEE) transformed comrades of about some internationalist class space. Some names especially since the last ‘mowing of what they actually said, and the modest means almost overnight into identity without historic national skill  may have been changed the lawn’ in Gaza. concrete effect it had on named US multimillionaires,’ writes Haylett. or regional distractions. I have to say, This long-running nonsense is at politicians”. Not surprisingly, he was ‘Comrades previously committed such an outlook, if true, is deeply Stop boring best a diversion from a real ‘socialist unable to provide such details, merely to serving the people now saw cynical and anti-social. As a relatively new reader of the Weekly fight’ and no amount of quotes from recalling examples of opposition their priority, acknowledged or All that aside, my main point is Worker, I can’t help noticing the long, Marx are going to change that. Let’s by the Jewish lobby to politicians not, as serving themselves.’ And he to challenge comrade McBurney’s and seemingly interminable, letters get on with the real battles - and stop who were seen as anti-Israel (or added pointedly: ‘Both Zuma and designation of the anti-EU MPs about Jews in the bourgeoisie. It seems boring Weekly Worker readers. insufficiently pro-Israel). Ramaphosa are implicated in this.’ within Labour as “rightwing”! that Socialist Fight (whoever they are) Jim Cook A couple of those examples But what comrade Haylett stops Actually anyone with a passing feel that there is a preponderance of Reading concerned people targeted for short of admitting is that the SACP knowledge of the Labour anti-EU Jews in the bourgeoisie, especially trying to engage with the Palestine alliance with the pro-capitalist ANC forces will know them to be the in the United States. Figure it out Liberation Organisation, which is an is totally and utterly unprincipled. traditional Bennite wing of the party, One reaction might be, if true, I thought I had said enough to debunk interesting case. The bourgeoisie as a What is needed is the independence composed originally of those round so what? After all, we need to fight Ian Donovan’s flimsy theory, according whole was at first largely opposed to of the working class.” Tony Benn, George Galloway, Dennis the bourgeoisie whoever they are. to which all Jewish capitalists in the this proposition, while later both Jews Well, now it seems as if Ramaphosa Skinner, Ronnie Campbell and, for Another reaction might be, how do US and other western countries are and non-Jews argued for and against might be as bad as Zuma. But, no, the most of his political life, Jeremy they know? Has Socialist Fight done part of the Israeli ruling class - simply such an engagement - although, great majority of those who were Corbyn. a scientific, statistical analysis of the by virtue of the Law of Return, that according to comrade Donovan’s for the ouster of Zuma were for the Sorry, mate, but Blair, Brown, weight of different ethnic groups in grants them the option of immigrating narrative, bourgeois Jews in general victory of Ramaphosa, apart from Kinnock and two-thirds of the our ruling classes? to Israel and acquiring its citizenship. should have been hard at work those third-campists who advocated Parliamentary Labour Party have What about the Chinese? They’re But, no, he seems to imagine he has ‘forcing’ the US government not to the traditional cover of being for “the not in fact joined the left because everywhere - Indonesia, Thailand won the argument and indulges in entertain it, at pain of having their independence of the working class” - they are rabidly pro-EU. Neither are (San Francisco?). And then there are triumphal ad hominem unpleasantness careers ‘destroyed’. And yet not or indeed ‘One solution - revolution’, the World Bank and International the Hindus - Gupta brothers, anyone? (Letters, March 1). only was the PLO engaged with: it which has the benefit of tying you do Monetary Fund, whose scheme this Tata Steel? If Jews are to be given So let me spell it out in very was successfully brought under the doing nothing either and sounds far is, part of a revolutionary socialist a special place in the world’s elites, elementary terms. Consider Jacob influence of US hegemony in the more radical. All very correct, but endeavour. then there must surely be a bit of Goldman, a Jewish capitalist of Middle East. Strange that, isn’t it? pious phrase-mongering if you do not David Douglass research on similar groupings. Miami, who has a vast portfolio Just about everyone outside propose any solution to the problems South Shields It seems to me, after several of investments in the US and other Socialist Fight now agrees that in terms of what concrete steps to years of reading, that there is a places around the globe, including comrade Donovan’s ‘theory’ is plain take next; and do not bear in mind Disgraceful rise preponderance of Jews in the field of Qatar, the UAE, Malaysia and nonsense. But don’t expect Ian to that those who are not able to defend It beggars belief that at a time of opposition to Zionism. They may be Indonesia … but zilch in Israel. give it up as a lost cause - after all, old gains will never make new ones. austerity, with apparently no money outnumbered in Arabic - I’ve no idea Apparently his financial advisor someone has to keep us on our toes But comrade Manson was available to protect public services or - but readers of the Weekly Worker reminded him of the Jewish joke by reminding us what those dastardly strangely silent on the issue in the the wages of public-sector workers, are obviously aware of Moshé that in order to make a small fortune Jews are getting up to, don’t they? February 22 edition, because John MPs will get a 1.8% pay rise. Machover and Tony Greenstein in Israel one should go there with a Peter Manson Haylett had clarified his position in MPs are already very well paid. and, as well as them, we have large fortune. He is quite happy to London the Morning Star (‘Hope revived in The £77,379pa salary they will now Shlomo Sand, Norman Finkelstein, stay in Miami and has no intention of South Africa’, February 22): receive is just the basic rate of pay Max Blumenthal and many more. going to live in Israel. But, according Sixes and sevens “South Africa’s people have - they get paid more for some jobs, Further statistical research might to Ian, Mr Goldman is still a member In the February 15 of the Weekly experienced such a collective upswing such as chairing select committees. discover that Jewish socialists of the Israeli ruling class, since Worker editor Peter Manson headlined of confidence over the past fortnight MPs will now be paid £1,488 per and anti-Zionists provide an exact the Law of Return gives him part ‘Break with multimillionaires’ to that former public protector Thuli week: the average worker earns £512 counterweight to Jewish bourgeois. ownership of Israel. analyse Jacob Zuma’s resignation as Madonsela says Cyril Ramaphosa’s per week before tax, according to the Yes, Israel has a powerful lobby Now consider Rebecca president of South Africa. election as state president has ‘put the Office for National Statistics, nurses in the US: the American Israel Public Kuperstein, a Jewish schoolteacher It was a very third-campist country as a whole on the pedestal of £421. MPs’ pay has risen every single Affairs Committee has been diligent in Brooklyn. She has no investments article at first glance - Zuma was hope’ ... Ramaphosa’s insistence on year for the past seven years - a total in weeding out anti-Zionists and to speak of except her modest an exceedingly corrupt individual negotiating has seen Zuma go quietly, increase of £11,641. That is a 17.6% supporters of the Palestinians in US pension fund. The Law of Return who had to go. Peter had indicated his supporters have understood the pay rise since 2010 - whilst other politics. Another powerful lobby is applies to her too. Actually, to her strong disagreement with Socialist need for change and rowed in behind public-sector workers have suffered the National Rifle Association and I it makes potentially more difference Fight’s article, ‘No to the ouster of the president and the opposition seven years of austerity. would suggest that there are probably than to Mr Goldman, because Zuma,' produced during the CPGB’s appears willing to wait and see what Public-sector pay was actually even more rifle-owners in the world unlike him she cannot afford to buy Communist University in August the new administration has to offer. frozen from 2010 to 2013, since when than there are Jews (though I haven’t citizenship of any other foreign 2017. But the target of his contempt A pedestal of hope indeed.” there has been a 1% pay cap. This done the necessary research). Both country (including the UK). But just in this article is not Socialist Fight, So, no third-campism there for year’s 1.8% pay rise for MPs is nearly of these lobbies fight hard for their like him she too has no intention of but Dominic and James Tweedie: comrade Manson. Ramaphosa is double that. Prime minister Theresa particular interests, but they are both, going to live in Israel - especially “Despite the fact that the entire certainly not as bad as Zuma in May announced the end of this 1% I believe, dwarfed by the energy because, like about half of US Jews NEC had eventually fallen into line John’s view: on the contrary, he pay cap last year, but public-sector industry, the American Chamber of of her age-group (including Mr with the Ramaphosa leadership (and is a “pedestal of hope” - for the workers are still waiting to hear how Commerce and the banking and arms Goldman’s son), she is married to no doubt with the sentiments of a large careers of the SACPers, that is, if much their pay will rise - and there industries. a non-Jew. But still, according to majority of ANC members across the not for Dominic Tweedie. In fact, is no guarantee it will be by as much If one were looking for Ian’s logic, Ms Kuperstein belongs country too), incredibly a section of the phenomenon of populist “hope” as the 1.8% MPs will get. conspiracies, then the Koch brothers to the Israeli ruling class because the the South African Communist Party he has engendered is referred to Direct comparisons of MPs’ pay alone would provide plenty of grist said law gives her part ownership was still opposing the SACP’s own as ‘Ramaphoria’ and it has caused with specific jobs in the public sector to the mill, but I assume, given of Israel. call for Zuma to resign. Foremost deep divisions within the opposition are illuminating. Since 2010, an MP’s their father’s and their own early If being a beneficiary of this law among them was Dominic Tweedie, Democratic Alliance, because he has pay has gone up from £65,738 to interest in the John Birch Society, is sufficient to make Mr Goldman a who runs several SACP-influenced stolen their thunder. £77,379 - an increase of 17.7%, or that neither of them is Jewish. member of Israel’s ruling class, even email lists. On February 13 he Gerry Downing £11,641. In contrast, a nurse’s pay Ian Donovan raises the attempt to though he has no capital invested circulated the ANC statement quoted Socialist Fight over the same period has gone up ‘take down’ Alan Duncan. Again, so there, then surely the same must above to WhatsApp and various just 3.5% - a pay cut, in real terms, what? Why wouldn’t they? I wonder apply to Ms Kuperstein. Both of them discussion and information lists, but Liberal left of 12%. Teachers have seen their which ethnic group was responsible stand in exactly the same relationship just below that he included a touching Sandy McBurney, like many of the pay fall by 10%, as have firefighters for accusing Ed Miliband’s father to Israel. In fact, according to this photograph of Jacob Zuma, under the gushing European Union supporters and ambulance drivers, according to of being “the man who hated bizarre logic, all Jews outside Israel words, ‘Thank you, Nxamalala’ - the on the liberal left, seems to think it is TUC research. Average weekly pay Britain”? And who worked up a belong to its ruling class, although great man’s affectionate nickname, some philanthropic organisation aimed for public-sector workers fell by 7% smear campaign to reveal Jeremy obviously only the capitalists among derived from his Zulu clan and home at the betterment of the European between 2010 and 2016. How can Corbyn as a Russian spy? them belong to the ruling classes of village. Last week I reported how working class, rather than seeing the any government justify increasing the The Zionist lobby is strong in their own countries. Tweedie’s son, who happens to be whole rotten structure as part of the pay of one group of workers (MPs) the US and that is not surprising. Go figure it out. the Morning Star’s foreign editor, had globalisation scheme which seeks to by 17.7%, whilst cutting the pay of Israel was founded as an imperialist Moshé Machover been claiming it was all a matter of grind down workers to their lowest every other public-sector worker? outpost of European capital and the email the hostile media. Since then James common denominator - driving down Taking inflation into account, USA has taken over as main backer Tweedie has continued in that same wages and conditions, and wrecking public-sector workers are thousands and mentor. Israel holds a strategic Keep it up, Ian inane manner.” union cultures and traditions (Letters, of pounds worse off today, compared position in the Middle East and In my letter of February 22 I reminded A truly shocking, “inane” and March 1). to 2010 - for paramedics, NHS especially in the oil-bearing areas. It readers of Ian Donovan’s claim that opportunist stance by the Tweedies, The aim is to break regional and dieticians and prison officers the has further been very useful as a test bourgeois Jews, by virtue of their who were quickly slapped down by national working class identities figure is £4,000pa, for firefighters bed, and creator, of weapons for use ‘overrepresentation’ in the ruling class, Morning Star political editor John and traditions, union and socialist £3,000, for teachers £2,400 and for on civilian populations - something “have the power not only to force Haylett, Peter was pleased to report: cultures and heritage in a drive to lifeguards £2,200. This is an absolute that the USA too is very keen on. American governments to adopt the “But all this was clearly becoming render us one hapless, rootless mass disgrace, and will further alienate Israel has had almost most slavish support for very brutal too much for former editor John with scant interest in fighting for ordinary working people from unquestioning support from Jews actions of Israel, but also to destroy Haylett ... and on February 8 he wrote lasting improvements and union their representatives in parliament. all over the world since 1948 - what a the careers of politicians who speak a feature headed: ‘With Zuma still organisation. Why any self-declared There is already a serious distrust surprise. But now, even some Israeli out against such actions”. holding on, the ANC is in trouble’. communist would defend such a of politicians, and the fact that newspapers are starting to worry I asked him to provide us with a list The online version of his article was backward and reactionary structure austerity - unnecessary as it is - is not about a loss of support in diaspora of occasions when bourgeois Jews did even more explicit: ‘As long as Zuma I don’t get - unless it is in the belief being distributed equally will fuel the Jews. They don’t like the rightwing indeed “force” the US government to remains, the only way for the ANC is that, once we are all busted to the contempt people have for their MPs. religious nutters who have such a support Israeli actions or “destroy the down,’ read its headline.” cobbles, with no other identities than Pete McLaren grip there; they don’t like the way careers” of politicians who opposed But Peter feared that John may not that of one of a faceless mass we will Rugby Trade Unionist and Socialist that African refugees are treated; them - I requested “the names of the have gone far enough: “‘The policy have no option but to recognise each Coalition BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 07704 903382 l www.weeklyworker.co.uk l [email protected] weekly 3 worker 1193 March 8 2018 IRAN

London Communist Forum The role of ideology Sunday March 11, 5pm: Weekly political report from CPGB Provisional Central Committee, followed by open discussion and reading group: study of August Nimtz’s Lenin’s electoral strategy from At the end of the day the religious state functions in a way not Marx and Engels through the revolution of 1905. This meeting: chapter 3, ‘The “dress rehearsal” and the first duma’ (continued). dissimilar to that of the liberal bourgeoisie in the west, argues Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, London WC1. Yassamine Mather Organised by CPGB: www.cpgb.org.uk; and Labour Party Marxists: www.labourpartymarxists.org.uk. n late summer 2017, the Financial course it does. In the UK we know about The capitalist ideological state Radical Anthropology Group Times warned about the precarious the British Home Stores pension fund, apparatus does not normally need to Tuesday March 13, 6.30pm: Series of talks on human origins, Daryll Inature of Iran’s banking sector: while members of the University and use physical violence, relying instead Forde seminar room, Anthropology Building, 14 Taviton Street, off College Union have been striking in on educational institutions, the mass Gordon Square, London WC1. This meeting: ‘The next major transition For decades isolated from the rest defence of their pension funds. media, paid social media, advertising, of the financial world, many Iranian However, in Iran corruption, religious beliefs, the family as well as in the evolution of our species’. Speaker: Christopher Opie. banks struggle to comply with cronyism and greed have been working market forces. Yet Iranian bourgeois Organised by Radical Anthropology Group: international banking norms. After hand in hand, allowing financial liberals consider all of the above to be http://radicalanthropologygroup.org. years of populist policies, many are institutions to gamble with ordinary ‘non-ideological’ - indeed apolitical: What next for South Africa? beset by high levels of bad loans ... people’s deposits or run Ponzi schemes part of their cherished ‘civil society’. Friday March 9, 7pm: Talk, Bookmarks, 1 Bloomsbury Street, London with impunity for years. Many got Nothing could be further from the WC1. Veteran ANC and SACP activist Ronnie Kasrils discusses his new Sound familiar? The issue is clearly not away with it because they had good truth. But in general there is no need book, A simple man. Admission £2 unique to Iran and, of course, part of connections with the country’s to resort to overt repression: the www.facebook.com/events/421964564920013/ the problem lies outside the country’s multifaceted financial organisations, ideological state apparatus oversees Stand Up To Racism borders. Continued US and European involving religious foundations, current the dissemination of ideologies that Rally to mobilise support for March 17 UN anti-racism day protests: sanctions, related to allegations of or former leaders of the Revolutionary reinforce the control of a dominant Newcastle: Saturday March 10, 1pm, Arts Centre, Black Swan Yard, terrorism against Iranian entities linked Guards, as well as semi-private class. Dissenters are ridiculed and 39 Westgate Road, Newcastle NE1. to the Revolutionary Guards (even in the funds. But, while corruption under face isolation and rejection. In Organised by Stand Up To Racism: www.standuptoracism.org.uk. privatised sector), means that leading Iran’s Islamic republic has reached Althusser’s view, a social class cannot international banks still refuse to deal extraordinary levels, those bourgeois hold state power unless and until it March for pensions and pay with Iran. Only Chinese, Russian, liberals who point the finger at the simultaneously exercises hegemony Wednesday March 14, 12 noon: Demonstration. Assemble Malet Indian and some second- and third-tier current regime tend to forget that under over and through the ideological state Street, London, WC1. Support the UCU in their fight to defend their European banks are handling small the rule of their hero, Mohammad apparatus. pensions. transactions with Iranian companies. Reza Pahlavi, the situation was not Althusser is also right to point out Organised by University and College Union London region: The Financial Times also warned: much better. Bank Ellie, the national that, when it comes to indoctrination, www.facebook.com/UCULondon. industrial and financial loans section, educational institutions have replaced US out of Latin America Iran’s lenders - most of which are would only lend to organisations which religious ones. Education’s main Thursday March 15, 6.30pm: Emergency rally, Discus, 128 Theobalds nominally private, but affiliated to had the support of the shah’s family. role is to ensure that labour-power is Road, London WC1. No to Trump’s interventionist agenda against state bodies - have long operated in a Of course we are now talking of much reproduced in a suitable form for the Venezuela and Nicaragua. regulatory environment characterised more diverse groups influencing functioning of capitalism. As far as Organised by Venezuela Solidarity Campaign: by low capital adequacy requirements, financial funding, but this has little to Iran is concerned, one should add that www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk. weak supervision and a scarcity of do with the ideological nature of the the mass media from outside Iran plays well-trained auditors ... religious state and everything to do a significant role in terms of culture For an anti-war government As borrowers struggle to repay with abuse of state power in pursuit and ideology, often painting a glorious Thursday March 15, 7pm: Public meeting, Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes their loans, the amount of debt on of the interests of capital - a common picture of the west. Thirty-nine years MK11. Speakers: bank books continues to rise. Total feature of capitalism in the third world. after the creation of the Shia state Lindsey German (Stop the War Coalition), Andrew Murray (Unite). debt owed by state and private- In other words, the current almost everyone - including within Organised by Milton Keynes Stop the War: www.stopwar.org.uk. sector entities to banks reached crisis in Iran is not that different the religious establishment - agrees Defend Palestinian women IR11,374trillion ($346.5 billion) from what is experienced in more that Islamic indoctrination has failed. Monday March 19, 6pm: Book launch, School of Oriental and African by the end of the last Iranian year liberal, non-religious, third world To the chagrin of supreme leader Ali Studies, room B202, Brunei building, second floor, London WC1. The (March 20), up 25% on the previous capitalist countries. But our bourgeois Khamenei, the overwhelming majority launch of the new book by Iraqi author, activist and former political year, according to the central bank opposition has only one solution: of young Iranians are not Islamists. As prisoner Haifa Zangana. figures ... once we get rid of the ‘ideological’ in the rest of the globalised world, the https://www.facebook.com/haifa.zangana Banks charge 28% on loans. influence over the state everything dominant culture - ideology - is that End the witch-hunt “Which business makes 30% profits will be fine. of international capital. Tuesday March 20, 11am: Lobby of Labour’s national executive to be able to get or pay back banking One should remind these ignorant Of course, no-one should deny committee meeting, Southside, 105 Victoria Street, London SW1. loans? No business,” said a senior people that: the discrimination that exists in  Wednesday April 25: Lobby of Marc Wadsworth’s NCC disciplinary businessman in the private sector. capitalist states are ideological higher education and in employment, hearing in London. Details to be confirmed. The central bank has no choice but  irrespective of the religious rhetoric, imposed by the Iranian state on to force banks to write down their the dominant ideology in Iran remains individuals who fail certain religious Organised by Labour Against the Witchhunt: assets and bail out troubled credit that of capital. tests when applying for higher degrees www.labouragainstthewitchhunt.org. institutions.1 The most ideological state I or jobs. However, everyone knows that The lynching personally have ever encountered was such tests are charades: the examiner Thursday March 22 to Saturday March 24, 7.30pm: One-woman In the last few years the 23%-25% that of Margaret Thatcher, who closed is often as cynical about ‘Islamic play, Theatro Technis, 26 Crowndale Road , London NW1. Starring interest rate paid on a savings account down coal mines and ruined whole behaviour’ as the applicant and very Jackie Walker, chair of Labour Against the Witchhunt, who was falsely has encouraged sections of small capital communities, while importing more often the ‘religious’ test is an excuse accused of anti-Semitism and suspended from the Labour Party. to shut down businesses and concentrate expensive coal. There was only one for giving a job or position to those Tickets (£7 to £10) from: investments in such banks. justification: defeat the working class with connections. No doubt such www.eventbrite.com/e/the-lynching-tickets-43750469833. However, by autumn of last year and pave the way for finance capital. tests are an insult to the intelligence Drop bass, not bombs many such banks were collapsing, I have always found Louis of ordinary Iranians and obviously Friday March 23, 8pm to 4am: Anti-war music night, Total with savers losing all their money, and Althusser’s writing on this subject should be abolished. However, our Refreshment Centre, 1 Foulden Road, London N16. the financial repercussions of this has to be very relevant. Relying on bourgeois liberals conveniently forget All money raised for Stop the War Coalition: affected many pension funds, in what Marxist theory, he asserts that any that their favourite dictator, the shah, www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/events/ is described as a cascade of defaults. social formation must ensure that also imposed ‘tests’ - applicants had national-events/2904-23-march-london-drop-bass-not-bombs-002. According to the New York Times, labour-power is reproduced. Only if to demonstrate their knowledge of the productive forces exist can the his book, The white revolution, based Labour Against the Witchhunt Bijan Khajehpour, an Iranian conditions and relations of production entirely on his idiotic conspiracy Saturday March 24, 1pm: General organising meeting, the Cock economist based in Vienna, estimated be maintained. That is why in addition theories - compulsory reading at Tavern, 23 Phoenix Road, London NW1. that as many as hundreds of thousands to infrastructure the state needs a secondary school. Organised by Labour Against the Witchhunt: www. of people lost money because of the superstructure, consisting of culture To summarise, the Iranian people labouragainstthewitchhunt.org. collapsing financial institutions. and ideology. are facing a disastrous economic A new foreign policy Iranians have a term for the growing According to Althusser, culture situation: wages go unpaid, banks are Saturday March 24, 2.30pm: Public meeting, Augustine United class of victims: “property losers,” includes the law, politics, art, etc, defaulting, the elderly face poverty, as Church, 41-43 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1. No more wars. or mal-baakhtegan in Persian. Many while ideology includes world pension funds disappear into thin air. Organised by Edinburgh Stop the War: of the failing institutions sank the views, values and beliefs - today Added to which, there is the constant www.facebook.com/EdinburghStopTheWarCoalition. money into speculative investments the mass media play a significant threat of new sanctions creating during a real estate bubble, lent to role in propagating such ideology. additional uncertainty in the economy. Socialism and the USA Saturday March 24, 1pm: Public meeting, Wakefield Labour Club well-connected friends or charged In his opinion the repressive state However, many of Iran’s economic (Red Shed), Vicarage Street, Wakefield WF1. Admission free, including usurious interest rates to desperate apparatus functions as a unified entity problems are not that different from light buffet. borrowers. Now, regulators have (an institution), unlike the liberal those of other third-world countries. Organised by Wakefield Socialist History Group: quietly steered many of the companies state apparatus, which is diverse in In such circumstances it is criminal to www.theredshed.org.uk/SocialHist.html. into mergers with larger banks to nature and can play many roles. The create illusions about ‘regime change try to absorb their losses, but that apparatus of the state, repressive from above’, with the west as saviour, Marxism and capitalist economies has created a worsening problem and ideological, is responsible for or to ferment illusions about the Tuesday March 27, 7pm: Political economy lectures, Marx Memorial of bad loans and overvalued assets overseeing the double functions of corrupt, inept ancien régime l Library, 37A Clerkenwell Green, London EC1. The first in a series of throughout the banking system. violence and ideology. In liberal lectures from professor Simon Mohun. Economists say that as many democracies the state only makes [email protected] Organised by Marx Memorial Library: www.marx-memorial-library.org. as 40% of the loans carried on the overt use of the repressive state CPGB wills books of Iranian banks may be apparatus if the position of the ruling Notes Remember the CPGB and keep the struggle going. Put our party’s name 2 1. www.ft.com/content/ee47505a-7cd7-11e7- delinquent. class or the social order is threatened, 9108-edda0bcbc928. and address, together with the amount you wish to leave, in your will. If but more subtle forms of repression 2. www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20/world/ you need further help, do not hesitate to contact us. Again does this sound familiar? Of are constantly employed. middleeast/iran-protests-corruption-banks.html. 4 weekly March 8 2018 1193 worker TURKEY Conflicts on many fronts Despite the popularity of Turkish actions in Syria, Cyprus and the Aegean, the ruling AKP is forced to seek allies at home, writes Esen Uslu

urkey’s offensive in the Afrin some of the refugees who have been capacity to build ships and equip them and declared an exclusion zone. It province of Syria has been going in camps in Turkey. Of course, they with locally produced armaments, not decided to hold a naval exercise in the Ton for six weeks without losing would be very carefully selected to mention the financial restrictions disputed area, maintaining a five-ship its ferocity. According to official in line with Ankara’s intention to imposed on Greece, seems to have presence throughout. communiqués, its army - along with a maintain its long-term domination of shifted the military balance. Turkey seemed to have come out hodgepodge of various militia groups, the region. Despite all the problems, it seemed best from the brinkmanship, but the trained, equipped and financed by A similar campaign to relocate the there was a genuine possibility of a next scheduled Cypriot exploration Ankara - has cleared the high ground population in the previously occupied rapprochement at the beginning of the is next week in the sector to the along its borders, and is now ready for zone near al-Bab and Azaz has already 21st century - until in 2008 new natural south-east of the island - furthermore it an offensive on the flat lands leading been in full swing, but the prospect of gas fields were discovered under the would be an American operation. And to Afrin town. using that territory as a springboard Mediterranean between Cyprus, Egypt the US naval presence in the region is Of course, official communiqués to unleash another military campaign and Israel. Suddenly the expectations not insignificant. do not always represent the reality in order to push the YPG to the east of getting rich quick spread like a fever on the ground. The speeches of of Euphrates River is delaying the in all the countries of the region. president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan resettlement programme. Greece and Egypt agreed on Pseudo anti- and his ministers, as well as those of It is now an open secret that delimiting their exclusive economic imperialism the army top brass, are full of words Turkey will not get out of Syria in zones (EEZ), while the European So suddenly the Turkish government has such as ‘duty’, ‘flag’, ‘heroism’ and the near future. Its aim is to change Union reminded Turkey that EU recalled the actions of revolutionaries ‘sacrifice’. The daily body count of the population balance and maintain membership requires compliance against the visit of US Sixth Fleet to Turkey Kurdish fighters, as well as every a puppet regime there to keep control. with UNCLOS. Meanwhile Turkey in 1968. Miraculously revolutionary nook and cranny of the mountain That was what happened in Cyprus, declared its own EEZ on behalf of songs were converted into Islamist and defences conquered, have been blared and before that in Hatay province in Turkish Cypriots - which served to nationalist hymns, and were played in out by the media. Loyalist mobs have southern Turkey. bolster its own claims over Cyprus. the state-controlled media. Ironically the been mobilised on demonstrations in Ankara declared that it would regard current speaker of the parliament was support of the army and government, Get rich quick gas exploration by the Republic of in 1968 a leader of a rightwing student and the funerals of fallen soldiers have The occasional flaring up of a crisis Cyprus as an act of aggression and organisation, and one of the organisers been used to further stoke up the war over the unoccupied Turkish islets of in 2008 sent a naval force to harass of the Islamist-nationalist mob that hysteria. Kardak in the Aegean is a quite important Cyprus-contracted exploration vessels. attacked the revolutionary students. Of course, despite a UN security indicator of Turkey’s ambition to extend However, after 2011 it became That event gained infamy as ‘Bloody council resolution for a truce in Syria, its influence in the Mediterranean. apparent that ‘get rich quick’ was a Sunday’ - three demonstrators were the shooting war never stopped. Turkey In 1982 when the United Nations dream - even the Leviathan gas field killed in the Taksim area of Istanbul simply ignored it and continued its Convention on the Law of the Sea off the Israeli coast barely warrants and hundreds were wounded. It was a operations. According to the foreign (UNCLOS) was agreed, Turkey’s the massive investment that would be case of going full circle - without even ministry, the resolution did not specify military junta was busy dealing with required. So tensions reduced. Then in a hint of shame, of course. Afrin, and so it cannot be applicable other problems and it was quite late 2015 the Zohr gas field north of Egypt The nationalist-Islamist rhetoric to Turkey. Ankara was advised by in the day when it was realised that was discovered. Despite the political suddenly gained a pseudo-anti- French president Emmanuel Macron UNCLOS would create an Aegean turmoil, there was massive investment imperialist tinge. These developments and the US state department to read Sea dominated by Greece. and in December last year the field startled the so-called nationalist the resolution again, but Turkish Turkey remains among the few started to pump gas into Egypt. socialists of Turkey. Most of them officials insisted that it was their countries that still refuse to sign the That provoked a re-escalation of thought the best thing to do under allies in the western world who had UNCLOS agreement, which limits a the crisis. Now it seemed that Israel’s present conditions was to hide under got things wrong. They also called state’s national rights to 5.6 kilometres Leviathan gas field and even the the skirts of the so-called social on the US to seize back the arms it of its coastline, and has stated that puny Aphrodite field in the Cypriot democratic CHP (Republican People’s had distributed to the Kurdish YPG any unilateral action of Greece to zone made for a viable investment Party). Some even went the last mile (People’s Protection Units), since the implement UNCLOS in the Aegean opportunity - provided that they could and pledged their support to the ‘Public war against Islamic State in eastern would be regarded as an act of war. be linked together through a pipeline Coalition’ - the new formal alliance Syria was now over. Since then the two Nato ‘allies’ have Recip Tayyip Erdogan: system. The Cypriot government, and of the ruling AKP and the far-right Meanwhile Czech police played cat and mouse in the Aegean enemies to the south, behind it the Greeks, thought this was MHP- the inheritor party of infamous arrested the former leader of Syria’s Sea. They have engaged in mock enemies to the an opportune moment to reinvigorate Grey Wolves. Democratic Union Party, Salih confrontations, with the naval vessels their exploration and pile international Meanwhile, the leftwing HDP Muslim, on an international warrant of one power sometimes pursuing west... and enemies pressure on Turkey. As expected, (People’s Democracy Party) held its issued by Turkey. If one remembers, those of the other. These are often a within too Turkey reacted sharply congress and elected a new leadership. Muslim visited Turkey when he was question of brinkmanship, but have Despite the massive crackdown on the in office in the Democratic Federation occasionally turned deadly. party, it is trying to act as the focus of Northern Syria (Rojava) and was During the cold war the US paid of the popular opposition to the given the red-carpet treatment by particular attention to maintaining Erdoğan regime. the Turkish regime, but he has been the balance of forces In fact things are slipping charged with offences such as causing in the region through out of the regime’s control. explosions in Turkey. He was soon military aid and trade. Erdoğan knew he would released, but his arrest served to However, European have no chance of winning reinforce the government’s claims arms-exporting the next election if the that they were pursuing terrorists all countries, such AKP stands alone, so it around the world. as Germany and has attempted to use its Then Muslim appeared as a speaker France, did their majority in parliament at a public meeting in Germany, giving best to challenge to change electoral law. Ankara the opportunity to channel its US hegemony. Although he previously opprobrium towards Berlin once more. Turkey’s claimed that any such So it seems that the only remaining increasing change would not ally of Turkey that has not been be applicable to the condemned as a supporter of terrorism following election, he is the UK. is, of course, more than Turkish intentions within the capable of performing occupied Syrian territories are about-turns. And now he beginning to be clarified. The is desperate. Yes, he still has predominantly Kurdish region also a parliamentary majority, the has a large Turkomen and Arab war in Syria has been popular population, yet despite the major and he has attempted to gain population upheavals Afrin remained support from a showdown with quite stable for almost five years, and Greece, but despite all that he IS could not get a foothold there. is still in a desperate situation. But now the whole Kurdish Toppling him in the 2019 elections population is leaving the is a real possibility l. areas occupied by the Turkish army, and Turkey is preparing to transfer back weekly 5 worker 1193 March 8 2018 EUROPE Softest form of hard Brexit Theresa May’s ‘hard facts’ will only bring a temporary cessation of war between the rival Tory factions, writes Eddie Ford

or some time now we have had to put up with total nonsense Ffrom the likes of Liam Fox that a post-Brexit deal with the European Union would be “one of the easiest in history” - with one glorious bound Britain would be free to become a super-Singapore in the rain, doing free trade deals everywhere in the sort of buccaneering spirit that once painted the map pink. But Theresa May has finally introduced a note of reality. In her heavily publicised Mansion House speech on March 2 to a mainly diplomatic audience, she said that the British people will need to “face up to some hard facts” - primarily that “life is going to be different”, because “our access to each other’s markets will be less than it is now”.1 After all, she continued, “how could the EU’s structure of rights and obligations be sustained if the UK or any country were allowed to enjoy all the benefits without all of the obligations?” Possibly worse - at least if you are a hard-core Brexiteer raised on a diet of tabloid xenophobic propaganda - even after Brexit the “jurisdiction” of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) will “continue to affect” the UK. And in practice UK and EU regulatory standards concerning goods will be “substantially similar” in the future, Forced to face facts at last especially when you consider that many of them are themselves “underpinned” “not accept the rights of Canada and the Morgan, Tory chair of the treasury select car industry, free movement of people, domestic audience - “trying to bridge by “international standards set by obligations of Norway”. That is, Britain committee, said it was a “recognition etc. Guy Verhofstadt, the European the gaps between the two poles of non-EU bodies”. This also means, wants a deal going further than the deal at last of the complexity involved in parliament’s Brexit coordinator, the debate on Brexit in the UK”. Her she said, that the UK may choose to signed between Canada and the EU Brexit” and the need for compromise. cuttingly remarked that “we can only latest intervention may have featured remain “in step” with various other (which took over six years to clinch2) Anna Soubry too, who at one stage hope that serious proposals have been a “change in tone”, the report says, EU regulations in areas like state aid but stopping short of Norway, which is suggested that hard Brexiteers should put in the post” - whilst Michel Barnier, “but not in substance” - it was totally and competition in order to get “good a member of the European Economic be kicked out of the party, welcomed the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, damned “short on workable solutions that access” to markets. Area - something else ruled out by the the conciliatory and sensible tone of the the speech with faint speech by saying would respect the EU27 principles”. Other “hard facts” sketched out Brexiteers. More squares and circles. speech - though she did wonder what it provided “clarity” about the UK’s The document accused Theresa May of by May included the acceptance, or Perhaps one of the most striking was in it for ‘leave’ voters, given that intention to leave the single market and “double cherry-picking” by “taking in recognition, that banks located in features of the speech, in the opinion “the Brexit we are heading towards is customs union, ominously adding that selective elements of EU membership the City of London will lose their of professor Jonathan Portes of the UK very, very different to the one we were the “recognition of trade-offs” would and of third-country trade agreements” ‘passporting’ rights to trade across in a Changing Europe research group,3 promised”. She might have a point. “inform” the EU’s future approach to and making “zero progress” when it the EU without country-by-country was that it failed to make any economic On the other side of the fence, Iain Brexit and the British government. came to ideas for customs cooperation. approval - therefore a new system case for divergence - “managed” or Duncan-Smith praised the speech as Even less impressed, it seems, was As for Northern Ireland, the British will be brought in to allow “the same otherwise: “It was the complete triumph “upbeat and clear”, and called on the Stefaan de Rynck - the main advisor to prime minister has “no solution” regulatory outcomes over time”. of the convergers from an economic and European Commission to “stop playing Barnier - who stressed that the rules of - the aims of no single market or Then there was the need for associate analytical point of view,” he writes in games” and treat Britain as an “equal the single market require far more than customs union, no hard border in membership of EU chemical, medicine the Financial Times. “There wasn’t a partner”. Boris Johnson, the absurd the mutual recognition of standards. Ireland and no border down the Irish and aviation agencies - accepting single argument for why the UK would foreign secretary, tweeted that Britain He pointed out that in the wake of the Sea were “mutually contradictory UK their rules and making “appropriate” benefit from diverging from the EU in will remain “extremely close” to the financial crisis the EU has moved to objectives”. Something has to give. financial contributions. There will any sector” and there was “nothing to EU, but the Brexit mapped out by the a “centralised approach with a single Theresa May herself blindly proved also be continued participation in suggest that new free trade deals would prime minister is one where the country EU rulebook, common enforcement this point with her Commons statement EU science, education and cultural outweigh the costs of reduced market is “able to innovate, to set our own structures and single supervisory on March 5. She declared that there programmes, a close relationship access to the EU” (March 2). agenda, to make our own laws and to structures” (The Guardian March 6). are “many examples of different with the European Atomic Energy do ambitious free trade deals around the Furthermore, EU rules were clear that arrangements for customs around Community and continued participation Trade-offs world”. More importantly for Theresa the ECJ could intervene “at any point” the rest of the world” - such as, “for in the EU’s internal energy market, Of course, textual analysis aside, May and her hopes of an outbreak of to declare that mutual recognition of example, the border between the United etc, etc. Theresa May’s 45-minute speech - which peace and love in the Tory Party, was standards was “undermining” the single States and Canada”, which “we are On the increasingly contentious apparently took months to prepare - was the reaction of Jacob Rees-Mogg - who market’s integrity. looking at”. This seems a curious model issue of Northern Ireland, the prime far more about the Tory Party and its described it as a “good speech” that was He also claimed that EU businesses, indeed for a “frictionless” or “invisible” minister said very little except that internal divisions than about the EU and “pragmatic and generous”. He wrote in faced with a choice, “are more concerned border, given that it features a whole Britain must take “responsibility” Brexit: a “delicate attempt to unify both the Daily Telegraph that “now is not the with maintaining the integrity of the EU series of custom posts, barriers, fences, for avoiding a hard border. But she wings of her governing Conservative time to nit-pick” (March 2) - though the single market than any loss of access to vehicle blockades, hidden sensors and would not accept anything that would party” (Financial Times March 2). This implication was that such a time will British markets” and warned Britain that cameras, armed officials and snarling “damage the integrity of our precious in no way means, it almost goes without eventually come. there was “no appetite” to extend the dogs - residents of both states who union”. No indication, in other words, saying, that what the prime minister put Of course, a staunchly pro-European talks on UK’s exit beyond the current own property adjacent to the border are of how the circle of a frictionless border forward in her speech is what we are grandee like Sir Michael Heseltine timetable of March 2019. Therefore, if forbidden to build within six metres of can be squared with a hard Brexit - apart going to get or even what she is actually was not pleased by the speech one the UK wanted to rescind its proposals the border without permission from the from a rather implausible reference going to be prepared to stand on. Forget bit - it consisted of nothing but “phrases, to withdraw from the EU, set out in its International Boundary Commission.4 to the use of “advanced IT solutions” it. The pitch is what matters, not the generalisations and platitudes”, which article 50 letter, this would not just be a Unsurprisingly, the Irish prime minister, (the exact nature of this miraculous reality. The press, essentially correctly, had done nothing to make a deal more matter for the UK unilaterally, but would Leo Varadkar, said that a US-Canada technology is still a mystery) and greeted the speech as the ‘softest form of likely. For him, the only way forward require a “collective response” by the type border is “definitely not a solution “trusted trader” schemes to do away hard Brexit’ possible - her previous red was to put the issue back to parliament EU member-states. Another hard fact, so that we could possibly entertain”. with the need for customs checks. lines have become very blurred indeed. and then to an election or another to speak, was that the length and terms Back to the drawing board, Theresa l Naturally, May insisted that Britain’s From that perspective, May’s attempt referendum. But, at the end of the day, of the transition period could only be desire for a “deep and ambitious” to bridge the chasm between the rival Theresa May’s speech was not designed agreed once the withdrawal agreement [email protected] partnership with the EU was not the factions inside the cabinet and the for Michael Heseltine, John Major or was settled. same as cherry-picking - or if it is Conservative Party itself seems to Kenneth Clarke - let alone Tony Blair Just as illuminating were the Notes then every trade deal is an example have had its effect - at least for the time or The Guardian - so such grumblings contents of a leaked EU report, released 1. www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-speech- of cherry-picking, she argued, as being. For the most part, both the hard are neither here nor there. on the eve of the European Council’s on-our-future-economic-partnership-with-the- every free trade agreement allows for Brexiteers and their opponents seemed However, like Heseltine, the response planned publication of guidelines for european-union. 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_ “varying market access, depending on to be happy to one degree or another from the EU has been very frosty - there a post-Brexit trade deal. Pointing out Economic_and_Trade_Agreement. the respective interests of the countries with the vision - insofar as you can call is no sign that its leaders will go with the obvious, the study commented that, 3. http://ukandeu.ac.uk. involved”. We are all cherry-pickers. it that - outlined by the prime minister Theresa May’s various special or just like with her other speeches on the 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ She went on to say that Britain would at Mansion House. ‘Remainer’ Nicky “bespoke” deals for the City, British issue, May was mainly addressing her Canada%E2%80%93United_States_border. 6 weekly March 8 2018 1193 worker LABOUR What's going on? Unexpected fault lines have opened up on the soft Labour left over who will be the next general secretary, reports Carla Roberts of Labour Party Marxists ith less than a week to go equals anti-Semitism’ witch-hunt in the before nominations close Labour Party is very, very important. He Won March 13, there are two has said of Ken Livingstone, “It’s time candidates standing for the position of he left politics altogether”; thinks that Labour’s general secretary. Their poli- “there should be no place for George tics appear so similar that the contest Galloway in the Labour Party” (and between them seems, at best, ludicrous called on his employers to sack him);5 and, at worst, irresponsible. Should a and when Jackie Walker was suspended ‘moderate’ candidate choose to exploit from Labour on trumped-up charges of the current division, and should both anti-Semitism, he quickly removed her pro-Corbyn candidates continue to as vice-chair of Momentum. He wants insist on standing, that moderate might to be seen as a safe pair of hands, when indeed ‘slip in’ through the middle it comes to Israel. when it comes to the crucial vote on The question is, can Lansman get Labour’s national executive committee away with positioning himself in on March 20. We presume that will not the political centre? After all, he is happen and that either Momentum Mr Momentum, which has since its owner Jon Lansman or Unite’s Jennie inception been portrayed as a dangerous Formby will withdraw. But then, we hotbed for an assortment of hyperactive never presumed that there would be hippies and Trotskyist troublemakers. two pro-Corbyn candidates standing He has been on the ‘far left’ of the in the first place! Labour Party for decades, we are told. The issue might already be decided However, over the last 14 months, by the next meeting of the NEC officers Lansman certainly has been very busy group on March 14. It is tasked with moulding Momentum into a thoroughly putting together a short list for the full respectable election machine. NEC and has a pro-Corbyn majority. Of His coup of January 2017, which the current eight members, at least five abolished all democratic structures are pro-Corbyn and two are members in the organisation and imposed his of Unite (though Jennie Formby, the constitution on the membership, has current NEC vice-chair, will probably certainly gone a long way to assure the have to excuse herself). establishment of his ‘credentials’. He One thing is for sure. The election also subordinated Momentum to the of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader is compliance unit by barring membership continuing to have a disruptive effect, to all those who have been expelled not just on the establishment, but on from the Labour Party for “supporting the Labour left too. In a sense, this is another organisation” (rule 2.1.4.B). very much to be welcomed. The left No doubt Momentum’s deployment seemed to have been dying a slow, of an army of foot soldiers during painful death - it needed a ‘cultural the general election campaign made revolution’. For a start, wouldn’t it be a real difference to Labour’s votes. nice if we had actual transparency and Momentum nationally has been very democracy in our movement? Why careful to support all Labour Party on earth are there no proper reports, Splits: but not how we expected candidates, not just pro-Corbyn ones for example, from all NEC members? (even if locally its members often They should be obliged to report back I must admit to having some sympathy Skwawkbox: and ‘anti-Semitic’ to head the Labour choose to campaign mainly for leftwing to those they represent as to what was for it - Jon Lansman’s ego has simply machine! candidates). discussed and how they voted. Pete got the better of him. So successful all the left NEC members have In reality there is, of course, very Politically, the organisation is Willsman and Ann Black have been has he been running Momentum as committed to support Jennie Formby, little actual political difference between even more harmless. For example, the only ones to routinely write such his own private fiefdom that he now with the exception of a couple who Jennie Formby and Jon Lansman. despite the fact that Jon Lansman has reports (for general circulation) - with thinks he has earned the right to aim have said they’ll only vote for a We are seeing a split on the soft left, campaigned for mandatory reselection their own omissions and partisan views, for bigger things. After all, wasn’t it his leftwing woman - and one who is rather than a split between the hard of parliamentary candidates for decades, of course. tens of thousands of foot soldiers who behind Jon Lansman. Those committed and soft left (which is probably still to he has now dropped the demand and But in recent days NEC members nearly managed to get Jeremy Corbyn to Formby include both party and come). Both candidates are uncritical campaigns merely for a reform of the Christine Shawcroft and Darren into No10? union representatives - including supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and his trigger ballot. At present an MP needs Williams have come out with short Being directly responsible for over party representatives elected as part policies, presumably prepared to back to win a simple majority of nominations Facebook posts and brief hints, which 200 staff; the party’s campaign and of slates backed by Momentum, various political climbdowns should from local party branches and affiliated indicate not just deep divisions between media strategies; all its organisational, the organisation founded by Jon he become prime minister. trade unions and socialist societies in the representatives of the left-led unions constitutional and policy committees; Lansman.2 Which makes the only visible order to become the candidate once and the nine elected by Constituency the organisation of party conference; difference all the more crucial: the more. Lansman wants to raise this Labour Party members, but also the the preparation of party literature, We know, of course, that outputs by question of Israel and Palestine. With threshold to 66%, but this would still tensions between the nine, though they etc - it sounds right up Jon Lansman’s ‘alternative media’ like The Skwawkbox the Israeli army inching closer to disproportionally favour the sitting were elected on same the ‘centre-left street, doesn’t it? And who cares if should be taken with a pinch of salt. getting involved in Syria (to distract MP: rather than allowing for a full slate’. We will come to that below. that puts Corbyn in a very awkward They are increasingly being used by perhaps from the legal problems of and democratic automatic reselection Here is what we know. position when it comes to Unite leader political factions and sometimes even a certain Binyamin Netanyahu3) the process before every election, a sitting For days, Jennie Formby seemed Len McCluskey? The time has come by journalists to leak unverified rumours Labour Party’s position is becoming MP would still have to be challenged. a virtual shoo-in. She has the support for Lansmanism to blossom! to the wider public, so that it can then be increasingly important. Can it really So successful is Momentum’s not just of her union, Unite. But pretty We can certainly believe that picked up by the mainstream press. But become an anti-war party - perhaps transformation that now even Theresa much every single group on the Labour Lansman’s ego is bigger than your we reckon that the website has done its even in government? Will the pacifist May openly wants to emulate it. left has come out for her, including average politician’s. But just like counting correctly this time: 17 votes Corbyn stick to his guns (excuse the This week she has written to “young quite a few Momentum branches. theories that try to pin the outbreak for Formby. The single leftwing NEC pun) as prime minister and forthrightly activists” to help build Momentum- Shadow chancellor John McDonnell of World War II on Adolf Hitler’s member who openly supports Lansman condemn Israel aggression? style grassroots campaigners. has tweeted his support. Jeremy Corbyn psychological problems, that is clearly is Christine Shawcroft. But Lansman That would put the pro-imperialist According to The Sun, the letter states: is keeping schtum in public: he wants to too easy an explanation. seems to think that he can win round right in the Parliamentary Labour appear above the fray and, of course, he those two left NEC members who Party under immense pressure from We are recruiting a new army of foot values the support of both Momentum have not yet openly backed Formby - a the Zionist lobby. This is, after all, soldiers to take the fight to Labour. It and Unite’s Len McCluskey. Theory 2: Lansman possibility, clearly. why the whole ‘anti-Semitism’ scandal is clear from the results of the general So why then are there two left is moving to the But he must also count on the entire was created in the first place. Discredit election that we are more likely to candidates? There are various theories right wing on the NEC to back him in Corbyn’s anti-war and pro-Palestine win seats in which our organisation and possible scenarios, some of which centre order to achieve a majority. He has stance. Force him to ‘man up’ and come is strong. And it is an unfortunate fact are, of course, interlinked. Clearly, We do not believe for a moment that clearly been working very hard to out in support of US interests. And that Labour’s organisation was better we are in the middle of a very messy he is standing in some semi-sacrificial position himself in the political ‘centre’ that includes unconditional support in many seats than ours.6 process. way to “open up the contest and ensure of the Labour Party. I am sure Lansman for Israel to do whatever it has to do we have a wide range of candidates”.1 is not entirely unhappy with the media to ‘defend itself’. (We note Prince It is absolutely possible that the right in We presume that Lansman thinks that narrative, according to which Jennie William is the first member of his the Labour Party might swing behind Theory 1: Lansman he has an actual chance of winning a Formby is the representative of the hard family to make an official visit to Israel, Lansman. The Guardian writes: has gone mad majority of votes on the NEC. left and the union bureaucracy, openly as well as Lebanon and “the occupied This is perhaps the most common theory Of the 38 executive members, 21 supporting - would you believe it? - the Palestinian territories”.4) Lansman’s entry into the race is one comes across when discussing the could be described as pro-Corbyn, democratic rights of the Palestinian In this context, Jon Lansman’s thought to have the tacit backing issue on the left. According to this - and and 17 as rightwing. According to The people. Clearly, she is too radical participation in the ‘anti-Zionism of some other unions, which are weekly 7 worker 1193 March 8 2018

irritated by what they regard as even show up. But his supporters were of leadership positions, so why would of natural justice and due process in representatives of the major unions Unite’s increasing dominance of a visible presence. After a long list of they vote for him to become the next the accusations against him, she voted and if Jennie Formby has indeed been Labour decision-making. Key to worthy but boring speakers (which general secretary if he is proposing to in favour of him being expelled. For part of that pattern, comrade Williams the decision will be two other major pushed all normal motions submitted change that? Especially as his NEC being rude. clarified: “I think there has been undue unions, the GMB and Unison, who off the agenda), Lansman’s NEC ally and fellow Momentum director, As far as we can tell, Christine caution sometimes about speaking up for have so far declined to give Formby ally, Christine Shawcroft, presented Christine Shawcroft, used an angry Shawcroft has used her new position as members facing questionable charges, their backing.7 an emergency motion, which sought Facebook post to declare: “It is time chair of the disciplinary panel to argue probably due to a fear of being seen to to remove Pete Willsman as CLPD to support disaffiliation of the unions for the dismissal of all cases brought be contributing to Labour’s supposed It is not impossible that other rightwingers secretary and force immediate new from the Labour Party.” before it - and against their referral to ‘anti-Semitism problem’.” on the NEC - for example, those elections to the position (which she This came as a complete surprise to the NCC. Exactly right. Once your case Ever since she threw her hat in the from the PLP or those representing was apparently intending to contest). us. To our knowledge, she had never is in front of the NCC with its current ring, Jennie Formby has been at the councillors - might support him, too. The motion criticised as put forward such a line before. And it composition - if you are a leftwinger forefront of the right wing’s radar. Especially if that was the only way to “unacceptable” the delay in putting also came as a shock to Jeremy Corbyn, - you can kiss your membership card She has been accused of “acting with stop Formby. together a slate for the NEC elections whose spokesperson described that goodbye. Next to their access to the anti-Semitic intent” by Labour Against Politically, of course, Lansman’s in the summer: statement as “a heat-of-the-moment national press, this is probably the Anti-Semitism - an attack which Unite method of chasing the political centre remark”: most potent weapon the right in the has quite rightly termed a “malicious is very much old school and in line A draft slate was not opposed by party machine still has. We support smear”.16 A smear which has, of course, with the method advocated by the CLPD, yet during February attempts There is almost no-one in the entire the demand that all 18 cases currently been picked up and repeated by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy were made to overturn it with biased Labour Party who supports any kind in front of the NCC should be referred entire press. She clearly feels the need and its founder-leader, Vladimir Derer, and incomplete emails around the of breaking of the link with the trade back to the NEC’s disciplinary panel. to bend the stick in the other direction since 1973 (he died in 2014). The executive, and threats to take it to unions. Even to say it’s a minority But at the March 17 meeting it to have a chance of being elected. organisation was founded on the the AGM. All in the name of keeping view would be exaggerating it: it’s seems that despite her best efforts to On March 3, she tweeted: “Just seen premise that any reform in the Labour someone on the slate [ie, Ann Black] a completely marginal view that has dismiss all the cases in front of the anti-Semitic attacks on @jonlansman. Party has to be achieved not by pressure who has consistently voted against us no support whatever. I don’t think it committee (there were a few dozen, They are disgraceful and must stop. from the membership (which, for in the last two years, often in ways even represents her view.11 we understand) the majority voted for This sort of abuse has no place in the example, Militant pursued), but by very damaging to the leader. Now the three cases to be referred to the NCC, Labour Party. Not in my name.” winning over - or at least neutralising - two-month delay means that those Shawcroft has indeed deleted the despite the evidence being “far from But if it is true that she systematically the ‘centre’, in the party and the unions. on the final slate are already on the comment. But some have claimed that compelling”, as NEC member Darren votes to refer disciplinary cases to The fascinating BBC docudrama The back foot, struggling to make up time. she was not totally out of tune with Williams complains (see below). the NCC, that is a different matter campaign shows how the CLPD won This has happened because of a lack Jon Lansman here, even if Momentum Interestingly, Shawcroft wrote on altogether. We are told that Formby, a conference majority to vote for a of basic democratic accountability was quick to distance itself from her Facebook that a certain Jon Lansman in this instance, did not vote at all, version of mandatory reselection in in CLPD’s organisation. statement.12 In his candidacy statement supported her; whereas Jennie but basically left the room repeatedly, the early 1980s: through a number of Lansman talks about wanting to “listen Formby did the opposite. According so that she would not have to cast backroom deals with union leaders.8 The motion was ruled out of order (on the to our trade union affiliates” and “work to Shawcroft, a vote. Apparently, all trade union It still pursues this method though basis that it was “not an emergency”), but hard to strengthen Labour’s trade union representatives at that meeting the so-called Centre Left Grassroots it took a vote that needed two recounts link”.13 But he has also gone to the media I was supporting Jon Lansman for (except the Transport Salaried Staff Alliance, which ‘recommends’ various before that decision was accepted. And, to express “dissatisfaction that the role general secretary before today’s NEC Association) voted to refer the three candidates for Labour Party elections. of course, it served another purpose: [of general secretary] should be chosen sub-committee meetings, but after cases to the NCC. And, apparently, Jon It is based on rather mysterious, private to justify the fact that Jon Lansman behind closed doors by Labour’s NEC, today I’m even more determined. Lansman voted against that. and entirely undemocratic get-togethers single-handedly leaked a list of the which in practice would mean a deal Only someone from his tradition will Many members expected that, with of various Labour left organisations, to nine NEC candidates supported by struck between major trade unions for support the rights of rank-and-file the NEC finally having a pro-Corbyn which only a few lucky ones are invited Momentum to the national press. Ann their preferred candidate”.14 However, members in the CLPs. The major majority, the witch-hunt would come to (this year, for example, Jewish Voice Black was not on it, of course. to interpret this as a desire on Lansman’s trade unions are actively opposed to a swift end. But it was never going to be for Labour was among the invitees), In our view, Ann Black should part to see the unions disaffiliate is a us - a very cursory examination of that easy. The civil war continues. And while others never make the gathering. certainly not be on any leftwing list. bad case of clutching at straws. trigger ballots in mayoral ‘selections’ the fault lines are continuing to shift. The Labour Representation Committee But then she should have never been True, the union link seems to have will tell you that. Look at their track Right now Labour Party members regularly complains when it is left out on it in the first place! She had been been a point of discussion among his records before you rush to support deserve to know if Unite representatives in the cold. supported by Lansman and Willsman allies and there is certainly room for someone. (including Jennie Formby) do According to Wikipedia, the CLGA for many years - and, no, she did not democratic reform when it comes to systematically vote with the right was founded in 1995 by the CLPD and turn into a centrist overnight. She had the unions’ role in the Labour Party. I must admit to a certain scepticism when when it comes to the witch-hunt against Labour Reform, “a centrist democratic always been one. For a start, instead of union general I first read this. Shawcroft did, after all, pro-Corbyn members. If that is indeed group”, which had supported Ann Black By kicking her off the left slate, secretaries casting their union’s bloc support Jon Lansman in the middle of true, it would certainly shine an entirely as member of the NEC. When “private Lansman seems to have been acting vote at the Labour conference, we his undemocratic coup by becoming new light on Jennie Formby and how talks with trade union representatives” in line with the party leadership. After call for the vote to be divided on a Momentum’s director and did not speak deserving she is of the left’s support. failed, Liz Davies of Labour Left all, the NEC officers group (which has proportional basis according to the up when he continued to ride roughshod Of course, in the absence of openness Briefing and Mark Seddon, editor of a clear a pro-Corbyn majority) risked political balance in the delegation. over the members by imposing his on such important issues, we should be Tribune, were also brought in. But, media ridicule when they shut down But calling for the link to be broken own constitution. She also previously careful about who is spreading news convinced of the left’s unelectability, a meeting to elect a new chair of the is entirely wrong-headed. If Labour voted to refer Jackie Walker’s case to and to what purpose. After all, Len the CLGA continued to support centrist national policy forum, because Ann is to become the party of the whole the NCC. She irresponsibly split from McCluskey has been very outspoken candidates and rejected any moves to Black was sure to win it.10 class, then clearly it must become Labour Briefing journal to set up her in his opposition to the ‘anti-Zionism present a leftwing platform or support Pete Willsman, however, did not the umbrella organisation for all own Original Labour Briefing - without equals anti-Semitism’ witch-hunt, so this openly left candidates.9 seem to get the message. We wonder trade unions, socialist groups and explaining the politics behind it. reported behaviour by one of Unite reps This explains how Ann Black could how long the deeply divided CLPD pro-working class partisans. All unions But then she was backed up by is, to put it mildly, surprising l remain on the ‘left ticket’ for so long, can keep going. should affiliate and all union members fellow NEC member Darren Williams despite clearly being very much on should pay the political levy. on Facebook. We cannot stress enough Notes the centre of the party. She supported Theory 4: Lansman how unusual this is for both of them: 1. http://labourpartymarxists.org.uk/jon-lansmans- the move to stop tens of thousands of tweet-announcing-his-candidature-for-labour- pro-Corbyn members from voting in ‘wants to break Theory 5: Jon The disputes panel meeting left me general-secretary. the second leadership election and, as Lansman is the feeling very disheartened - and not for 2. https://skwawkbox.org/2018/03/01/excl-17- the union link’ more-nec-members-incl-momentum-back-formby- chair of the NEC disciplinary panel, good guy the first time. I can’t go into details, as-candidacy-nears-critical-mass. gave her backing to much of the witch- This is where the contradictions start because all cases are confidential, 3. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/ hunt against the left - for instance, by to mount up. It is one thing to stand This is almost as hard to swallow as but it’s deeply disappointing to middle-east/israel-prime-minister-benjamin- netanyahu-corruption-allegations-lawyers-explain- voting for the suspension of Brighton against a leftwing union representative. scenario 4. But bear with us. see party members put on a path to trouble-a7524416.html. and Hove CLP. Many have questioned, If you present yourself as the serious, Shawcroft’s outburst on Facebook likely expulsion when the evidence 4. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/05/israel- quite rightly, why the CLGA continues credible alternative candidate of the actually came about after the March of their supposed wrongdoing is far britain-obvious-partners-prince-williams-visit- to back her. political centre, you might have a chance 17 meeting of the NEC’s disciplinary from compelling. Labour needs to welcome. 5. https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/george- of getting the rightwing unions on the panel, of which she is now chair. The do far more to embed the natural galloway-sue-momentums-jon-lansman-david- Theory 3: It is NEC behind you. disciplinary panel is made up of the justice principles espoused by baddiel-anti-semitism-row. But Lansman has gone one entire NEC - or, more precisely, of those Chakrabarti in our internal processes 6. www.thesun.co.uk/news/5718810/theresa-may- all about Ann further with his proposal to have the NEC members who can be bothered and organisational culture. A small activists-corbyn-momentum. general secretary elected by the party to show up. It is the committee that consolation was agreement by the 7. www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/01/ Black momentums-jon-lansman-confirms-run-for- membership as a whole. We very decides if disciplinary charges have any organisation committee, which labour-general-secretary. As we have reported, Jon Lansman and much oppose it. It sounds democratic, merit - and should therefore be sent to followed disputes, to review our 8. www.youtube.com/watch?time_ CLPD secretary Pete Willsman, who but really it is not. It would actually the National Constitutional Committee disciplinary procedures. This is a task continue=1&v=oxBoOQdz6mo. have worked together in the CLPD for create two rival centres of power. We for further investigation. that the NEC began early last year 9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassroots_ 15 Alliance. decades, have fallen out over Black. have seen under McNicol’s tenure The NCC consists of 11 members, and its completion is long overdue. 10. https://labourlist.org/2018/02/labours-national- Just how badly became very obvious how destructive the general secretary chosen by party conference for a policy-forum-chair-election-cancelled-by-nec- at the CLPD’s March 3 annual general can be. Having direct elections to the two-year term. Four are elected by CLP In the discussion thread underneath, officers-hours-before-vote. 11. www.politicshome.com/news/uk/work/trade- meeting. Clearly having thoroughly post would not prevent this situation delegates, six by the unions and one by Christine Shawcroft then wrote: unions/news/93404/labour-insists-jeremy-corbyn- internalised the centre-left strategy, occurring again - it would though affiliated socialist societies. Last year, ally-who-called-end-union-link-has. Pete Willsman continues to insist that guarantee endemic conflict between the CLGA candidates, Emina Ibrahim Unfortunately, reviewing the 12. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/ Black should be included on the CLGA Labour Party HQ, the NEC and the and Anna Dyer, won overwhelmingly disciplinary process is going to come momentum-labour-trade-unions-affiliate-christine- shawcroft-party-members-nec-a8243466.html. slate. When his own CLPD executive leaders’ office. No, the general secretary in the CLP section. The other two too late for some of our comrades. 13. http://labourpartymarxists.org.uk/jon- committee voted (by a majority of one) should remain directly accountable to CLP positions are up for election at This is why I am supporting Jon lansmans-tweet-announcing-his-candidature-for- against her inclusion a few months back, the NEC. Once the numbers on the this year’s conference, but for now the Lansman, or a woman in that tradition, labour-general-secretary. he decided to ignore the decision and NEC had changed in favour of the NCC clearly remains in the hands of for general secretary. Nothing would 14. www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/26/ jon-lansman-set-to-stand-for-role-of-labour- campaign for her. pro-Corbyn left, McNicol’s time was the right. And it is questionable how induce me to support a candidate general-secretary. On the morning of the AGM, a up. And that is how it should be. ‘left’ the CLGA candidates are. Emina from a major trade union - they stick 15. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ rumour was doing the rounds that Lansman’s proposal is also very Ibrahim, for example, was supposed to it to the rank-and-file members time labour-should-axe-its-trade-union-links- Lansman would turn up in order to risky from his point of view, as it surely be the alibi leftie on the three-person after time after time. momentum-backed-nec-member-christine- shawcroft-declares-jon-lansman-jennie-formby_ graciously announce his withdrawal is bound to alienate all unions affiliated NCC panel at Tony Greenstein’s uk_5a9fbf21e4b0d4f5b66bd0f2. from the general secretary race. If true, to the Labour Party. They see it as expulsion hearing - and despite the After being questioned if this was 16. www.unitetheunion.org/news/unite-statement- he clearly changed his mind. He did not their historic right to fill a proportion obvious democratic shortcomings, lack a systematic voting pattern of the on-the-smear-attack-on-jennie-formby-by-laas. 8 weekly March 8 2018 1193 worker SCIENCE Contradiction and denial Noam Chomsky worked on weapons systems for the Pentagon, yet he consistently campaigned against militarism. Chris Knight looks at the controversy provoked by his own critique hen it was first published in this infamous project.13 Wiesner is 2016, my book, Decoding important because he was the lab WChomsky: science and revo- director who first recruited Chomsky lutionary politics, provoked immediate to the RLE in 1955, who co-founded controversy. MIT’s linguistics programme in 1961 Despite praise in publications and who, as MIT’s provost and then ranging from The Times Literary president, was in effect Chomsky’s Supplement and the New Scientist to boss for over 20 years.14 a number of more academic journals, In the early 1960s, Wiesner was Noam Chomsky himself told the the country’s most powerful military New York Times that, contrary to scientist. He was proud of the fact my claims, no military research that the RLE had made “major was conducted at the Massachusetts scientific and technical contributions Institute of Technology during his to the continuing and growing military time there. Elaborating on this theme technology of the United States”.15 He in a subsequent public comment, was also proud that he had “helped Chomsky denounced my entire get the United States ballistic missile narrative as a “wreck ... complete program established in the face of nonsense throughout”. The controversy strong opposition from the civilian continued in the London Review of and military leaders of the air force and Books, when the feminist sociologist Department of Defense”.16 of science, Hilary Rose, cited my Having brought nuclear missile book approvingly on the letters page, research to MIT, Wiesner then provoking Chomsky to denounce became president Kennedy’s chief “Knight’s astonishing performance” science advisor in 1961, from which in two subsequent letters.1 position he insisted that nuclear Perhaps the most negative review missile development and procurement was by Chomsky’s loyal biographer, “must all be accelerated”.17 Wiesner Robert Barsky. Here is an extract: later became more critical of the unrestricted stockpiling of nuclear The problem is, the book contains weapons, particularly those equipped no serious debate, just a whole lot of with multiple warheads. But this uninformed and half-baked assertions change of heart did not stop him and some really strange conclusions from administering MIT laboratories derived from flimsy evidence. The dedicated to research on just such ‘idealist’ Chomsky worked with developments.18 As MIT’s provost and Victor Yngve in a research laboratory president, he also oversaw research into studying translation at MIT, so helicopter design, radar, smart bombs he was a dupe to those who were and counter-insurgency techniques for “overtly developing command and the ongoing war in Vietnam.19 control systems for nuclear and other military purposes”. What? Machine translation research is turned into a Anarchy of project dedicated to “command and science control systems”? Really? And how Much of MIT’s military research was did Chomsky contribute to that MIT done by people who were quite happy project? No word from Knight, and to manufacture weaponry. But most no mention of the linguistics work academics prefer to think of themselves Chomsky was doing at that time as free agents, unrestrained by military in MIT’s research laboratory for discipline or other pressures. Wiesner electronics.2 clearly understood this when he talked about the “anarchy of science”, which Despite his tone, Barsky makes a valid had to be protected in order for novel point. In my book, I did not go into detail insights to emerge. This approach was on these topics because my underlying consistent with general Eisenhower’s thesis was that it was Chomsky’s 1946 directive that military scientists determination to avoid military work “must be given the greatest possible which decisively shaped both his politics freedom to carry out their research”.20 and his linguistics. But, since Barsky has This illusion of freedom was queried whether the projects on which strengthened by the fact that, in order Chomsky worked had anything to do to secure generous funding from the with military ‘command and control’, Mitre’s first command and control project: the SAGE air defence system for nuclear war Pentagon, MIT’s scientists would let me say a little more. themselves come up with reasons why Earlier this year, a number of sponsored Chomskyan linguistics in systems that could understand English of American linguistics, is located their research had military applications. Chomsky’s former students got in order to enhance their command and queries directly.7 at MIT.10 Some scientists, no doubt, then contact with me. They have confirmed control systems. As a former air force convinced themselves that they were to me that between 1963 and 1965 colonel, Anthony Debons said in 1971: Colonel Gaines’ explanation is confirmed As many as 10 MIT linguists worked tricking the Pentagon into investing Chomsky worked as a consultant on by a 1965 article written by Jay Keyser, on this Mitre project and two of them in research of real value to humanity. a US air force project to establish Much of the research conducted at a linguist who had been recruited to MIT have confirmed to me that Chomsky did Yet precisely who was tricking who English as an “operational language for MIT by Chomsky and his colleagues by Chomsky before going on to serve indeed visit Mitre in his consultancy remains an open question. As long as command and control”.3 According to [has] direct application to the efforts in the air force.8 In the article, Keyser role, at least in 1965.11 a reasonable percentage of the research one of these students, who also worked undertaken by military scientists to suggested that the control languages then To understand all this, it helps to sponsored by the Pentagon turned out on this project, the military justification develop … languages for computer being used in the military’s command know more about the Mitre Corporation to be militarily useful, why should the for funding this work was that “in the operations in military command and and control systems should be replaced and MIT. Mitre was set up jointly by Pentagon care what these scientists event of a nuclear war, the generals control systems.6 with an English control language based MIT and the US air force in 1958 thought they were doing? would be underground with some on Chomsky’s insights into language in order to develop air defence and Professor Jonathan King revealed computers trying to manage things, That same year, another air force colonel, structure. Keyser illustrated his article ‘command and control’ technology the level of self-delusion of many MIT and that it would probably be easier to Edmund Gaines, explained in more with words such as ‘aircraft’ and ‘missile’, - both for use in a nuclear war and researchers in the 1980s, when he said: teach computers to understand English detail why they needed linguistics of as well as with sample sentences such in more limited conflicts like that in than to teach the generals to program”.4 this kind to enhance their systems of as: “The bomber the fighter attacked Vietnam. In its section on the Vietnam There were hundreds and hundreds Although he has always been computerised command and control: landed safely.”9 war, the corporation’s official history of physics and engineering graduate reluctant to discuss why the military Much of this military linguistics states that, by 1967, “Mitre was students working on these weapons. were so interested in his particular Defense of the continental United work was done at an offshoot of MIT devoting almost one-quarter of its total [They’d say things like] they’re type of linguistics, Chomsky has never States against air and missile attack called the Mitre Corporation. As a 1968 resources to the command, control and working on the hydrodynamics of hidden the fact that MIT was “about is possible in part because of the use article outlined, communications systems necessary to an elongated object passing through 90% Pentagon-funded”. As he says of such computer systems. And, of the conduct of that conflict”.12 a deloop fluid at high speed. of his university in the 1960s, “I was course, such systems support our The most ambitious effort to construct This official history also refers “Well, isn’t that a missile?” - “No, in a military lab. If you take a look forces in Vietnam … Command and an operating grammar is being made to Mitre’s key role in creating the I’m just working on the basic principle; at my early publications, they all say control systems would be easier to by a group at Mitre, concerned so-called McNamara line - a huge nobody works on weapons.”21 something about air force, navy and so use [if artificial computer languages] with English-like communication barrier of sensors, mines and cluster on, because I was in a military lab - the were not necessary. We sponsored in command and control computer bombs along the border between The linguistics students who worked Research Lab for Electronics [RLE].”5 linguistic research in order to learn systems. It is no accident that Noam North and South Vietnam. It was at Mitre in the 1960s seem to have had It is also no secret that the Pentagon how to build command and control Chomsky, the major theorist in all Jerome Wiesner who helped initiate similar attitudes. One of them, Haj Ross, weekly 9 worker 1193 March 8 2018

35 5. G White Campus Inc New York 2000, p445. told me earlier this year: never again to work directly on a 1994. By this point, student and linguistics rigorously formal, on 6. A Debons, ‘Command and control: technology military project, instead committing faculty opposition meant that Deutch the model of pure mathematics or and social impact’ Advances in computers Vol 11, We were as free as birds … I never himself publicly to anti-militarist had failed in one of his ambitions - to philosophical logic. Such a view of 1971, p354. had any whiff of military work at activism. Up until the mid-1960s, become president at MIT - but he had language has many disadvantages, 7. F Newmeyer The politics of linguistics Chicago 1986, pp85-86. Mitre … What we talked about had Chomsky was relatively quiet about his succeeded in becoming deputy defence but one big advantage. You cannot kill 8. SJ Keyser Mens et mania: the MIT nobody nothing at all to do with command political views. Partee recalls: “I never secretary. Then, in 1995, president people with philosophical logic. knows Cambridge Mass 2011, pp16-17. and control or air force or anything heard him say a political word in any Clinton made him director of the CIA. Most readers of the Weekly Worker 9. SJ Keyser, ‘Linguistic theory and system similar. linguistics class”, while Ross told me: It was around this time that Chomsky probably take it for granted that the design’ in J Spiegel and D Walker (eds) Information system sciences 1965, pp495-505. “At Mitre I had never had the slightest was asked about his relationship with genetic capacities underlying language 10. A Newell in G Bugliarello (ed) Another student, Barbara Partee, also hint about Noam’s radicalism.” But, Deutch. He replied: must have evolved under natural Bioengineering: an engineering view San emphasised how free they were, although as is well known, from 1965 Chomsky selection in response to material Francisco 1968, p271. she was clearer about the air force’s threw himself into passionate and We were actually friends and got pressures and demands. Most would 11. A Zampolli et al Current issues in requirements: effective resistance against the war in along fine, although we disagreed assume that language must have computational linguistics: in honour of Don 28 Walker Dordrecht 1994, ppxxi-xxii; personal Vietnam. on about as many things as two something to do with history, politics communication from Arnold Zwicky and Barbara We had total freedom. Everybody human beings can disagree about. and culture, and that children acquire Partee, February 2018. could choose their own topic, as Chomsky’s politics I liked him … I had no problem their first language by learning from 12. R Meisel and J Jacobs Mitre: the first twenty long as it could be related to the As part of this activism, Chomsky with him. I was one of the very few those around them. So it may come years, a history of the Mitre Corporation (1958- 1978), Bedford Mass 1979, ppxiii, 16-9, 59, 65, goal of eventually getting machines advocated the “avoidance of work that can people on the faculty, I’m told, who as a shock to discover that Chomsky 114-15. to process English sentences and do be used by the agencies of militarism”. was supporting his candidacy for the completely rejects every one of these 13. New York Times July 2 1971. some question-answering on topics He also gave considerable thought to president of MIT.36 ideas. 14. R Barsky Noam Chomsky, a life of dissent of potential interest to the air force. “resigning from MIT, which is, more He suggests, for example, that the Cambridge Mass 1998, p86; http://linguistics.mit. edu/scientific-reunion-commemorates-50-years- than any other university, associated In another interview, Chomsky was biological capacity for language did of-linguistics-at-mit. It was Partee who told me that the with activities of the department of even more positive about his friend, not evolve through natural selection 15. Naval Research Reviews July 1966, p4. supposed military justification for the ‘defense’”.29 But MIT’s managers had remarking that Deutch “has more but, rather, that language suddenly 16. Chicago Tribune June 29 1969. Jerome research she and others were doing treated him particularly well, appointing honesty and integrity than anyone I’ve emerged when the brain of a single early Wiesner was also involved with the US’s cold war strategies of ‘political warfare’ and ‘psychological was that it would be “easier to teach him associate professor at the age of 29 ever met in academic life, or any other human was “rewired, perhaps by some warfare’. In 1958, he even suggested that 40 computers to understand English than and a named professor at 37. And, as life … If somebody’s got to be running slight mutation”. He then makes the ‘Marxism’ could be countered by presenting to teach the generals to program”.22 Chomsky says, this named professorship, the CIA, I’m glad it’s him.”37 even stranger claim that the concepts the US as a ‘classless society’ - one which had When I asked her again how she and which he received in 1966, “isolated One of Chomsky’s most we put together in sentences - for already accomplished what “the communists have claimed as their goals”. Wiesner, however, her fellow linguists felt about working me from the alumni and government controversial political positions example ‘book’ or ‘carburettor’ - are probably achieved more to subvert Marxism in 30 on what was evidently a military pressures”. Consequently, he was concerned Pol Pot’s regime in genetically determined items which 1953 when his representative, Roman Jakobson, project, she said that the “story of the now in the rare situation of being free Cambodia. Although he never denied existed in the human brain from the very organised influential seminars in Paris, whose generals being underground during to be an outspoken anti-militarist, while that the regime committed atrocities, it beginning, millennia before real books contributions to philosophy were later to evolve 41 into postmodernism. See also UCLA Historical the war and the computers therefore still working in one of the US’s most is hard to read his early writings on this or carburettors had even been invented. Journal no10, 1990, p18; R Rydell World of fairs: needing to understand English, really prestigious military labs. subject without getting the impression These ideas simply make no sense. the century-of-progress expositions Chicago 1993, I’m not sure that anybody believed it”.’ Such a situation had many that he is understating what was going But there has to be a reason why p198; B Geoghegan, ‘From information theory She then told me: “I never sensed any advantages, including the fact that on in Cambodia under Pol Pot.38 Chomsky so passionately espouses to French theory: Jakobson, Levi-Strauss and the cybernetic apparatus’ Critical Inquiry Vol 38, discomfort with taking air force money, such proximity to the US’s military Chomsky’s rightwing detractors have them. I am not claiming any privileged autumn 2011, pp111-13, 118-19, 124-26. of which Chomsky had a great deal for and scientific elite gave his criticisms implied that this was because he had access to Chomsky’s psychology, but 17. J Wiesner, ‘Report to the president-elect of the supporting students at MIT.” Partee also of that elite a unique authority. But to some ideological sympathy with the what I can say is that such strange ad hoc committee on space’, 1961: www.hq.nasa. recalled that “we all tried to convince be the Pentagon’s No1 critic, while Pol Pot regime. This was clearly not ideas categorically remove linguistics gov/office/pao/History/report61.html. ourselves that taking air force money for remaining loyal to the Pentagon’s the case. A better explanation is that it from all contact with the real world, 18. Science no3924, March 13 1970; Technology Review June 1970. such purposes was consistent with our No1 university, was never going to be pained Chomsky’s conscience to be too situating the entire field in a realm 19. M Albert, Remembering tomorrow: from the consciences”. She explained to me that straightforward. It led Chomsky to take critical of any country that had been so of eternal abstractions. While this politics of opposition to what we are for New York “our standard rationalization was that a variety of contradictory positions on brutally targeted by the Pentagon: ie, by successfully removes linguistic theory 2006, pp97-99. it was better for defense spending to be events both at MIT and in the wider the same people who had so generously from any dubious military use, it also 20. D Greenberg The politics of pure science Chicago 1999, pp132, 151. diverted to linguistic research than to world. funded his own academic career. means, unfortunately, that none of it 21. C Renehan Peace activism at the 23 be used for really military purposes”. For example, despite his sympathies I am not saying that Chomsky’s really works. Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1975 Clearly, Partee has some doubts with their anti-militarism, when conflicted relationship with his military Let me say here that, although to 2001: a case study PhD thesis, Boston 2007, about this rationalization, perhaps student radicals protested against employers was the only factor in these Chomsky remains a hugely influential pp247, 106. 22. Personal communication, Barbara rightly. In 1971, the Pentagon’s MIT’s military research in 1969, various political positions. After all, figure, the military were not alone in Partee to the author, February 8 2018; http:// representatives insisted that the defense Chomsky apparently stood in the MIT the left has always been divided on its concluding that no part of his theoretical scienceandrevolution.org/blog/2018/2/17/ department had to date made “a very president’s office to assist loyal staff in attitudes to student protests, academic system could ever be made to work. The chomskys-students-recall-their-time-at-the-mitre- thorough effort” to ensure that it funds protecting it from being occupied by freedom and third world nationalism, celebrated concept of ‘deep structure’ corporation. 31 23. B Partee, personal communication to the “only research projects directly relevant these same radicals. Then, when Walt along with many other issues. But, in had to be abandoned long ago, along author, February 8 2018; https://people.umass.edu/ to the military’s technological needs”. Rostow tried to return to his former my opinion, you cannot understand with virtually every other concept of partee/docs/BHP_Essay_Feb05.pdf’. And, when exhaustively checked at job at MIT, Chomsky threatened to Chomsky’s more controversial the early years. Many linguistics would 24. S Glantz and N Albers, ‘Department of the time by a group of anti-militarist “protest publicly” in favour of Rostow standpoints without taking account of agree that almost none of Chomsky’s defense R&D in the university’ Science no4165, academics from Stanford University, being allowed back to the university. his institutional situation at MIT. This detailed claims about the nature of November 22 1974, pp706, 710-11; Science 24 no4189, May 16 1975, pp678-83. this claim was found to be accurate. According to Chomsky, Rostow’s applies in particular to his ideas about language has survived the test of time - a 25. A Zwicky, ‘Grammars of number theory: some On the other hand, maybe Partee leading role in the Vietnam war made the nature of human language. point candidly conceded by Chomsky examples’, working paper W-6671, Mitre Corp, is right. After all, none of Chomsky’s him a “war criminal”. But Chomsky himself.42 1963; A Zwicky and S Isard, ‘Some aspects of linguistic theories from this period was quite open about the fact that he For anyone in my position as a tree theory’, working paper W-6674, Mitre Corp, Chomsky’s 1963, foreword. ever really worked, so all the money “supported the rights of American war lifelong activist, it feels risky to say things 26. ‘Chomsky’s carburettor’, cited podcast no23, the Pentagon spent must have seemed criminals not only to speak and teach, linguistics that can so easily be misunderstood. 2016. wasted from its point of view. But but also to conduct their research, on Anyone who has investigated Chomsky’s No part of my account can detract 27. G White Campus Inc New York 2000, pp445- what if his theories had worked? The grounds of academic freedom, at a linguistics will know that he is not really from Chomsky’s record as a tireless 46. 28. N Chomsky American power and the new authors of the Mitre papers that name time when their work was being used interested in the way English or Russian anti-militarist campaigner. Neither mandarins New York 1969, p8. 32 Chomsky as a “consultant” are quite to murder and destroy”. are used by native speakers. Instead, he has can it detract from his persistence in 29. N Chomsky, ‘Letter’ New York Review of clear that their project was about the Commentators have usually seen always been concerned with something withstanding the institutional pressures Books March 23 1967. “development of a program to establish Chomsky’s attitude to war research as called ‘universal grammar’ - a concept that he must have endured at MIT. Had 30. R Barsky Noam Chomsky, a life of dissent Cambridge Mass 1998, p3; The Tech April 22 natural language as an operational just an example of his uncompromising which has become increasingly vague he resigned in disgust in 1967, when he 1966; ‘Noam Chomsky - the war on unions 25 language for command and control”. commitment to academic freedom. and abstract with the passing of time. My was thinking of doing so, he might never and workers rights’, 1995 (www.youtube.com/ So what if this Mitre project had been But we can now see such comments own explanation for this is that after his have gained the platform he needed to watch?v=lhgaARgTdAk). successful? Would that not have led in a different light, as an attempt by early experiences at MIT and Mitre he signal his dissidence across the world. 31. J Segel (ed) Recountings: conversations with MIT mathematicians Natick Mass 2009, to a situation in which, whenever a Chomsky to come to terms with his own only felt comfortable when developing There are times when all of us have to pp206-07. US commander targeted a village early career decisions at MIT. The same models so utterly abstract and ideal - so make compromises, some more costly 32. R Barsky Noam Chomsky, a life of dissent in a counter-insurgency operation might be said of Chomsky’s defence of effectively immunised against social or than others. My argument, as I explain Cambridge Mass 1998, p141; M Rai Chomsky’s - or targeted an entire city during a Robert Faurisson, the French academic engineering applications - that no-one in more detail in my book, is that it was politics London 1995, p131. 33. R Barsky Noam Chomsky, a life of dissent nuclear war - that commander would who was deprived of his teaching job could possibly make use of them for Chomsky’s linguistics rather than his Cambridge Mass 1998, pp179-86. be unleashing death and destruction, after he wrote a book denying the anything practical at all, let alone for activism that bore the brunt of those 34. The Thistle Vol 9, no7; The Tech March 7 thanks to linguistic theories inspired, holocaust. Clearly Chomsky has never killing people. damaging pressures and costs l 1989, and May 27 1988. initially, by Chomsky himself? had any sympathy with holocaust This last suggestion is controversial. 35.. Chemical and Engineering News Vol 60, No1, February 1982; B Scowcroft Report It is hard to know what Chomsky denial. But, if academics should be But I have come across no better way Chris Knight is the author of of the president’s commission on strategic thought about this particular project, free to produce work that enables the of explaining the peculiar features of Decoding Chomsky: science forces 1983: https://link.springer.com/ because, to my knowledge, he has never military to “murder and destroy”, why Chomsky’s linguistics. In Chomsky’s and revolutionary politics Yale chapter/10.1007/978-1-349-19791-0_31, pp20-21; publicly talked about it. Whenever he should they not also be free to promote writings, individualism and genetic 2016 Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists January 1995. has been asked about the military’s role holocaust denial?33 determinism are both taken to 36. N Chomsky Class warfare: interviews with David Barsamian London 1996, p101. at MIT, he has usually claimed that the Naturally, having argued that people astonishing extremes. Again and again, Notes 37. New York Times December 10 1995. military never had any influence on the like Rostow and Faurisson should be Chomsky insists that human language 1. New York Times October 31 2016; ‘Chomsky’s 38. N Chomsky and E Herman After the university’s academic work and that able to work in academia, Chomsky is individual, not social, having no carburettor’, cited podcast no23, 2016; New cataclysm: post-war Indochina and the they did not “involve themselves in was in no position to be too hostile to significant function in terms of the Scientist November 2 2016; London Review of reconstruction of imperial ideology Boston 1979, 26 Books June 1, June15, July 13 2017. chapter 6. any way in what was going on”. At any of his colleagues at MIT, no matter communication of thoughts and ideas. 2. R Barsky Moment September 15 2016. 39. N Chomsky On nature and language MIT, according to his testimony, “you what they were up to. In the 1980s, “Language,” he claims, “is not properly 3. A Zwicky, ‘Grammars of number theory: some Cambridge 2002, p76. could do what you wanted … within a for example, MIT’s most notorious regarded as a system of communication examples’, working paper W-6671, Mitre Corp, 40. N Chomsky, ‘Three factors in language broad range. It must’ve been one of the academic was its provost, John Deutch, … [although] it can, of course, be used 1963, foreword; A Zwicky and S Isard, ‘Some design’ Linguistic Inquiry Vol 36, No1, 2005, 27 aspects of tree theory’, working paper W-6674, pp11-12. most free universities in the world.” who was particularly controversial for communication, as can anything Mitre Corp, 1963, foreword; A Newell in G 41. N Chomsky New horizons in the study of Based on such comments, it is hard due to his role in bringing biological people do - manner of walking or style Bugliarello (ed) Bioengineering: an engineering language and mind Cambridge 2000, pp61, 64- to know what Chomsky was really warfare research to the university.34 of clothes or hair, for example.”39 view San Francisco 1968, p271. 66; C Knight Decoding Chomsky: science and thinking during his time at Mitre. But Deutch was also heavily involved in the So, according to Chomsky, language 4. Personal communication, Barbara Partee revolutionary politics Yale 2018, chapter 18. to the author, February 8 2018; http:// 42. P Ibbotson and M Tomasell, ‘Evidence rebuts we can make inferences from what Pentagon’s chemical weapons strategy, is no more designed to facilitate scienceandrevolution.org/blog/2018/2/17/ Chomsky’s theory of language learning’ Scientific he did after his time there, after 1965, its deployment of MX nuclear missiles communication than your legs, clothes chomskys-students-recall-their-time-at-the-mitre- American September 7 2017; N Chomsky On when he appears to have resolved and its Nuclear Posture Review of or hair! Chomsky’s ideal is to make corporation. nature and language Cambridge 2002, p151. 10 weekly March 8 2018 1193 worker POLEMIC

A device of dictators and demagogues Against a second referendum Some on the ‘left’ insist on tailing John Major and Tony Blair and their call for a second referendum. However, argues Jack Conrad, Marxists are right to distrust referendums as a method of political decision-making. We champion working class political independence and representative democracy

he lead article in last week’s words the migrants coming to Britain take. Open borders allow workers 68%-19% majority of Labour voters climbdowns and Theresa May’s Solidarity, ‘Open borders for are a vital source of exploitable labour- from different countries to mix, want a referendum on whatever Brexit adoption of the softest version of a Tpeople’, boasts of supporting power and tax-revenue. overcome national parochialisms, deal the Tories produce. We are told ‘hard’ Brexit. those who “defend the existing free Logically, that should mean that organise together and eventually come in the same dumb spirit, that there is movement within Europe” and the migrants leaving Poland, Romania, to recognise the common interest in the a 50%-34% majority of the “whole Epitome “campaign to stop Brexit and support Bulgaria, etc represent a net loss for fight for global communism. electorate” who would support a Of course, our objection to a second a referendum” on the Tory terms those countries. After all, for every The AWL’s campaign to “stop Brexit referendum before any deal can go EU referendum is exactly the same as for leaving the European Union.1 Polish nurse who makes the wrenching and support a referendum” is no less ahead. By asking the ‘right’ question, our objection to the first one - and it Solidarity is, of course, the paper of move to Britain, there is one less bourgeois. Echoing big business, the those who pay for opinion polls can has nothing to do with opinion polls. the social-imperialist Alliance for available for Poland’s health system. AWL warns that Brexit will be bad for always get the ‘right’ result. Referendums are by their very nature Workers’ Liberty - an organisation The narrow focus on British interests investment, bad for public services and Despite the AWL’s implied claim undemocratic. They bypass representative notorious on the left for providing certainly belies the AWL’s claim to bad for Britain. Hence, along with the that public opinion is swinging against institutions and serve, in general, to ‘socialist’ excuses for US-UK wars stand for “global solidarity”. It also Confederation of British Industry, the Brexit, there are good reasons for fool enough of the people, enough of of intervention, the ‘anti-Zionism overlooks the salient fact that an influx Institute of Directors and the Financial scepticism. David Cameron’s 2016 the time. And yet referendums have equals anti-Semitism’ witch-hunt in of people coming from other countries Times, the AWL gives a cautious referendum campaign began the year the great virtue of appearing to be the the Labour Party and big business - many of them desperate for any kind welcome to Jeremy’s Corbyn’s recent with a 53%-47% ‘remain’ opinion epitome of democracy. That is exactly opposition to Brexit. The article of employment and hence willing to announcement that Labour wants “a poll lead. However, he ended up with why Harold Wilson, Tony Blair and comes unsigned and is, one presumes, work for longer hours and less pay - customs union” with the EU. Another a 51.9%-48.1% ‘leave’ vote where it David Cameron used them when it came authoritative (in other words, either the increases competition amongst workers cautious welcome is given to Keir counts - in the ballot box. And, frankly, to controversial constitutional issues. exclusive work of editor Cathy Nugent and tends therefore to drive down the Starmer’s commitment that Labour in terms of where we are today, there Complex questions are simplified, or that of the entire editorial board as price of labour-power. Note, over the will demand a parliamentary vote on is no compelling reason to believe drained of nuance, reduced to a binary a collective: ie, Cathy Nugent, plus last decade real wages in Britain have the final Brexit deal. that a second referendum would go choice that cuts across previous party Michael Elms, Simon Nelson, Gemma stagnated or fallen. However, it is the AWL’s pledge the way of the ‘remainers’. Polls show and class solidarities and therefore Short and Martin Thomas). In the short term, a growth of anti- to campaign in “support” of a second that the gap between those who think produces radically false alignments. The reasoning employed in ‘Open migrant sentiments is almost inevitable. referendum “over whatever deal the the UK took the ‘wrong’ decision Hence, one half of the working class finds borders for people’ is thoroughly And branding such sentiments as a Tories come up with” that surely and those who think it was ‘right’ to itself aligned with Jacob Rees-Mogg; bourgeois. Apparently, population manifestation of ingrained racism or exposes the sheer depths of pro- be incredibly narrow. On February the other half behind John Major and growth “coming from migration” is being the result of poor educational capitalist opportunism being plumbed. 27 YouGov reported 44% opting for Tony Blair. “essential” for making much needed attainments is smug, easy … and The call for a second referendum ‘right’ and 45% for ‘wrong’ (there Actually, the true nature of investments in schools, housing and politically useless. In fact, in the unites a whole swathe of the great were 11% ‘don’t knows’).2 And, when referendums can be usefully illustrated the national health service. The NHS absence of a viable left alternative and good: Tony Blair, John Major, it comes to ‘How would you vote in by the mini-me example of Jon “in particular” depends “heavily on to capitalist rule, what we see is a Peter Mandelson, Vince Cable, etc. a second referendum?’, it seems that Lansman. Not only was his Momentum migrant workers and would shrink deflected form of the class struggle. A campaign aided by a generous we would still get Brexit. A March 2 coup carried out through a referendum without them”. Moreover, funding No, Marxists consider open borders £400,000 courtesy of George Soros. ComRes poll puts ‘remain’ on 43% (disgracefully backed by Jeremy for pensions and benefits likewise - and not only within Europe - as The AWL offers its rather more and ‘leave’ on 46% (there were 12% Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Clive Lewis, “depends on migrants”: they are of objectively progressive, not because modest services. Like a modern snake- ‘don’t knows).3 That despite the Christine Shawcroft, Paul Mason, “young, working, heavy tax-paying, we wish to boost investment in Britain oil salesman, Solidarity peddles the cabinet divisions, the Irish border, etc). Now Lansman says he wants to low benefit-claiming age”. In other or increase the government’s tax carefully manufactured story that a EU intransigence, numerous UK see the Labour Party general secretary weekly 11 worker 1193 March 8 2018 What we fight for n Without organisation the elected through a referendum too. With that they had to “abolish the presidency” petty nationalism; and throughout the variation of the line advocated by working class is nothing; with the method comes the message. The (and the Senate). The only question was UK the question of Europe effectively the Russian economists of the early the highest form of organisation Momentum coup was justified by a how. Engels countenanced comrades cleaves the working class into bitterly 1900s. Publications such as Credo and it is everything. nasty ‘red scare’ campaign, amplified in America standing presidential and opposed ‘leavers’ and ‘remainers’. Rabochaya Mysl argued that Russian through generous publicity provided by senatorial candidates … provided they workers were far from ready for the „ There exists no real Communist the capitalist media. Now, it is Jennie were committed to the abolition of the Memory loss sophisticated social democratic politics Party today. There are many Formby who stands accused of being a post of president and the Senate.6 The reason why the left has largely that had become so popular in Germany. so-called ‘parties’ on the left. In dangerous red, an anti-Semite, a pawn Karl Kautsky’s Parliamentarism, forgotten the history of opposing No, before that, social democrats would reality they are confessional sects. in Len McCluskey’s sinister bid to take direct legislation by the people and referendums in the name of extending have to help organise Russian workers Members who disagree with the over the Labour Party ... social democracy (1893) is worth representative democracy stems from around their immediate economic prescribed ‘line’ are expected to It is surely in the nature of commenting upon too.7 Kautsky’s two sets of ideas. interests: eg, building trade unions and gag themselves in public. Either things that human beings will have arguments against legislation by The first is the tradition of the early taking strike action against the capitalist that or face expulsion. disagreements. Assuming that there is referendum are still persuasive. In an Communist International, which in employer. Iskra’s insistence on placing n Communists operate according a straightforwardly ‘right thing to do’, age of class-based parties, from the 1919-22 declared in one thesis and one the demand for the overthrow of tsarism to the principles of democratic it is rarely obvious what that right thing standpoint of revolutionary change resolution after another that revolution and a democratic republic at the centre centralism. Through ongoing debate is. Very frequently, there is not only a it is, he said, far preferable for the in the west was an immediate prospect. of its message would find no mass we seek to achieve unity in action choice to be made between option 1 population to think about, organise Communists had to prepare the working hearing. Furthermore, Iskra stood and a common world outlook. As or 2, but between options 1 to 7 and around and vote for competing party class for a frontal assault on the accused of ignoring “the enormous long as they support agreed actions, within these, 1 (a) (i), 1 (a) (ii), 1 (b), outlooks. Referendums serve to blur and citadels of bourgeois power. Under educational significance” of economic members should have the right to … and so on. To reach a decision, then, override the fundamental dividing lines such circumstances the constitutional struggles (vehemently denied by Lenin, speak openly and form temporary it is necessary to reduce the range of between classes and their respective demands of the minimum programme its leading editor). Rabochaya Mysl or permanent factions. options. That is, of course, why British parties: precisely the opposite of what seemed to be of secondary importance could, however, adopt a sneering leftist n Communists oppose all impe- governments have a vast civil service any Marxist wants to see. - even a barrier for some. Such an pose, when it suited. The end of tsarism rialist wars and occupations but producing green papers, white papers Usefully, Kautsky makes a more assessment doubtless appeared well and achieving a democratic republic constantly strive to bring to the fore and bills, and why there are three general point about ‘direct democracy’ founded amidst the storms and turmoil was long off ... and was anyway a the fundamental question–ending war parliamentary readings, a committee in the form of referendum. Marxism that immediately followed World War “bourgeois task” that ought to be left is bound up with ending capitalism. stage, numerous amendments and hours strives, particularly through its I. However, that had already become to the bourgeoisie. n Communists are internationalists. of debate before a final vote. The ruling emphasis on the necessity of a mass a nonsense by 1923. The entirely Modern leftwingers too often Everywhere we strive for the closest class knows that such a drawn-out workers’ party, to bring about a situation artificial attempt to make revolution in denounce immediate constitutional unity and agreement of working class process is vital: ‘act in haste, repent at in which the state is as weak - and the Germany ended in a predictable fiasco. demands as not being revolutionary and progressive parties of all countries. leisure’. Before the Blair ascendancy, people are as strong and organised - as The second set of ideas is commonly enough. Meanwhile they give a We oppose every manifestation Labour Party rules (1) recognised possible. He draws a vital distinction called ‘transitional method’, a strategy revolutionary gloss to routine pay of national sectionalism. It is an the right of Constituency Labour between, on the one hand, ‘the people’ developed by post-1945 Trotskyites. Its disputes, pacifistic protest marches, internationalist duty to uphold the Parties to introduce amendments to as an isolated, unorganised mass, who antecedents are claimed to go back to liberal anti-racism campaigns and principle, ‘One state, one party’. proposed conference motions, (2) are not thinking about national or Comintern’s 1922 Fourth Congress and the nationalist project of breaking up had compositing procedures, and (3) global politics and not organised into, the resolution to include “transitional Britain. Hence the immediate demand n The working class must be allowed space for debate at conference or by, social democratic parties with demands” in the envisaged programme for a federal republic is counterposed organised globally. Without a global before the final vote was taken. Unless a national focus, and, on the other, for world revolution.8 Examples of such to the maximum demand for a socialist Communist Party, a Communist such basic democratic rights are ‘the people’ as a politically educated, demands were the call for a workers’ republic. The result, in programmatic International, the struggle against restored (and radically extended), coherent and militant force led by social government and workers’ control over terms, is a combination of tailism capital is weakened and lacks we should not be surprised if we get democracy. production. Then, of course, there is and a refusal to even countenance an coordination. a Corbynite version of manipulation, To press home the point, Kautsky the Transitional programme written by independent working class challenge to n Communists have no interest demagoguery and backroom fixes. refers to contemporary studies about the Trotsky and presented to the founding the existing constitutional order. apart from the working class conservative effects of referendums in congress of the Fourth International Hence we have groups such as as a whole. They differ only in History Switzerland. Louis Blanc had already in 1938. It too was based on the Socialist Resistance, Left Unity and the recognising the importance of We did not conclude that referendums made a similar point back in 1851 (ie, conviction of capitalism undergoing its AWL howling over Donald Trump and Marxism as a guide to practice. were undemocratic, fraudulent, a means in the midst of Louis Bonaparte’s power “final death agony” and that therefore Brexit and to all intents and purposes That theory is no dogma, but of mass deception, etc because of sour grab). Blanc highlighted the Girondist the world socialist revolution would aping the enraged wing of the liberal must be constantly added to and grapes over the result of the June 2016 roots of proposals for political decision- triumph within the next few years. bourgeoisie l enriched. Brexit vote. On the contrary, we called making by referendum. When in 1792 While some of the key transitional n Capitalism in its ceaseless for an active boycott of Cameron’s Louis XVI was condemned to death by demands of 1922 have an appropriate Notes search for profit puts the future referendum. His objective was not to the French convention, the Girondists place in the modern communist 1. Solidarity February 28 2018. 2. See whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/in-highsight- of humanity at risk. Capitalism is give power to the mass of the people, but demanded a referendum (in vain, true). programme, the post-1945 ‘transitional do-you-think-britain-was-right-or-wrong-to-vote- synonymous with war, pollution, to outflank Ukip, wrong-foot Labour, They were convinced that this was the method’ turns out to be merely an to-leave-the-eu. exploitation and crisis. As a global satisfy his Europhobes … and hang on only the way to stop the revolution attempt to trick the working class 3. whatukthinks.org/eu/questions/if-a-second-eu- referendum-were-held-today-how-would-you-vote. system capitalism can only be as prime minister. There was no reason falling into the hands of Robespierre into taking power by defending superseded globally. for the authentic left to give him any and the Montagnard extremists. existing constitutional arrangements 4. See J Conrad Blair’s rigged referendum and Scotland's right to self-determination London n The capitalist class will never support whatsoever. Notwithstanding that, Kautsky and narrowly focusing on everyday 1997. Our objections to referendums claims that referendum might be economic demands. Difficult 5. www.marxists.org/archive/marx/ willingly allow their wealth and are principled and long-standing. We useful in the weaker, less autocratic constitutional questions are shunned: works/1880/05/parti-ouvrier.htm. power to be taken away by a 6. F Engels to F Wiesen (in Texas) in K Marx and parliamentary vote. opposed the Bonapartist operation in states (“Maybe in the US, England eg, in Britain abolishing the monarchy F Engels CW Vol 50, New York NY 2004, p119. relation to the ‘Vote for the crook, not and the English colonies, even under and the House of Lords, replacing the 7. See B Lewis, ‘Referenda and direct n We will use the most militant for the fascist’ presidential election circumstances in France”). However, standing army with a popular militia, democracy’ Weekly Worker September 18 2014; K methods objective circumstances in France in 2002. Before that we far more importantly, he stresses and achieving a federal republic (all Kautsky, ‘Direct legislation by the people and the allow to achieve a federal republic class struggle’ Weekly Worker March 31 2016. of England, Scotland and Wales, urged an active boycott of Blair’s the expansion and deepening of compatible with the continuation of 8. J Riddell (editor and translator) Toward the 4 1997 referendum in Scotland. Then existing representative democracy. capitalism). united front: proceedings of the Fourth Congress a united, federal Ireland and a the 1998 Good Friday referendum in In terms of Britain, for example, this In other words, the post-1945 of the Communist International, 1922 Chicago IL United States of Europe. Ireland, and the Scottish independence would involve the election of judges, ‘transitional method’ is a mere 2012, p632. n Communists favour industrial referendum of 2014. All offered, from the abolition of the House of Lords, unions. Bureaucracy and class an elementary working class viewpoint, short parliamentary terms and the compromise must be fought and a bogus choice. abolition of extortionate electoral the trade unions transformed into Nor is this position a CPGB deposits, which effectively debarred schools for communism. novelty. The background to the labour working class representatives (the Fighting fund n Communists are champions of movement’s historic rejection of experience of Chartism was in the the oppressed. Women’s oppression, referendums lies with the resistible forefront of his mind). combating racism and chauvinism, rise of Louis Bonaparte (directly The rise of social democracy - which and the struggle for peace and elected as French president for 1848-52 Kautsky is convinced will also spread Keep it up ecological sustainability are just and then elevated to emperor over to Britain with time - not only counters as much working class questions the years 1852-1870). His 1851 anti- the capitalist monopoly over the press ur March fighting fund has two PayPal donations - the usual as pay, trade union rights and parliamentary coup was endorsed by and its systematic corruption of public Ogot off to an excellent start, £15 from US comrade PM, plus demands for high-quality health, a rapidly called referendum, followed opinion, but through the establishment thanks not only to the usual flurry £7 from KH, who is in Germany. housing and education. by a second referendum in 1852 which of a workers’ press, leaders, speakers of standing orders at the beginning That was his way of thanking us made him emperor. and parliamentarians would be trained of the month, but three brilliant for sending him a back copy of n Socialism represents victory Needless to say, Marxists condemned to take the social democratic message cheques totalling £175 - thank you, the Weekly Worker, after he was in the battle for democracy. It this ‘democratic despotism’. And to ever wider sections of the masses. RB (£100), KN (£50) and RT (£25 particularly impressed by an article is the rule of the working class. Marx and his co-thinkers - Jules Indeed, through party organisation the - added to his annual subscription). he read last year on the web. That Socialism is either democratic or, Guesde, Paul Lafargue and Friedrich working class learns how to impose As for those standing orders, definitely more than covered the as with Stalin’s Soviet Union, it Engels - presented their alternative its agenda on society ... and thereby there were 19 of them, ranging from postage, comrade! turns into its opposite. in the ‘minimum’ section of the prepares itself to rule. £5 to £40. It is true that the largest Anyway, after exactly one week n Socialism is the first stage Programme of the Parti Ouvrier. Here Despite its undoubted shortcomings, SOs come in towards the end of our running total stands at £559 - of the worldwide transition to it was argued that the building of a mass Parliamentarism, direct legislation the month, but in terms of numbers well above the average needed if communism–a system which workers’ party “must be pursued by by the people and social democracy you can’t beat the first week! There we’re to reach our £1,750 target. knows neither wars, exploitation, all the means the proletariat has at its retains its worth - not least because were two for £40 (MS and EW), However, as I’ve pointed out, the money, classes, states nor nations. disposal, including universal suffrage, we have seen the entirely negative four for £30 (ST, SW, AC and CG), first week of every month is always Communism is general freedom which will thus be transformed from effects of referendum campaigns one for £25 (GD) and two for £20 the best. So let’s keep it up and and the real beginning of human the instrument of deception that it over recent years. In Northern Ireland (DL and TG). make sure the remaining three and history. has been until now into an instrument the left fell in behind the 1998 Good As for those cheque-writers, RB a half weeks are just as good! l 5 The Weekly Worker is licensed by of emancipation”. The emperor’s Friday agreement, even though it says: “After reaching your target Robbie Rix November Publications under a Creative constitution had to be abolished and constitutionally institutionalised the in February, I want to make sure Commons Attribution-NonCommercial Fill in a standing order form 4.0 International Licence: http:// in its place there had to be universal sectarian divide of the working class; you do the same in March!” Well, creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ suffrage and representative democracy. in Scotland the working class split into that £100 tells me you mean it, (back page), donate via our legalcode. ISSN 1351-0150. Similarly, socialists in the United two hostile camps over independence comrade! In addition there were website, or send cheques, States took it for granted in the 1890s and the non-Labour left collapsed into payable to Weekly Worker No 1193 March 8 2018 Mid-term weekly elections are due in worker November Negotiating with guns Donald Trump’s tariffs are about politics, not economic renaissance, argues Paul Demarty

cynical observer, up to March … As a result, the US will end up and publicly feuded with him since 1, could be forgiven for simply paying the tariffs on the - “Sloppy Steve”, who “begged for Athinking that Donald Trump’s higher-quality imported metal from his job”, etc - here is Trump, lurching protectionist tough talk was mere US allies even if the amount was at suddenly towards Bannonism. campaign-trail bluster. Such an or under the quota.2 If the EU’s retaliation threats are observer may end up being proved targeted, how much more so the right in the end: the tariffs are yet to be We tend to think of the steel industry, original insult! For what is the home of enforced, and there are some indica- in other words, as basically low-tech, the US steel industry if not Pittsburgh, tions that Trump might settle for less. on account of the appearance of its Pennsylvania? That state was one of the Nevertheless, things have clearly products as so many tons of stuff. But, handful that swung for Trump, giving moved on. Trump’s plan to impose a of course, that is not true - many subtly him the most unlikely of victories; but 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on different combinations of the same perhaps the Democrats noticed that aluminium hardly represents the first basic ingredients are possible, but a Trump not only took the Republican protectionist measures in American given plant can only ever produce primary by a country mile, but won history, nor even in the period of some subset of the same. The analysis in each individual county. The harsh America’s global supremacy since from Goldman, much like the views of impact of deindustrialisation in the 1945. It has been a while, however, most of its peers, is that America will state gave Trump’s message serious since tariffs have been presented in simply be unable to replace the high-tech bite. The message that worked there openly protectionist terms, rather than What happens in the next episode? metals it needs domestically in time to is exactly the one he pursues with merely America doing on the quiet avoid its firms simply having to pay the his tariffs - make American industry the sins it loudly denounces in others now Italy … The “Putinisation” of 10 years ago - or even five? higher prices, leading to a sharp division great again! through its agencies such as the World America has the added twist that the Closer to home, Trump is on safer between those higher-margin industries From that point of view, it is Trade Organisation. Trump is giving intellectually barren creatures in the US ground. He has made it clear to the that can absorb the higher input costs, actually pretty clever politics - not full throat to his tendency to talk punditocracy seem to believe that it was governments of Mexico and Canada and the lower-margin industries that least because it puts the Democrats about global economic intercourse in literally Putin’s work, but apart from that they might be treated more cannot. Currie’s graphs have automobile in a trap. They must either line up the terms of the market-stall huckster that is an iteration in a known pattern. favourably, depending on how the and auto parts firms - so totemically with Trump on the basis of concern haggling over counterfeit Calvin Klein However, it is an especially ‘renegotiations’ of the North American important in the American mind in for the ‘American working man’, or boxers. The list of ‘bad deals’ has been important iteration, thanks to the Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) go; it is spite of everything - very much in the (more likely) line up with Goldman, excavated from the box-file left on US’s hegemonic position. Were Russia not beyond imagination that the whole latter category. offering wonkish wisdom about why Steve Bannon’s desk. to blare on about making itself great thing basically comes down to Trump From the Goldman-alumnus White it is futile to object to being tossed on Until recently, we were wondering again through industrial protection, pulling a gun in the middle of a drug House caucus, it seemed to have the dung heap of America’s economic what had become of Bannon, but he the US would have the WTO inflict deal, in order to gain more favourable fallen to National Economic Council history. This autumn’s midterms, on has now resurfaced in Italy, wanting some sort of penalty and make the terms. director Gary Cohn to try to sort this the historical trends for the parties a front-row seat for the next victory Russians suffer - never mind some mess out - until he resigned. Currie of incumbent presidents, are the for the insurgent far-right. A man who smaller irritant, like Venezuela or Goldman grumbles pointedly states that a tariff targeted Democrats’ to lose; but one would served the American establishment Zimbabwe. But now? Who will guard Pulling a gun in a real drug deal is, of only at countries who are not US allies not put it past the enervated gang well as a devil figure, a demagogue the guards? The WTO has warned that course, risky, for the simple reason that would have only a “modest” effect on of idiots who still somehow run and an intellectual, Bannon could the consequences of a trade war will be the other lot might also have guns. The prices, and such a ‘clarification’ would the party machinery to increase the quote Lenin, compared his film style grave; but can America’s closest rivals United States can have no such fears with allow Trump to retreat without being Republican majority in both houses to Leni Riefenstahl and openly exulted really expect that the big beast of the regard to its North American neighbours seen to cave in. via their unshakable commitment to in winding up his political opponents. capitalist world will submit to sanctions (Europe and China are another matter). neoliberalism. He came to appear as a sort of cross or arbitration? The immediate problems for Trump come Eyes on the prize If that happens, of course, Steve between Goebbels, Kissinger and the The answer can be read in their instead from the horrified response from To listen to the anxious rhubarbing Bannon will be happier still. For it Norse god, Loki - in his own mind actual behaviour. Spokespeople for almost all those who claim to speak for of the bourgeois establishment, as so will prove that ‘economic nationalism’ as much as anyone else’s. He began the European Union have talked fairly America’s business interests. often when it comes to Trump, you works. But it will be more significant the year with the suicide strike that tough, although the much-trumpeted The immediate reaction from the might be left with the impression that than that: it will prove it likewise to was Michael Wolff’s Fire and fury, targets of retaliatory sanctions - markets can have surprised nobody. he has simply miscalculated badly: the many more movements comfortable for which he was the most unguarded bourbon, Levi jeans, Harley-Davidson The Dow Jones industrial average took juice (‘better’ terms in Nafta, whatever with the message around the world. We source, and promptly found himself motorcycles, and so on - will hardly another dive, although it recovered that means) isn’t worth the squeeze. have already said that the prevailing outside the Breitbart news organisation have US industrialists quaking in some of the losses on March 6, when But, while the Goldmanites are surely wind in global politics is towards such he had rejoined; but he will be pleased their boots. There is some suggestion Trump started making special cases for correct, in economic terms, that the nationalism; the true danger of Trump’s as punch with all this. that the brands named are very Canada and the like. Treasury secretary immediate effect on the basic economic policy is that it could reach gale force, targeted - Harley-Davidson is based Steven Mnuchin has little choice but to indicators of these tariffs is very likely and send us tumbling towards war. in Republican house leader Paul Ryan’s carry the can on this one, but the vast to be negative, we must pay attention While the ‘sensible’ neoliberalism Leader of the state of Wisconsin; bourbon comes tentacular society of Goldman Sachs to what they gloss over. opposed to Trump only accelerates this free world from Kentucky, represented by Senate alumni to which he belongs will no For this is an election year and process, a serious socialist alternative It is worth keeping Bannon in mind, as majority leader Mitch McConnell; and, doubt agree with the mother-squid Trump knows that he must deliver remains, alas, a distant prospect in the we examine the great unease that has for the sake of insurance, Levis is a itself, whose head of commodities the goods, or he is at great risk of United States l gripped the bourgeois world in response blow against California, which returns research, Jeffrey Currie, tells us: impeachment; he needs a solid bloc to Trump’s statement - and still more Nancy Pelosi as leader of the house of Republican congressmen who owe [email protected] in response to his refusal to back down Democrats. Who knows if such ‘clever Not all metal is created equally him their jobs to protect him from from it. There are two strands to this tactics’ have any purchase, however. It … US allies produce many of the Department of Justice special counsel Notes 1. www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n04/adam-shatz/israels- (though they are hardly separable with is more the principle of the thing: can value-added steels that current US Robert Mueller’s endless fishing putinisation. any great rigour): the diplomatic and we imagine the EU threatening even to capacity cannot fully replace without expedition. Having divested himself 2. www.cnbc.com/2018/03/06/goldman-trumps- the economic. put a tariff on anything American-made [a] substantial increase in investment of Bannon’s services last summer, tariffs-are-draconian-and-will-raise-prices.html. The most acute problems are probably diplomatic, in that Trump Subscribe Name:______Standing order - however great an opinion he has of 6m 1yr Inst. 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