the www.socialistparty.org.uk Socialist 24-30 March 2011 Issue 663 Price: 70p (Solidarity: £2) Libya: no to western intervention Build an independent movement of workers and youth! See page 2 FIGHT ALL CUTS FOR A 24-HOUR PUBLIC SECTOR GENERAL STRIKE Join the demonstration: Assemble 11am, 26 March, Victoria Embankment between Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges. Come to the National Shop Stewards Network anti-cuts campaign stage at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park from 2.30pm. Speakers include general secretary of the FBU, Matt Wrack, president of the RMT, Alex Gordon and president of the PCS, Janice Godrich. POPO BoxBox 24697,24697, LondonLondon E11E11 1YD1YD telephone:telephone: 020020 89888988 87778777 email:email:[email protected] [email protected] 2 NEWS www.socialistparty.org.uk 24-30 March 2011 the Socialist the Socialist what we think The paper of the Socialist Party. Issue 663. The Socialist, PO Box 24697, London E11 1YD Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Published by Socialist Publications, printed by Newsfax International. ISSN 1366-9621 Libya: no to western military intervention Build an independent movement of workers and youth! The UN Security Council’s majority decision to impose a ‘no- fly zone’, while greeted with joy on the streets of Benghazi and Tobruk, was in no way intended to defend the Libyan revolution. As Robert BEChert, from the Committee for a Workers’ International, writes, the air strikes’ growing civilian toll is leading to increasing questioning of these attacks. he longer this situation win support from the mass of the continues, the more ques- western population and rank and tioning and opposition will file soldiers while waging a revolu- develop. Already many are tionary war. This gave Gaddafi an Tdisgusted by the hypocrisy of gov- opportunity to regroup. ernments proclaiming their willing- The growth in support for a no- ness to defend Libyans while doing fly zone was a reversal of the senti- nothing when civilians are shot ment expressed in the English lan- down in Yemen or attacked in Gaza. guage posters put up in Benghazi in The western powers’ silence on February declaring “No to Foreign Saudi Arabian backing for the Bah- Intervention – Libyans can do it raini elite’s repression confirms, in by themselves!”. This followed the many people’s eyes, that what they wonderful examples of Tunisia and wish for in Libya is for that oil rich Egypt where sustained mass action country to also become a client completely undermined totalitarian state. regimes. Revolutionaries in Libya may think The Libyan opposition masses that this UN decision will help them, were confident that their momen- but they are mistaken. It is not a life- tum would secure victory. But, at line that could ‘save’ the revolution least partly due to the character of The fate of the revolution will be decided in Libya itself against Gaddafi. The major imperial- the opposition’s leadership, Gaddafi ist powers decided that they wanted was able to retain a grip in Tripoli, population, there has been a big have watched and supported the A programme for the Libyan revo- to exploit the revolution, gain control the largest city, of nearly 1.8 million. improvement in most Libyans’ lives, revolutions across the Middle East, lution that will genuinely benefit over its leadership and thus try to re- Gaddafi’s counter-offensive led to especially in education and health. will ask: ‘what can be done to genu- the mass of the population would place Gaddafi with a more reliable a change in attitude among the oppo- This is something which at least inely help the Libyan revolution in- be based on winning and defend- (for them and their interests) regime. sition towards foreign intervention. partly explains why Gaddafi still has ternationally?’ Firstly, there can be ing real democratic rights, an end to And they hoped that this demonstra- That allowed the largely pro-Western some basis of support amongst the no support for the no-fly zone and corruption and privilege, the safe- tion of their military power would ITNC to overcome youth opposition population. military intervention. It is not in the guarding and further development warn the Arab masses not to go ‘too to asking the West for aid. Unlike Egypt and Tunisia the interests of Libyan people. of the social gains made since the far’ in their revolutions. Now, if a stalemate develops and working class in Libya has not, so On its own the no-fly zone will not discovery of oil, opposition to any But it has already become clear Gaddafi remains in power in Tripo- far, begun to play an independent automatically lead to the overthrow form of re-colonisation and for a that the imperialist powers’ hope li, it could mean a de facto breakup role in the revolution. Furthermore of Gaddafi. In fact, like Saddam democratically controlled, publicly of a quick victory is disappearing. that goes back to the separate enti- many workers in Libya are migrants Hussein, he could entrench his po- owned economy planned to use the On the one hand, the forces around ties that existed before Italy first who have fled the country in recent sition for a time in those parts of the country’s resources for the future. Gaddafi, for the moment, appear created Libya after 1912 and Britain weeks. country that his regime controls, so The creation of an independent to be holding firm, while the rebel recreated it in the late 1940s. The absence of a national focal long as the intervention did not go movement of Libyan workers, poor forces seem unable to advance But, whatever effect this no-fly point which, for example, the Tuni- onto the offensive. and youth that could implement around the Gulf of Sirte, let alone zone and military intervention have, sian UGTT trade union federation However, the growing unofficial such a real revolutionary transfor- towards Tripoli. any trust placed in either the UN or provided (despite its pro-Ben Ali calls for ‘regime change’ show that mation of the country is the only way This is the background to the the imperialist powers threatens to national leadership), complicated sections of the imperialist powers to thwart the imperialists’ plans, end growing tensions between the at- undermine all the genuine hopes the situation in Libya. The huge rev- are looking to use their intervention dictatorship and transform the lives tacking powers, especially the ar- and aspirations of the revolution olutionary enthusiasm of the popu- to create a client regime that will, of the mass of the people. guments over who is controlling that began in February. lation has not, so far, been given an they hope, extinguish the fires of see www.socialistworld.net the operation, whether or not Nato Until recently these Western independent organised expression. revolution, at least in Libya. should be involved and over what powers were quite happy to deal Now, in addition to anti-imperial- Those on the left who argue that their overall aim should be. Some with, and pander to, the murderous ist rhetoric, Gaddafi has made con- ‘there is no realistic alternative’ to fear that they may get involved in Gaddafi clique in order to maintain cessions to maintain support. Each stop Gaddafi’s attacks are precisely a ground war, or that the country a partnership, especially in oil and family has been given the equivalent ignoring what happened in Tuni- SocialismToday could break up. gas. The day after the UN took its of $450. Some public sector workers sia and Egypt, namely that a deter- decision, the Murdoch-owned Wall have been given 150% wage increas- mined mass movement of the work- Street Journal lamented that: “the es and taxes and customs duties on ing masses and youth can overthrow Movement stalled close partnership between the Liby- food have been abolished. a dictatorship. A broad mobilisation The stalling of the revolution is an leader Colonel Muammar Gadd- But these steps do not wipe away of Benghazi’s one million plus pop- symbolised by the weakness of the afi’s intelligence service and the CIA all that has happened over the past ulation could have blocked Gadd- self-appointed leadership of the In- has been severed” (18/3/2011). years. Furthermore they do not an- afi’s small forces. terim Transitional National Coun- Now imperialism is trying to re- swer the demands for real demo- Active opposition to this imperi- cil (ITNC) which is dominated by furbish its ‘democratic’ image while cratic rights or an end to the growing alist attack and solidarity with the recent defectors from Gaddafi and working to help install a more ‘reli- frustration of Libya’s youthful popu- Libyan workers and youth needs to pro-capitalist elements. This body able’ regime in Libya, or at least a lation (average age of 24) against the be organised. Trade unions inter- seems incapable of appealing to the part of Libya. Libya, with its huge regime’s corruption and suffocating nationally need to block the export masses in western Libya and is in- oil reserves, is a special prize as its grip. of Libyan oil and gas. Bank workers The Socialist Party’s magazine creasingly relying on the imperialist small population and its geography Gaddafi’s use of the threat of im- should organise the freezing of all April 2011 issue includes: powers for aid. make it easier to exploit. perialist intervention to divide the the Gaddafi regime’s financial -as While the intervention in Libya country did gather some support. sets. l No Cuts! What next after initially beat back an attack on Now it may gain more if the coun- 26 March? Benghazi, it is clear that the attack- Role of the working class try does actually become divided, l Nuclear disaster in Japan ing powers, with their growing calls Gaddafi’s first reaction to this year’s especially if the air attacks continue Revolutionary programme l Socialists in the Irish for Gaddafi’s removal, are already dramatic revolutionary events was and widen out to civilian targets, as The fate of the revolution will be parliament starting to try to shape the character to side with the dictatorial, corrupt happened in Serbia in 1999.