Expropriate the Bankers!
Expropriate the Financiers!
Expropriate the Capitalist Class!
There is no denying that the current economic crisis is the biggest since the great depression. Throughout the world trillions of dollars have been handed out by governments to keep the system afloat. The crisis started in America but no country is exempt, not even China. Iceland has effectively gone bust. Gordon Brown has expropriated Icelandic funds in British Banks in retaliation for British money lost due to the collapse of Icelandic banks.
In America George Bush handed out the billions to the big end of town. All except Lehman Brothers were saved.In Britain Gordon Brown has gone further and nationalised the Royal Scottish Bank and well as handing out the billions.
George Bush gave out the money on advice from treasury who warned that if he didn't the whole economy would collapse. Both aspiring US Presidents John MacCain and Barak Obama voted for the hand out. Yet Bush�s first offer was rejected by Congress. There was bi-partisan support but there was also bipartisan opposition. Eventually an amended version was carried.
The ideological basis of the opponents varied. Some considered this to be socialist. Well it isn�t! Since when does socialism mean giving money to capitalists to prop up capitalism. Some insisted it meant propping up inefficient business practices. Some thought this meant reinforcing sinful practice. Some said why should the big end of town get money when those thrown out of their homes get nothing!
Once upon a time many supporters of Bush talked about the perils of government intervention, to assist anyone, rich or poor. Now, with survival of the system at stake, all ideology is thrown out the window. Capitalism comes first no matter what!
This crisis is an ideological crisis for the new right. Previously their explanation for crisis was that it was the price of propping up the inefficient.
Barak Obama New saviour for US imperialism
Barak Obama has been elected US President and the world is excited. He is the first black man to be elected US President and patriots are using this fact to show that US really is the land of opportunity where anyone can achieve this great honour. Of course you have to have millions of dollars and/or millionaires who will back you. But there is no denying that he is a talented politician who has achieved something.
Obama's election sees the USA in the deepest crisis since the great depression. Of course this is true economically. This is also true politically. Bush brought America into an unpopular war in Iraq. It was totally exposed that contrary to Bush, Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. America is also bogged down in Afghanistan. All this is costing billions of dollars and costing thousands of American lives. Osama Bin Laden remains a free man. Bush's promise of hunting down the global outlaw has been exposed as hollow. Bush has been exposed for his failure to rebuild the City of New Orleans devastated by hurricane Katrina.
All this has shattered the faith of millions of Americans in their country. America is also unpopular abroad. The role of Obama is to restore that faith.
Obama stood on a platform of "change". Did he mean it? We think he did. But the change he offers is extremely minimal. Yes, he is offering a few crumbs both to the capitalists and even to the poor. But, basically, the fundamentals remain. America is an imperialist power and Obama supports an imperialist foreign policy. He is a friend of Israel and an opponent of Iran. The war in Afghanistan will continue. There is no talk of lifting the blocade of Cuba. And when the imperialist rulers snap their fingers demanding war, Obam will obey.
Internally, Obama stands for a more regulated and controlled capitalist system. But it is a capitalist system which he believes in. He claims to support a country for all classes. This includes the capitalists. Unlike other politicians he does include the poor also. But he wants the poor to unite with capitalists for a more humane America.
We of course, cannot support him. We cannot support a candidate linked to the reactionary Democrats. His programme is unsupportable anyway, A workers� party is needed in America. We need a party with a programme to overthrow capitalism which is the system millions of Americans are victims of. We must not get sucked in by humane Obama
Lex Wotton Jailed
It is of no surprise that Lex Wotton was "convicted" and forced to do a six year sentence. We know what side the courts are on. Some will think that six years is a lenient sentence. We don't think he should be doing any time at all.
When cops killed Doomagee they got precisely what they deserved. No one should be allowed to die in custody whether it is murder, manslaughter or due to lack of duty of care. We think the death of Doomagee was murder. For the first time a copper Seargent Hurley was charged with manslaughter. It was no surprise when he was acquitted. We know what side the court system is on.
We salute the heroic Palm Island fighters for taking their stand. They showed an example not just to Black people but proletarians and working people throughout Australia. We salute their courage.
It is therefore the responsibility of all proletarians and working people to actively back the Islanders by supporting pickets and protests in defense of Wotton and strike action. The issue must be raised in the union movement as must the Northern Territory intervention. RED noted the support of the Maritime Union of Australia in providing transport for the Sydney contingent to the Brisbane rally at the start of Wotton's court case. Resolutions have been moved in many unions in Victoria such as the AMWU. This is a start but at the Melbourne rally in defense of Wotton there were no union contingents.
If we oppose the Howard/Rudd agenda we must stand up both in support of the Palm Islanders and against the Northern Territory intervention. If we are not part of the solution then we are part of the problem. Workers� action now to free Lex Wotton!
Freedom Socialist Party for "Community control of the police"
There is no denying that the FSP do some exemplarary mass work in support of the exploited and oppressed, We give them full credit for getting union support for Lex wotton in Victoria. We have serious differences with them. One of these is their description of themselves as "feminist". They do this to show that they are for the real proletariat and not the privileged white male labour aristocracy. The real proletariat is more likely to be female than male. But their formulation is an attack on Marxism which is a science not just about immediate class struggle but about explaining social relations in terms of the productive forces ie capitalism. It therefore explains the position of women in this context.
One blot on their copy book is their call for "community control of the police" This is to be administered by local committees "with teeth". How do we get these committees in Australia? In no way will the state or federal governments give up their control. Perhaps it might be through an FSP Government? In any case the demand is totally unsupportable.
The whole charter of the police force is to protect private property. So if homeless people squat a house or steal food, they must act. Communists are on the side of those without property. Could the police act in a nicer fashion if they were supervised? We doubt that also. Much of what the police force do is technically illegal. This includes framing people or bashing them in the police cells. They discriminate every day against Black or Gay people irrespective of the racial discrimination. When they kill in custody they usually get away with it. They get away with it because it is they who have effective power. Witness what the Queensland police threatened if Beatie was in any way critical let alone acted against them.
The thrust of FSP propaganda is to divert people from opposing the police force to wanting to reform the force -- to humanise it. This is a dangerous dead end, The state is an instrument of white racist ruling class power. This won�t change until we smash it.