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August 1-31 , 2011
Volume 19 - Number 14
$1
Prolétaires de tous les pays, unissez-vous!
Otatoskewak ota kitaskinahk
mamawestotan!
Workers of all lands, unite
1) )SECRET POLICE UNIT ARRESTS QUEBEC ACTIVISTS
2) FORD BLITZKRIEG GALVANIZES OPPOSITION
3) NEW JETS LOGO: MILITARIZATION OF HOCKEY CONTINUES
4) ONTARIO COMMUNISTS GEAR UP FOR OCTOBER ELECTION
5) AFGHANISTAN DISASTER NOT OVER - Editorial
6) FASCIST TERROR STRIKES AGAIN - Editorial
7) COPE MEMBERS BACK ANTI-NPA ELECTORAL COOPERATION
8) CHOMSKY'S WORDS WILL NOT STOP THE REVOLUTION
9) CANADIAN TORTURED, BUT HARPER SILENT
10) CAPTIVE NATIONS
11) THREE IMPORTANT MARXIST AUTHORS LAUNCH IN B.C.
12) MUSIC NOTES
13) ISRAEL AND GREECE BLOCK FREEDOM FLOTILLA
14) NEW ISSUE OF THE SPARK!
15) WHAT’S
LEFT
16) CLARTÉ (en français)
17)
THE SPARK! (Theoretical and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of
18) INTRODUCING MARX
PEOPLE'S VOICE AUGUST
1-31, 2011 (pdf)
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The Spark!
The Spark! The latest issue of The Spark! theoretical
journal, is now on sale for $5 at Communist Party offices (see p. 8) or
People’s Co-op Books, Articles include
plus reviews, editorials, and more.
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Theoretical
and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of |
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People's Voice deadlines: SEPTEMBER 1-15 SEPTEMBER 16-30 Send submissions to PV Editorial Office,
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REDS
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People's Voice finds many "Global Class Struggle" reports at the "Labour Start" website, http://www.labourstart.org/. We urge our readers to check it out! |
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(The following articles are from the
August 1-31, 2011, issue of People's
1) SECRET POLICE UNIT ARRESTS
PV Montreal
Bureau
At the end of June, a new squad of the
The new squad has also been denounced by the Communist Party of
"As the name indicates, this squad targets specific groups of people who
question the established social and political order and challenge the resulting
social injustices," a statement released by the party said, noting that
the squad is blatant political police unit and a serious attack on democratic
rights of citizens.
The establishment of the GAMMA squad two years ago coincided with the adoption of
austerity measures by the provincial Charest government and the federal Harper
Conservatives.
The government knew that its actions would be unpopular and appears to have
limited organized protest, the PCQ notes. But the existence of the squad was brought
to light only on June 29, during a sting operation involving thirty police
officers, who arrested four left‑wing activists and searched their homes.
The four were charged with a series of criminal offenses in connection with a
skirmish with cops during a May First demonstration organized bay La
convergence des luttes anticapitalistes
(CLAC, or the Anti‑capitalist convergence).
A few days later, Gamma arrested another four activists who are militants of a
leading student organization in Québec, L'Association
pour une solidarité syndicale etudiante (ASSE). Three
are members of the ASSE's executive committee.
The arrests occurred several months after a series of actions in March,
including the occupation by students of Québec Finance Minister Raymond Bachand's office, and the Conference of Rectors and
Principals of the Universities Quebec (CREPUQ), to protest rising tuition fees.
In a few weeks, a major mobilization of the
Complaints were lodged with the Commission on Human Rights and the Rights of
Youth by individuals and by the ASSE.
"In all likelihood, the mandate of the squad directly contravenes the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which specifies that no person shall suffer
discrimination, exclusion or preference based on his political beliefs,"
the PCQ said, expressing full support for the students' complaints.
Repression of political dissent on the left is hardly new in
"The Communist Party of
The law largely served to attack not only Communists but terrorize union
activists and progressives.
The PCQ also pointed to the PROFUNC (Prominent Functionaries of the Communist
Party) program, administered by the RCMP from 1950 until 1983. It amounted to a
massive anti‑democratic plan for internment of all those identified as
Communists or sympathizers.
"In total, more than 65,000 people were registered on a list of possible
arrests. The list was continually updated, and was used for hundreds of
arbitrary arrests in Québec during the so‑called October Crisis of 1970,
again in order to attack and intimidate progressive and nationalist movements
of Québec."
The PCQ statement also noted the mass arrests of over 1100 occurred during the
G8 and G20 in
"The election of a Conservative majority government May 2, 2011 aggravates
threats against democratic rights in
"We call on the labour, popular and democratic
movements (the main targets of attempts to criminalize dissent in
The PCQ is demanding repeal of the anti‑terrorist laws, the cessation of
secret detention without trial, security certificates and the "no‑fly
list"; the cancellation of the "Declaration of Border Security,"
which involves sharing information with the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, and allows U.S. troops to enter Canada in the event of
"emergencies"; the prohibition of "racial profiling" by the
state; democratic, civilian control over police, prisons, CSIS and the armed
forces; abolition of the GAMMA squad, and of all police suppression of
political dissent, and the RCMP itself.
2) FORD
BLITZKRIEG GALVANIZES OPPOSITION
By Liz
Rowley, leader of the Communist Party (
The chronic underfunding of cities makes
In last fall's civic election, Ford promised tax relief without service cuts to
overburdened homeowners and tenants. But he has only cut the hated $60 annual
vehicle tax, while launching a full scale attack on services, civic unions, and
elected and appointed public boards and committees.
The Mayor, his brother Deputy Mayor Doug Ford, and the right‑wing
majority they lead on Council, brought in KPMG to "review core
services" and identify $800 million in cuts (or gravy, as the Mayor likes
to call it) to balance the budget. If implemented, the cuts laid out by KPMG
would devastate the city, eliminating or privatizing most of the services that
are publicly delivered today.
In addition to the privatization of garbage, parks, and social housing which
has already started (and which will eliminate thousands of public sector jobs
and union wages), the KPMG proposals include library closures, an end to
fluoridation of drinking water, elimination of 2,000 subsidized child care
spots, privatization of seniors' homes, elimination of immigrant services, a 25
cent increase in transit fares, elimination of grants and subsidies to arts and
community groups, cuts to policing and firefighting, and even a proposal that
public parks could be tended by volunteers.
The review is not over. More is still to come.
In the hottest summer since 1948, most Torontonians and their labour and mass organizations were taking a break until
news of the KPMG proposals broke in mid‑July. The one‑week
"public consultations," intended to prevent opposition, helped to
galvanize the Labour Council, civic unions, a civic
action group called One Toronto, the Workers' Assembly, progressive Councillors and Trustees, and community groups and
activists who are mobilizing to stop Ford's blitzkrieg.
Pulling these forces together into a united opposition would strengthen the
fight overall, and could put Ford and his supporters on the defensive.
The CPC (
With a provincial election on October 6, the stakes are getting higher and
higher - not least the fight for democracy, and for public ownership and
control.
3) NEW JETS LOGO: MILITARIZATION OF
HOCKEY CONTINUES
By Johan
Boyden, General Secretary of the Young Communist League of
The
The Jets new logos were released July 22. The main design is a blue circle with
the metallic grey silhouette of a McDonnell Douglas CF‑18 Hornet fighter
jet above a red maple leaf, mirroring the Canadian air force's roundel. The
Hornet is the same jet the Canadian military has deployed to bomb
The design was put together by True North Sports and Entertainment (the union‑busting
company who own the Jets), the NHL and the transnational corporation Reebok. A
secondary logo features a fighter pilot's set of wings.
"We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the
new logo does that through its connection to our country's remarkable Air Force
heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and
province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces," Jets owner Mark Chipman told reporters.
That history and relationship starts with the bloody military suppression of
the Metis and Red River people's uprising, which lead
to the hanging of leader Louis Riel and the founding of Manitoba. One of the
latest chapters was written by Operation Charging Bison, when over 500 Canadian
troops (backed by helicopters, armoured vehicles, and
artillery) took over downtown
Despite urgent demands for affordable social housing in the downtown core, the
provincial NDP has instead agreed to refurbish the MTS Centre for the Jets. The
MTS Centre and True North contracted out the work of the 220‑member
International
The design comes after major controversy surrounding the Harper Conservative
government's purchase of replacements for the CF‑18 from US munitions
giant Lockheed Martin. The total cost of the new F‑35 fighters quadrupled
in just two years.
Pentagon figures now indicate that the total cost of this purchase over a
30-year period is expected to hit $29 billion, a staggering sum for a country
with serious social and economic problems.
The new Joint Strike Fighter, which carries more bombs and weapons, is not
designed for defence, but rather offensive bombing
runs. As a single-engine aircraft, it is reportedly unsuitable to patrol the
Canadian
According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, "the Canada
First Defence Strategy, unveiled by the Harper
government in 2008, promises that Canada's military spending will continue to
grow by an average of 0.6% in real terms (adjusted for inflation) and an
average of 2.7% in nominal terms (not adjusted for inflation) per year from FY
2007-08 to 2027-28". Total spending over the 20-year life of this plan
would likely be in the $415-440 billion range (2009 dollars), or about $13,000
per Canadian.
There has also been a renewed attempt towards the militarization of Canadian
society. Recruiting booths, promoting the military's activity like the
imperialist war in
The
One of the most outspoken proponents of this pro‑war jingoism has been
controversial hockey commentator Don Cherry, already known for his sexist,
homophobic, racist and anti‑Quebec statements. Cherry, who
makes a special point of commemorating the occupation of
In response, a group called Hockey Fans for Peace formed, staging actions
outside hockey games and engendering widespread interest and support. Hockey
Fans for Peace points to polls showing that the vast majority of Canadians
oppose the war in
Hockey Fans for Peace also encourages other sports to refrain from promoting
support for the war in
Their message is a timely one. Millions of Canadians enjoy hockey ‑ and
also oppose militarism and war.
4)
PV Ontario
Bureau
The Communist Party of
Meanwhile, the
"The Communist Party will advise working people that the best outcome in
this election would be a minority government reliant on a strong progressive
bloc in the Legislature and subject to mass public pressure from a people's
coalition of forces outside the Legislature," Rowley says. "Electing
Communists would fundamentally change politics for the better and qualitatively
strengthen the fight for democratic and progressive change in this
province,"
The CPC (
"We need a progressive tax system based on ability to pay," says
The Communist Party is fighting for full employment policies to put
The Party calls to nationalize US Steel operations in
The Communist platform urges action to restore worker pensions, and to build a
Canadian car that is small, affordable, fuel-efficient and environmentally
sustainable.
On social issues, the CPC (Ontario) is campaigning for social housing, real
rent controls, public child care at a cost of $7 per child, per day, a
guaranteed annual income above the poverty line, and substantially increased
funding for health, education, and social programs. The Party urges immediate
action to raise living standards and quality of life of Aboriginal Peoples
living on and off reserve, and a just and early settlement of land claims.
"Aboriginal People's have the same rights to clean water, good housing,
quality public and post‑secondary education, and quality of life as
everyone else. The province must act to deliver it now," says
The Communists sharply oppose the proposed two‑strikes law that will
greatly increase the rate of incarceration in provincial super‑jails, the
proposed lifetime ban on those convicted of welfare fraud; the one year ban on
welfare eligibility for those moving into the province, and special new police
powers to end Aboriginal land reclamations and to aggressively intervene on
reserve.
The Party supports a new financial deal to municipalities, uploading costs of
health, housing, transportation, welfare, delivering needs‑based
statutory grants, and transferring 50% of road user taxes to cities. The Party
would also remove education from the property tax.
The CPC (
Saleh Waziruddin, candidate
in the Peninsula, says "Low wages and part‑time casual work are
killing the future for youth. Young, and not‑so‑young
workers need good jobs with good wages. That's the road to real economic
recovery in
The full program, and the list of candidates will
appear on the CPC (
5)
People's
Voice Editorial
Almost ten years after it began,
For
Billions of dollars have also been wasted on this war, with little result. As
reliable military analysts frequently note, many of the Karzai
troops "trained" by NATO forces often simply switch sides with their
weapons. In effect, Canadian taxpayers are financing the insurgent Taliban
forces.
For years, the majority of Canadians have expressed opposition to continuing
this country's participation in the
6) FASCIST TERROR STRIKES AGAIN
People's
Voice Editorial
The horrifying news from
On July 22, most mass media outlets initially pointed at "Muslims,"
even though the
A similar situation could easily erupt in
7) COPE
MEMBERS BACK ANTI-NPA ELECTORAL COOPERATION
PV
Vancouver Bureau
Some three hundred members of Vancouver's Coalition of Progressive Electors
turned out for a special meeting on June 26, voting to maintain COPE's long-standing strategy of working to isolate the
right-wing Non-Partisan Alliance (NPA) in this fall's civic election. By a
two-thirds majority, COPE members backed an agreement on electoral cooperation
with the centrist Vision
The agreement gives COPE three nominations for city council,
up from two in the 2008 campaign, potentially opening the door to a stronger
role on that body, where Vision will nominate seven plus Mayor Gregor Robertson.
At School Board, which currently has four Vision and three COPE trustees, the
parties will nominate five and four respectively. Vision will nominate five
Park Board candidates, with two for COPE.
The lively June 26 debate showed that while COPE remains strongly committed to
defeating the most reactionary force in
Presenting the COPE executive's unanimous recommendation to support the
agreement, David Chudnovsky made it clear that
elected officials will continue to vote in line with COPE policy on matters
where the two parties differ. These include taxation, where COPE remains
opposed to the ongoing shift away from business towards homeowners, and a range
of development proposals, which have been supported by Vision but frequently
challenged by COPE's two councillors.
The situation is more positive on School Board, where the Vision and COPE
trustees have worked closely for the past term to protect classrooms from
Liberal underfunding of education. The two parties share School Board committee
positions on an equal basis, and their vocal opposition to Liberal policies has
made Vancouver a leader in the struggle to protect public schools across the
province.
The COPE executive made its recommendation on the basis of a strategy to keep
the labour and people's movements united during the
campaign, in the face of a major challenge by the NPA. In recent months, it has
been increasingly obvious that the NPA hopes to generate a "Rob
Ford"-style right-wing backlash against the Vision-COPE alliance. An NPA
victory would return
This scenario spurred a good turnout of labour
activists on June 26, days after the
Some long-time COPE members voted against the agreement, mainly because of
differences with Vision on development issues. But the June 26 meeting also saw
members of other organizations buy COPE memberships in hopes of defeating the
proposal. These included some civic Greens and other anti-labour
activists who argue that there is "no difference" between the NPA and
Vision, or even that the NPA is preferable. There were also members of the
"Fire This Time" cult which has long engaged in splitting activities
in the anti-war movement and other areas. These forces were openly encouraged
by right-wing bloggers linked to the NPA, desperately hoping to split COPE and
to block the electoral agreement.
The next major step in the campaign will be the COPE nomination meeting set for
Sept. 18. Although incumbent city councillors Ellen Woodsworth and David Cadman are expected to win, a tough
fight is likely around the third nomination. Community activist R.J. Aquino
appears to have strong support of COPE's members and
elected officials, but former councillor Tim Louis is
also in the running. Louis has been a highly divisive figure since his blunders
cost COPE dearly during the 2005 civic campaign, and
he is closely linked to Fire This Time. At the June 26 meeting, Louis
explicitly stated that he would not vote for Vision candidates, a direct
indication that he refuses to carry out the electoral strategy backed by a
large majority of COPE members. A nomination for Louis would leave COPE with
council candidates operating on diametrically-opposed tracks during the campaign,
likely a recipe for disaster at the polls.
8) CHOMSKY'S WORDS WILL NOT STOP THE REVOLUTION
Commentary
by Rick Gunderman,
"Speaking to the Observer last week, (MIT professor and noted
political analyst Noam) Chomsky has accused the socialist leader (Hugo Chavez)
of amassing too much power and of making an `assault' on
Accompanied by a photo of President Chavez riding a horse and pointing skyward,
flanked by three llanero‑looking individuals,
the UK's Guardian ran an
article entitled "Noam Chomsky denounces old friend Hugo Chavez for
`assault' on democracy".
Aside from being a typical example of editorializing through photographs, the
article proceeds to go in depth on how Noam Chomsky's friendship with Hugo
Chavez ("Hugo Chavez has long
considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west") has
been compromised by the imprisonment of Venezuelan judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, head of the 31st Control Court of Caracas.
The Guardian's explanation of
why Afiuni was jailed: "Afiuni
earned Chavez's ire in December 2009 by freeing Eligio
Cedeno, a prominent banker facing corruption charges.
Cedeno promptly fled the country."
Not a word more of detail, but conspicuously followed by: "In a televised
broadcast the president, who had taken a close interest in the case, called the
judge a criminal and demanded she be jailed for 30 years. `That judge has to
pay for what she has done.'"
The casual reader could be forgiven for concluding that Afiuni's
detention was totally arbitrary and without cause.
Imagine if, in the Conrad Black case, or the Scooter Libby trial, a judge had
not only allowed the accused to slip out of the back of the courthouse and
escape, but had personally summoned the accused for a hearing without notifying
the prosecutor, all in order to allow the escape. The judge would be arrested
for assisting a fugitive, at the very least.
This is analogous to what happened in
According to Edward Ellis of Correo del Orinoco
International (which, unlike the Carr Institute, actually operates in
Venezuela): "While it is true that Cedeno had
indeed been held beyond the stipulated time for pre‑trial detentions, it
is also true that Afiuni's rogue actions were made in
violation of all judicial protocols and legal procedures. In fact, hundreds of
trials in
And in fact, the judicial system managed to secure Afiuni's
arrest without any intervention from Chavez, although
the Guardian would have it
framed otherwise. Chavez went on television condemning corruption in the
justice system, used Afiuni's case as an example, and
described how she would be punished, i.e. how the legal system works, which a
president certainly ought to know. To the Guardian, this is proof of Chavez's tyrannical ways.
Nor would Chomsky have us believe
To Noam Chomsky, the lack of judges willing to speak out in favour
of a corrupt public official who helped a known criminal escape justice must be
a sign of Chavez's totalitarian agenda. Implicitly, we should have expected
this. All socialist countries destroy democracy and succumb to Stalinism sooner
or later.
Continuing through the list of international human rights groups joining in the
chorus of anti‑Chavez voices that makes up the rest of the Guardian article, one arrives at the
much‑lauded Chomsky letter.
Helpfully enough, he refers to the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at
Following this vain attempt to establish institutional credibility, Chomsky
sheds crocodile tears for Afiuni's situation. She has
been in prison for a little over a year, and on top of having cancer is a
single mother. Nobody doubts that this is a bad situation. With poor health and
young children to care for, one wonders why Afiuni
would put herself in the business of assisting fugitives.
Chomsky and the Guardian fail
to mention that the Attorney General managed to intervene to have Afiuni transferred first to isolation from the general
population to ensure her safety (she was sharing a cell block with inmates she
had sentenced), then to house arrest so she could receive cancer treatment. Some "cruelty".
Nor is it evidently worth noting that neither Afiuni nor Cedeno were known to
be supporters of the opposition, which compromises the claim that this is a
case of political persecution. Noam Chomsky has great influence on the
petit‑bourgeois left. His books are widely available at Chapters and
Indigo, and every university has a political science professor who salivates at
the mention of Chomsky's name. The liberal progressive mentality can be summed
up as "it's a war of information - we win the revolution through
education!"
This is a noble maxim for a socialist bookstore or education centre. It can be
useful as a very specific slogan for a very specific group or campaign. But it
is useless as a slogan that is central, defining or paramount.
This mentality confines our roles and duties as activists to debates,
demonstrations and maybe the occasional leaflet. Without real mobilization of
large numbers of people, under the leadership and initiative of the most
dedicated activists, nothing gets done. The policies of government and business
become more vicious, more reactionary, and more damaging to workers, youth,
students, women, visible minorities, recent immigrants, children, First Nations
peoples, etc. That is the practical effect of the Noam Chomsky mentality, which
romanticizes "political prisoners", such as disgraced judge Maria
Lourdes Afiuni.
The 5.7 million members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, and their
thousands of comrades in the Communist Party of Venezuela, will not put the
brakes on the progress of their revolution just because an MIT professor, high
in his ivory tower, shouts at them.
But here at home, where we're in the embryo stages of getting things going, the
liberals in our ranks keep stopping to ask directions from the enemy.
9) CANADIAN TORTURED, BUT HARPER SILENT
By Finian Cunningham, www.globalresearch.ca, July 17, 2011
A young Canadian man suffering from a serious heart condition has been abducted
and tortured by the Bahraini regime - yet the government of Prime Minister
Stephen Harper has maintained a steadfast silence over his plight.
This lack of action by the Harper government is in spite of the fact that the
Canadian Consuls in
Naser Al Raas (28), who
resides in
But when the former Microsoft IT specialist went to exit the country on 20
March, he was stopped while boarding his flight by ministry of interior
officers. Although Al Raas was travelling on a
Canadian passport, he was hauled into a room at
He was then taken by his captors to the infamous Al Qala
- the ministry of interior headquarters in the capital,
The Canadian suffers from a rare lung and heart condition - pulmonary embolism.
He has previously undergone two open‑heart operations at the Ottawa Heart
Institute and he requires constant medication. Around the time of arrest, his
supply of medication, which he had brought from
The sprawling grey Al Qala fortress in
The fierce repression against peaceful demonstrators escalated on 14 March when
troops from
Despite condemnations by numerous human rights groups of the Saudi‑led
invasion and subsequent violations,
For one month, the family of Naser Al Raas did not know of his whereabouts or even if he was
alive. They knew that his last movements were in the airport because he talked
to a friend by phone just before his scheduled departure. However, for the next
four weeks, the Bahraini government denied all knowledge of the Canadian man.
After one month of being held incommunicado, the Bahraini regime released Al Raas but withheld his passport. He is now stranded in
Al Raas stands accused, along with 12 other men, of
kidnapping a police officer and promoting crimes against the rulers. He recalls
that during his interrogation period he was forced to sign a piece of paper.
This has turned out to be a confession to the crimes he is being accused of -
accusations that Al Raas denies.
The Bahraini rulers have shown boundless imagination in fabricating prosecution
cases. For example, last month it sentenced an internationally respected human
rights advocate, Abdulhadi Al Khawaja,
to life in prison for "trying to overthrow the state while working for a
foreign enemy". The regime is also currently prosecuting senior surgeons
and doctors that it accuses of "concealing machine guns under hospital
beds" and "exaggerating the wounds of patients for propaganda
purposes, resulting in the death of patients".
All trials in
Such flagrant violation of international legal standards have
been roundly condemned by rights groups, such as Amnesty and Human Rights
Watch. But while
For Al Raas, the next court appearance is set for
September. If found guilty, the Canadian is facing up to 20
years in prison. Given his acute heart condition and weakened state from
torture, Al Raas' family fear that his conviction
could result in a de facto death sentence.
The fact that a civilian - a foreign civilian at that - can end up being
illegally detained, tortured and dragged before a Military Court by a regime
that has incurred worldwide condemnation is a sobering episode. But what makes
the plight of Naser Al Raas
shocking is the seeming indifference of his Canadian government.
This silence from the Harper government is not out of ignorance of the case.
The plight of Al Raas has been reported in the
Canadian press on two occasions in March and June.
The question of commercial interests may be a telling factor.
Currently, the two countries are signing off a Foreign Investment and
Protection Agreement (FIPA) after three years of negotiations.
Another factor is
In the grand scheme of Canada's commercial trade interests and imperialist
intrigues in the Gulf, the fate of one of its citizens appears to be a matter
that needs to be buried rather than raised. The case of Naser
Al Raas begs the question: have western governments
become so lawless and wanton in their geopolitical calculations that even the
basic human rights of their own citizens are now worthless?
Speaking to Global Research, the distraught fiancée of Naser
Al Raas said: "This man has done nothing wrong.
He is innocent and he is being tortured. Naser should
be released immediately and allowed to return to
Finian Cunningham is
a Global Research Correspondent based in
By Zoltan Zigedy, www.mltoday.com
Nearly 35 years ago, in a rare moment of truth-speak, President Gerald Ford,
participating in a televised pre-election debate with future President Jimmy
Carter, denied that the socialist countries of Eastern Europe were
"captive nations" under Soviet domination.
Ford, not known for his political acumen, violated one of the cardinal rules of
national political campaigns: thou shall not deviate from "truths"
held closely by the
It is likely that the bumbling Ford misread his cues or suffered a brain lock
since he had earlier signed a proclamation designating the week beginning July
13, 1975 as "Captive Nations Week." Breaking with the unity of
thought that ruling elites fight so hard to establish is not easily forgiven,
even if it is inadvertent.
Despite the end of the Cold War, sacred and unassailable truths still are a
fixture of US political discourse: politicians are not allowed to mention that the
Cuban people overwhelmingly support their government; the plight of the
Palestinian people - their suffering and hardships - must remain unspoken at
all costs; the charge of terrorism must include and be confined to acts against
imperialism; and private ownership of assets is always to be preferred over
public ownership. These are theological commandments in a country that trumpets
its commitment to freedom of thought.
The Real
Captive Nations
Though the notion of "captive nations" was one of those ridiculous
ideas born from the malignant minds of Cold Warriors, there is no better time
than today to find it a precise and appropriate application. Its aptness is one
of those sublime ironies that would make the old master, Karl Marx, smile.
In the wake of the most destructive waves of the economic crisis, most nations
were left with extraordinary public debt. Bailouts, stimulative
spending, and substantially reduced revenues pushed public debt loads
dramatically higher, excepting those few countries with sufficient reserves. In
a real sense, the assumption of debt was the prescription - the only
prescription - for surviving an accelerating mortal spiral of the capitalist
system.
But in a capitalist country in the web of a global capitalist system, debt is
shorthand for an intimate relationship between borrowers and lenders, a
relationship that is easy prey for international banks, hedge funds, and the
global enforcers of capitalism, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
The group of weaker, less developed countries of the European Union was one of
the most vulnerable targets of financial predation. When the Union was formed
in 1993 from the European Economic Community, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, and
Greece were late comers and poor sisters to the more highly developed countries
of the EU like West Germany, France, Italy and the other northern neighbours that founded the EEC. There was enormous
pressure for these countries to achieve a "European" level of
development and living standards. By membership, they gained open markets and
access to capital. Their relatively low wages gave them somewhat of a
competitive advantage within the
With the creation of a single currency, the euro, in 1999, and the
establishment of the European Central Bank, economic relations between members
were reordered. The common currency forced the surrender of individual
sovereignty over monetary policy, eliminating an individual state's ability to
adjust exchange rates against other currencies. Further, euro‑zone
participation was predicated on a strict set of economic (neo‑liberal)
parameters established by the Treaty of
For the less developed, membership in the euro‑zone was an opportunity
for conservative governments to impose neo‑liberal changes, justified by
the promised prosperity enjoyed by the wealthier member states.
Only Communists and the anti‑capitalist left foresaw danger in
surrendering sovereignty to the dominant powers in the EU.
With the full blast of economic crisis in 2008, all of the EU‑based hopes
were dashed. Catching up was off the table and survival was the business at
hand. Ireland's unregulated banks had piled up huge debts, necessitating
massive government‑funded bailing. The Iberian construction boom fizzled,
leaving mountains of debt and massive unemployment.
But
Financial writers purposefully overlook these waves of aggression, lest they
reveal the continued existence of rampant speculative capital, the very element
that brought the global economy down. Instead, they write of Greek corruption,
profligacy and financial irresponsibility.
In truth,
As a condition of EU and IMF servitude,
The New York Times reported on
May 16 that unemployment in
This is not merely extortion, but a wholesale commandeering of the Greek
economy, and consequently, its political and social life. Recently, EU leaders
demanded that the two predominant bourgeois parties of
But the EU game plan is not merely to bring
With glee, the IMF has noted that there is additionally a potential 200‑300
billion euros of Greek property available for
pillage, including the Olympic facilities and military properties. Will the
Parthenon be next?
Like a Nazi "Reichsbevollmachtigter," the
plenipotentiary of the EU is currently debating
The Other Captive Nations?
For the mainstream media, the enslavement of
Spain, the next country in the sights of international financial predators, is
also politically shaky with recent municipal elections rocking the ruling
party.
Even
Resistance,
not Collaboration
Facing captive nation or neo‑colonial status imposed by their northern neighbours and the EU administration, the southern European
countries have no option but to resist. Social democratic and conservative
parties offer no road but collaboration. Like their Nazi‑era
predecessors, these Vichy‑like leaders attempt to appease their masters
while quelling the rising of the people. Trapped in the neo‑liberal
bubble and with no alternative vision, they enable the developed European
powers to achieve the domination that the fascists of the last century sought
through military means.
Resistance, however, means refusing the terms and conditions imposed by great
powers. It means ignoring the debt - placing it aside, isolated from national
accounts, as the "too big to fail" international banks did at the
height of the crisis. It means threatening default if national sovereignty is
not respected.
Resistance means rejecting the undemocratic nature of the EU and its
institutions. If this means leaving the euro‑zone and the imperious rule of
the ECB, then captive nations should well entertain this option.
Resistance means formulating a new vision of a democratic, peoples'
In
In
Those of us who stand in solidarity with the emerging European resistance
should heed their experience. The wolves of financial predation are at our
doors, too. The debt scam - the principal weapon of ruling class warfare today
- threatens all of us.
11) THREE IMPORTANT MARXIST AUTHORS LAUNCH IN B.C.
PV
Vancouver Bureau
In mid‑July there was a an important book launch
for three prominent members of the South Asian community in
Sam Hammond, leader of the Communist Party in BC, introduced Hold The Sky. This book of poems published in Punjabi and
English editions is the latest of Harjit Daudharia's five books of poetry and two of prose. He
talked of Harjit's experience and travels, his
different occupations, sometimes an academic and more often a worker, but
always a passionate advocate for socialism and a brighter world for peace and
prosperity, for love and loyalty, for the right to live free of hunger,
exploitation and war. Sam expressed the opinion that Harjit's
poems expose not only what is old and outmoded politically, but also the
promise of what is to come, what is worth striving for.
Harjit himself spoke of the development of his
literary consciousness, of childhood poverty, of the Indian caste system, his
experience as a worker and trade unionist in
The novel Kali Anehri (Black Storm), a novel by Nachhattar
Singh Gill, was introduced by Dr. Sukhdev Singh from
Sufi Amarjit's Prija was introduced by Dr. Surindar Dhanjal from Kamloops,
BC. Prija is an epic emotional poem
about a young girl who is killed in an accident, and
the silent suffering of a father whose dreams for her have been shattered. The
father transfers his suffering and grief to the passionate desire that all
children should be nurtured and looked after. He transfers his sorrow and
dreams to all children everywhere, and to the recognition of child pain and
suffering in this world.
Nazir Rizvi and Krishna Syal made
important contributions to the book launch, which was well attended by writers,
poets and progressive activists. Nazir
reminded the audience that Canada had practised
racism against black Americans who fled to Nova Scotia, against the Aboriginal
people of Canada, against the Chinese workers who helped build this country and
the South Asian people who emigrated here. He pointed out that Surrey has the
highest number of Punjabi speakers outside of
The speakers, the authors, and all who expressed opinions that afternoon made
eloquent reference to the crimes of colonialism and present day imperialism.
These books will be a permanent contribution to Canadian and Punjabi literature
by three progressive writers and poets.
Copies of these works are available from Harjit Daudharia, 407‑12075 75A Ave,
By Wally Brooker
"G20 Redux" calls for public
inquiry
Young
Toronto musicians Lynn Harrison, Allie Hughes, Dave Borins
and the band Tiny Danza joined speakers from the
Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Ontario Federation of Labour, the Canadian Federation of Students, and the
Council of Canadians at Queen's Park on June 25 for the "G20 Redux" Fundamental Freedoms Festival. The event marked
the first anniversary of the police state imposed on
Love Music Hate Racism
As
Punks vs Apartheid vs
Jello
A scheduled
July 2 concert in Tel Aviv by hardcore punk icon and spoken word artist Jello Biafra was the catalyst that led to the formation of
Punks Against Apartheid (PAA), an online musicians
group aligned with the cultural boycott of
Mike Waterson: 1941‑2011
The
explosion of English pop music in the early sixties obscured a simultaneous
flowering of
13)
By Kimball Cariou
"Freedom Flotilla 2", the latest international attempt to break the
Israeli siege of Gaza, was halted in July through the combined efforts of
Israel, Greece and the major imperialist powers which now dictate policies to
the Greek government. But the Flotilla organizers pledge to continue their
efforts, which have won the support of millions around the world.
Most of the vessels in the Flotilla were blocked from sailing towards
The final chapter in this stage of the struggle came on July 19, after the
French ship Dignity-Al Karama managed to depart from Greek waters only to
be forcibly taken over while in international waters, some 65 kilometres from the
Elite troops from
Dignity‑Al Karama had left the Greek
Before its capture, Dignity had
sent this message to the world: "This small boat is a symbol of
determination of the International Solidarity Movement to end the siege imposed
on
Responding to this Israeli action, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
(PCHR) said, "PCHR highly appreciates the courageous attempt done by the
Freedom Flotilla 2 and was represented in the French Ship, which insisted on
breaking the conspiracy of silence and illegal and inhumane siege imposed on
the Gaza Strip's civilians. The Palestinian people are proud of the
international activists' determination to break this conspiracy, reminding that
the siege has still been imposed. Those activists are considered the symbol and
core of the international civil society, which demands the application of the
law against what is practised against the Palestinian
people of jungle law and illegal siege."
Just one day later, on July 20, the Israeli Navy attacked Palestinian fishing
boats and the Oliva,
a boat which monitors the situation at
A PCHR observer reported that the boat sailed at 7:45 am, with international
activists Joe Catron and Alexandra Robinson on board. Around 9:30 am, two
nautical miles off the
As PCHR notes, Israeli attacks against Palestinian fishing boats constitute a
violation of international law and may be considered war crimes. The Oliva was
attacked twice earlier in July in Israeli attempts to prevent international
observers from monitoring the human rights situation at the
Issue 22 of The Spark!, the
Marxist theoretical and discussion journal of the Communist Party of
This issue features a timely article by
But the author goes beyond anecdotal observation, providing a fascinating
overview of the many reports and inquiries into police use of force in
This topic is highly relevant, considering that such deaths averaged about five
per year in
Holliday analyses the root causes of such discrepancies, especially the myth of
white supremacy which is linked to the capitalist drive to expand profits and
spheres of influence. She urges "active support (for) groups and
communities who challenge the armed repressive forces of the state" as
well as "honest efforts" to implement civilian oversight of the
police, "while remaining aware that only social revolution will bring
complete justice."
Another important feature of Spark #22
is the document "For a Québec Solidaire people's
government." Readers in English-speaking
This contribution was originally submitted to a QS policy review by members of
the Communist Party of Québec, the section of the Communist Party of Canada
based in that nation. The Québec Communists, who have been active in QS since
its origins, argue that the party must prioritize "the interests of the
great majority of the people and break the domination of finance capital"
by adopting an openly anti-capitalist programme. This
approach differentiates the Communists from some left forces in Québec which
place the struggle for independence ahead of class and social issues.
"Trade Unions Under Socialism: Perestroika Revisited", by British
Communist John Foster, looks back at discussions which took place during a
visit by a UK trade union delegation to the USSR in 1987. As Foster concludes,
in hindsight the discussions reveal a couple of important points, starting with
the fact that "at the outset of perestroika the economy was not itself in
crisis." While the economy was seen to be "underperforming," the
Second, the Soviet participants in these discussions did not see any social
base for capitalist counter-revolution in their country. As the author says,
when leading figures within the CPSU initiated policies that were objectively
anti-socialist, these were accepted by many as an antidote for apathy and
passivity. Events quickly moved beyond the ability of pro-socialist forces to
control, with disastrous results.
Other items in this issue include an editorial by Dan Goldstick,
recalling the
The Spark! is available for $5 per copy (or $12 for
a three-issue subscription), from 290A
Nagasaki
Remembered, lantern ceremony, Tue., Aug. 9, 7:30 pm, at Craigflower
Park/Kosapsom (
People’s Voice
Walk-A-Thon, Sun., Aug. 21 (note date change), meet 11 am at
Bear Creek Park (140 St. parking lot at 88 Ave.), walk
12 noon, lunch and program 1 pm. For info, call 604-254-9836.
Lanterns
for Peace, Hiroshima Day ceremony for abolition of nuclear weapons, Sat., Aug.
6, 7:30 pm, Memorial Park. Info: Project Peacemakers, 775-7178.
Salsa in the
Palestinians And Jews United, boycott/disinvestment/sanctions
picket, every Saturday, 1-3 pm, outside Israeli shoe store “NAOT”,
(The
above article is from the August 1-31, 2011, issue of People's
(Contents)