Weekly Worker 586 Thursday July 21 2005

Letters

Terrorist poles

The brutal crime of July 7 2005 inflicted on innocent people is a typical feature of the world today, similar to attacks in Baghdad, Bali, Istanbul, Madrid and New York. Anybody with the slightest of humane feelings would undoubtedly condemn it.

The culprits are not merely rebelling against western lifestyle - its freedom, achievements and values. Western people are not their only targets. In Iraq, crimes comparable to 7/7 are committed on a daily basis. Tens of defenceless citizens are killed there every day, in pursuit of the terrorists’ political ends. Acts such as the London carnage and the daily killings in Baghdad are planned, funded and conducted by international networks of islamic terrorists. The atrocities that these terrorists commit are the measures and practices of a specific political movement and trend within modern society called political islam, of which the cornerstone strategy is terrorism.

Political islam, as an international terrorist pole, is aiming to seize political power and enslave the masses in the Arab world and the so-called islamic countries. It is over this issue that it fights the ruling class in the west.

Islamic terrorism finds recruits for its army amidst the resentment and outrage felt against the conduct of the US and Israel in Iraq and Palestine. It is a parasite that finds nourishment in the swamps of the international state terrorism of the US, its western allies and Israel. The war on Iraq has rendered that country a bloody battlefield between two poles of terrorism. It has resulted in a flourishing political islam and made Iraq a magnet, attracting every kind of islamist to continue the ‘jihad’ for which the CIA had trained them.

The officials in the west keep misleading us, saying that the nature of this war is unknown, that there is no possible way to control or predict terrorist acts, and that this war has no specific rules. We end up overwhelmed with technicalities. This war is, in actual fact, a real one, waged by a concrete, well defined, reactionary political force. It is an ongoing war between two terrorist poles and has its own rules, causes and methods: both poles are aware of each other’s strengths and abilities. Millions of dollars are spent on these islamic terrorist acts, and those who fund them know very well when and where they will next hit.

Presenting terrorism as uncontrollable, and beyond political relationships in modern society, is part of the political campaign waged by governments in the west to conceal the way terrorism can be controlled. Terrorism is a political issue and can be defeated only by drying out the swamps in which political islam grows.

People turned out in their millions against the war in Iraq, but Bush and Blair were deaf to their anger. The workers’, leftwing and freedom-loving movements are struggling to achieve equality between men and women and civil and political liberties in the Arab and Middle Eastern countries, but the US and Britain continually defend repressive regimes. The US protects the murderous regime of Saudi Arabia, imposes its puppet ethno-islamic government in Iraq, and flatters the most reactionary forces in the region - all of which sustains political islam and keeps it centre stage.

The Palestine issue needs to be resolved, but the US and Israel continue their massacres. Under the pretext of freedom and the diversity of cultural and traditional values, the blatant violations of women’s and children’s rights among the migrant Arab and Middle Eastern communities are ignored by western governments. However, it is clear that these policies strengthen the influence of political islam among the youth in these communities. Although it is generally agreed that Iraq has aided the escalation of political islam and the threat of terrorism, the US is determined to go ahead with its militaristic policies in Iraq, maintain its occupation and protect its puppet ethno-islamic government. The US continues its crimes, military operations and political arrogance, while at the same tine claiming it is trying to end terrorism and protect the population.

Civilised humanity is under threat and suffering devastation at the hands of these two terrorist poles. The only way out of this situation is to unify the struggle of the masses worldwide. The history of the recent years has not been formed by those conflicting powers alone. Civilised humanity, as a third force, has also played an important role. It has adopted another approach, and struggled to raise its voice against the barbarity that the opposing sides are dragging the world into. This force of civilised humanity has spoken out against the war. It has struggled inside Iraq and other Arab and Middle East countries against political islam and its traditions and values. This third force is the force of the working class, the progressive and freedom-loving people around the globe.

In Iraq, we suffer from the destructive effects of the battle between the two poles of terrorism. The most viable way out of the current situation is to end the occupation, to withdraw the occupying troops and deliver a setback to political islam and ethnocentric forces. The political failure of the US in Iraq, and the consequent retreat of political islam, would be a first step in fulfilling humanity’s endeavours against terrorism.

The Iraq Freedom Congress, which is a vital and effective political initiative, has been set up to unite the ranks of freedom- and humanity-loving people in Iraq and all over the world, in order to step up the struggle to impose a retreat on the US and political islam in Iraq. The IFC needs the support of individuals and organisations who identify with its aims.

Muayad Ahmed
Iraq Freedom Congress

Real killers

In the wake of the London bombings it is clear that militant islam is finally responding to the expansionist policies of the UK in the Middle East. Muslims are sick of western culture infiltrating their own and nullifying it, through globalisation.

This movement, however, is reactionary in nature and therefore cannot be supported. It does show a weakness in proletarian politics in the Middle East that a religious rather than a socialist movement is taking on American/British exploitation, occupation and domination.

As a form of political expression terrorism is obsolete. Terrorism cannot substitute itself for the mass struggle. If the proletariat want political and economic freedom from imperialism, there must be socialist revolution in the respective countries. The British establishment has led many to believe that these terrorist attacks are devoid of reason apart from the brainwashing of religious extremism. This is obviously a falsification. These terrorist acts are a direct result of the UK’s policy of imperialism, the murdering, maiming and torturing of muslims, and the economic control used like a whip over all muslim nations.

The terrorists have been branded cowards, and proponents of mass murder. What I find cowardly is the corporations getting their claws into Iraq in the name of freedom. What I find cowardly is the UN sanctions on Iraq, which meant not even medical supplies could get in. What I find cowardly is the dropping of bombs on Baghdad and Kabul from high in the sky. Mass murder to me is the 100,000 killed in Iraq, and the thousands dying every day due to American-British foreign policy.

When a Briton dies, it is a tragedy and disgusting. Commemorations are held and silences observed. Nothing like this happened when the proprietors of capitalism were murdering and pillaging in the name of freedom. Capitalism has instilled into the people that the blood of one is worth more than that of another. The American air force calls civilian casualties ‘collateral damage’, while the Londoners killed are called ‘innocent victims’.

Terrorism is caused by the policies of capitalism - which leads one to believe that under socialism terrorism would be averted. Let’s stop the real killers before the enemies they make kill us.

Tobias Edrul
email

Conspiracy

The trouble with your article is that it takes a moral stance which is reactive to the horror, whereas it should be tempered with an investigative stance, which is wholly lacking on the left (‘Terror attacks will be used by Blair to further attack democratic rights’ Weekly Worker July 8). It is apparently safe and sane to accept the official story on terrorism alone - otherwise the bourgeois press print lies about life in general.

If the bombers were duped, another line of questioning follows: in whose interests? I hear in a distant memory the voice of Karl Marx.

Strangely the Israelification of the UK is on the agenda - what a strange coincidence. Hell! what another strange coincidence: reports of Israel being warned of the bombing all over the net.

Comrades, what ever happened to scientific investigation?

Paul Anderson
email

Radical islam

Your religion article was excellent (‘History and fantastic reality’, July 8).

The task of confronting capitalism cannot be allowed to be passed over to militant, fascist islam. More discussion is needed about the relationship between the left and radical islam - who (or what) the hell is Galloway all about?

And what about and the rise of al-Qa’eda from the perspective of class struggle in the islamic world? Is this the violent rise of an Arab bourgeoisie who wish to overthrow their decadent monarchies and confront the USA with a super oil-rich United States of Arabia, using the islamic concept of the caliphate as its vehicle?

Interesting times for all on the left - can radical islam be seen as a kind of muslim ‘protestantism’, much as our early protestants drove a nascent capitalism through the old feudal order?

Jan Jamoo
email

PCSU dispute

Tony Reay’s article on the Public and Commercial Services Union is factually incorrect in a number of decisive areas (‘No lead from Socialist Party’, July 8).

First, the 13-1 vote was for a one-day strike. The meetings were poorly attended but, given the decisive nature of the vote, no-one is disputing its validity. However, the fact remains it was for a one-day strike. Secondly, the vote for discontinuous action was somewhat under 2-1, which, given the poor turnouts, is not so good. Thirdly, my PCS branch has contacted Mark Serwotka, who denies the comments attributed to him at the top of the article.

Its whole thrust is thus invalidated, as the true figures give the group executive every justification for proceeding cautiously. Indeed, it is possible that certain offices in London may have been able to take action before now, in line with union policy, but in fact it is the Socialist Caucus group’s insistence on London-wide action that has prevented this from happening.

It does nobody any good attacking fellow socialists on the basis of incorrect information.

Dave Spagnol
email

Authoritarian

Good to see the letter from the G8 Legal Support Group (Weekly Worker July 14). But readers should also be aware of policing in the Stirling area during the G8.

In the months running up to July, activists in Stirling, including Stirling CND, were subjected to police harassment, including unreasonable and illegal demands for personal details. In some cases, activists were filmed. A local group, Stirling G8 Network, were repeatedly harassed when handing out an uncontroversial G8 information leaflet. One leafleter was requested to display his face to a permanent street camera by a policeman amidst questions about ‘troublemakers’ coming to the town.

During the G8, Stirling council hosted the Horizon eco-village - a campsite which was home to thousands of visiting protesters. The presence of the campsite made Stirling a focus for the police and the mass media, both of whom made the town an oppressive place to be in for G8 week. The police were visible in vast numbers. Convoys of more than 30 police vans traversed the small city, lights flashing. Police vehicles routinely blared their sirens when moving about town. This, coupled with the constant whirring of low-flying helicopters, including British army Chinooks that were used to transfer yet more police, created a hateful and oppressive atmosphere and gave the impression that the protesters were violent criminals requiring rigorous control to prevent Stirling from being pillaged.

For three days, section 60 of the Criminal Justice Act was invoked and police checkpoints set up around Stirling. This meant that both visitors and residents could be (and were) stopped and searched at any time. The police advised local businesses that they were in danger, so workers were sent home early ‘for their own safety’. The underlying message was clear - that the G8 protesters were an ugly rent-a-mob, bent on destruction.

The Scottish media magnified isolated incidents: eg, the night-time vandalising of a Burger King at an out-of-town retail park close to the eco-village. In the world’s eyes, Stirling was burning. People were frightened and businesses boarded up their windows in case of attack. The eco-village was, in effect, blockaded by the police for three days. People could not enter or leave the site without being searched, and often all movement was ceased. During the night, police lines barricaded the entrance to the site and there were frequent changes in and out of riot gear.

So who were these dangerous enemies of society that Stirling needed protection from - to the extent that the town had to be converted into a mini police state? The eco-village was set up, with backing from the council, by Dissent, a network of resistance to the G8 (www.dissent.org), and the student body, People and Planet.

The camp was organised from scratch by people allied to these groups and this included ensuring that health and safety standards were met. Power was generated using windmills and solar panels. The site was based around communal kitchen neighbourhoods, grouped by geographical region - eg, Ireland, Manchester etc - or by organisation, and these were also the mechanism for a decision-making system, based on consensus, which governed the camp. Unlike the G8, local people were welcome to visit the site at all times, and some did (like myself), despite the hysteria.

The campers originated from all over the UK and Europe and some from further afield. But most of these predominantly young people had one thing in common - a rejection of lobbying as a political tool and the embracing of direct action. Dissent had been openly planning to participate in the blockade of roads surrounding the G8, in an attempt to disrupt the summit by preventing key workers from reaching Gleneagles.

In Britain today, those who reject poverty, war and ecological destruction are permitted to do so via ‘legitimate’ Live 8 concerts or Make Poverty History rallies, policed by professional bouncers. Those who are attempting self-organised actions or a more confrontational approach can expect police harassment or worse.

Most of the people who experienced the sharp end of police tactics, both in Stirling and elsewhere, had no links to the organised left. The main left parties - eg, Respect or the Scottish Socialist Party - tend to concentrate on parliamentary initiatives, rather than direct actions. But to our credit the spectrum of Scottish left parties and anti-authoritarian groups has so far responded in unity against the threats to civil liberties evident during the G8. There has been no acceptance of divide and rule tactics, splitting the movement into ‘legitimate’ and ‘illegitimate’ protestors. Despite media hysteria, the infamous Black Bloc were marginal players in the context of the anti-G8 actions, so discussions about their controversial tactics must not be allowed to dominate the agenda and our post-G8 analysis.

The UK is governed by an increasingly rightwing and authoritarian regime. Let’s stand firm and build solidarity for the difficult times ahead.

Sally Kimber
Stirling

Fascist?

Israel Shamir quotes Georgi Plekhanov: “The Bundists want to establish their Zion here, not in Palestine”; and then added the witticism: “The Bundists are nothing more than Zionists suffering from sea-sickness” (Letters, July 15). This is the same Plekhanov who became a rabid Russian nationalist during World War I and called for the “Bolsheviks to be drowned in blood”. Does Shamir think there’s any link between views 1and 2?

He says: “Tony Greenstein did not produce a single line that connects me to the fascist doctrine.” I will, though. Shamir describes the period between 1917-1933 as the period of “Jewish ascendancy in the USSR”: ie, Stalin’s 1937 purge ended this ‘period’. He wanted to support Patrick Buchanan in the USA and wishes that the Von Ribbentrop-Molotov pact had lasted longer. This is the ideology of a neo-Stalinist, who is prepared to accommodate with fascism while, like some medieval peasant, worshipping ‘christ’ as a god.

In short he shares the ideology of Zyuganov and the minor Stalinoid satellites of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Anti-Leninist national Bolsheviks and compromisers with fascists to a man!

Alec Prianikoff
email

Florida warning

The current boom in house prices across the UK reminds me of the Florida land boom of the mid-1920s and its awful denouement.

Florida means a tropical climate with sandy beaches. Late in 1921, as the USA was emerging from the recession of 1920-1921, land in Florida was cheap. The early comers - retired folk and farmers - were simply attracted by the quality of life. They were buying homes. But, as the prosperity of the state increased and the price of land rose, it was not long before speculators began coming in increasing numbers. And soon property companies were promoting the attractions of a home in Florida in the northern states.

It was the Roaring Twenties and disposable income was rising rapidly. By 1925, the Florida land boom was in full swing, fuelled by the widely promoted idea that Florida was the most desirable state in the union and by the popular notion that property prices could only go up. It was the old, old story of greed undeflected by thought.

The bankers financing the boom were no more cautious than the speculators indulging in it. In the single year of 1925, the loans on the books of the Florida banks practically doubled. The intending buyer only had to put down 10% of the purchase price and was frequently able to sell the contract on the land before it had expired. Immense paper fortunes were made by people who had no intention of living in the property, or building on the land they were buying. The city records of Miami show that one plot was sold in 1914 at $1,500 and changed hands in 1926 at $1,500,000.

The peak of the boom is usually put in the summer of 1925. It seems to have been about then that the momentum of the price increases was at its highest. The railroad figures show passenger traffic still rising throughout the year, but there was a limit to the number of ‘greater fools’ willing to pick up the baton - and a limit to the depths of their pockets.

In any case, by early 1926, the slowdown was sufficiently apparent to elicit a number of statements from government spokesmen to the effect that this was a healthy breathing space. The general view was that the boom was good for several years more. Certainly that was the view from property agents and mortgage officers. In the autumn of 1926, two hurricanes did some damage to property and a lot more to prices. Even after that the Wall Street Journal was to proclaim that the boom would go on, but it was already broken. Not only had prices crashed, but also the number of deals fell away to a trickle.

The bubble had burst, and it left an appalling trail of defaults, including 26 of Florida’s local councils. It was several decades before property prices in Florida returned to their peak levels of 1925-26. Not until the 1960s, in fact. Those who had decided not to sell during the crash, preferring to wait for the next boom, were still waiting … 35 years later.

John Smithee
Cambridgeshire

IWPA thanks

On behalf of the International Working People’s Association, I would like to thank you for running our open letter in your paper (Weekly Worker July 8).

I would, however, like to point out that this was an abridged version, and that the full version of the open letter can be viewed online at www.geocities.com/detroitwpa/openletter.html.

Martin Schreader
Detroit

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