Their Scotland or Our World?

Their Scotland or Our World?

That's the issue in this election, says THE SOCIALIST PARTY

On 5 May, you will have your occasional ration of democracy with the opportunity to vote for the glorified regional council known as the Scottish Parliament.

It's all very well having a vote—but are you normally given any real choice? Let's face it, if it wasn't for the politician's head on the front of the election leaflet, could you tell which party was which?

It's tempting—in the absence of any real alternative—to get drawn into the phoney war that is political debate today. Whether Labour or SNP, Lib Dem, Tory, SSP, ,Respect, they all spout the same promises. And it all amounts to the same thing—they offer no alternative to the present way of running society.

Do you really think who wins an election makes any difference to how you live? And do politicians (whether leftwing, nationalist or rightwing) actually have much real power anyway? OK, they get to open supermarkets and factories, but it's capitalism and the market system which closes them down.

Reality Check

Do any of the political parties address any of the real issues:

+ Why is there world hunger in a world of food surpluses?

+ Why are there unemployed nurses, alongside closed-down hospitals and waiting lists?

+ Why are there homeless people in the streets and empty houses with "for sale" signs?

+ Why do some people get stressed working long hours while others get stressed from the boredom of unemployment?

So what's the alternative?

We in THE SOCIALIST PARTY are not standing at this election ourselves but we still are putting forward an alternative to capitalism and the madness of the market—a society of common ownership and democratic control. We call it socialism.

But real socialism. Not the elite-run dictatorships that collapsed a few years ago in Russia and East Europe. And not the various schemes for state control put forward by the old Labour Party. For us socialism means something better than that. We're talking about:

+ A world community without any frontiers.

+ Wealth being produced to meet people's needs and not for sale on a market or for profit

+ Everyone having access to what they require to satisfy their needs, without the rationing system that is money.

+ A society where people freely contribute their skills and experience to produce what is needed, without the compulsion of a wage or salary.

If you don't like present-day society ... if you are fed up with the way you are forced to live ... if you think the root cause of most social problems is the market system, then your ideas echo closely with ours.

We are not promising to deliver socialism to you. We are not putting ourselves forward as leaders. This new society can only be achieved if you join together to strive for it. If you want it, then it is something you have to bring about yourselves.

If you agree with this, you’ll obviously not want to vote for any of the candidates on offer. But you can show you want real socialism by writing WORLD SOCIALISM across your ballot paper.

And if you want to know more about us and our aims in this election, phone Edinburgh (0131 440 0995) or Glasgow (0141 579 4109) Branch of the Socialist Party. Or come to one of our regular meetings at The Quaker Hall, Victoria Terrace (above Victoria Street), Edinburgh.) 1st Thursday of each month . 7-9 pm. All welcome.

Glasgow Branch of the Socialist Party 3rd Wednesday of each month at 8 pm in Community Central Halls, 304 Maryhill Road, Glasgow.

Or send off this reply coupon for further information and for a free 3-month subscription to our journal the Socialist Standard. Website: www.worldsocialism.org/spgb

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THE CLASS DIVISION

It was the sort of news item that would have appealed to "Disgusted, Tunbridge Wells" or some such Daily Mail reader. "Too fat, too drunk, or just too lazy to work - but not to claim benefit. More than 80,000 people are too fat or too dependent on alcohol or drugs to work, according to official figures released today. The first breakdown of medical assessment for more than two million people on long-term sickness benefit shows that 42,360 of claimants are alcoholics while more than 37,000 are drug abusers. A further 1,830 are too obese to hold down a job." (Times, 21 April) No mention is made of the rest of the 2 million that are on long-term sickness benefit, but even more strikingly no mention is made of the capitalist class. Here is a class that has never worked, has no intention of ever working - in some cases for several generations - and whose benefits are somewhat greater than the £94 a week doled out to the working class as sickness benefit. Some of them are depicted in the national press coming out of expensive night clubs stoned out of their minds, but this is reported as the high jinks of the playboys and playgirls. It is all good fun, but it is doubtful if £94 would buy a round of drinks for them and yet that is supposed to be sufficient to keep a chronically ill worker for a whole week.RD

THE LOGIC OF CAPITALISM

Capitalism is a very competitive society and the logical outcome of the struggle between competing groups of capitalists over markets, trade routes and natural resources is war. The group with the most advanced weaponry has an enormous advantage, hence the attraction of nuclear weapons. A piece of elementary logic that seems to have escaped this group. "Scotland's Catholic figurehead has urged the UK government to give up its "shameful" nuclear weapon programme. Cardinal Keith O'Brien was addressing a rally against nuclear weapons outside the Faslane naval base on Gare Loch. The head of Scotland's Roman Catholic Church was joined by representatives from churches across Scotland in an Easter witness for peace. Quoting the words of Pope Benedict XVI, he said: "In a nuclear war there would be no victors, only victims." (BBC News, 17 April) There were certainly plenty of victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but surely the USA was a victor. RD

BEHIND THE FINE WORDS

The bombing of Gadaffi's forces by the UN has been depicted as a humanitarian action to protect the citizens of that country. In a recent interview the British Foreign Secretary William Hague gave the real reason for the intervention. "Hague insists these actions were humanitarian after the blanket-toting dictator began bombing his own people. But he also concedes a second reason: Libya is a pivotal state for Britain and Europe. Further unrest in north Africa would create a wave of unwanted immigration, new breeding grounds for terrorism and, more importantly, have "terrible economic consequences for the price of oil", he says. "We can't stand aside." (Sunday Times,10 April) The intervention has more to do with the capitalist class's economic interests than for humanitarian reasons. RD

FAMILY VALUES

At every election politicians put on their best suit and their most sincere smile and gush on about "family values". If they still have a wife they haven't divorced or been caught with their pants down with someone else's wife they will wax eloquent on the subject. After the election though what will be the result of all that rhetoric? "British families are facing the biggest peacetime squeeze on their finances since 1921, according to a leading economic consultancy. Soaring inflation and weak earning growth will leave the average family £910 worse off than two years ago, according to analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR)." (Sunday Times, 10 April) Politicians will shrug off criticism, blame someone else, pay off their mistresses and lawyers and prepare for the next election's defense of family values. After all it is only members of working class families who have suffered a decline in real income. RD

THOSE LAZY WORKERS AGAIN

Readers of the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and other slimy media apologists for capitalism will be aware that the biggest danger to Britain today is lazy overpaid workers, exulting in their pampered useless existence while an over-indulgent welfare state caters for their every indulgence. The following news item may strike such people as a little strange though. "Almost every NHS nurse works more than their contracted hours and one in five does so every shift, a new poll shows. Some 95% of nurses say they work longer hours than they are paid for, according to ICM research for the Royal  College of Nursing. ..Many nurses say they have to skip meals and rarely or never get the breaks at work to which they are entitled..." (Observer, 10 April) RD

ANOTHER REASON TO BE A SOCIALIST

If you have tears to shed then shed then now. "A 14-year-old Bangladeshi girl, Hena, allegedly was ambushed when she went to an outdoor toilet, gagged, beaten and raped by an older man in her village (who was actually her cousin). They were caught by wife of the alleged rapist, and the wife then beat Hena up. An imam at a local mosque issued a fatwa saying that Hena was guilty of adultery and must be punished, and a village makeshift court sentenced Hena to 100 lashes in a public whipping." (New York Times, 30 March)  After 70 lashes she was in such agony that she was taken to hospital where she died. The authorities claimed that she committed suicide because that is what someone who commits adultery must do. Bangladesh is a long way from here but we are all guilty of Hena's death if we don't do something about it. That is why we are socialists.

Who owns the North Pole part 28

Yet another in this seemingly endless Arctic saga to control and dominate the North Pole.

Russia is going to deploy a special motorized infantry brigade in its Arctic sector in 2011, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The brigade will be deployed in the Kola Peninsula in the western part of Arctic but would be responsible for operations in the whole Arctic region. The new Arctic brigade will be created on the grounds of an existing motorized infantry brigade and will be based in the town of Pechenga near Russia-Norway border.

Earlier, Russia's Security Council approved the fundamental principles of the national Arctic policy until 2020. This document envisioned deployment of the armed forces in the region, capable to maintain security in various military-political conditions.

feeding the world

Lord Rees, the astronomer royal and controversial winner of last week’s equally controversial Templeton Prize, has a much more benign and optimistic vision for 2050.

“A population of nine billion can be supported and fed on the Earth,” he said. “They can’t all live like modern-day Americans, but they can be supported. By applying the best techniques, better transport and refrigeration, it shouldn’t be too difficult to feed nine billion. So one shouldn’t be too alarmist. If there are problems, it will be about mismanagement. Like poverty, it’s more about lack of will than ability to sort it out.”

The caring unpaid over-worked angels

Nurses are "propping up" the health service by consistently working over their contracted hours and providing last-minute shift cover.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland found just one in 10 nurses feel they have good staffing levels where they work. 96% of nurses reported working in excess of their contracted hours, with a quarter saying they did so every shift. One in six said they rarely or never took the breaks to which they were entitled. 29% said they missed their meal time at work at least three times a week. One in five nurses said that in the last six months they had spent a week or more at work despite feeling too ill to be there. Another 29% said they provided last-minute cover for absentee staff at least on a fortnightly basis.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland said there were "serious concerns" for patient care in the NHS

DOOMED OR SAVED?

Away back in 1904 a group of men and women organised to bring about a new society based on common ownership. They were members of the working class they worked for a living. Their only income was a wage or a salary. Needless to say their activities and ideas were never reported in the press. They still are not But what about this group of fruitcases? "The end of the world is nigh; 21 May, to be precise. That's the date when Harold Camping, a preacher from Oakland, California, is confidently predicting the Second Coming of the Lord. At about 6pm, he reckons 2 per cent of the world's population will be immediately "raptured" to Heaven; the rest of us will get sent straight to the Other Place." (Independent, 27 March)  This nonsense gets across to people unlike the rational view of those workers because it suits the owning class's interests. It should be noted that the crazy religious mob we refer to have assets of $120 million, we are skint. RD

Don't bet on the GGs

With the endorsement of the Socialist Party Scotland (Committee for a Workers’ International), the Socialist Workers Party and Sheridans's Solidarity, George Galloway will head the Glasgow list under the humbly named ‘George Galloway (Respect) - Coalition Against Cuts’ in the upcoming Scottish parliament elections. Once mor we witness the personality of the cult developing. Charismatic politicians have a propensity to capture public worship either through making articulate speeches or wearing fine suits. Galloway has a gift of making fine speeches and a flair for fashion. This emphasis upon the individual has been an increasing symptom of the emptiness of capitalist politics. The emptier the politics, the bigger the personalities.

The leaders we are asked to support, and sometimes choose between, are a myth, created and maintained by--leaders. They are poor examples of honesty, integrity, even of humanity. They are not interested in truth, justice, or any of the grand notions they spout about. They exist, have always existed, will always exist, for one purpose only: to line their own pockets and empty yours. They are parasites on the social body, unwanted, unnecessary and destructive. To follow leaders is to hand over your heart on a platter, with knife and fork attached.

The Socialist Party has no leaders. Socialism wouldn't operate that way and neither do we. All decisions are made by common vote, all administration is above-board and open to inspection, and all work is voluntary. None of us is perfect, and that's why democracy works better than leadership. Mistakes by one person are not disasters for the many. Private interests don't count. Power doesn't exist. Socialists are their own leaders, and they follow nobody but themselves. Socialism could not work with people unwilling or unable to think for themselves, to take responsibility, or to co-operate, but fortunately it doesn't have to. Human beings are better than that. We can think, and we can co-operate, and we don't need rescuing by some "heroic" and entirely untrustworthy leader of the Left. Galloway is a living confirmation of the Socialist Party’s case of avoiding leadership and leaders in our movement.

To Galloway we say the Socialist Party are unable to support your list of demands. None of them addresses the essential problem of our society - the ownership of the means of production by a tiny number of capitalists and the enforced exploitation of the working class through the wages system. Lacking an honest revolutionary stance for a new society, the reformism of Galloway becomes caught in a pointless and frustrating circular battle with an economic system that is based on exploitation. As long as the accumulation of capital takes precedence, either in the hands of the individual capitalist or state institutions, the primary concern of exploitation of labour and making profit will take precedence over the concerns of human need. So long as the essential resources for living are controlled by their owners - whether as western style private capitalists or monopolist state bureaucrats, like that of the Soviet State-Gangster Capitalism you so venerated - the strife and anguish of the class struggle will remain.

The effect of your election campaign will be to help continue this mystification and confusion of the workers as to their own interests, as well the sullying of the name of socialism. The job of socialists is to bring the class struggle to an end, not to try and accommodate themselves with this system. Once we understand our real interest and begin to consciously organise to get it no leader or deceiver is going to be able to deflect us from our course, and the days of the likes of George Galloway will be numbered.

MONEY AND MADNESS

It is  said that power and money can turn people mad and their seems to be a couple of recent examples of that notion. First of all we have the Lybian dictator Gaddafi declaring "My people love me" as the the country explodes in a civil war and the following crazy declaration of the balding, ageing and the far from handsome but immensely rich prime minister of Italy Silvio Berlusconi. "When asked if they would like to have sex with me, 30% of women said "Yes", while the other 70% replied, "What, again?" (Sunday Times, 3 April) RD

A THATCHER NIGHTMARE

Margaret Thatcher like all previous, present and future prime ministers of Britain was an enthusiastic supporter of capitalism. She depicted capitalism as a "property owning democracy" as her government rushed to sell off council homes. Today such a boast about capitalism must seem somewhat empty to thousands of workers who find themselves the victims of this "property owning democracy". According to the Centre for Economic and Business Research the statistics would seem to suggest that this particular Thatcher dream about capitalism has turned into a nightmare. "650,000 households are struggling to pay the mortgage. 117,000 people are in arrears." (Sunday Times, 3 April) RD

Food for Thought

In the Obscene and Heard category – as Yemen struggles to get rid of its President/dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was about to hand absolute power to his son, as a king would, The Toronto Star reported (26/March/2011) his speech, " We in leadership, we don't want power, but we need to hand it over to trustful hands, not to sick, hateful, corrupt collaborator hands." Astounding nerve, even for his clique of rogues, thieves, and murderers.
In the UK, angry demonstrators occupied dozens of bank branches in protest of government cuts to people services such as cuts to laundry service for the elderly, to daycares, to libraries, while banks, as in Canada, make incredible profits and pay miniscule taxes. For example, Barclays paid $177CA million against an astonishing year's profit of $18.2 billion. Unfortunately, the group says it is not against taxes, they just want the banks to pay their fair share. They will have to come up with a much better alternative to that solution, say the end of money and finance and the establishment of common ownership!
In contrast to the wealth of the banks, The Toronto Star, in an article on The privatization of Britain's housing, revealed that, in England, 4.5 million people are waiting for public housing, and 100 000 households are officially 'homeless'.
 The Harper government appointed Christiane Ouimet as Integrity Commissioner in 2007 to look into reprisals against whistleblowers. Of 228 cases brought before her, only seven were investigated, and no wrongdoing was found in any of them. She was accused of bullying her staff but apparently, no one blew the whistle. She recently resigned two days before an audit was due to begin. Despite the lack of action in four years, she received a separation allowance of $354 000, $53 100 in lieu of forgone benefits, and twenty-eight weeks' severance pay of $137 000. Most workers are lucky to get twenty-eight weeks' unemployment benefits when capital no longer needs them.
Here comes 1984. Miami-Dade (Florida) police department is set to use drone cameras like those used in Afghanistan against the Taliban, for surveillance purposes.

For socialism, John Ayers

Food for Thought

Poverty is endemic in the 'Third World", as everyone knows. It is just as evident in the rich First World. According to http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/02/21-5, in the US, the richest nation, six million lost their jobs in the recent recession, 25 million are underemployed, $8 trillion was lost in the housing/mortgage crisis, one quarter of all mortgages are underwater (owe more than the value of the house), 50 million live in poverty, one eighth of the population are on food stamps, one half of all children will be in food stamps sometime in their lifetime.
 In Canada, three million live in poverty and the latest blueprint to reduce the problem produced by the House of Commons, was dismissed outright by Tory minister of Human Resources, Diane Finlay, as the party's strategy of growing the economy will take care of it. A rising tide lifts all boats, trickle down effect etc. etc. etc. and on forever.
In China, that land of endless booming economy, have the boats been lifted? The Toronto Star reported (6/March/2011) that seventy Chinese congressional deputies (out of 2 990) have a combined fortune of $75 billion. Five hundred million Chinese live on less than $2 a day. They must be in a sinking boat!
Meanwhile, Canada's top banks reported first quarter earnings of Toronto-Dominion Bank, $154 billion (taxes $343 million) Royal Bank of Canada, $1.84 billion (taxes $612 million)
CIBC, $799 million (Taxes $268 million) National Bank, $465 million (Taxes $129 million).
That's for a quarter year! They were expecting, and got, big tax concessions in the recent budget. Unfortunately for them, it was defeated and the government fell. Steadily falling corporate tax rates and the used of tax havens (how patriotic these banks are!) has saved billions in unpaid taxes. "That's a lot of schools, a lot of hospitals." Said Toby Sanger, economist for The Canadian Union of Public Employees. Time to wake up! John Ayers

CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION

In a society torn with wars and threats of war, world starvation and global pollution members of the owning class and their girlfriends have more pressing problems. Which handbag to buy? The advertising world is quick to provide a solution to this pressing problem. "Celine simply epitomises understated chic. Sleek lines, gold hard-wear and the minimal shape of this shoulder bag will polish off your effortless style - £1,600." (Independent, 19 March) RD

RICH AND POOR IN THE USA

In a recent newspaper debate about the growing inequalities of wealth in the USA  entitled "Rising Wealth Inequality: Should We Care? Why do Americans seem unperturbed about the growing gap between the rich and the poor?", Michael I. Norton an associate professor at the Harvard Business School, who is  is currently co-writing a book on money and happiness, made some interesting observations. "In a recent survey of Americans, my colleague Dan Ariely and I found that Americans drastically underestimated the level of wealth inequality in the United States. While recent data indicates that the richest 20 per cent of Americans own 84 per cent of all wealth, people estimated that this group owned just 59 per cent believing that total wealth in this country is far more evenly divided among poorer Americans." (New York Times, 22 March) It may have escaped the professors' notice, but all the media is owned by the rich and it is in their interest to spread the false notion that capitalism is a fair and equitable society. RD

workers getting pooer

Workers are more than £1000 worse off than they were two years ago because pay has failed to keep pace with hikes in the cost of living, new research claimed today.

It said the average employee had seen the value of their take-home pay dive by five per cent in real terms since the middle of the recession.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER DISASTER

Newspapers are quick to cover a story like the miners rescued from the cave-in in Chile, but mining disasters are so common that they hardly register in the media compared to important events like a Royal wedding. So it should come as no surprise to learn of the following event only being covered by a few lines in the national press. "At least six workers were killed and 46 trapped by a methane explosion in a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan. An official said that the mine was declared dangerous two weeks ago, but the warning was ignored." (Times, 21 March) The reality inside a capitalist society is that coal and the profits that can accrue from it is much more important that human lives. RD

who owns north pole - part 27- now Germany joins in

As the Arctic ice melts, Germany wants to make sure its scientists gain unfettered access to the region. They have been hindered by the Russians, and other Arctic nations have been hesitant to cooperate. But Berlin also has its eyes on the bigger North Pole booty: natural resources and sea routes.

What happens in the Arctic in the coming years and decades is everyone's business. The Far North has a decisive impact on the climate of the entire planet. Temperatures in the region are rising at higher rates than elsewhere in the world, which affects people and the environment far away from the Arctic. The German scientists' data are urgently necessary to understand these changes.
"This is why we need access to allow our scientists to move about and work throughout the entire Arctic," says polar scientist Lochte. She is now getting prominent support for her demand. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, a member of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), is hosting an international conference on the Arctic in Berlin on Thursday, where the key topic will be future polar research.

However, unfettered access for scientists isn't the only interest Germany is pursuing in the Arctic. From fish to natural resources to shipping routes, the region is of great interest for Germany, according to officials at the Foreign Ministry. The diplomats are worried that the five countries bordering the Arctic -- Russia, Canada, the United States, Norway and Denmark -- plan to divide up the previously ice-covered ocean among themselves. They argue that there is a risk that the Arctic could be completely nationalized when the sea ice melts, providing access to the sea floor. Germany argue, however, that Germany and other countries should also be given a say in what happens in the region. Natural resources that will become much more accessible when the Arctic ice melts are of critical importance for a high-tech country. A similar argument holds true for the possibility of transporting German goods to Asia through the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route off the Russian coast. Germany wants the five countries bordering the Arctic to recognize that other countries have an interest in using the Arctic. For this reason, a representative of China, which pursues interests similar to Germany's, was also invited to the Berlin conference.

COMIC BOOK CAPITALISM

Capitalism is an insane society that values things much more than human beings. The following news item should be read with the knowledge that millions of people are trying to exist on the equivalent of $1.25 a day. "A comic collector has been caught in Spider-Man's web, paying $1.1 million for a near-mint copy of "Amazing Fantasy" No. 15 that features the wall-crawler's debut. The issue, first published in 1962, was sold Monday by a private seller to a private buyer, ComicConnect.com chief executive Stephen Fishler told The Associated Press on Tuesday. It's not the highest price ever paid for a comic book, an honor that goes to "Action Comics" No. 1 with Superman on the cover, which went for $1.5 million." (Yahoo News, 9 March) RD

THE CLASS DIVIDE

In a recent issue of the Guardian newspaper there was an an inserted leaflet from the charity WaterAid. It was appealing for 52 million pounds in a campaign to change the lives of 884 million people who still lack clean water and the 2.6 billion who have nowhere safe to go to the toilet. According to the leaflet "It's a fact that around 4,000 children die every day from diarrhea because they lack clean water and sanitation." If 52 million pounds seems like a lot of money it should be noted in that same paper there was an  article that reported the sale of super luxurious  flats in London. "The property tycoons behind London's most lavish residential development are £62 million better off after fresh details emerged of sales at One Hyde Park. The Candy brothers, Nick and Christian, and their backers have pocketed the sum after selling one sixth floor property for £22m, and one on the second floor for £21.6m .... A penthouse flat in the development is understood to have been sold for £135m, but Land Registry documents have yet to be filed." (Guardian, 16 March) RD

CHANGED DAYS

From time to time we see political parties and religious groups change their tactics to suit changing times but this takes a bit of beating for a turnabout. "Cardinal Keith O'Brien today launches an attack on Foreign Secretary William Hague following the announcement that the UK plans to double overseas aid to Pakistan to more than £445 million. Cardinal O'Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, says the aid package should be conditional on a commitment to religious freedom and a pledge to protect Christians and other religious minorities." (Herald, 15 March) The Roman Catholic Church wanting to protect religious minorities? Could this be the same church that threatened Galileo with the Inquisition, that sponsored the slaughter of the Crusades and persecuted and burnt any that did not bend the knee to Rome? Of course in those days they were all-powerful but in those areas where they are a threatened minority they have found it convenient to champion the rights of religious minorities. Changed days indeed. RD

HYPOCRICY AND TORTURE

The UK and US governments are fond of claiming that they have strict moral rules against the use of torture in dealing with enemies. Recent disclosures from a high ranking ally seems to cast doubt on that claim however."Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has cast doubt on Britain's public stance that countries should not torture British citizens on its behalf. He said he was never told that was the policy and this may have been "tacit approval of whatever we were doing". His comments raise questions about how much MI5 knew about torture being used in the fight against al-Qaeda." (BBC News, 14 March) The truth is that in the struggle for markets and the sources of raw materials countries go to war and there has never been a war yet that was fought in a decent or moral fashion. RD

LAND OF THE FREE?

American politicians are fond of boasting about the "land of the free" and contrasting the freedoms of people in the USA with that of other countries, but recent developments in the state senate in Ohio seem more dictatorial than democratic. "Ohio joined Wisconsin on Wednesday in advancing a plan to restrict public sector unions, posing a new threat to U.S. labor union power in one of the most politically and economically important states. The Republican-controlled Ohio state senate approved a proposal to curb the collective bargaining rights of public employees and forbid government workers from going on strike." (Reuters, 2 March) RD

HARD TIMES - FOR SOME

We are told ever day by the mass media that we are living in hard times and that we must be prepared to tighten our belts. Longer working lives, lower pensions and the threat of growing unemployment are the prospects for the working class. This period of "economic reality" does not affect the owning class of course."Carlos Slim gets even richer as he beats Bill Gates to the top of the 2011 Forbes billionaires list. Carlos Slim, the world's wealthiest man, saw his fortune jump $20.5bn last year as he beat a record 1,209 rival billionaires, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and British resident Lakshmi Mittal, to the top of the Forbes global rich list." (Daily Telegraph, 10 March) In case you imagine that this only applies to Mexican, American or Indian billionaires Forbes informs us that the Duke of Westminster managed to increase his stack to $13 billion last year. RD

Karl's Quote

Before capitalism could get going, it was in need of money capital to finance its operation. Primitive accumulation began with the age of exploration and continued through the mercantile period to provide the necessary capital. Marx comments, "The capitalist mode of production – since its basis is wage labour, and therefore also the payment of the worker in money and the general transformation of services in kind into money payments – can develop on a large scale and penetrate deeply only when there is a quantity of money in the country in question for circulation and for the hoard formation (reserve fund etc.) conditioned by this circulation, This is a historical precondition, even if the situation should not be conceived in such a way that a sufficient hoard has first to be formed before capitalism production can begin. The latter rather develops simultaneously with the development of its preconditions, and one of these preconditions is a sufficient supply of precious metals. Hence the increased supply of precious metals from the sixteenth century onwards was a decisive moment in the historical of capitalist production. In so far as we are dealing with the further supply of money material needed on the basis of the capitalist mode of production, we can say that on the one hand surplus-value is cast into circulation in the product without the money for its conversion, while on the other hand surplus-value in gold is cast into circulation without its previous transformation from product into money."
(Capital, Vol. II, p418 Penguin Classics edition)

Food for Thought

An example of the federal Tory's governing Orwellian style, Human Resources Minister, Diane Finlay, recently replied to critics of her government's decision to scrap a national daycare program that the former government was ready to establish. She described the program as forcing parents to hand their child-rearing duties over to 'other people'. Who
they can hand them to without it being 'other people' is beyond most people's comprehension, and what they will be expected do when the child gets to school age when they are handed over to teachers is not yet clear! John Ayers

Reading Notes

Letter to The Toronto Star (12/Feb/2011)

 "Behold democracy in Canada, a nation where a government rejected by two-thirds of the voters, continually lies to us and withholds information from us as it serves the interests of those who finance and control it. It spends millions of our tax dollars on self-promotion and misinformation and billions more in the service of its masters. It views democratic principles as obstacles to the goals of its hidden agenda, it undermines the sources of truth by withholding access to it, dismantling the census and promoting broadcast journalism that is nothing more than a propaganda machine designed to cloud our minds while serving the rich and powerful. And then it assures us of its commitment to transparency, accountability, and democracy."
The function of the educational system
 "It (the school) was a Victorian building with pointed windows like a church. It had been built by the Fitzherbert family, as the headmaster never tired of reminding the pupils. The earl still appointed the teachers and decided the curriculum. On the walls were paintings of heroic military victories, and the greatness of Britain was a constant theme. In the scripture lesson with which every day began, strict Anglican doctrines were taught…There was a
school management committee, of which dad was a member, but it had no power except to advise. Dad said the earl treated the school as his personal possession." ("The Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett, p11).

For socialism, John. Ayers

THE GANJA OF THE PEOPLE

Away back in the 19th Century Karl Marx once stated "Religion is the opium of the people", but we wonder how he would have responded to this 21st Century news item. "The sale of marijuana has been banned by authorities in Nepal during a popular Hindu festival at which holy men traditionally smoke the drug. About 500,000 people and thousands of holy men travelled to the Pashupatinath temple in Katmandu for the festival, which marks the end of winter. ... Police stopped people from dealing but  did not prevent the holy men from smoking the drug." (Times, 4 March) Perhaps the Christian holy men should take a leaf out of the Hindu's book, it might help their falling church attendance figures. RD

CLASS DIVISION IN iNDIA

A visit to an Indian city such as Calcutta would convince the visitor that it is a country of extreme poverty and qualifies as what the press call a "third world country". You can see homeless families eeking out an existence living on the streets but that is only part of the story. "In a wedding estimated to have cost Kanwar Singh Tanwar, the groom's father and a member of Parliament, £15 million, about 30,000 guests ate 100 different dishes and the couple's main gift was a seven seater helicopter. (Times, 4 March) For a tiny minority of Indians a life of undreamt affluence is the norm in this "third world" country. RD

Food for Thought

Our federal government is pushing the ever popular 'tough on crime' program to protect us from the bad guys. Senator Hugh Segal in the Toronto Star (20/Feb/2011) reveals just who the government is after. Almost 100% live beneath the poverty line; aboriginals, just 4% of the population make up 20% of the prison population; more than 70% did not complete high school; 80% arrive in prison with serious substance abuse problems; 70% have unstable job histories .In other words, the economically marginalized people of society. Segal advocates getting tough on poverty but, of course, is unable to discover the cause of poverty, like so many other people and governments.
But wait! A solution has just arrived. The dean of the Rotman School of Management at Toronto University has commented on the latest figures showing that Canadian workers are low on the productivity scale. If we can match the high producers such as Luxembourg and Norway, we can expect our mortgages to be paid off and have enhanced social programs such as a national day care program, and, presumably, be in a position to eliminate poverty. He was unable to explain, however, why workers in those above mentioned countries still have mortgages and social programs just like ours, or why, in the last 50 years and longer we have increased our productivity many times over and we still have every government chipping away at our services and the banks are still giving out mortgages to workers. John Ayers

Food for Thought

The parliamentary bill to send generic drugs to Africa is still in the works - after eight years! The fact that the original proposer has left parliament, amendments to the bill, and the government's reluctance, have all conspired to make its passage longer and less sure. How many people have died since Canada trumpeted to the world its intention to provide cheap drugs. It was Liberal government in power then!
 On the environmental front, it has been revealed (Toronto Star, 19&26/Feb/2011) that Ontario Hydro sprayed enough agent orange, the deadly chemical, to cut a 30 metre swath four fifths around the world. There was no regard to streams, soils or the mostly student workers who did the job. It continued until 1979 and, not surprisingly, is turning up a lot of people involved with a variety of diseases. John Ayers

Food for Thought

In the 'futility of reform' category, The Toronto Star reported (12/2/2011) that the provincial government, which has continually stated that it will reduce poverty (25% reduction in five years) froze minimum wages at$10.25. Premier Mcguinty commented that Ontario's minimum wage is the highest in the country (except for the territory of Nunavut, to be correct) and that freezing it would help employers to recover from the economic meltdown. To add insult to injury, the provincial government also brought in new rules to make it harder for welfare recipients to access funding for food. This, of course, will affect the already meager diets of their children – nice guys. Strange when minimum wage earners must sacrifice to help the economy after billions of dollars were given to the auto industry!
John Ayers

Reading Notes

A few observations by Jared Diamond in "Guns, Germs, and Steel – The Fates of Human Societies"
"The remaining way for kleptocrats (Diamond's excellent term for societies where the surplus value is stolen!) to gain public support is to construct an ideology or religious justification for kleptocracy. Bands and tribes already had supernatural beliefs…but the supernatural beliefs of bands and tribes did not serve to justify central authority, justify transfer of wealth…When supernatural beliefs gained those functions and became institutionalized, they were thereby transformed into what we term a religion." On the advantages of states over tribes,
" Second, the official religions and patriotic fervour of many states making their troops willing to fight suicidally. The latter willingness is one so strongly inured into us citizens of modern states, by our schools and churches and governments that we forget what a radical break it marks with previous human history.
Every state has its slogan urging its citizens to be prepared to die if, necessary for the state: Britain's "For King and Country", Spain's "Por Dios y Espana" and so on.
" Many Eurasian states and empires had official religions that contributed to state cohesion, being invoked to legitimize the political leadership and to sanction wars against other peoples."

For socialism, John Ayers

Karl’s Quotes

The worker advances his labour to the capitalist; the capitalist does not advance money. Marx says, " It should be noted here that the capitalist 'advances' the capital laid out on wages, to use the mode of speech peculiar to political economy, for different periods, according to whether he pays wages, by the week, by the month, or every three months. In point of fact, the opposite happens. The worker advances the capitalist his labour for a week, a month, or every three months, according to the intervals at which he is paid. If the capitalist did actually buy labour, instead of simply paying for it later, i.e. if he paid the worker for the day, week, month, or three months in advance, then we could speak of an advance for these periods. But since he pays only after the labour has lasted for days, weeks, or months, instead of buying it and paying for the time it is to last, the whole thing is a capitalist quid pro quo, and the advance that the worker makes to the capitalist in the form of labour is transformed into an advance that the capitalist makes to the worker in money." (Capital, part II, p.295, Penguin Classics edition). Another reason capitalism owes its continued existence to the worker!

For Socialism
John Ayers

AND SOME CALL IT COMMUNISM?

For years and years socialists pointed out that Russia was not socialist. We were mocked by the left wing, but eventually they conceded that there were class divisions in Russia. Ah, said our opponents but at least in China we have a classless society. Our opposition to that viewpoint was met with derision but what is the position today? "Sales of luxury goods are exploding, despite a hefty tax on importing them. A new report by CLSA, a broker, forecasts that overall consumption in China (including boring everyday items) will rise by 11% annually over the next five years. .... But sales of luxury goods will grow more than twice as quickly, reckons CLSA: by 25% a year. No other category comes close. ... China is already the largest market for Louis Vuitton, a maker of surprisingly expensive handbags, accounting for 15% of its global sales. Within three years, reckons Aaron Fischer, the report's author, China's domestic market for bling will be bigger than Japan's. By 2020 it will account for 19% of global demand for luxuries." (Economist, 17 February) Our position is simple - all over the world we have capitalism no matter what the ruling elite may choose to call it. RD

LAZY WORKERS?

A defense of capitalism often heard by socialists is that socialism would be impossible because without the goad of the wages system workers would be too lazy to work, but recent statistics seem to contradict that argument. "A record 5.26 million people worked unpaid overtime last year, clocking up an average of more than seven hours a week without pay, according to a new study. The TUC said workers were missing out on almost £5,500 a year, worth £29bn to the economy. One in five employees regularly put in extra unpaid hours last year, with public-sector workers most likely to work unpaid overtime,said the TUC. The number of workers doing unpaid overtime was the highest since records began in 1992, the research found, with 5.26 million people clocking up an average of seven hours 12 minutes unpaid overtime every week." (Independent, 25 February) RD

THE HAPPIEST DAYS?

It is a beautiful picture - the idyllic notion of "schooldays are the happiest days of your life", but for many kids it is a cruel fallacy."Ministers should draw up an emergency plan to tackle extreme levels of poverty as new research showed that more than one in four live in penury in some major UK cities. The figures, compiled by Save the Children, show that 1.6 million youngsters live in severe poverty, which the charity condemned as a "national scandal". With unemployment rising and a radical shake up of the welfare system seeing £18bn wiped from benefits, the charity fears the number of children living without the basics will rise unless action is taken." (Guardian, 23 February) Well-meaning charities may talk about "emergency plans" and "national scandal", but the realities of capitalism dictate government policies not noble sentiments. RD

A WORLD OF INEQUALITY

There is a widespread illusion that we live in more equitable times than previous generations, but recent statistics from the World Bank give the lie to that notion. "A sharp rise in food prices since June has pushed 44 million people in developing countries into extreme poverty - having to live on less than $1.25 a day - according to a report by the World Bank. (New York Times, 15 February) RD

MERCHANTS OF WAR

Politicians like to portray themselves as peace-loving do-gooders who want a peaceful world, but when it comes to selling armaments such scruples are soon forgotten. "David Cameron insisted that selling arms to authoritarian regimes does not clash with his desire to assist the "building blocks of democracy" across the Middle East, as he landed in the Gulf with eight of Britain's most senior businessmen from the defense and aerospace industry. ... He faced questions however, over his decision to bring representatives of  BAE Systems, Thales UK, QinetiQ and Rolls Royce on the private aircraft from London on the next leg of the visit." (Times, 22 February) Mr. Cameron is a realist. Pacific words are all very well at election meetings but the arms trade is big business. He expects to clinch  deals for millions of pounds over the sale of RAF Euro fighters to the Gulf and make a deal with oil-rich Kuwait over the sale of civil nuclear power installations. He is well aware that the Lybian dictatorship used British military equipment to kill peaceful demonstrators, but business is business.RD

the price of kids

The cost of raising a child in Scotland until their 21st birthday has risen to £203,000 – or £26.50 a day – a report has revealed. The study shows the cost of bringing up a child has risen by 50% since the firms’s first Cost of A Child Report in 2003. It has gone up by an inflation-busting 4.5%, from £194,337, in the last year alone.

Childcare and education – excluding private school fees – account for the biggest costs to parents. Childcare is estimated cost £67,430 over the course of a child’s upbringing. Other regular expenses that have risen in cost at a rate higher than inflation include clothing, which is up 11.7% compared to last year, holidays (up 6.4%), food (up 5.9%) and personal care items, such as toiletries, which have risen by 5.1%. Overall childcare costs are £84 for 25 hours a week – more than half the gross average part-time weekly earnings of £160. In addition, Government support to parents to fund childcare is going down – from 80% to 70%.

"Three-quarters of parents said they were having to economise because of the financial pressures they were under, with nearly half making savings on holidays.” Satwat Rehman, director of One Parent Families Scotland, said those on lower incomes were particularly vulnerable to rising costs. "The cost of basics are going up and the greatest impact is on parents who are at the greatest risk of poverty.”

old and young suffer

Save the Children said its research revealed there are 90,000 children in Scotland - or one in 10 - living in what they term the most "severe poverty" and the charity said they feared that number would rise "dramatically" due to Scots having the lowest chance of finding work in the UK.

In January this year, Glasgow had Scotland's highest proportion of youngsters in severe poverty at 18%, followed by North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Clackmannanshire at 14%, and Dundee at 12%.

The charity said Glasgow had almost 18 people chasing every job vacancy, and that in West Dunbartonshire there are more than 36 people vying for every job.

Douglas Hamilton, Save the Children's head of Scotland, said: "Urgent action is required in Scotland's most deprived areas or we will end up with a lost generation. Some of these children will grow up living in households with no working adults - they have never seen a parent or grandparent work and this becomes the norm. People don't see a route out of poverty or this cycle of worklessness "

Meanwhile, Pensioners should lose a series of benefits, including free TV licences, free bus travel and the winter fuel allowance, to ease the financial squeeze on younger people, according to the think-tank., the Institute of Economic Affairs.

David Manion, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: “Suggesting that all older people enjoy a ‘privileged’ economic position shows total ignorance of the reality of life for the majority of over-65s. In fact the UK has one of the lowest state pensions in Europe, with 1.8 million pensioners living in poverty and many more surviving just above the breadline.”

Yet Elinor McKenzie, chair of the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum, said: “Every year around 3000 older people in Scotland die over the winter months from cold-related illnesses."

Commodity-talk

Millions of people have been trained to think about what they buy through advertising slogans. They go into the grocer for a packet of "exceedingly good cakes" and some "prolongs active life" for the dog; in the sweet shop they pick up a "helps you work, rest and play" bar and perhaps "just one Cornetto" - to the approved tune, of course; then on to the travel agent to book two weeks in Benidorm with "we'll take more care of you"; down to the garage to pick up the "Vorsprung durch Technik" and fill it with a few gallons of the petrol which" you can be sure of". It is hardly surprising that a buying and selling society has taught the consumers to go in for commodity-talk, Think of all the language we'll lose to a world of free access: no more mindless slogans and jolly tunes to persuade us to buy shoddy brand A rather than bargain brand B. In a moneyless society l suppose we will have to learn to survive without the ad-men telling us what we want.

Steve Coleman

Socialist Standard July 1985

FIRCROFT COLLEGE

The Socialist Party Summer School

SUMMER SCHOOL DISCUSSIONS

A CLASS DIVIDED SOCIETY

When socialists describe capitalism as a class divided society some of capitalism's supporters dispute this claim, but here is one dyed-in-the wool supporter of capitalism who seems to be agreeing with us. "Britain is dividing into "two nations", Iain Duncan Smith warns today, as he indentifies a growing underclass for whom life is comparable to the Third World and who can expect to die in their fifties. ... Speaking just days after publishing his Welfare Reform Bill with radical measures to drive people into work, he said: "In Britain today there are pockets that are peculiarly Third Worldish in terms of life expectancy, general expectations, disconnection for a group that is growing in number." (Times, 19 February) Needless to say Smith's determination to "drive people into work" applies to the working class not the useless parasitical capitalists. RD

A WASTEFUL SOCIETY

We live in a very wasteful society but surely this example of its wastefulness takes a bit of beating. Sacha Hall a 21 year old worker was arrested for taking ham, pies and waffles dumped in a caged dumpster at the back of a Tesco Express in Essex. "Arrested at home, she was handcuffed and marched to the police station, charged with the rarely applied crime of "theft by taking", for which she could receive a prison sentence." (Times, 19 February) Sacha who is on a low wage at another supermarket, said she was feeding her extended family. Wasteful? Tesco made a profit of £3.4 billion last year and yet some useful member of society risks a prison sentence for taking something out of their rubbish bin. Wasteful? The police, the courtroom staff and maybe even the prison wardens are spending their time dealing with "a dangerous criminal" like Sacha. RD

heartless system

Deaths of people who were waiting for appeals to be heard against the loss of benefits has prompted calls for a fairer assessment system. The claimants from West Dunbartonshire, died from the conditions which caused them to claim Incapacity Benefit (IB) while waiting for appeals to be heard against cuts to their benefits.

One was deemed fit for work during a work capability assessment, despite having a deteriorating chronic illness, and lost both incapacity benefit and disability living allowance. When his support worker appeared at the appeal tribunal she had to report her client could not be present because he was dead. The appeal was upheld and the backpayment will become part of his estate.

The other had a congenital condition which caused difficulty in walking but was assessed capable of work and his incapacity benefit was withdrawn. He was waiting for a date for an appeal tribunal when he died.

A third person, again from West Dunbartonshire, died recently after winning a second appeal tribunal following three years of repeated assessments and decisions being overturned.He worked as a shop assistant in his 20s but was forced to give up due to severe heart and lung problems caused by a degenerative syndrome.An “indefinite” award of IB and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) was revoked after only two months on the basis of a questionnaire he had filled in.Six months later it was reinstated by an appeal tribunal. Despite this ruling and the finding that his condition was worse than the original assessment, his case was once again referred for medical assessment. Once again, the benefit was withdrawn. He appealed again, with help from staff at the Clydebank Independent Resource Centre, and a tribunal date set for a further six months on. By that time he had been confined to bed with severe pain for several days and his extreme difficulty in reaching the chair in the tribunal room caused the chair of the panel to say the hearing would be as short as possible and that a taxi would be waiting to take him home. He won the appeal but only after three years of unrelenting anxiety over whether his benefits would be cut.

Mary Hodgson, from Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, worked from the age of 16 until she was 41, latterly as a support worker for people with learning disabilities. That ended suddenly when a lower disc cut through her spinal cord leaving her semi-paralysed. “I went from being a fit and healthy person to being unable to walk without crutches and needing a wheelchair to go any distance,” she said. “The damage to my nerves has caused other problems and I need daily care from a nurse.” She was assessed as fit to work. That decision was overturned on appeal and she now receives the higher rate of Employment and Support Allowance, but the experience has left her fearful over her future support.

GROWING OLD DISGRACEFULLY

In pre-capitalists societies the elderly were often respected and even revered but this is capitalism and the poor elderly are looked upon as a burden today. A recent report by the health service ombudsman has accused the NHS of "failing to meet even the most basic standards of care". "Ann Abraham writes in the report: "It is incomprehensible how staff are still neglecting fundamental aspects of care for older people, including food, water and cleanliness." ... Despite a series of scandals over the neglect of elderly patients in several NHS trusts, the report, to be presented to Parliament today, catalogues a "harrowing" array of failings in hospitals and GPs surgeries." (Times, 15 February) It should be noted that it is only those people who are forced to use the NHS because of their poverty that suffer such indignities. The useless, rich, parasitical owning class enjoy the same comfort and ease in old age as they wallowed in their youth. RD

Scottish poverty levels 'not improving'

A BBC report out today argues, "Scotland is facing its "most difficult" challenges in tackling poverty in years, campaigners have warned.

The Assembly for Tackling Poverty, which is due to meet in Glasgow, said levels of poverty in Scotland have "not been improving for a number of years".

It said about 250,000 Scottish children were living in low income households.

The assembly will hear from community and voluntary organisers, faith groups, trade unions, academics and policy makers." ( Faith in reforms is a huge part of resistance to the solution: Added MC)

The assembly is part of a four-year project supported by the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland.

(Capitalism is a lottery right enough but it is stacked from the beginning in favour of those already winners:.Added MC)

It aims to support community and voluntary organisations to become more involved in developing anti-poverty policy.

A spokesman said it was now "crucial" to find solutions to the causes of poverty.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-12491459

However well meaning some of this group are, we would have to point out that there is only ever going to be a solution to poverty however one may define it by getting rid of the system which causes it.Capitalism must be destroyed. ( What is Capitalism?)

Official statistics show that despite taxation the distribu¬tion of incomes and wealth remains as it must be under capitalism: concentrated in the hands of a few. The few are rich through their monopoly of the means of life and their returns on their investments as rent, interest and profit; the workers get as wages and salaries little more than enough to keep themselves and their families in efficient working order. State action, such as tax reform and social security benefits, cannot alter these basic inequalities of capitalism any more than they can solve the problems in housing, health and education which arise for workers as a result.

Don't be fooled either by Labour politiians in opposition now positioning themselves as teh champions of the poor.
On 20 July 1946 the late Aneurin Bevan claimed in a speech at Durham that: "when the next election occurs there will be no housing problem in Great Britain for the British working class" (Hansard, 14 July 1948, Col. 1202); and the Labour Party announced that "destitution has been abolished" (Labour and the New Society, 1950, page 5). Merely to recall these claims is to expose the futility of reformism.

The Labour Party has always shown disdain for the Socialist Party of Great Britain's insistence on first convincing the workers of the need for Socialism,(What is Socialism?) choosing instead to put forward reforms in its electoral programmes in order to gain working class support and thus obtain political power. 'The workers want something now', we have always been told, the implication being that a workers' party should imitate the openly capitalist parties and make promises of reforms in order to catch votes. Such reasoning ignores the fact that a party which rises to power on non-socialist votes can only administer capitalism. The fate of successive Labour governments is proof of this.

The question needing to be put to this group is, can capitalism be made to work differently? Or must there be a social revolution to replace capitalism with some other society? (Reform or Revolution?)

MC

NEW CASUALTIES OF WAR

It does not take a genius to figure out that being a soldier is a very dangerous job, but we usually associate the dangers from enemy fire not from mental stress. Recent figures show that the stress of hostilities can be a ruthless killer. "By some estimates, well over 300,000 troops have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with P.T.S.D., depression, traumatic brain injury or some combination of those. ...As a result, psychiatric drugs have been used more widely across the military than in any previous war. But those medications, along with narcotic painkillers, are being increasingly linked to a rising tide of other problems, among them drug dependency, suicide and fatal accidents - sometimes from the interaction of the drugs themselves. An Army report on suicide released last year documented the problem, saying one-third of the force was on at least one prescription medication. Prescription drug use is on the rise the report said, noting that medications were involved in one-third of the record 162 suicides by active-duty soldiers in 2009. An additional 101 soldiers died accidentally from the toxic mixing of prescription drugs from 2006 to 2009." (New York Times, 12 February) So  you might survive the enemy worst efforts to kill you only to succumb to prescription drugs. RD

BANKERS AND BAMPOTS

When we were young we were taught at school to respect "our betters". Amongst that learned group we were taught were business men, religious leaders and statesmen. The German Thilo Sarrazin, a former executive member of the Bundesbank would certainly qualify for that august body that is due our respect, but some of his opinions might cause even our old school teacher a moment of doubt. "A German banker who has said "all Jews share a certain gene" and described Muslims as "dunces" will speak tonight at the London School of Economics amid a row over free speech." (Independent, 14 February) Since our schooldays we have learned to doubt whether religious leaders and statesmen are indeed "our betters". We can now add business men to that doubtful list.b RD

PROGRESSING BACKWARDS

One of the illusions peddled by politicians is that we  making progress and we are all better off than we were in the past, but according to the Consumer Price Index prices have risen by 4 per cent against a 2 per cent rise in wages. "Households face a deepening "income recession" as the cost of living rises far more  quickly than wages, analysts warn today. Official figures released tomorrow are expected to show that inflation is rising at approximately twice the pace of salaries, leading to punishing deterioration in living standards." (Times, 14 February) Progress for the working class is a delusion that should fool no one. RD

HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER

Shortly before the last general election David Cameron gave a speech at East London University about political funding. "The Cameron pitch on political reform included a call to limit donations to political parties to a maximum of £50,000, from an individual, a business or a trade union. That way, the impression that money could buy influence would wane in the new world of transparency. Almost exactly a year on, such talk sat uneasily with news that since he became Conservative leader in 2005 funding for the Tories from the City's richest had risen fourfold to £11.4m a year. Just 10 City individuals, it transpired, had given £13.2m over the past five years - 13% of total funding. Rather than practising what he had been preaching Cameron had let an elite group of the very richest tip their millions into party accounts to help it win power." (Observer, 13 February) Despite the pre-election promises it is still business as usual at Tory HQ. RD

THE NATIONAL ILL-HEALTH SERVICE

One of the fallacies much beloved of British politicians is that the NHS is a no-expense spared service that provides patients with unbeatable treatment, but the evidence of Aseem Malhotra seems to contradict that claim.  "The healthcare that clinicians offer is usually exemplary. Why, then, are the ill served such disgraceful meals? I mend hearts. Then I see my patients served junk food by our hospitals. Fry-ups, burger and chips, fizzy drinks and ice cream for pudding. You would expect to see these delights on the menu at a McDonald's or Burger King. But, sadly, this is the sort of food that is also likely to be served at your local hospital. I work as a cardiologist at one of Britain's leading cardiac centres. ... Coronary artery disease is the biggest killer in the western world and a significant part of my job involves performing a lifesaving procedure, angioplasty, to restore the blood supply to the heart muscle. Coronary atheroma (fatty deposit within the artery wall) takes many years to develop and is the culmination of risk factors, of which lifestyle - and diet in particular - is a major contributor." (Observer, 13 February) Dr Malhotra asks why they are served such meals, but the newspaper provides the answer. "The majority of hospitals spend an average of less than £1 on each meal per patient."

THE CLASS STRUGGLE

An article, by Kate Devlin, UK Political Correspondent for (The Herald, February 12.⁾  headed, "60,000 Scots cheats to lose sickness benefits" Discloses, "People claiming sickness benefit will now have to apply for unemployment benefit, potentially losing over one thousand pounds"

Evidence from a socialist's point of view that Trade Unions (TU) should re-examine this idea, that continuous battling with the employers, will be rewarded by a continuous improvement in the wellbeing of the workers.

"ABOUT 60,000 Scots claiming sickness benefits face being told that they are fit for work, according to the results of two pilot projects, including one in Aberdeen.
The move is part of Coalition plans to save £11 billion from the welfare bill. Every person claiming incapacity benefit (IB) across the country will be reassessed between now and 2013.
Under the process, claimants are asked to fill in a medical questionnaire and then invited for interview". (Why bother? you might wonder, the heading implies the Scots are cheats even before the interview)

Socialists don't advocate reforms of capitalism, we would agree that TU do and must struggle against continuous pressures in a capitalist world, however, the evidence is overwhelming, the solution is not continue as before, i.e. "running faster to stay still" as it was once put at a TUC conference. (are we staying still? would you agree?)

"The shake-up of welfare payments could save the Tory-LibDem Coalition up to £40 million in Scotland alone.
The first reassessments of those receiving incapacity benefits –currently worth up to £91.40 a week – found that more than two-thirds were able to work.
Just less than one in three, 30%, was told they were able to work immediately and could no longer receive sickness benefits. Another 39% were told they would be given support to help them back into the workforce, because it was felt they could hold down a job, possibly part-time, in the near future. The rest were allowed to remain on sickness benefits"

"Announcing the interim results from the pilot projects, Coalition ministers claimed too many people had been "abandoned" to a life on benefits". (I don't know the benefits of being abandoned to a life without benefits are, but the coalition ministers are determined that we find out right away)
"Chris Grayling, the UK Employment Minister, said: "The initial findings from Burnley and Aberdeen serve to underline why it is right to reassess IB claimants and to launch the Work Programme to give those who can work the specialist help they need to do so. Too many people were simply abandoned to a life on benefits; we are determined to put a stop to that terrible waste of potential." (What about the terrible waste of potential, most workers know that the cuts will bring to those in employment? When workers can't make a profit for the bosses the problem for bosses is getting the workers back into work i.e. returned to profit making. The urge to reduce there costs is relentless and in the current capitalist crisis any benefits workers are perceived to have gain in boom times are attacked. The years of struggle will have to continue, unless, a new reason for producing is considered).
Socialists appeal to all workers to realise that the future can never be better than chaotic in a capitalist society, where profit overrides needs. We have the ability to produce most necessities in abundance; however, we need the will to get rid of a system that provides abundance for a small class of capitalist and replace it with a system of common ownership of the means of production i.e. Socialism.

 

Hullawrerr- Parliamo Glesga

Glaswegians have the most attractive accent for Japanese speakers of English, a new study has revealed.

"The gemmes a-bogey" - we are in a recession
"Ahve loast mah joab so ahm gaun doon tae sign oan the broo." - unemployment is on the rise

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/japanese-prefer-glaswegian-accent-says-study-2208514.html

A BANDIT MAKES HIS GETAWAY

Amidst the recent turbulent political and social events in Egypt it is sometimes forgotten just how much loot the former leader has stashed away out of the exploitation of the Egyptian working class. "Hosni Mubarak's family fortune could be as much as $70bn (£43.5bn) according to analysis by Middle East experts, with much of his wealth in British and Swiss banks or tied up in real estate in London, New York, Los Angeles and along expensive tracts of the Red Sea coast. After 30 years as president and many more as a senior military official, Mubarak has had access to investment deals that have generated hundreds of millions of pounds in profits. Most of those gains have been taken offshore and deposited in secret bank accounts or invested in upmarket homes and hotels. According to a report last year in the Arabic newspaper Al Khabar, Mubarak has properties in Manhattan and exclusive Beverly Hills addresses on Rodeo Drive." (Guardian, 4 February) The Egyptian protest movement may or may not have brought about a more democratic society but it is clear Mubarak has cleaned up big time. RD

RUSSIAN CONMEN IN ACTION

The development of capitalism in Europe usually took the form of the emergence of the capitalist class ousting the previous feudalic ruling class by political and military means. It led to a dominant capitalist class being served by a military and political group subservient to the capitalists. In Africa and Asia it sometimes occurred that the military group became all powerful. It would seem that in Russia the political group have become the powerful group. "Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev share between them at least two dozen palaces, villas and mansions, according to a respected Russian magazine, in a report that is likely to reignite a debate about privileges enjoyed by the ruling duo. The Russian liberal media and blogosphere have been alive with discussion about possible secret residences belonging to the two since a businessman in December accused Mr Putin, the Prime Minister, of building a £600m palace on the shores of the Black Sea for his own personal use. The magazine Kommersant Dengi reported yesterday that given the Russian regime's opacity, it was impossible to tell how many residences the President and Prime Minister had access to, but noted that some estimates gave Mr Putin 26 separate places to live in." (Independent, 1 February) Irrespective of how capitalism develops, whether leading to an economic, military  or political form of wage slavery it is not in the interests of the working class and must be abolished. RD

SHARING THE PAIN?

In the recent downturn in world stock markets it was common for politicians and economic "experts" to express the view that during this recession everyone would have  to share  the pain, we would all have to make economic sacrifices in order to speed a return to so-called prosperity. It would seem though that the "sharing" was to say the least a little uneven. "Carlos Slim's Mexican holdings from mining to communications helped him beat Bill Gates and Warren Buffett on the stock market for the second straight year, and gains in 2011 may widen his lead atop the global wealth list. Slim's publicly disclosed holdings surged about 37 per cent to $70 billion in 2010, with wireless carrier America Movil SAB representing $48.9 billion of that wealth, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The 22 per cent jump in shares wasn't enough for Buffett to catch up, and Gates's fell, hurting his returns even as he spread his investments to other companies." (Bloomberg, 2 February) Those workers unfortunate enough to suffer from wage cuts, unemployment or foreclosure on their homes know all about sharing the pain unlike the likes of Slim, Buffett and Gates. RD

RELIGION AND MATERIALISM

Religious organisations are fond of lecturing about the evils of materialism and stressing the importance of spiritual values as opposed to mere physical gratification. It is a view expressed by amongst other religious outfits the Church of Scientology, but its leader David Misgavige is known to like the odd physical comfort. "The New Yorker reported claims from former members that Mr Misgavige lived a luxury lifestyle, flying chartered jets and having two chefs, five stewards, a fleet of cars and six motorcycles." (Times, 8 February) Such lavish compensations would be illegal for the leader of a tax-exempt body, but a spokesman for the organisation claimed that such perks were gifts from members to express their "love and affection" for Mr Misgavige. We seriously doubt if such "love and affection" as chartered jet travel and fleets of cars is spread to other members of Mr Misgavige's flock. RD

DEBT LADEN IN BIRMINGHAM

Any student of the Industrial Revolution will tell you of the important part played in its development by the city of Birmingham. It was one of the foremost cities in the new industrial society and a leading light in the  creation of undreamt wealth for the capitalist class. The picture for the working class is very different as depicted by a newspaper today in its description of a tower block in that city and its residents. "Residents of Tower House report that: 36% per cent are in debt - 47% of whom have cut back on basics such as food and heating; 15% have turned to pawnbrokers; 8% have borrowed from moneylenders." (Observer, 6 October) The immense wealth created by the working class has certainly not been enjoyed by the working class of that tower block in Birmingham nor its equivalent throughout capitalism worldwide. RD

THE WIDENING GAP

In an article describing the life of the extremely wealthy and the rest of us The Times recently laid out a list of some of these super-wealthy individuals living at present in London. The Indian billionaire Anil Agarwal worth $6.4 billion, the Russian Alisher Usmanov worth $7.2 billion and the Ukrainian Viktor Pinchuk a mere $3.1 billion. "The extravagance of the super-rich at a time when the vast majority of people are feeling the financial squeeze seems incongruous at best. But the reality is that the gap between the UHNWIs (ultra-high net worth individuals) and the rest is widening. Alan Greenspan, the former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, said recently that high-income individuals, banks and corporations had rebounded from the global downturn, while pretty well everyone else struggled. ... The world's wealthiest 10 per cent now control 83 per cent of all assets." (Times, 5 February) When even the ultra-conservative Times can report on the widening class differences in capitalism the ultra-rich must be very convinced of the docility of the working class. Fellow workers - wake up! RD

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

A lesson learned? Just a week after the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people, thousands of shoppers browsed for guns at a trade show there. Assault rifles and semi-automatic pistols, including the Glock 9mm model used in the shooting, were on sale and no background checks are needed. Stall holder, Randall Record, explained, "People see it as either guns are going to get banned, or I'm going to get shot. Either way it drives sales."

Socialist know that unions are good for fighting a rearguard action against the worst of capitalism but that they are not revolutionary and will never bring socialism. We also recognize that they are increasingly drawn into the system itself, but it was a surprise to see right wing columnist, Angelo Persichilli (Toronto Star, Jan 16, 2011) praising Canadian autoworkers president Ken Lewenza for his part in the auto revival from the depths of two years ago. According to Persichilli, Lewensa had the courage to change the political activism of his predecessors and make the concessions necessary to help out the desperate situation. As usual, if you participate in the race to the bottom you are a great guy, if you stand up for your rights, you are vilified. The futility of reform, and how, in this case.
Finally, the cause of the Mexican hotel explosion last year has come to light. Rather than a build-up of swamp gas, it was a leakage from improperly installed gas pipes that mysteriously did not appear on the blueprint. Chalk another one down to corruption, graft, and greed. - The Toronto Star (Jan 8, 2011) asked the top 100 Canadian CEOs, who average $6.6 million in salary per annum, if they thought they were worth it. Only one replied and he was thankful his salary was set by the board and not him. Considering they have earned the average working man's annual salary by lunchtime of the second day (i.e. 155 times more) and do not produce anything useful or any surplus-value, I think the answer would be a resounding 'NO'. John Ayers

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

According to Jennifer Bain, (Toronto Star, Jan 15, 2011) food is so plentiful in Canada that our garbage cans are full of it. Apparently, we toss away 40 per cent of our edibles a year, valued at $27 billion.
Perhaps someone would care to explain why we have ever-growing line ups at the food banks. The quote, "when I fed the hungry I was called a hero, when I asked why there were starving people, I was called a communist" may apply quite well here.
Recently in Toronto, an unfortunate incident occurred. A man in bare feet and with obvious mental problems stole an unattended snow-plough and proceeded to run amok on the city streets. The police, unable to stop him, finally fired three shots into him but in the process, one constable was run down and killed. The officer was given a state funeral where 12 000 uniformed officers marched through city streets for hours and all major Toronto television stations interrupted normal programming for the entire day to bring wall to wall coverage of the event. All major national newspapers led with the story on the front page. The Saturday Hockey game in Toronto was delayed for a ceremony in his honour. The coverage was way over the top and a thinly disguised attempt at jingoism to make the public forget the black eye that the police have been getting over their handling of the G20 crisis that continues to bring forward incidents of police misconduct. That they can amass so much media support is truly staggering. John Ayers

feeding the poor

Mary's Meals, a Scots-based and Argyll-based charity, provides school meals in 16 of the world's poorest countries is now feeding half a million children.

Founder, Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, said "There are still one billion children living in poverty, so our work is not done yet."

Sad to say that the work will never be done.

The necessity and prevalence of charity in a world capable of producing a sufficiency of food, clothing and shelter to easily satisfy the needs of all, is an obvious indication that something, somehow, somewhere, is rotten to the core. The socialist claims that it is capitalism. Capitalism automatically produces poverty which in its turn perpetuates charity. Eliminate the cause, and you eradicate the disease. Rather than deal simply and directly by providing ready access to storehouses of goods, as would occur in a sensible world, there are those who prefer instead to deliver the great mass of wealth to the privileged minority and present tear-drenched appeals for charity for the impoverished majority.

Charity! Sweet charity! Upheld as evidence of the innate goodness of man. Providing an outlet for the energies of people who feel that something ought to be done and who might otherwise find time to think about doing things really helpful. Indecent, unwholesome charity! Preying on the natural willingness of ordinary people to help one another, even to the extent of depriving their own of needed things. Charity! Symbol of a society that neither intends nor desires to end the conditions that ensure its existence.

One day the means for producing and distributing the needs of life will become the common property of all the people and will be operated for no purpose other than to provide abundance to all the members of society. On that day a socialist society will be established, bringing an end finally to exploitation, along with all the other abominations of capitalism, including charity.

IT BEGGARS BELIEF

"Beggars are to be cleared from the streets in Bangladesh during the cricket World Cup, which starts next month. The poorest are to be compensated for loss of earnings but most will be put into "welfare camps" until the event is over. ... According to some estimates there are 700,000 beggars in Bangladesh." (Times, 1 February) RD

ROLLING IN THE STUFF

"By Forbes' count, 69 billionaires from 20 countries are expected to attend the annual World Economic Forum confab, which starts tomorrow in the Swiss Alps town of Davos. The helicopters whirring above this afternoon suggest that some may have already arrived.  It may well be the greatest concentration of wealth in any one place. Their total net worth, as tracked by Forbes: $427 billion, greater than the combined gross domestic product of Israel and Egypt. The U.S. has at least 20 billionaires expected to make the trip, more than any other country. (Forbes, 25 January) RD