Tribute to Carol Brickley
You have given so much of your life to demand justice for the majority: the workers, the revolutionaries, the victims of imperialist fascism, who fought all their lives to survive and obtain their dues.
You understood so well what it was to be left out, victimised and denied basic human rights.
You, together with Norma Kitson, were efficient convenors of City Group, and I am privileged to have known you for many years. The picket helped me to develop political education.
I shall often think of you and your relentless commitment, you were a mountain of a woman.
Yours with affection.
Colette
Labour a safe pair of hands for capitalism?
In the run up to the December 2019 General Election, a group of 163 academics and economists led by David Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee that sets interest rates, wrote a letter to the Financial Times (25 November) endorsing the Corbyn-led Labour party to form the next government. Blanchflower is also a former member of Labour’s Economic Advisory Committee set up by John McDonnell.
Citing the prioritisation of consumption over investments, ‘deficit reduction over public services’ and the stagnation of productivity growth, they wrote: ‘Corporate investment has stagnated. Average earnings are still lower than in 2008. A gulf has arisen between London and the South East and the rest of the country. And public services are under intolerable strain – which the economic costs of a hard Brexit would only make worse. We now moreover face the urgent imperative of acting on the climate and environmental crisis.’
Admitting ‘private sector reluctance’ (despite the trillions of dollars they’re hoarding), the letter urged ‘investment… be directed into the large-scale and rapid decarbonisation of energy, transport, housing, industry and farming; the support of innovation- and export-oriented businesses; and public services. It is clear that this will require an active and green industrial strategy.’
The letter is an endorsement of the Labour party’s manifesto, and shows that’s sections of the British ruling class see the Labour party as a safe pair of hands to defend the interests of British imperialism in a world of increasing inter-imperialist rivalries between the EU and the US.
Fellow signatories included Ann Pettifor, author of Labour’s green industrial strategy and pusher of the imperialist Green New Deal, along with journalist Paul Mason and former Syriza MP and left Brexiter, Costas Lapavitsas. Lapavitsas and Mason, a left-wing warmonger who wants Labour ‘to keep Trident’ nuclear missile system, and lamented the failure of Obama to bomb Syria in 2014, give the letter the radical cover it needs, but can’t hide the fact Labour is a ruling class party fit for imperialism.
Charles Chinweizu
Manchester
Serco covering up TB epidemic
Thank you for your letter received on Friday 16 November 2019, regarding the actions of Serco Group Thameside. This is nothing new for this prison or Serco, who violate the rights of prisoners at will – without challenge! They are even trying to keep quiet the TB epidemic at this prison and staff involvement in drug dealing and supply of illicit contraband – which brings into disrepute the decent staff at Thameside who try at least to do the best they can!
Desmond Shields-McKinley
A2600CR
Serco Thameside Prison
Ecuador expels Cuban medical team
Cuban medical staff were expelled from Ecuador in November, following idiotic lies that they were active in the 11 days of demonstrations against Lenin Moreno’s Decree 883 in October, which raised diesel and petrol prices.
Medical cooperation between both countries began in 1992. Later on, in June 2006, ‘Operation Miracle’ began, with 153 staff. In this, 168,543 surgical operations were carried out, including 4,609 cataract and 118,575 pterygium operations.
During emergencies and disasters in Ecuador: Cuba assisted flood victims in 1986; in 2001 in a dengue epidemic; and caring for the victims of the earthquake of 16 April.
Overall since 1992 there have been 6,749,666 medical consultations, 212,360 surgical operations, attendance at 3,548 deliveries and 100,084 vaccinations.
Alvaro Michaels
Latin America Conference 2019: revolutionaries and reformists
On 23 November some comrades attended the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC)’s Latin America Conference 2019 in London. This gathering was, as always, an intriguing mix of inspiring Latin American revolutionaries alongside the thoroughly frustrating British left.
Learning about Nicaragua’s efforts to combat climate change made it clear that progressive countries in the ‘Global South’ are truly putting the wealthy imperialist nations to shame. As the US plans further sanctions and interference in Nicaragua and possibly even Mexico, we must defend Latin American nations’ right to self-determination.
The contribution of Alpidio Alonso Grau, Cuban Minister of Culture was a special highlight. Grau emphasised something that is often forgotten by Marxists but is a key to Cuba’s outstanding perseverance as a revolutionary society: the importance not only of providing for the basic needs of everyone, but also building in them a socialist consciousness to overturn the cultural and informational hegemony of capitalism.
What a shame it was, then, that CSC stewards were up to their old tricks of banning the sale of Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! inside the conference centre. This is pure sectarianism. FRFI is known for its unstinting support for the Cuban revolution and for building solidarity with the anti-imperialist struggles of the working class in Latin America. What is the CSC’s problem?
Latin American solidarity campaigns run by the British Labour and trade union movement have a habit of focusing exclusively on US imperialism, to the detriment of understanding the crimes of the British state and businesses in Latin America. It was therefore refreshing to hear Asad Rehman of War on Want say, ‘We can’t talk about Britain without talking about imperialism’.
Any critique of the role played by the media in deliberately undermining anti-imperialist struggle in Latin America cannot ignore the shameful role played by supposedly left-wing Novara Media. This outfit – who act as cheerleaders for the tame reformism of Jeremy Corbyn’s pro-imperialist Labour Party – published regime change propaganda from the US-trained Bolivian opposition just weeks before Evo Morales was removed in a coup. Yet when I made this point, Pablo Navarette of Alborada defended Novara, dismissing their chauvinist stance as a mere blip.
The Labour Party’s contradictions were a blind spot. In a closing speech, Steve Turner of Unite rightly talked about the shadow of lithium extraction (needed for electric cars) behind the coup in Bolivia. Yet in the same speech trumpeted Labour’s promise to subsidise hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles for Britain!
Liam Harney
West London RCG
Grup Yorum on hunger strike!
Since 16 May, the band has been conducting a hunger strike to demand the right of expression and to oppose the repression that is taking place against them and their supporters in Turkey and abroad.
The band have pressed the following demands:
- Our members be released and the cases be dropped.
- Police raids be ended in the İdil Cultural Centre [in Okmeydanı, İstanbul], that was raided eight times in these last months.
- The removal of our members and sympathisers from the wanted ‘terrorist lists’ of the Ministry of Interior.
- The removal of the ban on concerts and open squares by Grup Yorum.
The hunger strikes were initially hosted by group members at the Cultural Centre Ayçe İdil Erkmen, but in recent weeks imprisoned members of Grup Yorum joined the protest. Four members of Grup Yorum – Bahar Kurt, Barış Ünal, İbrahim Gökçek and Helin Bölek – have been conducting hunger strikes in support of their comrades’ demands. In addition to Turkey, hunger strikes in support of Grup Yorum were held in Austria, Belgium, England (UK), France and Germany. The hunger strikes were carried out by members of People’s Front, fans of Grup Yorum, and representatives of German leftist organizations. ETA prisoners in France have also been on hunger strike in support of the band.
The Turkish state still prefers to neglect the demands of musicians, and at the moment it is known that the government has threatened the members with force feeding against the hunger strike that has been going on for over 160 days now.
The health of the members is critical with the weights of the members being:
Bahar Kürt – 42 KG
Ali Aracı – 47 KG
İbrahim Gökçek – 53 KG
Barış Yüksel – 57 KG
Helin Bölek – 58 KG
Grup Yorum is the people and can’t be silenced!
Our songs will win!
Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! 273 December 2019/January 2020
