What are the beliefs of the Anarchists? How are they different from the socialists and communists? In particular: is capitalism the enemy, or is the state machine the enemy?
What do the anarchists think workers should do if they are successful in getting rid of exploitative capitalism? What are the anarchists’ criticisms of communism? What are the basic ideas and beliefs of the communists that make it a useful guide to action, and empower workers to overthrow the old system of exploitation and build a new, peaceful and truly representative society? In what way is socialism more ‘scientific’ and systematic?
Harpal Brar, chairman of the CPGB-ML gives a historical and contemporary look at anarchism, from its philosophical and organisational origins to the present day anarchists and their ‘activity’, and compares it to the Socialist views of Marx and Engels.
A must watch for every thinking person, every would be revolutionary, and every worker who wants to build a better world.
Thoughtful article from a young doctor pointing out that Jeremy Hunt, Lord Prior, and the whole gang in government are not stupid, and not being incompetent, but are assiduously following the line of privatising the NHS:
“Lord Prior, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for NHS productivity, quietly announces an inquiry into private charges and insurance to fund the NHS. I.e to move the system from tax-funded to full charge-based private healthcare.”
Not untypically, the emphasis is put on the ideological line of the Tory government, rather than on the entire economic interest of capitalism, which is remained constant, in the face of dwindling working class organisation and political will, for decades, irrespective of the hand at the tiller (Labor, Liberal or Tory).
The real message of all of this: there is no such thing as Capitalism with a friendly face. Imperialism in its death throes is a viscous enough beast to take humanity down with it, unless we gain focus and courage and end this heartless, blood thirsty warmongering and profiteering system.
The following letter was sent by a Proletarian reader to the British Medical Association journal BMA News.
“Readers of BMA News over the last couple of weeks cannot fail to have noticed the BMA’s conspicuous ‘No More Games’ campaign, designed – we are told – to appeal to the UK government to stop “playing games” with the NHS.
With all due respect to the leadership of our trade union, what UK governments – regardless of party political stripe – have done and continue to do to the NHS since 1979 is not a ‘game’, it is a pre-planned step-by-step programme to re-privatise healthcare in this country.
The first step in 1983 was to take NHS executive power away from doctors and place it instead in the hands of new business managers.
Step 2 in 1990 was to replace the old funding system of simple block budget allocation, with an artificial ‘internal market’ whereby ‘providers’ would henceforth compete for funding from ‘commissioners’.
Step 3, from 1997, was the expansion of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), whereby NHS Trusts were encouraged to ‘solve’ their funding problems by – in effect – paying for new (and often unnecessary) infrastructure projects on a credit card.
Step 4 was the introduction of ‘Foundation Hospitals’ – in effect embryonic private hospitals – from 2002: since then the government has decreed that all NHS Trusts must ultimately become Foundation Trusts, or else be subsumed into existing Foundation Trusts.
The final step was the Health and Social Care Act 2011, which in fact formally abolished the NHS as a universal free healthcare system: ‘NHS’ is now little more than the name for a pot of taxpayer money that will increasingly be directed to the government’s friends on the boards of private healthcare providers.
And so you see, the government is not ‘playing games’ here, far from it. It is no more likely to be dissuaded from privatising the NHS by appeal to reason or kindness than it was to be dissuaded from invading Iraq. Or Afghanistan. Or Libya. Or Yugoslavia. Or Ukraine …
Perhaps if anyone needs to be told to stop ‘playing games’ here it’s the BMA?”
CPGB-ML and Red Youth comrades attended Saturday’s demonstration against austerity in London. Comrades cheered Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuiness when he declared that the Tory government were the “real spongers”, he said,
End Austerity Now Demo, London, 20th June 2015
“Unlike the Tory millionaires, I live in the heart of the proud working class community of the Bogside in Derry,”
“The people the Tories are targeting are my friends, my neighbours, my family. They are fine, hard-working, proud and decent – just like our people in working class unionist communities.
“They are not parasites or spongers. It is Cameron’s cabinet of millionaires who are the real spongers given free rein to live out their Thatcherite fantasies at the expense of ordinary, decent communities throughout these islands.”
In the aftermath of what was presented by many as a ‘Tory landslide’, a groundswell of dismay greeted the 2015 election result. From quarters where well-meaning, better-off workers have been fooled into thinking that electing Labour will be Britain’s path out of austerity, much hand-wringing and agonising is now the order of the day.
It has been reported that the demonstration attracted 250,000 people.
The End Austerity Now national demonstration in London this Saturday (20 June 2015) attracted over 250,000 people, by far the biggest single showing of public anger against the British regime in over a decade. Unions, political parties, activist groups, and individuals came together under a single clear message – we won’t tolerate capitalist austerity that puts profit before people.
Despite the racist anti-asylum seeker policies of consecutive British governments, Conservative and Labour, on April 1st ‘Russian dissident’ Vladimir Ashurkov was granted asylum in Britain. So, what makes him such a special case?
Immigration
While the corporate media and bourgeois parties are always racist, hostility towards asylum seekers and economic migrants has been on the increase over the past years. British workers are bombarded daily by the bourgeois media message that the country is swamped with outsiders and that somehow there’s a connection between this process and the continuing decline of living standards (hush, nobody mention capitalist crisis).
Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Director General of the United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Imperialist resolve to punish and starve independent socialist states has continued to weaken in the face of Cuban perseverance against the US embargo.
Last week saw further talks between Cuba and the United States in which the US further retreated from it’s position of54 years of illegal and unwarranted attacks upon the peaceful island nation.
Revolutionary Cuba has seen massive agrarian reforms and the nationalisation of industries, including former property of US capitalists, which led to the US not only cutting off diplomatic relations, but also imposing commercial, financial, economic war. Most famous are the notorious military and covert assaults (Bay of Pigs invasion, shooting down civilian Cuban airliners, assassinations, biological warfare, and incessant attacks on the revolutionary leadship of the Cuban people, including Fidel Castro.
The scale of the US climb-down must be viewed against this backdrop. Below we produce a statement passed to us by the revolutionary Cuban government.
“The third round of talks Between Delegations of Cuba and the United States on the process of re-establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies was held in Washington DC, on May 21 and 22, 2015.
The Cuban delegation was headed by Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Director General of the United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the US delegation was headed by Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department.
The Cuban representatives recognized the decision just adopted by President Obama to remove Cuba from the List of States Sponsors of Terrorism.
These were talks held after the US government, in compliance with its international legal obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, issued a license to one bank to resume the banking services to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington under the conditions of the financial blockade in force.
Both delegations agreed to continue the exchanges on aspects related to the Functioning of the diplomatic missions.
During the talks, the Cuban delegation ratified its substantial willingness to address matters of the bilateral agenda, which would make it possible to move on to the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States on the basis of respect, sovereign equality and reciprocity, eleven diplomatic relations are re-established.”
An appeal from the Communist Party of Nepal, Marxist-Leninist:
“Dear Comrades,
As you already know, we are in trouble because of the huge earthquakes of 25 April, 26 April and 12 May 2015. During these disasters 8500 people died and thousands are missing yet. Thousands of people are injured and hospitalized. More than 500,000 houses are damaged. Millions of people have been displaced, traumatised, and left without basic resources.
Now, earthquake victims seek relief of food, clothes and tents which the people of the accessible zone has got for short period but the people from the remote have got only a few. They seek temporary shelter as the rainy season is coming immediately. So, SHED Nepal is making temporary accomodation for the victims, joining with the CPN(ML) in every possible way in the remote villages. SHED needs funds to buy materials, tools, and meals for the volunteers.
Society for Health and Environment Development (SHED) Nepal is a non-profit, non-governmental organization. It is led by Laxmi Koirala Pokhrel to whom the Government of Nepal has appointed as the Board Member of the Social Welfare Council which is an semi-independent organ of the Government (http://www.swc.org.np). She is an active party worker as the Treasures of the All Nepal Progressive Women’s Association the women’s wing of the CPN (ML) as well.
I would like to request your aid in raising funds for SHED Nepal to provide relief to the victims.
Global IME Bank, Nepal
Account Name: Society of Health and Environment Development, Nepal
Swift Code- GLBBNPKA
Account number- 4201010000157
We also encourage you to explore any means possible to raise funds at work, in your community, and amongst your friends to donate towards the relief, alongside CPGB-ML & Red Youth efforts.
Please note minor changes have been made to this message from the CPN(ML) for readability with all effort to maintain the accuracy and intent of the original communication.
The Iran Shahed is bound for the port of Al Hudaydah in Yemen
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is mercilessly slaughtering people in Yemen, has absolutely no right to inspect this vessel. Neither does the United States of America or Israel. The Iranian government has made that absolutely clear, and all of us in the delegation of peace activists from Germany, France, and the United States absolutely agree
with this decision.
This month Comrade Ed from Red Youth attended the Congress of the RKU (Revolutionary Communist Youth) and delivered the following fraternal address:
Greetings Comrades, it is wonderful to be amongst fellow Marxist-Leninist youth!
First of all please let me extend my thanks to the executive committee of RKU for inviting Red Youth to this Congress and for the hospitality and ongoing friendship fostered between ourselves over the last five years.
Comrades, it was not so very long ago that the greatest catastrophe to befall civilisation took place – the dismemberment of the USSR and the collapse of a large number of the socialist countries. Although it was not so very long ago, many of us, myself included were just coming into the world. Our generation, a generation of post-Soviet youth, was born into an epoch of reaction, the weakening of the socialist movement and a period of great depression amongst the ranks of the revolutionaries. It has been a period of intensified imperialist aggression, a period whereby imperialism has looked to increase its stranglehold upon the planet, and enslave the youth of the oppressed countries. It was only natural that once our generation came to maturity, many of us would rebel against imperialism, and would seek answers to the problems which capitalism puts before the youth of the entire planet. The answers to our questions can only be found in the study of our society and its economic relations; the answers can only be uncovered through our application of science to the study of society, our method is Marxism-Leninism.
