Weekly Worker 890 Thursday November 17 2011
Has capitalism reached the end of the line?
Mike Macnair spoke to the November 12 CPGB aggregate on the Marxist understanding of the crisis. This is an edited version of his speech
The ‘euro zone crisis’ - in reality merely an effect of the 2008 financial crash - has now brought down two more governments, in Greece and Italy: politicians replaced by direct government by bankers. The global financial structure teeters on the edge of the abyss. One result is deep pressure on the structure of the European Union. Towards full federalism? Towards a pure free-trade zone? Or towards a ‘two-tier Europe’?
Meanwhile, there is a real fear that the crisis will trigger not just the fall of governments, but ‘revolutionary crisis’, or the entry of the masses on the political stage. This fear is reflected by determination to block any flashpoints that might be the spark which lights the prairie fire. The most recent symptoms are the police action against the ‘Occupy’ camps in New York and Portland and the soon-expected action against that in London; and the government’s more or less desperate attempts to minimise the November 30 strike action by offering limited concessions, combined with threats: the ‘carrot and stick’ approach. [read more]
LettersMiner insult; Republican?; Expediency; Sexgate; Stalin erred; Fees and cuts;
Technocrats and bankers take over
As the entire establishment falls in behind the new cabinet of bureaucrats, writes Toby Abse, Italian workers must prepare for the attacks that lie ahead
Non-political politics
Michael Copestake has been talking to the occupiers at Sheffield Cathedral
Neglect and chauvinism
The second Van earthquake has once again exposed the Turkish state's twisted priorities, writes Esen Uslu
Debating the republic and extreme democracy
Ben Lewis reports on some interesting exchanges at the 'Historical Materialism' weekend
Marxist education not rote learning
Communists in the CPGB will be prioritising the study of the fundamentals of Marxism, focussing initially on Marx's political economy, to combat the Keynesian quackery prevalent on the left, reports Alex John
Call for ILP to join Communist International
Communists counter the apathy that was devastating the ILP
Love, mud and misery in Yorkshire
Jim Moody reviews Andrea Arnold's (director) 'Wuthering Heights' 2011, general release
Carrot and stick
Francis Maude's idiotic '15-minute strike' suggestion reveals a disquiet at the heart of the government, argues James Turley
Star's financial crisis
Robbie Rix thinks it wholly undesirable that the paper should depend on an exploitative elite
Weekly Worker 890 is available for download as a pdf file.
More videos from Communist University are available on our vimeo web channel.
Star's financial crisis
Robbie Rix thinks it wholly undesirable that the paper should depend on an exploitative elite
Out of the blue Morning Star editor Bill Benfield has announced to the world that there are “Six weeks left to save the Star”. He warned earlier this week: “if you do not respond, and soon, there may well not be a paper to support” (November 15).
Comrade Benfield explained that for the last three years the Star has been failing by an average of £3,000 to raise its monthly £16,000 fighting fund target, which has produced “a shortfall of over £100,000”. As a result “the paper is once again on the brink of financial meltdown” and requires “an additional £50,000 before Christmas - and the sooner the better - or our paper will not survive”. In fact, although “we can pay the wages this week”, there is “no certainty about next week”.
Things are really serious then. Of course, unlike the Weekly Worker, the Star employs a team of full-time workers - our journalists, editorial, design and distribution comrades are all unpaid volunteers. It is true that the Star has “formal support ... from a solid majority of the organised trade union movement” (not to mention “an enthusiastic and successful readers and supporters group within parliament”). But its outgoings are vastly greater than the Weekly Worker’s and, to add to its woes, it recently lost its “one reliable commercial advertising stream” (ironically from a firm of “insolvency practitioners”) worth £45,000 a year.
It goes without saying that our paper has profound political differences with the Morning Star. Because the Star is reliant on “the organised trade union movement” - in reality the bureaucracy - its line on industrial questions reflects very closely, uncritically in fact, that of the union leaders (of both left and right). This does not result in a healthy, independent working class position, since the bureaucracy has a material interest in maintaining its intermediate role between labour and capital.
It is also a well known fact that the Star’s political line, particularly on international matters, is not determined solely by the interests of the proletariat. It has always had to reflect the needs of its international paymasters - the millions in “Moscow gold” were its reward in the past. Today, of course, the USSR no longer exists, but many strongly suspect that there is close connection between the paper’s obsequious reporting of “Chinese socialism” and the visits to Beijing of Communist Party of Britain general secretary Rob Griffiths and other senior CPB figures.
But we have no reason to doubt the severity of its financial crisis. It is, though, wholly undesirable that the paper should depend on an exploitative elite whose interests are inimicable to those of the international proletariat. Nevertheless, we want this thoroughly compromised voice to survive and hope it raises the extra cash it needs. Opportunist ideas are best fought in the open through the clash of different opinions.
As for the Weekly Worker, our funds come entirely from our readers and supporters. We need £1,250 every month (although in November I have raised this target by £100 to make up for the shortfall in October) and I expect our readers will come up with the goods, as they usually do.
But we are lagging behind. While, rest assured, we are not threatened with closure, we have received only £534 so far, with over half the month gone. We had 18,302 online readers this week, but only one made a donation via our website (thank you, KM). We also received a handy £50 in the post from FG, together with £10 from AC. Finally there was a total of £73 in standing orders. Thanks to all of you.
Click here to download a standing order form - regular income is particular important in order to plan ahead. Even £5/month can help!
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