re: sorry politics

[Philip Ferguson <plf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Gary for your fairly effusive comments regarding 'revolution'.  If
we couldn't engage people like yourself and Lou P, despite areas of
disagreement, I think it'd be time to give up.

Now to the point of disagreement you raise:
>My objection however is that the superstructure is still a vital arena of
>struggle. If we move to the Australian Aborigine instance the battle to get
>an apology from the Federal government has consumed a great deal of the
>energy of black activists and their supporters. They want that apology and
>the government led by John Howard has consistently refused to give one.  If
>Phil is correct, then this aspect of the politics of Aboriginal Australians
>is misguided.  In other words there should be no demand or struggle for an
>apology.
>
>I cannot agree here.  Now it may be true that it is Howard's stubborn
>refusal, which alone gives the demand for an apology some political
>purchase. But I am inclined to believe that an apology to indigenous
>Australians is a vital cog in the on going struggle to restructure white
>attitudes towards Aborigines. To repeat, the superstructure matters, and
>apologies for past wrongs may be one of the ways in which it does.



I think what comes in here is the difference between Australia and NZ.

It is nothing to the ruling class here to apologise - in fact, they
virtually queue up to do it.  This isn't just a Labour politically correct
thing under Clark.  The National Party, in government, used to do it too.
In fact, National Party patrician Doug (I can see his face, but I've gone
blank on his name) used to not only make apologies every time there was a
Treaty settlement ceremony.  He used to go one better, and actually cry.
Moreover, he was probably sincere.

Meanwhile Maori remain at the bottom of the socio-economic heap.  It's
amazing what an effective cover-up for present crimes an apology for past
disdeeds can be!

Moreover, Clark has been saying sorry without anyone demanding it.  No-one
was more surprised about her apology to the Samoans than the Samoans, as
they never demanded it.  Nor did the Chinese.  Nor did gays and lesbians.
I tried to explain, in a fairly brief article on 'sorry politics' and also
in the box accompanying my article on NZ's colonial crimes in Samoa, why
Clark is apologising now.

In Australia the ruling class ideology in terms of attitudes to Aboriginals
is probably still quite some distance behind NZ.  Thus we express no
opinions whatsoever in 'revolution' about what demands Aboriginals should
or should not put on the Australian government.  Those questions can only
be decided upon in Australia, in the course of struggle.  The NZ situation
can't be mechanically extrapolated on Australia, and if you tried to apply
stuff in that way you'd probably end up with some weird political positions
in the Aussie context.

The only thing I would say, from our experience, is - beware of bourgeois
politicians bearing apologies.

At the end of the day, it is also the easiest concession they can make.
The oppressed don't need apologies from on high - they need to fight for
their own freedom.

Hope you liked the back page too!

Cheers,
Phil














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