[Marxism] Re: RESPECT direction after the election

[Tony Hartin <t.hartin@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Walter,

you wrote...
> THE MILITANT (published in the United States of
> America) tried to characterize Galloway as some
> sort of anti-immigrant type,
...
> Were there any other efforts to attack Galloway from the
> "left"? I'd be curious and grateful to learn. They didn't
> get any traction when the vote came down, but perhaps
> they had some resonance among ordinary ultralefts?

Did MILITANT really do that? what a bunch of unprincipled scumbags if so.
Yes Oona King and New Labour pulled out all the stops. They tried to compare
Galloway to Oswald Moseley and by association, RESPECT to the British Union of 
Fascists.
This was supposed to play big with old labour stalwarts in the area because 
Moseley of course tried
to physically assault Jews (the immigrants of the day) and the LEFT in the same 
East End.
The difference of course, as Galloway himself put it, Moseley came here to 
attack immigrants. RESPECT
came here to defend immigrants from New Labour.

There were other fake left accusations.. galloway was racist, sexist, 
anti-semitic etc. By the way
this position tried to borrow from the idea that the be pro-Palestinian, or 
anti-zionist means
you are anti-semitic (even to criticise atrocities that the IDF carry out!)
The more studied fake left accusation is that RESPECT is muslim-opportunist - 
which I find a racist
accusation in itself.  RESPECT in fact attracted the white working class vote 
as well. This last accusation is
one that plays out in sections of the Left

> New Labour has continued the worst aspects of previous Tory
> policy. These include measures such as the removal of the
> right-towork; the policy of dispersal; the use of detention
> centres plus greatly increased deportations. It also
> included legislation which denies any support whatsoever to
> so-called ¡¥late¡¦ applicants and failed asylum seekers
> (including families with children) and the criminalisation
> of asylum seekers, including children as young as 10,
> arriving without documentation.

I'll say. New Labour are not content with having a neo-con economic 
agenda.. they are really trying to
pull out all the tory-hate-the-working-class stops. The latest is the idea to 
criminalise young people
who wear hooded tops (apparently its threatening), slap more and more ASBO's on 
them, force them to do community service
and then give them garish uniforms (chain gang guatanamo bay wear) in order to 
shame them. I expect the stocks and the stake
will be making a reappearence soon

cheers,
Tony H


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