Re: [Marxism] England Football Supporters

[Jscotlive@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 18/06/2006 13:33:04 GMT Daylight Time,
dergunov2005@xxxxxxx writes:

> But
> of course the nature of this angryness is quite different, it's not
> shauvinistic, but is born by oppression.
>

Reply:

Yes, definitely. There can be no moral equivalent between the nationalism of
an oppressor nation/people and the nationalism of an oppressed nation/people.


The same picture is with
international team that for the first time plays at World Cup. It
became an important topic in government propaganda.


Reply:

Again, I agree. This has been in evidence with regard to England's
participation in this world cup. Tony Blair has attempted to tap into the 
popular, mass
jingoism by flying an England flag from No 10 on England match days. His
Chancellor, Gordon Brown, though Scottish, has announced his support of the 
English
team and plans to attend the next match against Sweden. A furor erupted in
the build up to the World Cup with regard to whether or not prominent UK
politicians, musicians, sportsmen, actors, etc., who are not English, would be
supporting England. This developed into a veritable witch hunt by the tabloid 
press
to weed out those who dared say they would not. However, I took heart from a
poll conducted in Scotland which revealed that something like 80 percent of
Scots would be supporting whichever team was playing against England in this
World Cup.

Seriously, though, a Bread and Circuses psychology is stamped all over this
event. In a week in which revelations over US atrocities in Haditha had come to
light, when Israeli shells continue to reign down on Gaza, the main headlines
in the British press were about whether or not England striker, Wayne Rooney,
would be fit to play in the World Cup.


JD
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