Re: economics and class struggle behind legal victory

[Patrick Bond <pbond@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Burford" <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <PEN-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 23, 2004 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: [PEN-L] economics and class struggle behind legal victory
> What's new in this debate, Patrick, despite the important factual
> information.
> Can you share Jubilee's experience of how to get round this set back
> rather than just counselling us not to get excited? I personally think
> I am lugubrious enough already, but as Michael discourages
> characterisations I will not invite corrections at this point.

Ah, I think the Jubilee comrades will be using this as an ongoing point of
propaganda against the neoliberal clique running South Africa, including
President Mbeki (as M.P. Giyose's quote shows). This kind of thing, repeated
many times, is important in the agit-prop used by exhausted nationalists,
that we sum up as 'talk left, walk right'.

As for their concrete battle plans, I assume they will consider an appeal
and their quite good US lawyer (Michael Housefeld) will keep probing the
Alien Tort Claims Act for openings. The battle field is also open in
Switzerland, Germany and Britain, but the comrades doing solidarity work
there don't have all the tools that the 1797 US law gives. That may compell
more street action, against the likes of UBS, Deutsche Bank, Barclays and
Standard Chartered, amongst others. Stay tuned, I'll try to provide updates.
And if anyone wants a really brilliant 1/2 hour video (commissioned by
Jubilee SA) about the struggle over apartheid debt and profits, let me know
and I'll put you in touch with the filmmaker, Ben Cashdan.