M-TH: London and Ulster

[Chris Burford]

At 06:36 14/02/00 +0100, you wrote:
>I saw today your defense of the Vietnamese Stalinists Chris and thought
>about recent events in Ireland. Well, what have ya got to say now? About
>Stormont and the fake peace process.
>
>In fact the old term "I told you so" comes to mind. 
>
>Warm Regards
>Bob Malecki


Funny you should say that. I have often thought of saying "I told you so"
to you about Ireland.

I was defending the Vietnamese for a rational revolutionary strategy in
marxist terms and would not want to say I was defending Vietnamese
"Stalinists". The term covers too many things to be sure it is more than a
term of abuse. But if you mean by 'Stalinist' they indulged in dogmatism
and widespread purges against members of the party, I have not heard that
they did this any more than other communist parties at the time.

Ireland:

What is fake about the peace process? Politics is a continuation of war by
other means. 

The Provisionals should be getting gold medals from revolutionaries for not
surrendering their weapons, which many communist parties did after the
anti-fascist struggles in 1945-46. The way they are doing this is by saying
that rust is the best decommissioning agent. They also say that enough
trust has not been built up yet. They could also say, and probably have,
that it is in the interests of the British and Irish governments and the
enlightened unionists to keep the political process going because then that
cuts the arguments away from those wishing to raise funds for more
armaments. They also point out that they are not the only owners of arms,
and that if the nationalist population of the north is to feel they do not
need arms again then they need the assurance that the army of domination,
the Royal Ulster Constabulary has been qualitatively transformed. They also
need assurance that triumphalist paramilitary parades will not march round
their communities during the "Marching Season".

So if political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, they need
assurances that the barrels of the guns are not pointed in one particular
direction.

As for the British and Irish governments they have been following a policy
of conflict management and conflict resolution which is in the interests of
their finance capitalist class, who want a smooth integrated market in the
whole of the British Isles as well as Ireland. Therefore for historical
materialist reasons the significance of home rule for Ulster has changed
from a fundamental nationalist demand to part of the process of assuring
national democratic rights in a pluralist political environment in an
integrated market.

It is quite clear from the present exchanges that Trimble and Adams know
what roles each has to play and are carefully avoiding burning final bridges.


What is fake about that? More it is a fake breakdown.


Your problem Bob, is that whenever I point out a progressive development by
the Blair regime, you imagine I am advocating unqualified praise. Blair has
done this because it is in the interests of British finance capital.
Coincidentally it is also in the interests of the proletariat. 

I told you so!

Chris Burford

London






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