At 16:39 31/01/00 -0500, you wrote:
>January 31, 2000
>
>European Union Threatens to Cut Political Ties With Austria
>
>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
>LISBON, Portugal -- The European Union will break off political contacts
>with any future Austrian government that includes the far-right Freedom
>Party, the EU president warned today.
Tonight the Conservative Party and the Freedom Party have held a joint
press conference. The European Union is looking silly that it has
threatened to boycott an Austrian government that contains fascists. It is
not clear where the line can be drawn.
On this point I do agree with Rod Hay that any alliance is in principle
permissible to oppose fascists, although each must be judged on their merits.
But what is just happening is more serious than a whoopee cushion. Those
who argue that real marxist oppose all bourgeois governments without
distinction, will have a difficulty. For them it is by definition
opportunist to favour a liberal bourgeois government over a fascist
bourgeois government.
For them it is as important to criticise Bradley as it is to criticise
Haider, in fact even more so. The proof of this dogmatist distortion of
marxism will be an inability to discuss any developing concrete moves that
link theory with practice.
Chris Burford
London
