On Friday, November 27, Iran's foreign minister,
Mohammad Javad Zarif, wrote on Twitter.
"Terrorists murdered an eminent Iranian scientist
today. This cowardice -- with serious indications
of Israeli role -- shows desperate warmongering of
perpetrators." The scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,
was ambushed by gunmen as his car was driving
through the countryside town of Absard, in the
Damavand region, according to official Iranian
media and state television. The state media
accounts said that Fakhrizadeh had been gravely
wounded in the attack, that doctors tried to save
him in the hospital but could not.
The Communist Party
of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) categorically
condemns all terrorist attacks and all actions by
any party whatsoever which are an expression of
refusal to sort out problems through political and
peaceful means.
Fakhrizadeh's death marks another terrorist
attack in a long line of attacks against Iranian
scientists.
In 2010, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, an expert on
particle physics, was killed by a
remote-controlled bomb strapped to a motorcycle as
he was leaving his Tehran home.
Later that year, another nuclear scientist, Majid
Shahriar, died in a similar manner when attackers
rode up alongside him and stuck bombs to his car.
Fereidoon Abbasi Davani, Iran's atomic chief at
the time, survived an assassination attempt the
same day. Both men are believed to have worked
with Fakhrizadeh.
In 2011, Darioush Rezaeinejad, an academic whose
affiliation to the country's nuclear activities is
disputed, was shot by gunmen riding motorcycles. A
year later, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, the deputy head
of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz,
was killed in a magnetic bomb attack while he was
driving to work.
Israel has acknowledged pursuing covert
operations against Iran's nuclear program to
gather intelligence. In 2018, the prime minister,
Benjamin Netanyahu, said his government had
acquired tens of thousands of documents from what
he called Iran's "Atomic Archives." In a televised
speech that year Netenyahu called Tehran a
"terrorist regime" and he referred to Fakhrizadeh
multiple times as the director of Iran's nuclear
weapons project. "Remember that name,
Fakhrizadeh," he said.
Iran's UN Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi
declared on Friday that his country reserved the
right to "take all necessary measures" to defend
itself. In a letter to António Guterres, the
Secretary General of the United Nations, he said
that the assassination of Iran's top nuclear
scientist bore indications of an Israeli attack
abetted by the United States. His letter also
demanded that the 15-member Security Council
should "strongly condemn this inhumane terrorist
act and take necessary measures against its
perpetrators."
The assassination
comes at a time when the ongoing U.S. attacks
against Iran are high on the agenda of the Trump
administration. According to media reports Trump
was dissuaded from striking Iran just two weeks
ago, after his aides warned it could escalate into
a broader conflict during his last weeks in
office.
The New York Times reported on November
27 that Trump had asked senior advisers in an Oval
Office meeting on November 12 whether he had
options to take action against Iran's main nuclear
site at Natanz in the coming weeks. Days later,
Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State and former CIA
director, visited Israel on what will likely be
his last official trip there.
It is clear that the U.S. is an actor in the
latest terrorist attack against Iran. Whether it
is Trump, Obama, Bush or Clinton, the U.S.
imperialist oligarchs have committed one crime
after another against the Iranian people. Economic
sanctions at the height of the pandemic, internal
sabotage to bring about regime change, the
assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani on
January 3 this year in Baghdad; countless examples
can be given of the constant threats and
provocations to incite an all-out war against Iran
to destroy it. These actions of U.S. imperialism
and its hired gun Israel are the main threats
against the security and lives of the people of
Iran and the region. They must be stopped. The
"rules-based international order" which the U.S.
claims to follow is nothing but the path to
aggression and war in its striving for world
domination.
Condemn the latest terrorist attack against Iran
and the policy of targeted assassinations! No to
the use of force to sort out problems!
January 25, 2020. Montreal demonstration opposes
the assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem
Soleimani.
(Photos: TML)
Serious Matters of Concern for the
Working Class Movement
A lot of noise is filling the airwaves, and
monopoly-controlled and social media about what is
called the federal government's "prescription for
the COVID-19 pandemic" which claims "spending is
the best medicine." Finance Minister Chrystia
Freeland -- who is also the Deputy Prime Minister
-- is "signalling that approach will continue (if
in much smaller doses) when she delivers a
detailed fiscal update in next week's economic
statement," CBC News reports. The report quotes
what Freeland told the House of Commons this
week, "Our plan will continue to support
Canadians through the pandemic and ensure that the
post-COVID economy is robust, inclusive and
sustainable."
Her fiscal update will be the first since March
2020 when the pandemic hit Canada.
"The update will include new but time-limited
spending measures to deal with the pandemic's
economic impact on specific industries and
vulnerable Canadians, while laying the groundwork
for the policy priorities listed in September's
speech from the Throne," CBC News writes.
Enough spin and counterspin swirls around the
issue of government spending during the pandemic
to sink a battleship. All of it ensures the
working class and people wish a pox on all their
houses as they do their best to steer clear of the
anxiety created by these forces which are clearly
unfit to rule. Nothing proves this more than their
pay-the-rich schemes, which they try to disguise
in honey-coated pronouncements of their high
ideals.
Quoting "[g]overnment sources (who are not
authorized to speak publicly)," CBC News reports:
"While they would not set out exact details, the
measures in the update are expected to include:
"Support for airlines and the tourism and
hospitality sector, which have yet to recover from
border closures and ongoing lockdowns.
"Money to help long-term care homes control
infections.
"Support to help women return to the workplace.
"Some infrastructure projects tied to the
government's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions as part of the economic recovery."
Already, the
working class movement has raised the important
demand that social programs not be for
profit. Canadians want publicly owned, managed and
controlled operations which put the well-being of
the people at the centre of their operations. In
fact, the pandemic has exposed the necessity for
universal social programs even among some of the
staunchest defenders of private enterprise and --
what they like to call -- "small government." A
feature among the oligopolies which have seized
control of competing parts of the socialized
economy is their realization that individual
enterprises, no matter how vast, cannot alone
sustain the necessary social programs for their
own workers and still maintain their desired level
of productivity and private profit. This
realization is in addition to their need for
public infrastructure as social means of
production without which private companies cannot
function.
The New York Times recently carried an
article titled "The Private Sector Can't Pay for
Everything." The author bemoans the fact that the
November 3 U.S. election delayed a second
"pandemic stimulus" to aid struggling businesses.
"Employers have been left to fend for themselves,"
the author complains.
The article underscores an issue for the ruling
elite: how to fashion social programs that both
remove a particular burden on private enterprises
to pay directly for such necessities as health
care and child care for their employees and at the
same time have those programs generate private
profit for their specific narrow private
interests. The ruling elite look to the past to
social welfare solutions that did just that.
Besides justifying their current pay-the-rich
schemes, they do this to embroil the working
people and their organizations in schemes to
reorder a system whose hallmark is that it is
crisis ridden because it no longer has a
nation-building aim.
Governments promote their pay-the-rich schemes
couched in language about helping Canadians based
on the neo-liberal argument for social programs
which, expressed succinctly, amounts to the
plea that not having them "is bad for business."
This self-serving approach favours narrow private
interests in vicious competition with one another,
obsessed with the aim of maximizing the returns on
their investments (more often than not, also
provided to them through pay-the-rich
schemes).
Whether the rich agree with social programs or
not depends on how a particular program affects
their private interests and business. If the
imperialists can benefit in some way, for instance
by lending money to the government, fine, they
will allow it. If it assists in preventing the
working class from coming to power, fine. If it
introduces confusion into the ranks of the working
class, disrupts its organizing and hinders the
development of the human factor/social
consciousness and working class practical
politics, then all the better. Otherwise, if it
means increased investments in social programs
that truly assist the working people and do not
pay the rich, they will throw up every conceivable
roadblock.
The problem rests
not with the socialized productive forces but with
those in control and the outmoded private
relations of production that are in contradiction
with the modern forces of industrial mass
production. The working class is the only social
force capable of socializing the relations of
production, putting them in conformity with the
productive forces and giving full rein to the
potential of the socialized economy with the
modern aim to serve the people and society.
The working class must take up the battle to
increase investments in social programs and stop
paying the rich with its own reference point to
bring into being a nation-building project of its
own making with socialized relations of production
in conformity with the already socialized forces
of industrial mass production.
For the working class movement, the issue remains
to fight for increased investments in social
programs, human services and enterprise
accountable to the people, to stop paying the
rich, to defend the rights of all and for working
conditions and a claim on the value workers
produce acceptable to workers themselves.
In this issue, TML Weekly is publishing
several articles by K.C. Adams that address these
matters.
The demand that the rich be restricted from
profiting from social programs is a big part of
the struggle the working people are waging from
coast to coast. An important aspect of this is to
restrict governments from borrowing from private
moneylenders. Another will be to demand that
taxation on individuals and their personal
property be eliminated. The conciliatory demand
that taxes be increased on individuals who make
more than a certain amount diverts attention from
the essence of the matter, which is that the
source of new value for governments to pay for
programs is the productive socialized economy
itself. Human enterprise accountable to the people
should be an important source of government funds,
along with proper realization by businesses of the
value they consume from social programs and public
infrastructure, plus government claims on a
portion of the new value workers produce while
working on the socialized forces of production.
The battle to
increase investments in social programs and to
stop paying the rich is constant as the working
class movement activates the strength of its
numbers and organization to move society forward
to socialized relations of production in
conformity with the modern socialized forces of
production. The organized battle to defend its
interests in the present at workplaces and
throughout society prepares the working class to
assume leadership of society based on a new
pro-social direction for the economic, political
and social affairs of the country in a
nation-building project of its own doing.
Two trends affect the economy and every social
movement: the working class progressive trend to
defend the rights of all and move society forward
to the New, and the imperialist regressive trend
of the rich to expropriate maximum private profit
from every cell of the economy and block any
movement towards the New. These two trends express
themselves constantly in economic, political and
social affairs. The imperialists use their vast
resources and control of the state to turn all
economic, political and social affairs to their
benefit and in the process recruit allies in the
working class and youth to do their bidding.
The regressive trend can be seen in the control
and use of working class savings and pension funds
to entrench imperialist right over the working
class and economy. A notorious example is the
Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP)
ownership and control of Revera Inc. The PSP is a
federal Crown corporation that controls and
invests the pension funds of workers in the
federal public service, the Canadian Armed Forces,
the RCMP and the Reserve Force. Revera Inc. owns
or operates scores of seniors' apartments,
assisted living and long-term care homes and other
properties across Canada along with similar
holdings in the United States and the UK. More
than 55,000 seniors live in a property owned
somewhere in the world by Revera, which also
jointly owns homes operated by Groupe Sélection in
Quebec and has a majority ownership stake in
Sunrise Senior Living.
Many of those
living and working in Revera properties have
suffered terribly during the pandemic with some
even passing away from the disease due to the
socially irresponsible actions of the company
driven by its aim for private profit. The PSP and
Revera operate their businesses according to the
imperialist aim of maximum profit from the
exploitation of the working class in opposition to
the aim of the working class to serve the people
and society and defend the rights of all. The aim
of maximum private profit has no place in any
aspect of health care, which the pandemic has
clearly exposed. The aim must be to serve the
people and society and for increased investments
in social programs to raise the level of the
programs to whatever working people deem necessary
and to block the rich from expropriating value.
Every social program fashioned under the
imperialists has a pay-the-rich component, which
the working class must continue to expose and
oppose by demanding increased funding for social
programs and to stop paying the rich. The
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) as
the party of the working class wages constant
theoretical and ideological struggle to ensure
imperialist theory and ideology do not entrench
themselves to weaken and mislead the workers'
movement in defence of workers' claims and the
rights of all and for the New.
"The only utility whatsoever
which an object can have for capital can be to
preserve or increase it." -- Karl Marx --
Grundrisse: Notebook II
For liberals and
others in the imperialist camp, the issue is not
opposition to social programs per se but the
necessity that social programs must serve the
ruling oligarchs. Pay-the-rich social programs,
through imperialist design, must contribute in one
way or another to the aim of maximum private
profit and to defend the status quo. The working
class movement must confront this problem with a
clear head and conscience.
The imperialist cartel parties design social
programs to remove the burden of individual
companies from themselves paying for social
programs and infrastructure they need to function
in a socialized economy. The social programs must
generate private profit for a section of the
oligarchs including the prospect of private
money-lending to governments. This general trend
has been further codified as public-private
partnerships and is most evident in gigantic
public-private infrastructure projects such as the
Site C dam and LNG Canada projects in BC and
others of like kind across Canada.
Most aspects of what is considered public health
care in Canada are privately supplied at great
private profit such as hospital supplies and
pharmaceuticals and the construction of fixed
means of production including hospitals and their
machines and equipment. Most health clinics and
labs are private yet funded publicly. The public
funds for health care come from individual
taxation and public borrowing from private
moneylenders. The funds are mostly channeled from
the federal government to Quebec and the provinces
and territories with varying amounts from user
fees and health care insurance premiums.
It should be noted that medical care for many
parts of the body, such as eyes and teeth, and
certain treatments and drugs, except those
provided in hospitals, are excluded from the
social program and supplied privately through user
fees and private insurance. Big Pharma and others
increasingly want a public pharmacare program to
increase its guaranteed sales of drugs. This can
be seen in the Big Pharma push for government
upfrontmoney to finance a COVID-19
vaccine.
In the public
education sector the construction of schools is
private and almost all supplies, such as computers
and textbooks, are privately delivered.
Post-secondary education has become a feeding
ground for private companies mostly parading as
colleges. Universities do research and training
for the big companies while funded through the
public purse and increasingly from high student
tuition and other fees.
The product of health care and education, the
capacity to work of educated healthy workers, is
at the disposal of the imperialist employers
without directly paying the price of production to
the public institutions that produced it.
The 1965 Canada-U.S. Auto Pact became a source of
great profit for the U.S. auto industry. The auto
monopolies were attracted by, among other things,
Canada's national health care insurance program,
which became codified in 1966 as the Medical Care Act.
Medicare saved the auto monopolies from being
pressured into paying for private health insurance
for their employees as is the case in the United
States. Another attraction was Canada's
unemployment insurance program (then UI, now a
greatly weakened Employment Insurance (EI)), which
allowed big companies to lay off workers for
extended periods with UI paying a significant
portion of their wages. This meant most auto
workers remained on call while receiving a
government stipend to be available to return when
the auto monopolies wanted them.
Even when social programs are aimed at those who
cannot work for whatever reason, such as injury or
illness, and are poverty stricken, the programs
must serve private profit in some way. Housing is
an example where private interests put themselves
in the middle by building and selling social
housing to the government at great profit and
often managing and maintaining the property.
Welfare recipients are sometimes housed in rental
units where the government pays the rent directly
to the landlords. In the U.S., food stamps, now
replaced with Electronic Benefit Transfer debit
cards, are distributed to recipients who use them
to buy food.
The neo-liberal mantra is that people should
accept pay-the-rich social programs as "better
than nothing" or "better than what the
conservatives would deliver."
In general terms social programs that benefit
the people were established initially as
compromises between the two main classes, those
who own and control the socialized economy (the
imperialist class) and the working class. Social
programs in Canada have always fallen short of
solving the intended social problem because the
imperialists with their aim to expropriate maximum
private profit remain in control of the economic,
political and social affairs of the country.
Social programs in general deal with symptoms
arising from the social conditions, not the
causes, and usually carry an element to pay the
rich. Their aim is not to solve social problems as
that would entail tackling the social conditions
directly, forcing an awakening of the necessity
for new socialized relations of production and a
new pro-social aim and direction for the economy.
The 30-year
neo-liberal anti-social offensive to defund social
programs, privatize both social programs and
public services, extend pay-the-rich schemes,
engage in endless aggressive wars abroad and
integrate into the U.S. war economy has created a
general disequilibrium in Canadian society between
the two main social classes. There is increasing
poverty with the rich becoming richer and the poor
poorer, destruction of the social fabric, abuse of
the working class, and other serious problems such
as endless wars, and now the crisis caused by the
refusal to take the measures required to bring the
COVID-19 pandemic under control by putting the
well-being of the population in command.
The disequilibrium in society caused by the
neo-liberal anti-social offensive has been
duplicated at workplaces with the general refusal
of those who own and control the economy to
recognize and negotiate collective agreements with
their workers. Instead they use the massive global
wealth and power of the oligarchy, legislation,
the courts and other police powers to attack the
right of the working class and its collectives to
come to some arrangement with employers on wages,
benefits, pensions and working conditions
acceptable to workers themselves.
In some ways social programs are similar to
collective agreements at workplaces in that
workers struggle to find some agreement with their
employers and establish a certain equilibrium
favourable to them, while not resolving the class
contradiction of exploitation within an unequal
social relation.
The demands of the working class movement to
increase investments in social programs, stop
paying the rich, defend the rights of all and make
Canada a zone for peace are geared to a
nation-building project of the people's own
making.
The article published by the New York Times
on October 19, titled "The Private Sector Can't
Pay for Everything," arguesin favourof
the government providing "pandemic stimulus" to
aid "struggling businesses."[1]
It argues for pay-the-rich schemes under the hoax
that employers cannot be left to fend for
themselves. For a review by K.C. Adams of
the NYT article, click
here.
November 25, 2020. Vigil outside the Embassy of
Cuba in Canada.
The Embassy of Cuba in Canada, together with
members of Ottawa Cuba Connections and the
Outaouais-Cuba Friendship Association,
commemorated the fourth anniversary of the passing
of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro on
November 25, in Ottawa. Observing pandemic rules,
a vigil was held on the grounds of the Cuban
Embassy. Maricarmen Guevara welcomed everyone on
behalf of Ottawa Cuba Connections and paid tribute
to Fidel's revolutionary spirit and his dedication
to the struggle of peoples throughout the world
for justice, dignity and freedom.
Her Excellency Josefina Vidal, Cuban Ambassador
to Canada, spoke about the legacy of Fidel's
ideas, which are still alive in the hearts and
minds of the Cuban people and the many friends of
Cuba in Canada, whom she thanked for coming to
celebrate his life. "Your presence here is an
expression of the unconditional support and
solidarity that you have always shown for Cuba,"
she said. The Ambassador was warmly applauded and
following her comments, shouts of Viva Fidel!
and Viva Cuba!
rang out to close the ceremony.
At the vigil a beautiful basket of flowers was
placed in front of a photo of Fidel to express
love, admiration and respect for the legacy of
Commandante Fidel Castro.
In Montreal, that same day, the Table de
concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba
(Quebec-Cuba Solidarity Roundtable) held a vigil,
followed by a reception, to commemorate the life
and work of Fidel Castro, the Cuban people's
legendary and beloved leader, on the fourth
anniversary of his death.
November 25, 2020. Vigil outside Cuban Consulate
in Montreal.
During the vigil held in front of the Cuban
Consulate, activists and friends of Cuba shouted Viva
Fidel!, We Are All Fidel! Viva the Cuban
Revolution! Oppose the Criminal U.S. Blockade
Against Cuba! Support the Cuban Medical
Brigades! Cuba si! Bloqueo no! Many
motorists slowed down to honk their horns in
support and solidarity. The outdoor reception was
held in accordance with physical distancing
rules. Several people brought flowers that were
placed in front of a photo of Fidel.
Mara Bilbao Diaz,
the Consul General of the Republic of Cuba in
Montreal, welcomed everyone. She stressed the
importance of marking this important date for the
Cuban people and the peoples of the world.
"Exactly four years ago on the day of Fidel's
death, I met with almost all of you at the vigil
held at the consulate, and the signing of the book
of condolences. Many of you also attended the
tribute that took place at the Simón Bolívar
Centre in Montreal," she said.
"These were very sad days for the friends of Cuba
and for the vast majority of Cubans both on and
off the island. Four years after his physical
disappearance, his ideas, his precise vision of
imperialism, his clear legacy on internationalism
and the environment, are more relevant than ever.
"I would like to share with you what a good
friend of mine wrote: 'There will be no monuments,
no sculptures, no avenues or squares bearing his
name, however there will be no Cuba without Fidel
and this, we all know. Memorable work, which
continues to elicit admiration and respect, has
demarcated a before and after in the history of
Cuba, Latin America and the universe.'"
She spoke of the fidelity of the Cuban people to
Fidel, who said that as long as Fidel remained at
the helm in Cuba, their interests would be
protected and no one would be left to fend for
themselves. She was applauded as she concluded:
"Thank you for being here today. You confirm for
us once again that Cuba is not alone. Hasta la Victoria
Siempre! Viva Fidel!"
Representatives of the Table de concertation de
solidarité Québec-Cuba and other organizations,
expressed their love for and solidarity with the
Cuban people. They all stressed that Fidel's life
and work live on in the hearts and minds of
millions of Cubans, Quebeckers and others
worldwide who are fighting for justice, dignity
and freedom. They demanded an end to the criminal
U.S. blockade against Cuba, confirmed their
unwavering support for revolutionary Cuba and
saluted the courageous and inspiring work of
Cuba's Henry Reeve Medical Brigade, which
undoubtedly deserves the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.
Discussion and songs followed the speeches while
refreshments were offered by the Consulate.
November 25, 2020. Cultural event at University
of Havana.
The Cuban people at home and around the world
celebrated the life and indelible contributions of
the legendary leader of the Cuban Revolution,
Fidel Castro, on the fourth anniversary of his
death. November 25 also marked the 64th
anniversary of the departure from Mexico of the
Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel on board the
Granma.
An online report from Granma recounts the
main celebrations in Havana on the evening of
November 25:
"Many came to meet Fidel again on the University
of Havana's grand stairway, the scene of so many
rebellious, revolutionary events, bringing him to
the present, giving his work continuity, in the
voices of children, in songs of commitment and
celebration, in verse...
"On the fourth anniversary of the physical
disappearance of the Comandante en jefe,
students and young workers, representing all of
Cuba, expressed their commitment to resist, to
renew their vows to continue Fidel's work, during
a cultural event with the President of the
Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez and Army Corps
General Leopoldo Cintra Frias, minister of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) on hand, along
with other members of the Party Political Bureau
and Central Committee Secretariat, the government
and mass organizations.
"In these hard times, full of difficult
challenges, we turn to Fidel, to seek nourishment
in his thoughtful reflections, his work, dreams
and efforts, as José Ángel Fernández Castañeda,
President of the University Student Federation
[FEU], said, 'From him we draw the strength to
move forward.'"
Meanwhile, Cuba's Union of Young Communists
(UJC), and Cuban student and social organizations
held the international conference "Banners of
Ideas" from November 24 to 26, in commemoration of
Fidel and affirming their convictions to carry on
the principles he espoused, under the slogan
"Unity for solidarity, anti-imperialism and
anti-neoliberalism: Action for necessary
transformation in times of COVID-19."
The online conference included a central forum on
Fidel's thought; a special discussion on peace,
and regional meetings to exchange information on
our different realities, in defence and solidarity
with the just causes of the people, and to promote
cooperation that guarantees access to all COVID-19
medications and vaccines to save lives during the
pandemic.
To watch the closing session of the meeting, that
begins with a tribute to Fidel, click here.
At the headquarters of the Cuban Workers'
Federation (CTC), an event was held in honour of
Fidel at which Teté Puebla (Delsa Esther Puebla
Viltre) recounted her experiences working with
Fidel and the Rebel Army beginning in 1957 when
she was just 16 years old. She later took part in
a ceremony to give Cuban youth awards from the CTC
for their dedication in the current "combat"
against COVID-19 or in key sectors of the economy
or services.
The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC)
launched two books celebrating Fidel's
contributions. Professor María Elena Álvarez
Acosta and Abel González Santamaría presented
their book The World in Fidel: Drawing New
Paradigms? It addresses Cuba's foreign
policy, Fidel's conception of the world and, in
that sense, shows how the Commander in Chief
viewed capitalism and the characteristics of the
international system.
Fabián Escalante Font presented his new book Revolution
and Counterrevolution in Cuba. It covers six
decades of history in essays, dismantling the
counterrevolutionary actions against socialism in
Cuba, and unmasking those who have been its main
instigators.
Several exhibitions are being held on the
occasion of the anniversary of Fidel's passing,
including an exhibition of photos of Fidel taken
by Alex Castro that opened on November 24. A
virtual photo exhibition, featuring the work of
Roberto Chile runs from November 25 to January 1,
2021 (to view, click here). A
virtual tribute to Fidel is being hosted by the
ALBA Cultural House in Havana on November 29 at
6:00 pm, viewable on its Facebook, Twitter or Telegram
accounts.
Messages paying respects to
Fidel were also received from around the world
and tributes were held in many countries,
including Canada.
Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, Santiago de Cuba
Province
In Santiago de Cuba's Santa Ifigenia Cemetery,
where flowers surrounded the monumental boulder
that safeguards Fidel's ashes, a tribute to the
historic leader of the Revolution was led by first
secretary of the Party in the province, Lázaro
Expósito Canto, and Lieutenant Governor Manuel
Falcón Hernández.
Bayamo, Granma Province
November 25, 2020. Commemorations in Revolution
Square in Bayamo, Granma province.
(Photos: Cubadebate,
Trabajadores, Estudios Revolucion, Juventud
Rebelde, UNEAC, Bayamo Radio Station.)
On the
occasion of the Fourth anniversary of the death
of Fidel Castro, TML Weekly is publishing an
extract highlighting what Che Guevara wrote
about Fidel in April 1961.
That telluric force called Fidel Castro Ruz has
gained a historical projection within a few years.
The future will place our prime minister in his
exact place, but for us he is comparable with the
most elevated figures in Latin American history.
But, what are the exceptional characteristics
surrounding the personality of Fidel Castro?
There are various aspects of his life and
character that make him stand out far above all
his comrades and followers: Fidel is a man of such
great personality that he will occupy a leadership
role in any movement in which he participates, and
this has been the case throughout his career from
student life to the premiership of our homeland
and of the oppressed peoples of America.
He has the characteristics of a great leader
that, combined with his personal gifts of
boldness, strength and valour, and his
extraordinary desire to sound out the will of the
people have taken him to the position of honour
and sacrifice that he occupies today.
However he has other important qualities: the
capacity to assimilate knowledge and experience in
order to comprehend all the aspects of a situation
without losing sight of the details, his immense
faith in the future, and his breadth of vision
that can foresee events and anticipate incidents,
always seeing further and more accurately than his
comrades.
With these great cardinal qualities, with his
capacity to adhere and unite, opposing divisions
that can weaken, his leadership capacity at the
head of any popular action, his infinite love for
the people, his faith in the future and his
capacity to foresee it, Fidel Castro has done more
than anyone else in Cuba to construct from nothing
the now formidable apparatus of the Cuban
Revolution.
Fidel gave the Revolution its impulse in the
initial years, the leadership, the tonic, always.
Hence we are forging ahead. It does not shame us
or intimidate us to say that there goes Fidel, at
the head of a vast column.
(Absolved by History, by Luis
Báez (José Marti, 2003))
As more states certify their votes in Biden's
favour and various CEOs and others call for Trump
to concede, the ongoing clashes among the rulers
are showing themselves in Congress. Among the
areas of conflict are those concerning the
transition; Senate confirmation of Biden's picks
for his cabinet; the need to pass a massive
omnibus budget bill or another emergency spending
bill to avoid government shutdown on December 11;
and disputes over the National Defense
Authorization Act which usually passes
readily.
Transition and Civil War Threats
After
Michigan certified its vote on November 23, and an
open letter from 166 businessmen called for the
transition to proceed, the General Services
Administration, which had been blocking official
transition support for Biden, "ascertained" that
he was the winner. This action released millions
in funding and opened the way for mutual briefings
concerning COVID-19, domestic and foreign security
matters and more. However, it remains unclear
whether the various cabinet departments, all part
of the Office of the Presidency, will cooperate.
Attorney General William Barr has so far not done
so. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has
promised a "professional transition" with the
Biden team. These differences within the cabinet,
along with Trump's continuing lawsuits to block
seating of Biden electors from Pennsylvania and
Arizona in the Electoral College, for example, are
indicators that the usual rules and norms are
still not being followed.
Trump's continuing claims that the election was a
fraud and, as his lawyer put it, "Americans must
be assured that the final results are fair and
legitimate," were also evident at a hearing called
by Pennsylvania state Republican Senators that
took place on November 25. Trump chose Gettysburg
as the site for the hearing and called in to say,
"This election was lost by the Democrats. They
cheated. It was a fraudulent election." Former
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge responded,
"History will record the shameful irony that a
president who lied to avoid military service
staged a bogus event on the hallowed grounds of
Gettysburg in a brazen attempt to undermine the
Republic for which scores of real patriots had
fought and died to preserve since its founding."
Gettysburg is known for the Civil War battle
fought there, with massive deaths on both sides.
It is also where then President Lincoln questioned
whether the union, based on the Declaration of
Independence's claims of "liberty, and dedicated
to the proposition that all men are created
equal," could endure.
Trump's administration and the election and
transition have all brought out the fierce civil
war taking place among the rulers, short of open
violence. The calls by many officials and CEOs for
"peaceful transition" are efforts to keep it that
way. The letter from the 166 businessmen for
example raised concerns about the legitimacy of
the elections and the need to keep the Union
united:
"Every day that an orderly presidential transition
process is delayed, our democracy grows weaker in
the eyes of our own citizens and the nation's
stature on the global stage is diminished."
"As business and civic leaders who reflect the
political diversity of the country, we urge
respect for the democratic process and unified
support for our duly elected leadership," they
concluded.
Among the 166 signers were Larry Fink, Chairman
and Chief Executive of BlackRock, one of the
largest hedge fund managers, David Solomon,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of financial
firm Goldman Sachs and Steve Schwarzman, founder
of equity firm Blackstone and leading Trump donor.
The many conflicts between state and federal
forces, not only for elections, but policing, are
among the examples where open violence threatens.
As well, the Declaration also says that whenever
government becomes destructive of "life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness," it is "the right of
the people to alter or to abolish it." Bringing
the Civil War and a potential division of the
union so openly into play is perhaps Trump's way
of saying that however the election goes, the
battle for power is not over. And he has forces
behind him, not only elected officials but also
among the policing agencies and the armed militias
they back.
Confirmation of Biden Cabinet
Biden has begun announcing his nominations for
various cabinet posts, including those for
Secretary of State, Department of Homeland
Security and Director of National Intelligence.
The Senate has to confirm these and another 1,200
positions in the bureaucracy with a simple
majority vote. Confirmation hearings usually begin
Inauguration Day, January 20, or within days
afterward. Normally, these confirmations are not
disputed, with a general courtesy extended to the
President who in this case is himself a former
Senator. In the past, to date, only nine nominees
have failed confirmation, with four of these
dating back to President John Tyler, 1841-1845.
Another 17 have been withdrawn.
Biden has asked for "a prompt hearing" and
called on the Senate to "begin the work to heal
and unite America and the world." Republicans are
already objecting to the nominees and current
Senate head Mitch McConnell has yet to accept
Biden as the President-Elect. The usual norms and
courtesies evidently no longer apply.
Outrage of Possible Government Shut Down
The possibility of a government shut-down
December 11 also remains. An emergency spending
bill was passed when the fiscal year ended in
October. That funding runs out on December 11.
Currently the House and Senate are negotiating a
massive omnibus bill. Right now a $1.4 trillion
package, covering all 12 budget appropriations
needed for the various departments, is being
debated. Differences concern budget amounts, which
are being kept secret. Trump has said he favours
the omnibus bill rather than another emergency
stop-gap measure, which he could veto. His Chief
of Staff has said he "cannot guarantee" a shutdown
will be averted.
Previously, each of the 12 budget appropriations
would be debated separately, and include public
hearings. Now, no such hearings occur and the
numbers are kept from public view, and even from
legislators, often until the final vote for a huge
1,000 page bill. The process is indicative of the
deterioration of Congress as a legislative body,
and the elimination of serving the public good, or
at least providing the public an opportunity to
speak. It also means that use of the budget as a
means to lessen conflicts among the ruling
factions no longer functions, with threats and
actual government shutdowns the result. Given
COVID-19 and the already large numbers of
unemployed, such a shutdown involving laying off
hundreds of thousands of government workers is
widely seen as an unacceptable and horrendous
attack on the people.
Pentagon Funding
The National Defense Authorization Act,
something that usually easily passes by a large
majority, also has not passed. It is a yearly bill
that funds the Pentagon, including U.S. wars of
aggression. This year $740.5 billion is planned.
Among the areas of dispute are amendments that
attempt to assert Congressional control in
situations where the President has usurped power.
One requires the President to get Congressional
approval before removing any more troops from
Germany or Afghanistan. Another requires the
President to consult Congress before using the Insurrection Act.
Trump had threatened to invoke this in June in
order to use the military against demonstrators
across the country demanding an end to racist
police killings, and equality and justice.
The National
Defense Authorization Act also includes
language requiring the renaming of 10 military
bases named after Confederate generals. These
include Fort Bragg, Hood, Robert E. Lee and
others. Trump has said he will veto the bill if it
includes these measures. Senate head McConnell has
said he will not bring the bill for a vote if it
will be vetoed. Others are raising that a veto
could impact the two Senate races in Georgia,
January 5. Those races will decide whether the
Senate will be 50-50 or whether Republicans will
maintain control, 52-48 or 51-49. Some say the
veto could favour Democrats; others claim it
favours Republicans.
As with
the National
Defense Authorization Act debate as a
whole, what is left out is the strong anti-war
stand of the people that favours massive cuts to
the Pentagon and increased funding for COVID-19
requirements, including for safety, health care,
education and housing. As well, the objection to
honouring confederate generals was greatly
strengthened through demonstrations and removal of
statues by protesters. The struggle is not simply
removing statues and renaming bases, but that
the history and contributions of the peoples in
their fight for rights must be honoured.
All of the on-going disputes make clear that the
current governing institutions no longer function,
raising the growing possibility of violence both
among the factions and more likely against the
people, as they strengthen their resistance and
demands for control. The people are refusing to be
divided and are rejecting governing structures
that enforce inequality. Their many actions of
various kinds show they are organizing instead for
a new direction for the country that favours their
interests and represents their anti-war,
pro-social drive. This New is reflected in the
fight for an Anti-War Government, Peace
Economy and Democracy Where We the People
Decide!
For
Your Information
166 New York
Business Leaders Send Open Letter on
Presidential Transition - Partnership for New York City, November 23,
2020 -
The following open letter raised concerns
about the impact a lack of "peaceful transition"
will have on business interests, at home and
abroad. It also raises legitimacy concerns and
worries the rulers have about how the people see
developments.
In addition to Larry Fink, chairman
and chief executive of BlackRock,
one of the largest hedge fund managers;
David Solomon, chairman and chief executive
officer of Goldman Sachs; and
Steve Schwarzman, Blackstone founder and leading
Trump donor, other signatories from financial,
insurance and other influential areas include:
John Bruckner, president, NY,
National Grid; Kelly J. Grier, U.S. chair
and managing partner and Americas managing
partner, Ernst & Young LLP; Alfred F.
Kelly Jr., chairman and chief executive
officer, Visa Inc.; Michel A. Khalaf, president
and chief executive officer,
MetLife, Inc.; Kewsong Lee, chief
executive officer, The Carlyle Group;
Theodore Mathas, chairmanand
chief executive officer, New York Life
Insurance Company; John McAvoy, chairman,
presidentand chief executive
officer, Con Edison, Inc.; Michael
Roberts, president and chief
executive officer, HSBC Bank USA. (Seehere
for the full list). Jamie Dimon, chairman and
chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase and
Tom Donohue, president and chief executive of
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have madesimilar
remarks.
America is being ravaged by a deadly pandemic
with enormous social and economic consequences.
The attention and energy of public and private
sector leaders should be entirely focused on
uniting our country to fight the coronavirus,
provide aid to those in need, prevent further
business disruption and loss of jobs, and invest
in our economic recovery and revitalization.
Every day that an orderly presidential transition
process is delayed, our democracy grows weaker in
the eyes of our own citizens and the nation's
stature on the global stage is diminished. Our
national interest and respect for the integrity of
our democratic process requires that the
administrator of the federal General Services
Administration immediately ascertain that Joseph
R. Biden and Kamala D. Harris are the
president-elect and vice president-elect so that a
proper transition can begin. Withholding resources
and vital information from an incoming
administration puts the public and economic health
and security of America at risk.
As business and civic leaders who reflect the
political diversity of the country, we urge
respect for the democratic process and unified
support for our duly elected leadership. There is
not a moment to waste in the battle against the
pandemic and for the recovery and healing of our
nation to begin.
Hospital and
Medical Associations Urge Trump
Administration to Share COVID-19
Information - American Hospital Association, American
Medical Association, American Nurses Association, November
17, 2020 -
Dear President Trump,
As organizations representing the nation's
hospitals and health systems, physicians and
registered nurses who remain on the front lines in
the battle against COVID-19 and currently caring
for tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients, we
have been working with your Administration to
defeat the pandemic. Now, as new therapeutics and
vaccines are being developed and will begin to be
deployed, we urge your Administration to work
closely with the Biden transition team to share
all critical information related to COVID-19.
Our nation is experiencing a new surge of
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths as we
enter into a holiday season that will undoubtedly
lead to greater exposure to this deadly virus.
Confronting the challenges of the pandemic is
imperative to saving American lives. Real-time
data and information on the supply of
therapeutics, testing supplies, personal
protective equipment, ventilators, hospital bed
capacity and workforce availability to plan for
further deployment of the nation's assets needs to
be shared to save countless lives. All information
about the capacity of the Strategic National
Stockpile, the assets from Operation Warp Speed,
and plans for dissemination of therapeutics and
vaccines needs to be shared as quickly as possible
to ensure that there is continuity in strategic
planning so that there is no lapse in our ability
to care for patients.
As providers of care for all Americans, we see
the suffering that is occurring in our communities
due to COVID-19. We see families who have lost
both parents from COVID- 19; we see children
suffering from long-term effects due to a COVID-19
infection; and we see minority populations
disproportionately suffering from the devastation
of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is from this front
line human perspective that we urge you to share
critical data and information as soon as possible.
We stand ready to continue to work with your
Administration to do all we can to prevent the
spread of COVID-19 and provide care to those who
have been infected.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Pollack, President and CEO,
American Hospital Association
James L. Madara, CEO, American Medical
Association
Debbie Dawson, CEO, American Nurses Association
As key states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania
and Nevada, certified their election results on
time, more lawsuits are being filed on grounds the
election was a fraud. Various state elected
officials, Republican and Democrat alike, such as
those in Georgia and Pennsylvania, are saying they
were "free and fair." The Republican Secretary of
State in Georgia, who conducted an additional hand
recount, said "I want 100 per cent of the people
to understand that the process was fair and
accurately counted." Both those claiming fraud and
those saying counts were fair say they are
defending democracy for the people.
On November
23, Michigan officially certified its results,
with the four-member State Board of Canvassers
voting three in favour and one abstention, a
Republican. Based on the certification, the
Michigan Governor certified the slate of electors
for Biden. At the same time, the State Board of
Canvassers joined calls for an audit of the Wayne
County vote, which includes Detroit, and election
reforms. The Michigan Legislature is already
holding hearings concerning the 2020 vote and
future reforms.
On November 25, a new lawsuit in federal court
was brought by a group of Michigan Republicans,
including three from Trump's slate of electors for
the Electoral College. It asks a federal judge to
set aside mail-in ballots and that all electors
for the State of Michigan be disqualified from
counting toward the 2020 election.
On November 26, a conservative legal group asked
the Michigan Supreme Court to take custody of all
November 3 election materials to give the Michigan
Legislature time to audit the results, investigate
all claims of ballot irregularities and fraud. The
lawsuit asked the court to stop state Secretary of
State and the Board of State Canvassers from
giving final certification to the state's election
results until a special master can be appointed to
review alleged ballot irregularities and the
legality of absentee ballots in Wayne County.
Both suits are an indication of Trump's efforts
to block the seating of electors while also
promoting the election as a fraud. In this manner
the ground is being laid for federal intervention
in election law, as also occurred after the 2000
Bush/Gore election dispute. At that time the Help
America Vote Act concentrated power,
particularly voter rolls and eligibility, in the
state Secretaries of State. Such intervention
today would likely increase federal control,
potentially including a direct vote for President
with voter rolls, eligibility and counting of
votes controlled by the federal government. This
then further concentrates power in the Office of
the President, weakens the role of states and
further removes any say from the people. Trump's
refusal to concede the election and his claims
that the election was a fraud also position him to
pursue such reforms and have backing for it at the
federal level.
On November 24, both Pennsylvania and Nevada
certified their votes. Nevada's had already been
certified by their county-level canvassers. On
that day, the state Secretary of State confirmed
certification before the Nevada Supreme Court,
which then verified the certification.
In Pennsylvania, the state Secretary of State
certified the vote from 67 counties and affirmed
Biden's win. The Governor then signed a
"Certificate of Ascertainment," which certifies
the slate of electors for Biden. Governor Tom Wolf
went out of his way to thank election officials
who "have administered a fair and free election
during an incredibly challenging time in our
commonwealth and country's history."
On November 27, a three-judge federal appeals
court panel dismissed one of Trump's lawsuits
which called for setting aside 1.5 million mail-in
ballots and blocking the seating of Pennsylvania's
electors. Trump is appealing the ruling to the
Supreme Court.
The three judges on the appeals court were all
appointed by Trump. They found it necessary to say
there was no fraud and tried to provide legitimacy
to the vote: "Voters, not lawyers, choose the
president," the ruling said. "Ballots, not briefs,
decide elections. The ballots here are governed by
Pennsylvania election law." They added, "Free,
fair elections are the lifeblood of our
democracy," saying further that "charges of
unfairness are serious. But calling an election
unfair does not make it so. Charges require
specific allegations and then proof. We have
neither here."
Similar suits in Michigan, Georgia, Nevada and
Arizona, have also failed. In Arizona a fifth
lawsuit was filed November 25 by the head of the
state Republican Party, also asking that
certification of the slate of Biden electors be
nullified and the election set aside. Mail-in
ballots are again being targeted. Arizona's
counties all certified their votes November 23.
The state certification does not take place until
November 30. It involves the state Attorney
General, the Governor and Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court who need to confirm results
presented by the state Secretary of State.
While all
sides are claiming to defend democracy, what gets
left out is the fact that the people do not decide
the candidates, do not decide the election
process, do not have a role in debating the
problems and solutions and do not decide the
outcome, as the certification process has shown.
It is a situation where Trump, Biden and the
courts are all striving to hide the fraud of an
election process riddled with inequality, designed
to disempower the people.
However the vote is counted, it is not a
reflection of the sentiments and stands of the
people and their solutions for problems. These are
represented in their demands for control of
policing, health care and budgets, expressed in
many demonstrations, petitions, webinars and
through other means. Vigilance is required going
forward concerning efforts at the federal level,
using the presidential election, to further remove
the people from a say in deciding the direction of
the country and to block the drive for a democracy
that empowers the people to govern and decide.
Voice of Revolution is a publication of the
U.S. Marxist-Leninist Organization.
The conditions in the U.S. continue to
deteriorate. Indebtedness of the people is
skyrocketing. Reports indicate that 75 per cent of
U.S. residents die with an average debt of
$62,000. College graduates have an average debt of
$32,000. More than 40 million people will face
eviction once the moratorium on evictions comes to
an end at the end of the year. A mortgage crisis
is also looming on the horizon as more than 60
million people are reported to be under threat of
foreclosures for non-payment of mortgages. It is
reported that 54 million people are facing hunger.
Thousands upon thousands are waiting in line at
food banks.
Biden's home state of Delaware is the credit card
capitol of the U.S. This makes it likely that
indebtedness and credit card debt is going to
increase in the coming years. Biden is also
indebted to the credit card companies and he is
going to take good care of them; they have been
good to him for decades. One look at the stage
when Biden announced his cabinet showed that the
old order will carry on, with prominent
establishment forces who have committed crimes
against humanity and nature. It is continuing
Lyndon Johnson's doctrine: "I am not going to give
them what they want, but sure going to make them
feel that they got it." The ruling elite brought
Trump in to do filthy things that the Old Boys
could not do and now they are back. But people are
determined to carry on fighting. Biden's cabinet
has been denounced by many.
[signed]
A reader in Massachusetts
Suspension of Jeremy Corbyn from
British Labour Party
July 2014. Jeremy Corbyn participates in action
against Israeli bombardment of Gaza. (Ron F)
On October 29, the leader of the British Labour
Party, Jeremy Corbyn, was suspended from the party
because he refused to retract his reaction to a
recent report by the Equality and Human Rights
Commission (EHRC). This report alleged that the
Labour Party under Corbyn's leadership had
breached the 2010 Equality Act through a
combination of "inappropriate involvement" and
harassment in complaints procedures relating to
"anti-Semitism," and an "inadequate training
provision for those handling the complaints."
Corbyn was suspended, it was said, for refusing to
accept all the EHRC report's conclusions and for
claiming that "the scale of the problem was also
dramatically overstated for political reasons by
our opponents." In response, Corbyn declared his
intention to "strongly contest the political
intervention to suspend" him.
The uproar over Corbyn's suspension from the
Labour Party's base was such that his suspension
from the party was lifted on November 17 by a
disciplinary panel of the Party's National
Executive Committee. Despite this, the present
Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, ordered that
the Labour whip be withheld from Corbyn. In the
British party system, "whips" are the party's
"enforcers" whose role is to ensure that their
fellow political party legislators attend voting
sessions and vote according to their party's
official policy. Members who vote against party
policy may "lose the whip," effectively expelling
them from the parliamentary party benches. This
means that formally Corbyn remains an independent
rather than a Labour Party MP (i.e., he is not in
the caucus).
This too has provoked widespread condemnation
from within the Labour Party and the trade union
movement. Executive bodies of a number of unions
have passed motions demanding Corbyn's
reinstatement. Quite a few Constituency Labour
Parties -- the equivalent of local party branches
-- have passed motions supporting Corbyn and
expressing no confidence in the present
leadership, actions which themselves have led to
suspensions from the party.
A joint statement made on October 31 by the
general secretaries of the Labour-affiliated
unions -- Associated Society of Locomotive
Engineers and Firemen; Bakers, Food and Allied
Workers Union; Communication Workers Union; Fire
Brigades Union; National Union of Mineworkers;
Transport Salaried Staffs' Association; and Unite
-- condemned the suspension as "ill-advised and
unjust."
Jeremy Corbyn himself has started a formal legal
claim against the Labour Party for suspending the
whip.
Corbyn's suspension from the Labour Party by its
General Secretary David Evans and current
proceedings against him underscore how reactionary
and backward the cartel parties are, not only in
Britain but all over the world. Who sets the party
line that all party members in office have to toe
is a matter of grave concern when it is not the
party members or the people of the country of its
alleged constituency. How party discipline is
enforced is also thoroughly outmoded and
anti-democratic. All of it underscores the urgent
need for democratic renewal so as to achieve
people's empowerment.
The entire affair brings clearly to public
attention how decision-making and proceedings in
the cartel parties take place in secret to enforce
decisions also taken behind the people's backs.
Reports indicate that Corbyn has been told the
Party whip will be suspended for three months
while an investigation is carried out, and that he
has been told by the chief whip, Nick Brown, to
"unequivocally, unambiguously and without
reservation" apologize for his claims made in the
aftermath of the EHRC report.
Corbyn's response to the report read: "Anyone
claiming there is no anti-Semitism in the Labour
Party is wrong... Jewish members of our party and
the wider community were right to expect us to
deal with it, and I regret that it took longer to
deliver that change than it should. One
anti-Semite is one too many, but the scale of the
problem was also dramatically overstated for
political reasons by our opponents inside and
outside the party, as well as by much of the
media. That combination hurt Jewish people and
must never be repeated. My sincere hope is that
relations with Jewish communities can be rebuilt
and those fears overcome. While I do not accept
all of its findings, I trust its recommendations
will be swiftly implemented to help move on from
this period."
Aiming at Corbyn, current Labour Party leader
Starmer stated: "If you're anti-Semitic, you
should be nowhere near this party... And if after
all the pain, all the grief, and all the evidence
in this report, there are still those who think...
it's all exaggerated, or a factional attack... you
are part of the problem too. And you should be
nowhere near the Labour Party either."
This shows that he is in utter denial that his
party is indeed wracked with factions, with the
old establishment guard trying to impose its
positions and decisions on the rank and file,
represented by Corbyn, through mostly foul means.
All righteous talk about "whips" merely reveals
the decrepitude of the system, not its vibrancy or
relevance today. Ever since Corbyn was first
elected by a groundswell of support from the base,
the establishment forces -- which according to the
party system must swear allegiance to the
preservation of decrepit institutions -- did not
want a Corbyn government. No matter what the cost,
they have plotted, connived and besmirched
themselves to make sure it does not happen. It has
been an experience of treachery and betrayal all
down the line.
In the current case, the establishment has
attempted to use its Zionist position which
equates support for the just cause of the
Palestinian people for the recognition of their
rights and an end to their criminalization and
persecution, with anti-Semitism. However, any
attempts to implicate Jeremy Corbyn with
anti-Semitism turns truth on its head and falls
flat with the people. Of all people, Jeremy Corbyn
is known for his stands in favour of the rights of
all, from anti-fascist organizer in the seventies
to prominent anti-war campaigner in the present.[1] Before emerging as the
leader of the Labour Party, Corbyn was
particularly well-known in the anti-war movement
-- not least as chair of the Stop the War
Coalition from 2011 to 2015 during which the
anti-war movement and Corbyn himself were known
for upholding the right to be of the Palestinian
people against Zionist war crimes.
Because he clearly stood against the neo-liberal
austerity and war agenda of the British ruling
class, he enjoyed widespread support
among the Labour Party's rank and file, especially
youth and working people. Furthermore, his
election as Labour Party leader also represented
the growing demand for a new kind of politics. His
own campaign stressed the need for a fundamental
change of approach to politics. His campaign
slogan for a new "people-powered politics"
expressed the need to build a social movement
consistent with the right of the electorate to
participate in political affairs, to elect and be
elected and for their will to be transformed into
the legal will through a political system that
serves their interests.
Consistent with these features of Corbyn's
platform was his characteristic readiness to take
a stand on the important problems facing society,
rather than follow the path of expediency or the
outlook that the ends justify the means that
characterizes the neo-liberal "consensus."
Corbyn's election captured the people's
imagination and movement for change. The Labour
Party experienced a growth in membership
unprecedented in recent times, particularly
amongst young people, and democratic, peace-loving
and anti-racist people, who joined the party in
the hope of occupying the space that had opened up
for discussion on serious issues facing the polity
and turning things around.
When elected on the first ballot with 59.5 per
cent of the vote, he said: "We are a party
organically linked together between the unions and
party membership and all the affiliated
organizations. That is where we get our strength
from."
However, there was no chance that the cartel
parties would tolerate any space being used for
the independent program of the working class. Such
a development was to be foiled, no matter what.
In that context, constant allegations associating
Corbyn with anti-Semitism have been propagated,
when nothing could be further from the
truth. The progressive movements of which
Corbyn is a part and which his leadership of the
Labour Party represented have always upheld the
rights of all, without exception. The manipulation
of the issue of anti-Semitism to divert and
disorient these forces, and wrecking public
opinion to block people from forming an
independent outlook, is itself abhorrent.
Jewish Voice for Labour, Jews for Justice for
Palestinians, Jewish Socialists' Group, Jewdas and
Independent Jewish Voices have all rejected the
charge of anti-Semitism, and in February last
year, 200 Jewish Labour Party members and
supporters praised Corbyn's consistent support for
"initiatives against anti-Semitism."
Settling Scores with the Past
The issue goes beyond Corbyn and the Labour
Party. The Hitlerite "Big Lie" technique is in
operation to paint any dissenting voices which
represent the working people, and the political
and social forces which represent them as
extremist "hard left." This is equivalent to the
fiction they have erected, with state support,
which they call the "far right." This "hard left"
and "far right" are equated in every way by their
fiction of what constitutes "anti-Semitism." The
"centre ground," meanwhile, is equated with
"security," "the national interest," "balance" and
"prosperity," all evidence to the contrary
notwithstanding.
A major problem the forces of the status quo face
is that the real conditions of life defy their
fictional account of their rule and what it stands
for. This official "centre ground" touts adherence
to liberal democratic institutions which are in
total crisis precisely because they are incapable
of persuading the people to toe the line and
support, overtly or passively, the neo-liberal
agenda and its use of force to sort out problems
both domestically and internationally. While the
use of police powers has always been at the heart
of the civil society the neo-liberal forces are
trying to defend, today attempts to keep things
under control reveal an increasingly overt
dictatorial regime which is reorganizing the state
around rule via police powers, governed by a small
clique wielding those powers, and criminalizing
all thought that is opposed to official dogma.
Allegations such as the ones thrown at Corbyn to
defame and criminalize him seek to generate an
atmosphere of hysteria in a generalized campaign
to discredit and sow division amongst the people
so that they cannot organize in a manner which
favours them. Attempts to cover up the reality
that the so-called centre is itself in essence the
extreme right, where everything is put in the
service of the most powerful monopolies, are
futile. Yet far from giving up this nefarious
path, measures to make sure no organized
independent workers' opposition emerges become as
increasingly reactionary as they are
unaccountable.
Who does not understand that the burden of the
economic crisis is shifted onto the working
population through austerity measures which have
as their mainstay the deprivation of rights? An
article on Corbyn's suspension in Workers'
Weekly published by the Revolutionary
Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)
clearly points out that people are denied a say in
the most important matters that affect their
lives, such as the direction of the economy, while
the polity is destroyed.
"Political problems are made problems of law and
order. Police are given further powers to act with
impunity under the spurious theory of balancing
rights against security, as opposed to the modern
conception that security lies in the defence of
the rights of all. Legislation is passed that
violates the right to conscience and attempts to
establish an official set of 'British values'
around the notion that all should line up behind
national-chauvinistic aims, aims which are
increasingly pursued through intervention and war.
"Jeremy Corbyn was seen to represent opposition
to this direction.
"Under the banner of returning Labour to
electability and making it a 'broad church,' Keir
Starmer represents cartel-party politics. To this
end, it is not enough that Corbyn be defeated.
Corbyn was never to be permitted to assume the
role of Prime Minister, and all he upheld was
blocked at every turn. No alternative is permitted
within the present arrangements. Now that he has
been removed, all vestiges of his legacy are to be
eradicated, and his character itself is to be
slandered, all with the aim of preventing such a
phenomenon as Corbyn from ever appearing again.
The ultimately futile aim is to wipe thought of an
alternative from the minds of the party and the
public at large.
"The forces of the establishment would seek to
expunge the Labour Party of all elements that
strive for the New. It is to remain a party firmly
of the Old, a cartel party that acts as part of
the arrangements of state, as a gatekeeper barring
people from decision-making power.
"Further, the clearing out of the Labour Party is
part of clearing out the opposition in parliament,
ensuring that there are no representatives of the
people in parliament.
"These attacks on Corbyn and his supporters
expose the whole party system. They serve to
underline how people cannot put their faith in
some other force, but must rely on building their
own forms of organization to enable them to speak
and act in their own name, that confers authority
to themselves directly as they strive for
empowerment and democratic renewal. Try as it
might, the ruling elite cannot kill off this
vision."
In brief, what Corbyn represents is an aspiration
to break from the cartel-party system, which the
establishment forces will not tolerate. Moreover,
they will commit any infamy against "outsiders" to
retain power in their hands. Implicit in Corbyn's
vision is that people, not parties, should capture
political power. The conditions in which Corbyn
has had to operate with a rapidly reactionary
establishment wing of the Labour Party viciously
and overtly opposing him every step of the way,
has meant that even the slightest hint of that
vision expressing itself in the Official
Opposition was never going to be accepted by the
ruling elite.
This entire experience merely confirms that
having the working people occupy the space for
change is anathema to the ruling class and their
system of governance. They stand ready to commit
any infamy to protect their rule. This has been
one of the main attributes of their system since
it was established in the 1660s following the
English Civil War, perfected in the mid-19th
century through the imposition of the European
nation-state on the peoples of the world in the
name of "peace, order and good government." Peace
in this parlance signifies the means by which the
anti-colonial rebellions can be suppressed. Order
refers to the system of crime and punishment used
to keep the working class and its demands for
rights in check. Good government refers to the
so-called democratic institutions maintained by
the system of party rule which pledges loyalty to
uphold the prerogative powers that concentrate
decision-making in the hands of the party
executive which serves the ruling class.
This system of rule intended to keep power in the
hands of a corrupt ruling elite was enforced after
World War II on the basis of Cold War ideology and
preoccupations aimed at dividing the world's
people into two camps and defeating the Soviet
Union. Today, at a time this elitist rule has no
consent of the governed whatsoever, treacherous
attempts are made to provide it
with justifications called humanitarianism,
peace, democracy, opposition to anti-Semitism and
the like.
What the working class, youth, women and anti-war
movement in Britain will do next is sure to reveal
itself sooner rather than later as they tackle the
situation from their own vantage point, in a
manner which favours their interests. The
conditions the working people face within Britain
and which the peoples of the world face as a whole
are so dire, there is no alternative but to settle
scores with British imperialism and its rotten,
elitist institutions whose decrepitude places a
huge burden on society.
Canadian working people have full confidence that
the working peoples of England, Ireland, Scotland
and Wales will reckon with what has been done and
is being done to Jeremy Corbyn in a profound
manner. The working class in these countries is
international in its make-up. It is settling
scores with all the old arrangements of this most
reactionary monstrous machine that comprises the
British ruling class, which the rulers go so far
as to call the "cradle of civilization." The
working people of Britain will yet show the world
what they are made of!
Note
1. What
Corbyn represents is a matter of public record.
He was active in the 1970s when he organized a
demonstration against a National Front march
through Wood Green. He spoke on the 80th
anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street,
noting that his mother was a protester at that
time who signed numerous early day motions
condemning anti-Semitism. In 1987, he campaigned
to reverse Islington Council's decision to grant
the planning application to destroy a Jewish
cemetery; and in 2010, he called on the UK
government to facilitate the settlement of
Yemeni Jews in Britain. He also took part in a
ceremony in his Islington constituency to
commemorate the original site of the North
London Synagogue and visited the Theresienstadt
concentration camp, calling it a reminder of the
dangers of far-right politics, anti-Semitism and
racism. Theresienstadt was a ghetto-labour camp.
It served as a transit camp for Czech Jews whom
the Germans deported to killing centres,
concentration camps, and forced-labour camps in
German-occupied Poland, Belorussia and the
Baltic States.
(With files from Workers'
Weekly, Wikipedia and encyclopedia.ushmm.org.)
November 28, 2020. A section of the farmers'
march, that has brought 12 million farmers, with
some 96,000 tractors, to borders of India's
capital New Delhi. The action is said to be the
longest march in history undertaken by farmers.
November 26, 2020. Police attempt to
prevent farmers from reaching Delhi.
In what constitutes a near shutdown of India, over
250 million workers took part in a general strike
on November 26 and hundreds of thousands of
farmers held a two-day Chalo Dilli ("Go to Delhi")
mobilization to condemn state-organized
immiseration of the people on behalf of the rich,
perpetrated right in the midst of the COVID-19
pandemic, and to condemn state violence and
impunity.
The general strike involved workers from private
and public sectors -- from steel, ports, oil and
gas, telecommunications, health care, education
and other sectors. Actions in support of the
strike were also held by government workers,
postal workers, railway workers and others. It is
estimated that strike and support actions took
place in nearly all major towns and cities,
including New Delhi. In some states, workers
blocked roads and railway tracks to press for
their demands.
Workers firmly supported the farmers' march to
Delhi and denounced the state repression against
them as they were marching and approaching Delhi.
The farmers' organizations likewise expressed
their support for the workers' general strike.
November 27, 2020. March in Delhi in support of
farmers' march.
November 26, 2020. Students in Delhi support
farmers' Chalo Dilli.
The farmers heroically defended themselves
against police violence, especially at the border
between the states of Punjab and Haryana, and as
they were attempting to cross the Haryana border
to reach Delhi. Those attempting to reach Delhi
through the state of Uttar Pradesh were also faced
with brutal police violence. Farmers were attacked
with tear gas and water cannons in the middle of
the night. Police had erected barriers and put up
barbed wire in an attempt to prevent them from
carrying on with their march. The farmers were
undeterred and pushed back against the barricades,
insisting that they had to take their protests and
demands directly to Delhi so as to be heard by the
central state. They are ready for a long battle
and travelled with trolleys full of rice and
grains and are cooking their own food. Some
travelled in tractors and cars while many were on
foot. The Delhi police finally allowed the farmers
to enter the city but attacks with teargas and
water cannons continued, injuring some of them. A
venue was allocated to them by the police in
Burari near the outskirts of the city. Some
farmers went to that area but most decided to camp
in a location closer to the Parliament. At least
three highways that lead to Delhi remain blocked
by the protests. The farmers made clear that they
have enough essentials to continue their action
for months and that they will not leave until the
central government withdraws the farm bills.
November 27, 2020. Water cannon used against
farmers.
The general strike is a joint action of 10 trade
union centrals. The main convener of the farmers'
actions is the All India Kisan Sangharsh
Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), a pan-Indian
organization comprised of 250 farmers'
organizations.
The Days of Action were organized in response to
a series of anti-labour and anti-farmer laws which
were adopted by the Indian parliament in September
with no debate and in spite of the fact that they
are firmly opposed by the people who are directly
concerned. The anti-labour laws amalgamate 44
labour laws into four, dismantling all previous
arrangements regarding wages, industrial
relations, social security, safety, and working
conditions. The farm bills dismantle even the
limited form of public procurement of farmer's
crops by state agencies that currently exists, and
put the farmers at the mercy of private traders
acting on behalf of global multinational
agriculture corporations. Farmers expect that with
the new legislation, even the minimum support
price that is set for the government-controlled
wholesale markets is going to be eliminated.
Farmers in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh
Workers' immediate demands include monthly cash
transfers for poor households, free food rations,
withdrawal of anti-farmer and anti-labour laws, an
end to privatization of public services and an end
to the corporatization of public sector
manufacturing facilities and service institutions
like railways and ports.
Farmers' immediate
demands are for the repeal of the farm laws and
real protection by the state, especially to ensure
that they get better prices for their crops. For a
long time, farmers have been demanding that their
crops must be purchased at a price that is at
least 50 per cent above their cost of production.
This wrecking, so-called reforms carried out by
the state with impunity and presented as providing
needed "flexibility," "freedom" and "choice," will
only further immiserate workers and farmers and is
an attack on their human dignity on behalf of the
rich.
TML Weekly hails the heroic action of the
workers and farmers of India to demand justice and
the enforcement of their rights.
The Communist Party
of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) categorically
condemns all terrorist attacks and all actions by
any party whatsoever which are an expression of
refusal to sort out problems through political and
peaceful means.
The assassination
comes at a time when the ongoing U.S. attacks
against Iran are high on the agenda of the Trump
administration. According to media reports Trump
was dissuaded from striking Iran just two weeks
ago, after his aides warned it could escalate into
a broader conflict during his last weeks in
office.
Already, the
working class movement has raised the important
demand that social programs not be for
profit. Canadians want publicly owned, managed and
controlled operations which put the well-being of
the people at the centre of their operations. In
fact, the pandemic has exposed the necessity for
universal social programs even among some of the
staunchest defenders of private enterprise and --
what they like to call -- "small government." A
feature among the oligopolies which have seized
control of competing parts of the socialized
economy is their realization that individual
enterprises, no matter how vast, cannot alone
sustain the necessary social programs for their
own workers and still maintain their desired level
of productivity and private profit. This
realization is in addition to their need for
public infrastructure as social means of
production without which private companies cannot
function.
The problem rests
not with the socialized productive forces but with
those in control and the outmoded private
relations of production that are in contradiction
with the modern forces of industrial mass
production. The working class is the only social
force capable of socializing the relations of
production, putting them in conformity with the
productive forces and giving full rein to the
potential of the socialized economy with the
modern aim to serve the people and society.
The battle to
increase investments in social programs and to
stop paying the rich is constant as the working
class movement activates the strength of its
numbers and organization to move society forward
to socialized relations of production in
conformity with the modern socialized forces of
production. The organized battle to defend its
interests in the present at workplaces and
throughout society prepares the working class to
assume leadership of society based on a new
pro-social direction for the economic, political
and social affairs of the country in a
nation-building project of its own doing.
Many of those
living and working in Revera properties have
suffered terribly during the pandemic with some
even passing away from the disease due to the
socially irresponsible actions of the company
driven by its aim for private profit. The PSP and
Revera operate their businesses according to the
imperialist aim of maximum profit from the
exploitation of the working class in opposition to
the aim of the working class to serve the people
and society and defend the rights of all. The aim
of maximum private profit has no place in any
aspect of health care, which the pandemic has
clearly exposed. The aim must be to serve the
people and society and for increased investments
in social programs to raise the level of the
programs to whatever working people deem necessary
and to block the rich from expropriating value.
For liberals and
others in the imperialist camp, the issue is not
opposition to social programs per se but the
necessity that social programs must serve the
ruling oligarchs. Pay-the-rich social programs,
through imperialist design, must contribute in one
way or another to the aim of maximum private
profit and to defend the status quo. The working
class movement must confront this problem with a
clear head and conscience. 
In the public
education sector the construction of schools is
private and almost all supplies, such as computers
and textbooks, are privately delivered.
Post-secondary education has become a feeding
ground for private companies mostly parading as
colleges. Universities do research and training
for the big companies while funded through the
public purse and increasingly from high student
tuition and other fees.
The 30-year
neo-liberal anti-social offensive to defund social
programs, privatize both social programs and
public services, extend pay-the-rich schemes,
engage in endless aggressive wars abroad and
integrate into the U.S. war economy has created a
general disequilibrium in Canadian society between
the two main social classes. There is increasing
poverty with the rich becoming richer and the poor
poorer, destruction of the social fabric, abuse of
the working class, and other serious problems such
as endless wars, and now the crisis caused by the
refusal to take the measures required to bring the
COVID-19 pandemic under control by putting the
well-being of the population in command.
Mara Bilbao Diaz,
the Consul General of the Republic of Cuba in
Montreal, welcomed everyone. She stressed the
importance of marking this important date for the
Cuban people and the peoples of the world.
After
Michigan certified its vote on November 23, and an
open letter from 166 businessmen called for the
transition to proceed, the General Services
Administration, which had been blocking official
transition support for Biden, "ascertained" that
he was the winner. This action released millions
in funding and opened the way for mutual briefings
concerning COVID-19, domestic and foreign security
matters and more. However, it remains unclear
whether the various cabinet departments, all part
of the Office of the Presidency, will cooperate.
Attorney General William Barr has so far not done
so. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien has
promised a "professional transition" with the
Biden team. These differences within the cabinet,
along with Trump's continuing lawsuits to block
seating of Biden electors from Pennsylvania and
Arizona in the Electoral College, for example, are
indicators that the usual rules and norms are
still not being followed. 
As with
the 
On November
23, Michigan officially certified its results,
with the four-member State Board of Canvassers
voting three in favour and one abstention, a
Republican. Based on the certification, the
Michigan Governor certified the slate of electors
for Biden. At the same time, the State Board of
Canvassers joined calls for an audit of the Wayne
County vote, which includes Detroit, and election
reforms. The Michigan Legislature is already
holding hearings concerning the 2020 vote and
future reforms.
While all
sides are claiming to defend democracy, what gets
left out is the fact that the people do not decide
the candidates, do not decide the election
process, do not have a role in debating the
problems and solutions and do not decide the
outcome, as the certification process has shown.
It is a situation where Trump, Biden and the
courts are all striving to hide the fraud of an
election process riddled with inequality, designed
to disempower the people.
Farmers' immediate
demands are for the repeal of the farm laws and
real protection by the state, especially to ensure
that they get better prices for their crops. For a
long time, farmers have been demanding that their
crops must be purchased at a price that is at
least 50 per cent above their cost of production.
