That should be "Victory?" And the answer is no. Mubarak has been pushed aside by a Military Coup. Our main demand immediately should be "DOWN WITH THE MILITARY JUNTA". For the last two weeks the regime has used Grand Old Duke Of York tactics to try to demobilise the protests. Building it up, then deflating it. Yesterday was the most intense use of that tactic and failed. But, today's coup is just an extension of that tactic.
The very military-bureaucratic elite of which Mubarak was merely the front man, have pushed him aside to step into the daylight themselves. It comes as the workers have begun to move, to strike to occupy factories etc. It also comes as it becomes clear that the "idiot anti-imperialists" who have been telling us that the US has been in charge all along could not have been more wrong. Yesterday Obama and the CIA said Mubarak was going that night. Not only did he not go, but he attacked the US and posed as some kind of "anti-imperialist" standing up to them. And to top it all the CIA Chief explaining why they had got it so wrong said that he had only been repeating the information that the world news channels were putting out. It may be an Agency, it may be Central but where is its Intelligence???
And as the Us demonstrates its impotence and fading power, yesterday also saw the Saudis warn it to stop attacking Mubarak, and promising to finance the Egyptian military itself if the US removed financial support.
It may be that the generals will usher in a peaceful transition to democracy, but they have a vested interest in perpetuating the existing political regime through which they have built themselves a considerably privileged position. As marxists we shoudl certainly proceed as though that is the least likely option. We should argue for the workers to continue their strikes and occupations, to build up their organisations, and their alternative forms of State such as the Militia and the Defence Squads. In fact, that needs to be stepped up, and they need to acquire arms as quickly as possible to defend themselves against any atatcks from the State once the mass movement is demobilised.
“Once the people of Egypt and Tunisia have finished rising up against the corrupt, monied, entrenched powers that have kept them down for so long... they must tell us how they did it.” — Bill Maher
I have to say that I 100% agree with Boffy. We have already seen the army saying the treaty with Israel will be honoured. No doubt to appease the US. You cannot have change without changing the army, after all this is where Mubarak came from. If all we get is some other US funded army rich man in charge or a group of them then this revolution will be the biggest anti climax in history.
It didn't take long to see why the protests should not demobilise. By Sunday, the Military were tearing down barricades in Tahrir Square, and attempting to push the protesters out. Worse, back in came the Police and Secret Police who only a week ago were beating up and killing the protesters. Apparently the same police have been beseiging the Interior Ministry demanding a pay rise.
Although the Military say that elections will take palce in September - which is no different to what Mubarak had said - they keep in place the same Government Ministers, and there is nothing that would give any confidence in the beleif that such elections would be any less rigged, occur udner any more favourable conditions than previous elections.
The basic demand has to be for the Military Junta to go, and for the State of Emergency to be lifted. But, the strikes and Occupations that workers had started should continue, and theorkers need to build their own alternative democracy, and State whatever the Military puts forward, because even a bouregois demcoracy will form a basis for bourgeois rule, and continuing attacks on the workers.
What should be learned from this is also how bankrupt many of the ideas of sections on the left over the last 20-30 years are. On the one hand the Third Campists are left only cheering on their respective champions - democratic imperialism for the AWL and their co-thinkers, various Islamists for the SWP, and offering the working-class no programme beyond basic Trade Unionism. In addition the "idiot antiimperialism" of the SWP and others, which presents everything that happens anywhere in the world as the work of "Imperialism" rather like the Church blames every mishap on the Devil, and claims every apparent miracle for God, has been shown to be nonsense.
Imperialism - usually meaning US Imperialism - was shown to be clueless. The CIA was so little involved in what was going on that its chief was relying on TV News reports! Despite links with opposition groups going back more than 3 years, it seems to have completely underestimated their support within the country.
This kind of politics immediately lets off the hook the Capitalists and the rulers in the particular country - the best example of that is the failure of such groups to criticise the clerical-fascists in Iran or Gaza. But, the reality is that Egypt and Jordan for instance, did not sign a peae treaty with Israel because they were forced to by the US. They did so, because it was in their interest to do so. Lacking the oil of other countries like Iran, and being on the border of israel, it was in the immediate interests of Egyptian Capitalists to sign such a deal, and to benefit from the advantages that increased trade and investment would bring, for example the expansion of Tourism in Egypt. That is why any Government other than some completely lunatic clerical-fascist regime in Egypt will also maintain that Peace Treaty, even if its relations with the Palestinians are more nuanced.
I should say I only 100% agree with Boffy that Victory should be followed by a ?!
Re the treaty with Israel, we should also add that the billions of US dollars given to Egypt's despots is to buy peace between Israel and Egypt as Wikileaks exposed. So it isn't strictly all about tourism, which is taking rather a hammering at the moment!
No one has said the domestic capitalists should be let off the hook, but to ignore imperialisms role in Egypt is utter idiocy of the highest order. I mean for goodness sake the entire modern history of Egypt is steeped in imperialist intrigue.
Boffy claims there are jokers to the right (AWL) and clowns to the left (SWP) but come on, he is the village idiot in the middle!
Not even Costas Lapavitsas would buy any of this crap.
Its interesting that "Chris" is prolific with his attacks on me here, and using one of his other persona on Dave Osler's Blog, and yet although he has clearly read my own blog - hence his distortion about me NOW agreeing that the Cuts are front loaded (what I have always said and say again on my blog is that the Cuts in general are backloaded, which they are, it is only the Cuts on Local Government that are front loaded), though his claim to be a high flying Accountant in LG is blown apart by his insistence that the Cuts THIS YEAR amount to 25%, when in fact, the largest Cuts only amount to around 15% this year! - he never takes issue with them there.
That is because, as I've pointed out elsewhere, he is the same excuse for a human being, who used to post as the "Sentinel", a BNP'er, and various other names, and who resorted to posting streams of foul abuse to my blog, including attacks on my son who has Aspergers. He knows that if he posted to my blog he'd be openly exposed. But, the reality is that whatever name he uses he is the same slime.
It is quite incredible how Boffy fails to understand what others are saying. I have said the cuts in total would be around 25%. That is over the 4 years. I have then added that the cuts will be front loaded, i.e. the majority of the 25% will be in the first year!!! I have also been at pains to point out that I am only talking about local government, because that is where I work and where I have an insight! Boffy has constantly denied that the cuts to local government are front loaded on this very site. Now he has announced it on his website like it is breaking news!!!
All this is on record on this site.
For the record, I think anyone who attacks someone's son who has Aspergers is the lowest form of scum imaginable. From the little I know about this 'Sentinel' character, the lowest form of scum would be an appropriate label.
8 comments:
Let's hope that revolution will spread to the entire Arab world.
Phil,
That should be "Victory?" And the answer is no. Mubarak has been pushed aside by a Military Coup. Our main demand immediately should be "DOWN WITH THE MILITARY JUNTA". For the last two weeks the regime has used Grand Old Duke Of York tactics to try to demobilise the protests. Building it up, then deflating it. Yesterday was the most intense use of that tactic and failed. But, today's coup is just an extension of that tactic.
The very military-bureaucratic elite of which Mubarak was merely the front man, have pushed him aside to step into the daylight themselves. It comes as the workers have begun to move, to strike to occupy factories etc. It also comes as it becomes clear that the "idiot anti-imperialists" who have been telling us that the US has been in charge all along could not have been more wrong. Yesterday Obama and the CIA said Mubarak was going that night. Not only did he not go, but he attacked the US and posed as some kind of "anti-imperialist" standing up to them. And to top it all the CIA Chief explaining why they had got it so wrong said that he had only been repeating the information that the world news channels were putting out. It may be an Agency, it may be Central but where is its Intelligence???
And as the Us demonstrates its impotence and fading power, yesterday also saw the Saudis warn it to stop attacking Mubarak, and promising to finance the Egyptian military itself if the US removed financial support.
It may be that the generals will usher in a peaceful transition to democracy, but they have a vested interest in perpetuating the existing political regime through which they have built themselves a considerably privileged position. As marxists we shoudl certainly proceed as though that is the least likely option. We should argue for the workers to continue their strikes and occupations, to build up their organisations, and their alternative forms of State such as the Militia and the Defence Squads. In fact, that needs to be stepped up, and they need to acquire arms as quickly as possible to defend themselves against any atatcks from the State once the mass movement is demobilised.
“Once the people of Egypt and Tunisia have finished rising up against the corrupt, monied, entrenched powers that have kept them down for so long... they must tell us how they did it.”
— Bill Maher
I have to say that I 100% agree with Boffy. We have already seen the army saying the treaty with Israel will be honoured. No doubt to appease the US. You cannot have change without changing the army, after all this is where Mubarak came from. If all we get is some other US funded army rich man in charge or a group of them then this revolution will be the biggest anti climax in history.
It didn't take long to see why the protests should not demobilise. By Sunday, the Military were tearing down barricades in Tahrir Square, and attempting to push the protesters out. Worse, back in came the Police and Secret Police who only a week ago were beating up and killing the protesters. Apparently the same police have been beseiging the Interior Ministry demanding a pay rise.
Although the Military say that elections will take palce in September - which is no different to what Mubarak had said - they keep in place the same Government Ministers, and there is nothing that would give any confidence in the beleif that such elections would be any less rigged, occur udner any more favourable conditions than previous elections.
The basic demand has to be for the Military Junta to go, and for the State of Emergency to be lifted. But, the strikes and Occupations
that workers had started should continue, and theorkers need to build their own alternative democracy, and State whatever the Military puts forward, because even a bouregois demcoracy will form a basis for bourgeois rule, and continuing attacks on the workers.
What should be learned from this is also how bankrupt many of the ideas of sections on the left over the last 20-30 years are. On the one hand the Third Campists are left only cheering on their respective champions - democratic imperialism for the AWL and their co-thinkers, various Islamists for the SWP, and offering the working-class no programme beyond basic Trade Unionism. In addition the "idiot antiimperialism" of the SWP and others, which presents everything that happens anywhere in the world as the work of "Imperialism" rather like the Church blames every mishap on the Devil, and claims every apparent miracle for God, has been shown to be nonsense.
Imperialism - usually meaning US Imperialism - was shown to be clueless. The CIA was so little involved in what was going on that its chief was relying on TV News reports! Despite links with opposition groups going back more than 3 years, it seems to have completely underestimated their support within the country.
This kind of politics immediately lets off the hook the Capitalists and the rulers in the particular country - the best example of that is the failure of such groups to criticise the clerical-fascists in Iran or Gaza. But, the reality is that Egypt and Jordan for instance, did not sign a peae treaty with Israel because they were forced to by the US. They did so, because it was in their interest to do so. Lacking the oil of other countries like Iran, and being on the border of israel, it was in the immediate interests of Egyptian Capitalists to sign such a deal, and to benefit from the advantages that increased trade and investment would bring, for example the expansion of Tourism in Egypt. That is why any Government other than some completely lunatic clerical-fascist regime in Egypt will also maintain that Peace Treaty, even if its relations with the Palestinians are more nuanced.
I should say I only 100% agree with Boffy that Victory should be followed by a ?!
Re the treaty with Israel, we should also add that the billions of US dollars given to Egypt's despots is to buy peace between Israel and Egypt as Wikileaks exposed. So it isn't strictly all about tourism, which is taking rather a hammering at the moment!
No one has said the domestic capitalists should be let off the hook, but to ignore imperialisms role in Egypt is utter idiocy of the highest order. I mean for goodness sake the entire modern history of Egypt is steeped in imperialist intrigue.
Boffy claims there are jokers to the right (AWL) and clowns to the left (SWP) but come on, he is the village idiot in the middle!
Not even Costas Lapavitsas would buy any of this crap.
Its interesting that "Chris" is prolific with his attacks on me here, and using one of his other persona on Dave Osler's Blog, and yet although he has clearly read my own blog - hence his distortion about me NOW agreeing that the Cuts are front loaded (what I have always said and say again on my blog is that the Cuts in general are backloaded, which they are, it is only the Cuts on Local Government that are front loaded), though his claim to be a high flying Accountant in LG is blown apart by his insistence that the Cuts THIS YEAR amount to 25%, when in fact, the largest Cuts only amount to around 15% this year! - he never takes issue with them there.
That is because, as I've pointed out elsewhere, he is the same excuse for a human being, who used to post as the "Sentinel", a BNP'er, and various other names, and who resorted to posting streams of foul abuse to my blog, including attacks on my son who has Aspergers. He knows that if he posted to my blog he'd be openly exposed. But, the reality is that whatever name he uses he is the same slime.
It is quite incredible how Boffy fails to understand what others are saying. I have said the cuts in total would be around 25%. That is over the 4 years. I have then added that the cuts will be front loaded, i.e. the majority of the 25% will be in the first year!!! I have also been at pains to point out that I am only talking about local government, because that is where I work and where I have an insight! Boffy has constantly denied that the cuts to local government are front loaded on this very site. Now he has announced it on his website like it is breaking news!!!
All this is on record on this site.
For the record, I think anyone who attacks someone's son who has Aspergers is the lowest form of scum imaginable. From the little I know about this 'Sentinel' character, the lowest form of scum would be an appropriate label.
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