Date: Wed, 15 Jan 1997 22:44:54 +0000
Subject: M-G: Re: Korea


Robert Malecki wrote:
> Because what we are seeing very clearly again in Korea as elsewhere is the
> that capitalism and imperialism is a deadend! Only proletarian revolution
> along the lines of the October Revolution in some of the major imperialist
> countries can show the way out.

While I agree with the essence of what Bob has written here, there are also some pretty crucial issues of 
immediate concern that may or may not require revolution or war to settle them. Actually, in the long run they 
will require revolution or war to settle them but in the short term maybe they can be resolved on their own 
terms. They include:

will the trade unionists organising the Korean general strike escape massive recriminations from the Korean 
government? will the anti-labour laws passed on 26.12.96 get repealed? will the voice of the people be heard 
above the tear gas?

In a large part, these questions are out of our hands, they depend upon the balance of class forces in Korea, 
how much the bourgeoisie can afford to give away, how much the workers' movement can manage to hold out for, 
etc., but we are not utterly without influence here. In the not unlikely situation that the forces in Korea are 
mommentarily balanced (how else can a general strike go on for so long without either (a) collapsing or (b) 
challenging for state power?) then outside influence may make a difference.

On the side of the bourgeoisie is international capital. On the side of the Korean workers are...the workers of 
the world. And at their head is the vanguard, the organised Marxists. Or are they? I paid a visit to the Korean 
general strike web page yesterday, to pass on solidarity greetings in my role as a parliamentary candidate for 
the UK Labour Party (a small contribution I admit, but we all have to do what we can). I looked down the list 
of solidarity greetings for familiar names from the marxism lists, and saw none. Why not?

Comrades, I cannot believe that we are too busy debating whether the working class has the ability for 
revolution that we cannot spare five minutes of on-line time to register our support, as Marxists, for the 
Korean general strike. Where are our priorities?

Nick




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