Date: Thu, 04 Sep 1997 00:55:10 +0100
From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: Re: M-I: Disgust


I posted my reply to Hinrich's previous post before seeing his latest.
While reserving the right to disagree with him on a number of points, I too
rather winced at the title of Blair's willing executioners. 

The take I wanted to put was "Algeria's willing executioners" because I
think it is striking that we have remained silent about atrocities in a
country under the domination of a regime linked to Western European capital
in which our media routinely reports that these atrocities are committed by
muslim fundamentalists. That fact that several weeks ago the London
Observer did an expose of the dirtyness of the war of the regime against
the muslims, including of course atrocities in which guerrillas are
impersonated and torture specialising in the use of blow lamps on victims
faces and gentals, somehow has not galvanised opposition. This is what
seems to me to be most analogous if we take real concrete political and
moral challenges today. We all know that human being including us are
potentially capable of great violence under certain conditions. What is
more interesting is the political environment in which it is not possible
to speak out, to ask the arkward question, to stand up for the civil rights
of someone on one point, because you do not agree with them on another. I
do not think many members of this list have exterminationist attitudes to
muslims, but judged overall considering the sharpness of the contradictions
in many muslim countries on the edge of the capitalist metropolitan
countries, I feel uncomfortable that there is an issue of latent racism or
racism by neglect.

Theoretically, I think these lists are weak on the role of the fight for
democratic rights as part of the fight for socialism, and that is why
people can slip lightly using the same formula about people following
Hitler and people following Blair. 

I feel James Heartfield is a polemicist who raises challenging questions
but likes to do so in a startling and ultra-left way. I am swallowing my
own prejudices against Living Marxism and the Next Step for appearing to me
on superficial reading over some years (I had little interest in reading
more deeply) to belittle the struggle against apartheid.

I am sure Hinrich is determined enough to contribute somewhere or other,
but I don't think questions should best be resolved by the psychology of
small groups, including the threat to leave.  These lists are a long
process of mutual learning even though they inevitably go through crises
and arguments. An enormous amount has been achieved. People inevitably come
from different backgrounds and with different loyalties. If we can try to
avoid approaching questions in terms of my marxism is better than yours and
work instead on using marxist methods to illuminate through co-operation
current issues of concern, still more will be achieved. 

I would point out that Carrol was clearly consciously changing the
offensive thread title even before Hinrich's post. 

Chris Burford
London









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