Continuing Economic Crisis
The big winner at the G20 Summit was the IMF. $750billion to be precise. The IMF, as well as gladly accepting the money, immediately referred to its lack of capacity. There will need to be an increase in its staff to cope with the increased workload. Jobs for redundant bankers?! Not that Sir Fred Goodwin nor the other big bankers need the money. In the article, "Ramsay McDonald and Gordon Brown", Paul Sutton analyses the G20 Summit and compares it to the failed 1933 capitalist summit and the very successful (for capitalism) Bretton Woods Agreement, which established the IMF and the World Bank towards the end of World War II. The article concludes that, whilst Prime Minister Brown claimed a huge success, it is more likely to turn out like the 1933 disaster. And, that meant the Depression and then war.
Gentlemen's Club
Some credit must be given to Mr Brown for referring to the House of Commons as a "Gentlemen's Club". The MPs expenses scandal has uncovered one of the layers creating Britain's bi-partisan political system. Tweedledum and Tweedledee developed partly due to the Commons being a Gentlemen's Club, in which new MPs were inducted into how the great institution of the Mother of Parliaments works.. for them. Once incorporated, and benefiting from membership of the exclusive club, it was seldom that an MP would retain or develop independent thoughts and, even less likely, rebellious actions. The gentlemen's club has matured and adapted over the years. For example, women are now allowed membership and some lost no time in joining the men at the trough.
However, for the moment, the corrupt and corrupting Parliamentary system has come unstuck.
Of course, the Daily Telegraph, in uncovering the mass corruption among MPs across all political parties, realised that this could lead to anger and more cynicism about the political system. The newspaper well understands that cynicism can lead to apathy. An apathetic electorate not voting is helpful to the Tories, whose core vote is more likely to turn out. And, that is what happened in the local council and European elections in June as James Thomson points out in his article, "Britain's ruling class want the Tories back". Before the MPs expenses scandal there was already considerable apathy.
And, who can blame the people given the choice between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The ground has been well prepared for the return of a Tory government.
South Africa
No British government since 1945 has won a majority vote but in contrast, the turnout for the recent South African election was 77% of the electorate and the African National Congress won 65.9% of the votes cast. The British media tried to make something of the fact that the ANC vote fell short of the two thirds majority necessary to change the constitution.
Some of the media even said that the ANC had "failed". But, then, they are hardly supporters of the liberation movement. Alex Davidson reports on the South African election results and the challenges facing the new ANC government.
Big Pharma
The developing world has long suffered from the actions of the transnational companies. When the South African government introduced legislation to use generic drugs as an affordable way to deal with HIV/AIDS, the big pharmaceuticals took the government to court to stop the legislation. After two years of protracted legal battles, and only at the 11th hour, did "Big Pharma" withdraw their legal challenge. Many more people died in the intervening two years. Now one of the big pharmaceutical companies, GlaxoSmithKline, is on a new tack and Les Masters asks, "Has the leopard really changed its spots?"
Imperialism's aim: to defeat socialism (first the Soviet Union, now Cuba)
Helen Christopher, in celebrating 50 years of the Cuban Revolution, reflects on the country's successes and its continuing challenges. One of these challenges has been dealing with the US boycott. However, the tactics of the United States are changing and with it will come different challenges for the Cuban government and people. Imperialism never gives up in trying to defeat socialism and many different tactics will be used until that end is achieved. As in Cuba, with the Bay of Pigs invasion, the young Soviet Russia faced armed intervention. That period is examined by Gina Nicholson in "14 Nations intervened to destroy the first ever socialist state at birth"”. That tactic was defeated but Imperialism did not give up. British Imperialism tried to use fascist Germany against the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union's attempts to ally with Britain against fascism in Europe were rejected, the socialist state signed a non-aggression pact with Germany. This, like many other aspects of history, is currently being re-written to discredit the Soviet Union and socialism. Pat Turnbull puts the record straight in her article, "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact of 1939". We also reproduce a chapter from Harry Pollitt's book Serving My Time on the "Hands Off Russia"/Jolly George strike in 1920 which illustrated British working class internationalism and solidarity in action in support of the Russian revolution.
Charles Darwin
In this bi-centennial year of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th year of the publication of his seminal work, 'The Origin of Species', we publish a thought-provoking article by S. Wordfish, which reflects on Darwin's achievement; the connections between discoveries in the natural world and politics, economics and everyday life; Marx and Engels' views on Darwin and neo-Darwinism and its alternatives.
