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Labor's death agonies

By John Passant - posted Wednesday, 4 August 2010


The ideas of struggle, let alone their practice, have been lost. No matter who wins government we will have to re-learn them.

The global economy is weak and could tip into another recession. There has not been a destruction of capital sufficient to restore profit rates, in part because of the too important to fail syndrome. The stimulus packages, bailouts and quasi nationalisations have perhaps won the battle only to lose the war.

The shift in the share of national product going to capital at the expense of labour has not addressed this stagnation either.

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The forces of resistance to the inevitable onslaught on workers’ living standards after the election are small and weak. The trade union bureaucracy will not lead a fight back. Its sorry history has been one of capitulation not struggle.

As capitalism burns itself out (literally and economically) the liberationist project becomes not only more important but a necessity for our survival as a species.

Workers will have to re-learn the lessons of history and the ideas of struggle to win the ultimate prize - the end of the exploitative system and the defence of humanity through a world of democracy and plenty for all.

The Labor Party and its milksop lackeys in the trade union movement have shown themselves not to be worthy leaders of the working class during the next crisis. Their every action exposes them for the shamans they are.

History belongs to the working class. Its task is to remake society.

Our role at the moment is to prepare ourselves intellectually and organisationally and as best we can by building the fight backs of today to ready ourselves for the next upsurge in working class and movement struggles.

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It will come. Are we ready?

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First published in En Passant with John Passant on July 31, 2010.



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About the Author

John Passant is a Canberra writer (www.enpassant.com.au) and member of Socialist Alternative.

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