Issue 283 of SOCIALIST REVIEW Published March 2004 Copyright © Socialist Review
The terrain in Spain and press freedom down the drainJanuary's Socialist Review title ('Another Left is Possible') rings true all over Europe. It might seem surprising in a country where 96 percent of the population were against the war on Iraq (which was supported, it seemed, only by their right wing government), but it seems very likely that the People's Party (PP) will gain an absolute majority in March's general election in Spain. At the beginning of February I was on a protest in Madrid for the rights of immigrants in Europe. During the protest it became clear that a demonstration of right wing Basques claiming to represent 'victims of terror' (the PP vote) was to take place outside the Goya Film Awards (like the Baftas, only more political!) taking place that night. They were protesting against Julio Medem's La Pelota Vasca, a documentary about the situation in the Basque country in which he interviews those concerned. He showed no approval of the Basque terrorist group Eta's tactics, but the idea that anyone should discuss the issue in a rational way has angered the right. We went up to the awards to join a small counterprotest. It became clear from their slogans and abuse that these people were protesting against the right of film-makers to have free speech and in favour of censorship. Although there were no more than 200 of them they were well organised and financed. This event is an example of the way the Spanish right have clearly taken up the issue of defence of the Spanish state to counter their unpopularity over the war in Iraq. They are now using the issue of the Basques and the Catalans to build up support and to divide the opposition in Spain.
Why then is this possible? Despite the magnificent anti-war demonstrations the left has not politicised the movement into a vibrant campaign against the occupation of Iraq. The Socialist Party's response to the death of Spanish soldiers has not been to push for their withdrawal. People here face the same problems of unemployment, job insecurity, privatisation and racism as the rest of Europe and are offered no alternative by the politicians. This year Madrid sent 33 coaches to the European Social Forum in Paris after sending none to Florence last year. People are looking for answers and the Europe-wide development of unity and discussions of such people are starting to have an effect everywhere. On the day after the Hutton report was published I was involved in my first spontaneous walkout ('BBC: Public Service Demonstration', February SR). It felt odd being part of a protest where the main organisers were chanting to bring back the boss. The walkout was undoubtedly organised and led by those most upset by Greg Dyke's resignation, and took both Bectu and the NUJ by surprise. It's unclear whether Dyke was popular among some staff for the corporate initiatives (sickeningly entitled 'Cut the Crap', 'Make it Happen' or 'The Big Conversation') or perhaps simply for not being John Birt. However, once the protest started many people welcomed an opportunity to express their anger at the Hutton whitewash. As news of the protest spread throughout the television centre (and by e-mail to other sites) hundreds of people rushed outside to join in. Those who rushed to join it were not just there to join in with the chants to 'Bring back Greg' but also to protest at the vilification of the BBC by the government and significant sections of the press. People have been worried by the 'unreserved' apologies and threats of wholesale changes of the BBC promised by government ministers. As MPs have used the opportunity to call for privatisation, and Murdoch has complained about the size and 'unfair advantage' of the BBC, Norman Tebbit and Michael Portillo have been suggested as future candidates for director general. Despite the reporting of the Iraq war being overwhelmingly biased to the government the consequence of even a few critical reports has led to talk of even more tightly controlled 'public service' broadcasting.
So that day's walkout was a great chance for people to 'cut the crap'. |
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The BNP is an issue that the government (and certainly British socialism) ought to acknowledge.
Why has this party achieved electoral success in the north? Because the Labour government has failed and ignored the voters' needs.
If we look beyond the BNP at the causes that have created the current rise in its popularity, then we will be addressing the real problems. As a democratic country we ought not to be bleating about banning the BNP, which would be disastrous, but rather do our best to resolve some of the issues that have been highlighted through the ballot box.
Seen as such, voting BNP is a cry for help.
Duncan Williams
London
It is often said that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Why then does John Molyneux (February SR) simply dismiss the experience of the Socialist Alliance (SA) in two sentences?
True, the SA is not linked in people's minds with the opposition to war, but was this an inevitable result of its nature, or was it a result of tactical mistakes made during the anti-war campaign?
The key question on which the SA foundered is still posed with Respect. What is it for and where is it going? Is it an electoral coalition of those who are looking for a political alternative to Blairism and nothing more? Is it a step towards a new mass party of the left? Or an attempt to reconcile widely different views on the way forward for the left? Unless these questions are answered I fear that Respect will rapidly become as irrelevant as the Socialist Alliance now seems to be.
Nick Savage
Cambridge