Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014

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Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
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Keep SAS out of Iraq and Syria!
!e "S and its la#$eys in#luding %e& 'ealand are
going to &ar again in t!e (iddle )ast to repla#e
t!e regimes t!at no longer ser*e "S imperialist
interests in its ri*alry &it! t!e +ussia,C!ina blo#-
.as!ar al-Assad &as tolerated by t!e "S and Israel
despite being allied to Iran and +ussia/ be#ause !is
di#tators!ip &as a bastion against a popular
re*olution in Syria 0oining for#es &it! t!e 1alestine
re*olution and t!reatening its ally/ Israel- !e "S
refused to arm t!e Syrian rebels &it! anti-air#raft
missiles !oping t!at Assad and t!e rebels &ould
fig!t to a standstill and
a ne& moderate pro-"S
regime &ould emerge-
!is strategy failed as
t!e Syrian re*olution
#ontinued to fig!t on for
2 years despite la#$ing
!ea*y &eapons- o
brea$ t!e stalemate
Assad released Ji!adists
from !is 0ails to build
ISIS as an ally against
t!e re*olution- !is led
to t!e rise of a ne&
t!reat to "S #ontrol of
t!e (iddle )ast 3 a ne&
Islami# bourgeoisie t!at
&as !ostile to t!e "S-
ISIS bro$e from al
4aeda in Syria and
mo*ed into Iraq &!ere
it t!reatened to
o*ert!ro& t!e "S
puppet %ouri al-(ali$i
and ta$e o*er t!e "S
prote#torate #reated as
a bul&ar$ against Iran-
!e "S stepped in to prop t!e regime up/ bombed
ISIS in t!e nort! and armed t!e Kurds/ &!ile it
&or$ed to repla#e al-(ali$i &it! a regime more
effi#ient in managing Sunni/ S!ia and Kurds to
o*ersee t!e produ#tion of oil-
!e rise of ISIS 5no& Islami# State6 is t!erefore not in
t!e interests of t!e "S plans to #ontinue #ontrol of
t!e (iddle )ast- Its response &as to #reate a !uge
pani# about ISIS terrorists returning to t!eir
7!omelands8 to 0ustify bombing it and militarising
poli#e 7terror8 against &or$ers at !ome-
.ut ISIS is mu#! less a t!reat to "S domination of
t!e region/ not to mention t!e !omelands/ t!an it is
to t!e popular resistan#e in Syria and Iraq- ISIS is
t!e produ#t of imperialist in*asion/ &ars and
o##upation of t!e (iddle )ast sin#e 991- It is a
rea#tionary so#ial mo*ement t!at !as gro&n up
around &arlords li$e :sama bin ;aden only
be#ause imperialism/ in #a!oots &it! t!e Arab
leaders and Stalinist parties/ destroyed t!e Arab
national re*olution- ISIS &ants to be#ome an Islami#
State bourgeoisie and negotiate better deals &it!
imperialism for a s!are of t!e oil and t!e
e<ploitation of t!e &or$ers-
%e*ert!eless in t!is &ar
t!e t&o sides are not
equal- 9e are for t!e
defeat of t!e imperialist
"S and all its ser*ile
#lient states li$e
Australia and %' &!o
are part of t!e 7&ar on
terror8- %' 1rime
(inister Key !as signed
up to t!e "S #oalition
supporting t!e "S &ar
on ISIS- =e is #onsidering
t!e deployment of SAS
troops to Iraq playing a
similar role to t!e one it
played in Afg!anistan-
9e #all on %' &or$ers to
oppose t!e deployment
of SAS troops to t!e
(iddle )ast and support
t!ose popular for#es
t!at are fig!ting for t!e
defeat of t!e "S and its
allies in t!e &ar in Syria
and Iraq!
=o&e*er/ be#ause ISIS is
fig!ting t!e popular re*olution and t!e Kurdis!
state to #reate its Islami# State/ &ill do not #all for a
military allian#e &it! ISIS against imperialism- :nly
t!e &or$ers re*olution #an defeat imperialism and
t!e rea#tionary bourgeois Islami# State- 9e are for
t!e armed/ independent/ non-se#tarian fig!ters in
Syria and Iraq/ defeating ISIS and ta$ing t!e lead
in t!e struggle against imperialism and its national
di#tators/ t!ereby opening t!e road to t!e so#ialist
re*olution in ()%A-
!ttp>,,redra*e-blogspot-#o-n?,2014,0@,no-n?-
troops-in-iraq-and-syria-!tml

Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
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9ill t!e ;abour 1arty SplitA
:ur position on t!e re#ent ele#tions &as to get t!e ;abour 1arty and Internet,(ana 1arty ele#ted
in t!e !ope t!at t!ey &ould #ollaborate on a Confiden#e and Supply agreement as part of a
Centre ;eft Bo*ernment- %eit!er &ould be bound by t!e ot!ers poli#ies and &ould *ote only on
t!e basis of agreement &it! t!eir program- 9or$ers #ould t!en 0udge t!em on t!eir o&n re#ord-
9e opposed t!e Breens or %'C be#oming part of t!e go*ernment on more t!an a Confiden#e and
Supply basis as t!at &ould !a*e meant ;abour #ould blame t!e failure to $eep its promises on its
#ompromises &it! t!ese petty bourgeois parties to stay in po&er- !e purpose of t!is #riti#al
support ta#ti# is not to endorse t!e reformist programs of ;abour or (ana but pro*e to &or$ers
t!at t!ey &ill ine*itably betray t!e interests of t!eir #lass- !is &ould open t!e &ay to &or$ers
brea$ing &it! t!ese parties and forming a mass So#ialist 1arty- As a result of t!e ele#tion/ t!e
%ational 1arty &on &it! a #lear ma0ority and in t!e aftermat! of t!e defeat of ;abour and (ana
a !uge debate !as opened up in t!e ;abour 1arty &!i#! #ould lead to a split along #lass lines and
t!e formation of a ne& mass &or$ers party of &it! a so#ialist program-

;essons of defeat spell *i#tory
The NACTs got back in power with a few more votes than
2011 and able to govern alone. The NACTS can complete
the process of building a onapartist regime that
concentrates ruling class power into the !"ecutive so that
Cabinet is not constrained b# $arliament% the
ureaucrac# or the &udiciar#. This will see N' drawn
more firml# into the orbit of (S hegemon# tr#ing to
reverse its decline with trade protection under the T$$A%
and a militar# alliance to fight
the (S war on terror designed
to stop the rise of its main rivals
China and )ussia.
*abour+s gamble to win the
,centre+ from National failed and
it has been reduced to its core
constituencies of urban blue
collar workers now including
the - .aori seats. The move to
the left under Cunliffe was
resisted b# the ACs so as not to
frighten the middle class. ut
this backfired as /e# painted
the *abour part# as part of a left wing conspirac# run b#
0otcom from his mansion. 1e have to see this defeat as
a defeat of the rightwing faction in *abour and its
strateg# of becoming National2lite to beat ke# in the
battleground of the centre. As we will show later% the
interests of the middle class are not that of the workers
unless the working class is strong enough to win over the
middle class. That means building a strong working class
movement and political culture.
After the election the task now facing *abour members in
the core working class constituencies and the unions is to
continue the push left and drive out the unreconstructed
)ogernomes attempts to restore the power of caucus
over the membership. This election has proved that a
*abour part# cannot serve both Capital and *abour in a
period of global capitalist crisis and stagnation and must
sooner or later split. Those who want to die in the
centrist swamp competing with N'3% the 4reens and
National% should leave. This would allow *abour to get on
with leading workers in the struggle to break N' from
dependenc# on (S imperialism b# nationalisation the big
banks and corporations under workers control. The
4reens are a pett# bourgeois anachronism caught
between Capital and *abour because capitalism cannot
be ,4reened+ to stop climate change% conserve nature and
avoid human e"tinction. So the 4reens failure to get
more than 105 sends the
message that it needs to turn to
the working class and recognise
that capitalism is the cause of
catastrophic climate change.
The biggest defeat was that of
6nternet .ana who lost their
onl# .$% 7one 7arawira.
There will be no voices from
the radical left to use
parliament as a forum to attack
the ruling class. .ana will%
without doubt% continue
building the protest movement
that took shape in the fight against *abour+s 3oreshore
and Seabed betra#al. 1e criticised 7arawira at the time
for marching on parliament for forming the .aori $art#
instead of occup#ing strategic sites on the foreshore.
/e# turned 7ager+s book on Dirty Politics into a ,left
wing conspirac#+ b# the opposition parties with 7arawira
and 0otcom as its leaders. The 6nternet $art# formed b#
0otcom as part of his campaign to fight his e"tradition to
the (S was demonised as was its partner% .ana. Sharing
in the vilification was the rest of the Centre *eft parties
who tried to distance themselves from 0otcom for fear of
alienating the ,centre+. As well as posing a 8uestion for
.ana about its political alliance with the 6nternet $art#%
this becomes another 8uestion for the *abour $art#
membership. A real *abour $art# that fights for workers
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
4

must make common cause with a working class based
part# such as .ana and agree on a socialist program.
Before looking at the prospects of a mass working class
party with a socialist program, we need to look at NZs
class structure, assess the damage done to it by neo-
liberalism, and the debunk those who argue that the
working class is dead or dying and incapable of leading
all oppressed groups and sections of the middle class
behind it in a mass revolutionary movement
%eo-liberalism> a defeat for &or$ers
Neo2liberalism was capitalisms response to the onset of
structural crisis in the 19:0s. Since 19;< the electorate
has re2aligned behind the neo2liberal consensus. The
backbone of neo2liberalism is deregulation and
privatisation to free up the market% and a monetar# and
fiscal polic# of balancing the budget and ta" cuts to the
rich. National under olger and Shiple# continued to
implement monetarist policies% and the Clark
government from 1999 to 200; continued to develop a
rightwing social democratic ,Third wa#+ program
associated with Ton# lair leader of the (/ *abour $art#
after 199:. lair defined the ,Third 1a#+ as that between
,neo2liberalism+ and ,socialism+. 6ts class base was the
rising middle class or political centre.
etween 19;< and 200; both National and *abour
competed for the political ,centre+ made up of a growing
middle class whose political fortunes were linked to
rising incomes. The middle class is made up of several
components= salaried managerial and supervision >obs in
public and private sector= farmers and self2emplo#ed
,tradies+= the ,disguised+ working class of contract
workers= migrant workers who own small famil#
businesses= all of whom identif# as ,independent+ workers
and not members of the working class.
The result of this centrist convergence around neo2
liberalism of *abour% 4reens and N'3 was the
disenfranchisement of the working class ! mainl#
manufacturing% service and clerical workers 2 e"cept for
the tin# 19;9 breakawa# New *abour $art# and its
development into the Alliance in brief coalition with
*abour between 1999 and 2002.
$olitical disenfranchisement of workers went hand in
hand with de-unionisation from around ?05 in 19;< to
less than 1?5 toda#. This e"plains the weakness of
organised labour facing the centrist development of the
*abour $art# under 7elen Clark. 6n fact the union
leadership largel# went along with the @Third 1a#A as
that of balancing the power of emplo#ers and unions b#
state regulation and sharing increased labour
productivit#. The growing ine8ualit# that resulted
between traditional working class constituenc# and the
middle class ,centre+ is the widening class division that
runs through the *abour $art# and e"plains the split
between ,right+ and ,left+. 6t is the basis of the fight
between the unions and working class membership to
pull the part# back to its traditional working class
constituenc# and its e"panding middle class
constituenc#.
The problem for the *abour $art# however% is that the
centre is also the hunting ground of the Centre )ight
parties% in particular the National $art#. (nder
conditions when the econom# is e"panding and the
middle class sharing in this growth% National prevails.
7owever% even when the econom# slumps and the
middle class is s8ueeBed% it doesn+t follow that it will
swing towards *abour. The 3irst *abour 4overnment
protected the welfare of workers b# protecting the profits
of the N' manufacturers from international finance
capital. Toda# manufacturing is integrated into the
global econom#. This has deregulated and casualised the
working class and made the middle class dependent on
the global marketplace. 6t is fickle and onl# respects
power and wealth. This is the legac# of )ogernomics and
so long as *abour does not break with neo2liberalism it
cannot serve the interests of the embattled%
impoverished% working class% nor win over the
impoverished middle class.
o&ards So#ialism
1e must use this defeat as an opportunit#. The
membership must re>ect the resurgence of the )ight
seeking revenge for the electoral loss. 6t was the )ight
that made it impossible for Cunliffe to take a clear left
line during the election. Cunliffe has responded to the
Caucus ma>orit#Cs attempt to replace him without
triggering a primar# b# resigning and nominating
himself to set the primar# process in motion. This is a
victor# for part# democrac# against Caucus domination
of the part#.
*abour now has to turn its back on its neo2liberal
consensus that has dominated politics since 19;<. 6t has
to put up an alternative program that the ma>orit# of
workers in Aotearoa can support including the missing
million. 6t would be a program to socialise the strategic
industries% the banks and energ# and resources. The
)eserve ank would then manage the mone# suppl# b#
printing mone# backed b# state owned assets to fund
state spending on public works% infrastructure% housing%
health% education and welfare. )esistance b# the N'
ruling class and their (S and Chinese imperialist backers
would spur organised labour to build their own social
institutions culminating in a 1orkersC 4overnment.
A revived *abour $art# would be based on workers
democrac# in communit# councils that unite the union
ranks and local neighbourhoods along with activists from
the 4reens and .ana mobilising to fight the NACT dirt#
politics and attacks on labour rights= sp#ing= fighting
against climate change= providing decent health%
housing% welfare and education. Strikes% occupations%
self2help% bans% are the working class methods for
collectivel# defending and demanding the labour rights%
wages and conditions that we need. This would prove
that it is possible to activate the disenfranchised and stop
the stupid electoral rivalr# that divides the left and allows
the ruling class to rule. 1orkers democrac# would
ensure that workers interests were not high2>acked b#
bureaucrats% and that the Corporate .edia was rendered
powerless b# workers own media and social media. A
revitalised working class political culture would emerge
based on speaking the truth and acting on the truth
because it would incorporate the values of *abour
against Capital.
http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/election-
defeat-will-labour-party-split.html
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
5

Capitalism li*es by 7dirty politi#s8!
!e publi#ation of %i#$y =ager8s boo$ Dirty 1oliti#s a fe& &ee$s before t!e ele#tion &as a big
fa#tor in t!e ele#tion out#ome- 9!ile it a##used t!e %ational 1arty of lea$ing se#ret information
to rig!t &ing .loggers to feed to t!e (S( to dis#redit t!e opposition/ t!e result &as a ba#$las!
t!at lifted t!e %ational 1arty to an outrig!t *i#tory- After some &ee$s of being on t!e defensi*e
t!e 1( Key &as able to turn t!e tables and use Dirty 1oliti#s to blame t!e left espe#ially Kim
Dot#om and t!e Internet,(ana 1arty 5I(16 for a 7left &ing #onspira#y8 to defeat %ational in t!e
polls- 9!at t!is re*eals is a #on#entration of po&er in t!e state engaged in mass sur*eillan#e and
#o*ert propaganda &!i#! #an be deployed to pre*ent any serious #!allenge to t!is po&er t!roug!
t!e parliamentary system- Is t!is an anomaly of 7abnormal8 po&er/ a one party state/ or rogue
state t!at #an be foug!t and #orre#ted by a demo#rati# opposition/ or is it t!e 7ne& normal8 form
t!at t!e #apitalist state ta$es &!en e#onomi# #risis begins to t!reaten its legitima#yA 9e argue
t!at 7dirty politi#s8 is normal for &!at &e #all t!e .onapartist state-

!e states sub*ersion of parliament
The victor# of National in the election was not due a
democratic process that gave National a fair ma>orit#
over the opposition parties% but the intervention of a
onapartist state.
1e will
demonstrate that
,dirt# politics+% mass
surveillance%
corruption% abuse of
power etc are onl#
s#mptoms of such a
state. 3irst we
define onapartism
then we look at the
conditions that give
rise to onapartism.
1e go back to the
.ar"ist
revolutionar# *eon
Trotsk# to define
onapartism. 7e
described this state
form that
supplanted
parliamentar#
democrac# during
the crisis of
capitalism in the
19D0s% as a concentration of state power in the hands of a
EonaparteE figure or institution to hold back the rise of
the revolutionar# proletariat. 6f it failed to stem the
revolution the ruling class was then forced to resort to its
last ditch measure against the threat of socialism 2
fascism. Trotsk# defined fascism as the last resort of the
bourgeoisie to smash the revolution. The bourgeoisie
allowed the angr# pett# bourgeoisie threatened with
bankruptc# in the crisis to organise a fascist movement
on the streets to fight and smash the working class.
To hold the fort and keep the people at ba# re8uires a
Bonapartist state regime 2 that is% subverting and
subordinating parliament% the bureaucrac#% the >udiciar#
and all the repressive and ideological apparatuses Fsuch
as the 4CS% police% media% schools etcG to the Chief
!"ecutive% F$resident% .ilitar# leader% $rime .inister
etcG concentrating power into the hands of figurehead
that ,stands above
the classes+ and
appears to personif#
the unitar# state.
The pre2conditions
for onapartism are
then% first% the
global econom#
facing a structural
crisis of
overproduction and
a huge slump in
which the main
imperialist powers
have to resort to
fascism and war to
survive. Toda#% we
can see that the
global capitalist
crisis is a structural
crisis that threatens
its e"istence. The
ma>or imperialist
powers are coming
up against the limits
of falling profits and climate change and facing rising
mass resistance. The global econom# faces stagnation
and slump along with climate catastrophe. .oreover% the
competition to restore falling profits is taking the form of
a dangerous rivalr# between the declining (S power bloc
and that of the rising China )ussia bloc e"pressed in
pro"# wars and (SHNATI containment of )ussia and
China. The game is up when the 6.3 is calling on state
aid for crippled capitalism and the I!C0 pro>ection for
capitalism over ne"t ?0 #ears is a long decline
e"acerbated b# climate change.
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
6

Climate #!ange and e#onomi# stagnation
This comes as no surprise to .ar"ists as capitalism has
e"hausted its potential to pla# an# progressive role in
developing humanit# and must give wa# to either
socialism or barbarism. All of this should be enough to
prove that capitalism is doomed% posing the 8uestion
whether we as a species are doomed with it. 6s there
hopeJ According to $aul .ason "#he $%&D has a clear
message for the world' for the rich countries, the best of
capitalism is over (or the poor ones ! now
e)periencing the glitter and ha*e of industrialisation ! it
will be over by +,-,#he $%&Ds prescription ! more
globalisation, more privatisation, more austerity, more
migration and a wealth ta) if you can pull it off ! will
carry weight But not with everybody #he ultimate
lesson from the report is that, sooner or later, an
alternative programme to "more of the same. will
emerge Because populations armed with smartphones,
and an increased sense of their human rights, will not
accept a future of high ine/uality and low growth.
Second% AotearoaHN' cannot escape this fate. Capitalism
faces the twin crises of a declining econom# and climate
collapse. To survive it must e"ploit nature to death and
bring about human e"tinction. So% for humans to survive
we must destro# capitalism and save nature. Capital in
N' is also battering down the hatches for a showdown.
As a declining semi2colon# Fsome would sa# de facto
stateG of the (S% with its econom# dependent on China%
there is a rat2race to grab N's resources before the# are
destro#ed or e"propriated b# the impoverished
workerHpeasants. N's semi2raw e"ports are sub>ect to
falling prices% while capital e"port to the Aussie banks
and (S and China corporate rise. This leads ine"orabl#
to a mounting national debt that must be paid for b# the
working class. As living standards plummet e"pect rising
social protests challenging the legitimac# of the NACT
regime.
Cig!ting .onapartism
As we saw demonstrated in the recent election in New
'ealand% the trampling of democrac#% corruption% ,dirt#
politics+% media capture etc are all s#mptoms of this
onapartism of the state. So in the light of this% it is
defence of democratic freedoms that are the ke# political
8uestion right now. onapartism leading to fascism can
have onl# one response from an# part# that claims to
represent the poor and oppressed and that is active
defence of these freedoms as a precondition for an#
social >ustice.
None of the *eft e"cept 6nternetH.ana picked up on this
and brought the fight for internet freedom Fdemocrac#G
together with feed the children Fsocial >usticeG. The 6.$
kept the pressure on /e# b# staging @The .oment of
TruthA where !dward Snowden% and &ulian Assange
appeared b# live link with the crusading >ournalist 4lenn
4reenwald live on stage to claim that the N' sp# agenc#
4CS was engaged in mass sp#ing on N' via its
partnership with the NSA. 1hile this forced /e# to admit
that this was possible neither 7ager+s book nor 0otcom+s
evidence was the ,smoking gun+ that proved that /e# was
sp#ing and l#ing.
So /e# could maintain his innocence onl# b# virtue of
state secrec# as the Chief !"ecutive of a onapartist state
where Cabinet dominates all branches of government
and the so2called 3ourth !state% the .S.. 1hat we have
here then are revelations about how the N' state
operates toda# to sp# on and lie to the people in order to
maintain social order and control over the econom#% and
how that state has the power to prevent these revelations
from destabilising its regime
6nstead of taking /e# head on his subversion of
parliamentar# democrac#% the rest of the *eft including
*abour fell for the narrative of the onapartist state of
sacrificing democrac# FCabinet whitewash commissions
of in8uir# into 0irt# $oliticsG for the sake of business as
usual Fstagnation and trickledownG and >oined in
demonising 6nternetH.ana on the basis of env#% racism
and chauvinism. *abour and the 4reens instead of
fighting the election on @0irt# $oliticsA blamed it for their
failure to get their policies heard.
As the global crisis deepens and as the class gap widens
*abour will split and out of its ashes will come the
working class part# or parties that are needed to defend
workers and oppressed people from the destruction of
economic and climate collapse caused b# the historic
decline of capitalism. )evolutionaries fight to further this
process b# raising a Transitional $rogram in the parties
of the working class to defend democrac# and raise
immediate demands for decent >obs% pa#% health%
education% housing and a health# environment. As a
result of coming up against a onapartist state% and
being faced with the rise of a fascist movement% it
becomes clear that workers must build councils and
militias% and fight for a 1orkers+ 4overnment that is
capable of e"propriating the capitalists and creating a
planned econom#.
http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/capitalis
m-lives-by-dirty-politics.html

Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
7

Cor a So#ialist 1alestine
!e e*ents of t!e last &ee$s t!at sa& a rene&al of open !ostilities bet&een Israel and =amas !a*e
an element of de0a *u in t!em- :n#e more t!e 'ionist state steps up its oppression of t!e 9est
.an$ and Ba?a using as a prete<t t!e $illing of t!ree Israeli yout!s- :n#e more t!e 1alestinian
masses rise up in resistan#e as Arab yout! are $illed and !undreds arrested- Eet &e are not ta$en
in by t!e arguments for or against rene&ed !ostilitiesF t!ey are a ritual e<#!ange bet&een t!e
'ionist ruling #lass and t!e 1alestinian bourgeois fa#tions =amas and Cata! to negotiate t!e
di*ision of 1alestine- !e t&o fa#tions are using t!e 1alestinian masses as no more t!an
e<pendable pa&ns in t!eir battle for suprema#y- ;ost in t!is e<#!ange is t!e trut! of &!at
underlies t!is #onfli#t bet&een t!e 'ionist oppressor state/ and an oppressed o##upied state- 9!ile
bot! regimes negotiate &it! missiles t!e 1alestinian masses pay t!e pri#e in blood- !eir leaders
#ontinue to sell out to Israel- In selling out t!ey pre*ent t!e 1alestinian struggle for self-
determination from arming independent militias and uniting t!eir for#es &it! ot!er armed
struggles in t!e surrounding Arab states- 9e are for a re*olutionary party and program for t!e
defeat of t!e 'ionist state and for a So#ialist 1alestine in a "nited So#ialist States of t!e (iddle
)ast and %ort! Afri#a 5()%A6!

Do&n &it! t!e 'ionist State!
6srael is a settler state that came into e"istence after
(nited Nations F(NG resolution 1;1 in 19<: which was a
fig2leaf for ritish and (S imperialist backing of the
'ionist colonisation of $alestine and its partition into
two legitimate states. This was followed b# a series of
wars starting with the civil war followed b# the 3irst
Arab26sraeli war in 19<;% together called al2Nakba b# the
Arabs% that led to defeat of Arab forces and drove Arabs
off their land to the point that toda# all of $alestine is
either settled b#
6sraelis or controlled
b# the 6sraeli
militar#. Those parts
of the 1est ank and
4aBa that are not
permanentl#
occupied b# the
militar# are no more
than prison camps
much as are the
refugee camps that
house millions of
displaced
$alestinians in
*ebanon% &ordan and
S#ria. 6srael >ustifies
it+s right to occup#
$alestine in terms of
its 'ionist claims to
the ancient land of 6srael. 6t is pre2occupied with
completing its 'ionist program of reclaiming its historic
homeland which would not be possible without a massive
militar# subsid# from the (S. FSee ,'ionismK A )oad .ap
to 7ell+G.
6srael is therefore not an imperialist economic power and
onl# e"ists on the basis of (S and !( imperialist
support. 6t might be called ,sub2imperialist+ in the sense
of @sub2contracted to (S imperialismA. 6t is an armed
settler state with a theocratic 'ionist regime no less
,fundamentalist+ than its rival 6slamic )epublic of 6ran%
or the upstart rival Sunni 6slamic State F6S6SG% and
certainl# a nuclear armed ,terrorist+ state. 6t is an affront
not onl# to the $alestinians% but to &ews and to humanit#
as a whole that
'ionist 6srael e"ists%
and so must be
destro#ed. Fsee
Against 'ionismG.
1riting on The
&ewish $roblem in
19D:% Trotsk# foresaw
the traged# of
'ionism as a
reactionar# solution
to the national rights
of &ewsK
0But the facts of
every passing day
demonstrate to us
that Zionism is
incapable of
resolving the 1ewish
/uestion #he conflict between the 1ews and 2rabs in
Palestine ac/uires a more and more tragic and more
and more menacing character 3 do not at all believe
that the 1ewish /uestion can be resolved within the
framework of rotting capitalism and under the control
of British imperialism 2nd how, you ask me, can
socialism solve this /uestion4 $n this point 3 can but
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
8

offer hypotheses $nce socialism has become master of
our planet or at least of its most important sections, it
will have unimaginable resources in all domains
5uman history has witnessed the epoch of great
migrations on the basis of barbarism 6ocialism will
open the possibility of great migrations on the basis of
the most developed techni/ue and culture 3t goes
without saying that what is here involved is not
compulsory displacements, that is, the creation of new
ghettos for certain nationalities, but displacements
freely consented to, or rather demanded by certain
nationalities or parts of nationalities #he dispersed
1ews who would want to be reassembled in the same
community will find a sufficiently e)tensive and rich
spot under the sun #he same possibility will be opened
for the 2rabs, as for all other scattered nations
National topography will become a part of the planned
economy #his is the grand historical perspective that 3
envisage #o work for international socialism means
also to work for the solution of the 1ewish /uestion.
1alestinian %ational ;iberation
The struggle of the $alestinian masses against 6sraeli
occupation is a national liberation struggle. To achieve
$alestinian liberation the 'ionist state must be
destro#ed. National liberation does not mean recognition
of the state of 6srael as legitimate nor the acceptance of a
two2state solution. This is the position of one faction of
the $alestinian bourgeoisie L3atah. Nor does it mean the
opportunist polic# of the other bourgeois faction 7amas%
i.e. militar# confrontation to recognise the de facto right
for 6srael to e"ist until it can be replaced b# a theocratic
6slamic State of $alestine. etween these two factions+
policies of dividing up $alestine with the 'ionists there is
no essential difference. oth are @blood# trapsA for the
Arab masses manipulated as pawns of the rival factions
of the $alestinian bourgeoisie.
.uch of the 1estern left also bu#s into a negotiated
,peaceful+ solution such as the claim that 6srael is an
,apartheid+ state which can be reformed b# pressure of
international public opinion and more (N resolutions to
go back to the partition of 19<:. This is based on the
belief that &ews have national rights in $alestine that can
be peacefull# resolved b# recognising both $alestinian
and &ewish rights. This is making $alestine liberation
conditional on &ewish national rights as if the# have an
e8ual claim to living in $alestine. Not so. Trotsk# argued
that in the 19D0s that &ews could claim national rights as
an oppressed nation% but not at the e"pense of occup#ing
$alestine.
"#he attempt to solve the 1ewish /uestion through the
migration of 1ews to Palestine can now be seen for what
it is, a tragic mockery of the 1ewish people 3nterested in
winning the sympathies of the 2rabs who are more
numerous than the 1ews, the British government has
sharply altered its policy toward the 1ews, and has
actually renounced its promise to help them found their
"own home. in a foreign land #he future development
of military events may well transform Palestine into a
bloody trap for several hundred thousand 1ews Never
was it so clear as it is today that the salvation of the
1ewish people is bound up inseparably with the
overthrow of the capitalist system. In the &ewish
$roblem.
The National rights of &ews therefore cannot be at the
e"pense of the $alestinians. So the national liberation of
$alestine means the defeat of 6srael and the re2
occupation of $alestine b# the armed people of $alestine%
with or without the support of militant &ews% and
necessaril# in con>unction with the popular revolutions
that have begun in the other Arab states. The national
rights of &ews will be realised in a democratic% socialist%
multi2ethnic workers+ state in $alestine.
!e Arab +e*olution
Since 19<; the $alestinian revolution has been isolated
Fin effect 8uarantinedG b# the Arab states whose regimes
professed support for $alestinian rights% but stopped
short at limited wars to weakl# contest the e"panding
borders of 6srael. The surrounding Arab states
condemned the 6sraeli state but in practice put their own
separate interests before the defence of $alestine. The#
were rivals for leadership of the Arab states and could
never agree on a unified strateg#. 6n 19<; /ing Abdullar
of &ordan backed b# ritain% schemed with the 'ionists
to incorporate the (S mandated $alestine into &ordan
but was opposed b# !g#pt and S#ria who had their own
plans to anne" $alestine. The outcome of the war was a
victor# for 6srael and its e"pansion well be#ond the (N
partition borders Fsee mapG.
The 19-: @Third Arab26sraeli warA between 6srael and
!g#pt% S#ria and &ordan also led to an outright 6sraeli
victor# and further incursions into $alestinian territor#.
Since that time the Arab states have collaborated with
6srael. !g#pt and 6srael struck and agreement over 4aBa.
6n S#ria% the secular aathist regime of Assad% father and
son% co2e"isted with the theocratic 'ionist state >ust as
much as it collaborated with the 6slamic )epublic of 6ran.
The Arab and 6sraeli ruling classes were in agreement on
their fundamental interest of keeping the Arab revolution
divided and 8uarantined. The Arab Spring changed that.
Since 2011 the uprisings from Tunisia to S#ria have
forced the Arab regimes to activel# suppress or co2opt
the spread and s#nchronisation of these popular
uprisings. 6n S#ria Assad has starved and bombed the
$alestinian camp of Marmouk because the different
leadership factions including 7amas that ruled the camp
could not suppress the solidarit# of the $alestinian
masses with the S#rian )evolution. .oreover the
revolutions continue in *ib#a and S#ria where the armed
resistance continues to fight the regime. The outbreak of
a popular war against the .aliki regime in 6ra8 puts on
the agenda not onl# the defeat of imperialism in .!NA
but also the defeat of imperialism+s puppet regimes in
6ra8 and S#ria their 6slamic State rivals. 3or the first time
a $alestinian popular uprising has the potential to >oin
forces with the !g#ptian% S#rian and 6ra8i revolutions
and to link up the $alestinian masses in *ebanon and
&ordan in a wider Arab revolution to overthrow
imperialism and its national bourgeois puppets.
+ole of Imperialism
There are no imperialist powers in the .!NA. 6srael and
all the Arab regimes are semi2colonies of imperialism
including the oil2rich 4ulf States Fand the non2Arab
6ranG. 6n the last anal#sis% 6srael+s e"istence is not about
land grabbing in the name of 4od% but its militar# role as
the mercenar# of (S and !( imperialism in defending
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
9

their interests in .!NA against the emergence of the
rival imperialist bloc of )ussia and China. The Arab
regimes act as agents of one or other% or both imperialist
blocs% as the# compete to win their favour and increase
their share of the oil wealth e"ploited b# imperialism.
There can be no Arab )evolution unless it breaks with
both imperialism and all the national bourgeois factions
that rule over the masses on its behalf.
6t is not possible to complete the national revolutions to
defeat imperialism without overthrowing the national
bourgeois factions that rule on behalf of imperialism.
7amas and 3atah in $alestine use the masses as militar#
pawns to negotiate better terms with 6srael for dividing
$alestine. The .uslim rotherhood in !g#pt and in S#ria
compete with the militar# al Sisi and Assad regimes% and
secular bourgeois factions such as the 3ree S#rian Arm#
F3SAG% for popular support to win the backing of the (S
andHor ChinaH)ussia. All compete to prove the# can
contain the Arab )evolution and that it is not the# but
their rivals that are the ,terrorists+ that must be smashed.
Against such brutal regimes% the Arab revolution that is
historicall# centred on $alestine must declare its political
independence from all bourgeois factions and build
popular armed militias based on the workers and
oppressed. See @The Arab )evolution meets
NATIH'ionismA.
Cor 1ermanent +e*olution
The struggle for an independent% secular Arab revolution
has to contend with a histor# in which the revolutionar#
.ar"ist part# has been betra#ed b# Stalinist popular
front politics. That is% Communist $arties in .!NA have
historicall# collaborated with ,progressive+ national
bourgeois factions such as 3atah and the aath $art#
purportedl# against imperialism. ut such collaboration
has never led to national independence onl# to the defeat
of the masses. The Arab revolution has made important
advances against such historic betra#als onl# b# taking
up the armed and independent struggle against
imperialism and it bourgeois lacke#s. The fighting
masses need to take the leadership of the anti2imperialist
struggle out of the hands of the national bourgeoisie and
embarking on the road to socialist revolution.
So the $alestinian 6ntifadas threatened to break the
masses from the control of 3atah and 7amas and the
threat of popular revolution forced these bourgeois
lacke#s to negotiate with 6srael to contain the revolution.
6n *ib#a the armed militias retain a dual power against
the pro2imperialist post24addafi regime despite the
current (S attempt led b# its henchman 4eneral /halifa
7ifter to disarm the militias. 6n S#ria the secular armed
revolution is holding out despite terrible odds against
both the regime and the 6slamic State. 6n !g#pt% the
masses are now facing a militar# dictatorship that strips
awa# all illusions that the militar# is ,progressive+. 1hat
is lacking is the .ar"ist part# and program for
$ermanent )evolution that spells out the necessit# for
the armed% independent struggle for socialist republics
within a wider 3ederation of Socialist )epublics of
.!NA.
+e*olutionary 1arty and 1rogram
Inl# a revolutionar# .ar"ist part# and program is
capable of addressing the $alestinian revolution as part
of the $ermanent Arab )evolution and as part of a global
revolution. This is because as we said above the 'ionist
state is a militar# settler state funded b# (S and !(
imperialism as its mercenar# in .!NA. 6t is the ke# to
(S and NATI control of its .!NA ,assets+ both political
and economic which is toda# a vital defence of the (S
blocs oil assets against those of its rival )ussiaHChina
bloc. 6t is also imperialism+s weakest link in .!NA
because its role as imperialist gendarme forces it to
militarise its settler population. This means that all
'ionism+s claims to national rights and democratic
legitimac# are constantl# e"posed as e"treme h#pocris#
turning the oppression of the $alestinian people the
flaming beacon of the Arab )evolution. The cr# @1e are
all $alestiniansA means that while the $alestinians are
not free% no2one is freeN
That is wh# the struggle against imperialism in the
.!NA cannot succeed without the defeat of 6srael and
the smashing of the 'ionist state. 1hile it e"ists it will
pla# the role it has pla#ed since 19<; as the armed
mercenar# of (S imperialism in .!NA. &ust as the (S
imperialism can onl# prevent its decline as the No 1
imperialist power% so 6srael+s fate is dependent on its role
of protecting its master in .!NA. Inl# the revolutionar#
*eninistHTrotsk#ist $art# can cut through the pacifist
liberal confusion that holds out the possibilit# of a
negotiated peace in $alestine and in the wider .!NA.
)evolutionar# .ar"ism is uncompromising in leading
such a revolution because it refuses to legitimise the
'ionist stateN
6n response to the left2liberal cr# ,victor# for the 6ntifada+
we sa# victor# can onl# be the victor# of a revolutionar#
war of national liberation that F1G overthrows the 'ionist
603% F2G defeats all intervention b# imperialism or its
pro"ies% Saudi Arabia% the 4ulf States% 6ran and Turke#%
and FDG e"poses and defeats the treacherous leadership of
the national bourgeois agents of imperialism in
$alestine% 7amas and 3atahN
1e agree with Trotsk#. 6n 199; we wroteK
"2 democratic multi-ethnic Palestine could only be
achieved as a result of a socialist revolution based on
workers councils and militias 3t would also be part of a
6ocialist (ederation of the 7iddle %ast 3n that conte)t
not only Palestinians would have the right to return but
also 2rab 1ews would have the right to return to 6yria,
7orocco, 3ra/ and other 2rab countries 8urds,
2ssyrian and other nationalities would achieve self-
determination and e/ual rights. Against 'ionism.
1e call on the !g#ptian working masses to build
workers councils and militias to overthrow al Sisi
and the militar# dictatorship% and to form a
popular militia able to break down the walls and
open the borders of 4aBa to unite its people with
the 1est ank and &ordanN
1e call on the $alestinian masses in occupied
$alestine and in S#ria% &ordan and *ebanon to
unite with the S#rian revolution to build workers
councils and militias to smash both the Assad
regime and the 6slamic State F6S6SG and its allies
7eBbollah and 6ranian fighters.
1e condemn all self2proclaimed revolutionaries
in the imperialist countries for failing in their
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
10

dut# to take action against their own imperialist
ruling classes% whose defeat ultimatel# will
enable the permanent revolution in .!NA to be
victorious.
1e oppose all pacifist% individualist bo#cotts and
appeals to (nited Nations negotiations as
continuing the legitimation of imperialist rule in
.!NA and as barriers to the armed%
independence of the Arab masses.
1e call on 6sraeli workers to take the side of
$alestinian liberation% form workers councils and
strike for the release of $alestinian political
prisonersN
1e call on 6srael conscripts in the militar# to
refuse to obe# orders to shoot or otherwise
oppress $alestiniansN
0efeat 'ionismN 1e refuse to demand that the
'ionist state frees its political prisoners% pulls
down its walls and grants the right of return. 1e
do not create illusions in 6srael as we do not
recognise its right to e"ist. The right of return
will be enforced b# 'ionism+s defeatN
1e call on workers in the imperialist countries to
mobilise in their unions to enforce bans on all
diplomatic% militar# and trade relations with
6sraelN
1e call on the ranks of the militar# to mobilise
against all imperialist occupation and
intervention in the Arab statesN
1e call on the unions to make political strikes
against the (S funding of 6sraeli occupationN 1e
call on workers to build international brigades to
fight alongside the armed% independent militias
in $alestine% S#ria and 6ra8% and for weapons and
medical aid to the $alestinian struggleN
3or a Socialist $alestine within a 3ederation of
Socialist )epublics of .!NAN
)eferences
Trotsk# @In the &ewish $roblemA
httpKHHwww.mar"ists.orgHarchiveHtrotsk#H19<0H""H>
ewish.htm
Against 'ionism
httpKHHtrotsk#istinspain.wordpress.comH200;H0-H2
:Hagainst2BionismH
The Arab )evolution meets NATIH'ionism
httpKHHredrave.blogspot.co.nBH2012H12Hthe2arab2
revolution2meets2nato2Bionism.html
'ionismK A )oad .ap to 7ell.
httpKHHredrave.blogspot.co.nBH2011H0?HBionism2
road2map2to2unending2conflict.html

14 !uly 2014
http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2014/07/for-
socialist-palestine.html

Climate C!ange>
!e 9or$ers +e*olutionary So#ialist
Solution or a Class 1ea#e 1lanetary Sui#ide
1a#tA
!e massi*e a#tions planned for September 21
st
!a*e t!e potential to go one &ay or t!e ot!er- !e
masses #an brea$ t!e #onfines of liberalism and laun#! t!e &or$ers re*olutionary struggle to sal*age
t!e en*ironment or t!ey #an be snoo$ered ba#$ into ineffe#ti*e bourgeois ele#toral delusions/ part
and par#el of t!e false bill of goods peddled by t!e %B: ser*ants of big Capital-
6n 19-? the Science Advisor# Committee to $resident
*#ndon &ohnson warned him that the continued use of
fossil fuels @9will modify the heat balance of the
atmosphere to such an e)tent that marked changes in
climate, not controllable through local or even national
efforts, could occurAOiP 3ort# nine #ears later% after #ears
of fabricated science b# the oil companies and a long2term
propaganda campaign ranging from full page
advertisements and web pages to novels and the @know
nothingA climate change deniers in the Senate% on talk
radio and corporate financed @newsA programs% meta
studies toda# show that 9:5 of scientists who stud#
climate change have been convinced b# e"amination of the
data that anthropogenic climate change is advancing
rapidl#.OiiP The ruling class has had ?0 #ears forewarning
and has done nothing e"cept accelerate the crisis. Toda#
the ruling class sees no wa# out e"cept to buffalo the
masses with a new spin on bourgeois consciousness.
An escalating awareness of being lied to b# the bourgeois
authorities is driving a new generation of activists into the
streets to demand action from world leaders. A massive
coalition including hundreds of organiBations has been
assembled b# and around ill .c/ibben and D?0.org% the
N4I that he is a director of= and this coalition has planned
the massive demonstration taking place in NMC on
September 21
st
% 201< and in man# cities around the
countr# and the world. 4u# .c$herson% author and
$rofessor !meritus of Natural )esources and !colog# and
!volutionar# iolog#% denounces .c/ibben as the wrong
kind of green and sa#s that he refuses to acknowledge the
correct conclusions from the scientific fact that that the
planet has long since passed the D?0 part per million CI2
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
11

concentration in the atmosphere and that we are heading
for human e"tinction.OiiiP
)evolutionar# socialists tell the workers the truth without
decoration. 1e are staring at the 8uestion of species
survival s8uarel# and tell workers the solution to the
climate change problem and conse8uences of global
warming must involve the worker masses organiBed as a
class and the solution can onl# be achieved via the socialist
revolution. .c/ibben never mentions revolution. 7e tells
the masses to >ust make more noise% hold larger demos% get
arrested in larger numbers and we can make the bosses
solve the climate change problem. Nowhere does
.c/ibben sa# that the capitalists are the arch2criminals
who have brought humanit# to this impasse.
*ong term advocates of mass action aimed at abating
climate change are doing ever#thing the# can to turn out
the foot2soldiers in hopes of creating a pivot moment akin
to the 19;D anti2nuclear weapons demonstration led b# 0r.
7elen Caldicott% which the media toda# lauds for bringing
)eagan and 4orbachev to )e#k>avik. The result of which
was the turning of the nuclear doomsda# clock back from D
minutes to midnight then% to ? minutes before midnight
toda#.OivP 0espite the
massiveLand #et to be
repeatedLoutpouring of a
million plus people in NMC
in 19;D% the nuclear threat
toda#% Caldicott warns% "9is
much greater than beforeA
OvP *ikewise% regardless of
how man# millions take to
the street behind the
bourgeois approved
leadership of D?0.org% the
1orld .eteorological
Association toda# warns
that "9the global annual
average &$+ concentration
is set to cross the symbolic
:,, parts per million
threshold in +,;< or
+,;-AOviP 1e have learned
that the world+s oceans are
alread# losing their abilit#
to absorb increasing levels
of CI2 and conse8uentl# the oceans are becoming
acidified% threatening all manner of ocean2borne
species.OviiP
Socialists know that mass action can change the course of
histor#. .ass and direct actions can be used b# the
working class% the oppressed and their allies to advance
progressive solutions and assert the historic program of
the working class% which toda# means overthrow
capitalism and institute a rational% democraticall# planned
econom# to combat climate change and remediate
environmental devastation. 1e also know that mass
actions can and have been used b# ruling class
representatives of capitalism to corral and restrain the
masses and limit their efforts to ineffectual pleadings to
the bosses+ politicians for them to regulate aspects of
industr# and the econom#. neither of which the# will do in
an# effectual fashion under the dictatorship of capital= nor
is there an# political will for such change. The open secret
is that D?0.org et. al. have no real plan and have no
political program to counterpose to the workers+
revolutionar# socialist program% and this is wh# there are
no demands and there will be no platform and no speakers
at the September 21
st
event.
The massive actions planned for September 21
st
have the
potential to go one wa# or the other. The masses can break
the confines of liberalism and launch the workers
revolutionar# struggle to salvage the environment or the#
can be snookered back into ineffective bourgeois electoral
delusions% part and parcel of the false bill of goods peddled
b# the N4I servants of big Capital.Q
(#Kibben and %B:s> Ser*ing t!e Interests of Capital
The ruling class can no longer rel# on the fake science
fabricated b# !""on% Chevron% and $ or their loudmouths
of hate radio like )ush *imbaugh to keep the cork in the
bottle and the people in their slumbers. So the# have a new
tack% following the @green washingA of industr# the# have
found it necessar# to @green washA capitalism and have
emplo#ed numerous N4Is to assure that the masses% their
organiBations and labor in particular do not get the wrong
idea and tr# to overthrow
the s#stem in order to reign
in global warming.
D?0.orgH1Sk# the N4I led
b# .c/ibben is tasked with
this flimflam pro>ect b#
1arren uffet% 4eorge
Soros% ill and .elinda
4ates% the Clintons%
loomberg% the 3ord
3oundation% and the
)ockefeller 3oundation% et.
al.OviiiP The link to and
funding from the biggest
capitalists in the world has
been traced through
funding% personal% the goals
and pro>ects and the non2
e"istent demands of the
mass demonstration.Oi"P
The lack of demands
uniting the action leaves
the program in the hands of
D?0.orgH1Sk#% and their advocac# is dependent on the triad
of patriotic pride FAmerican ingenuit#G% responsibilit# and
accountabilit#. All this is couched in an overriding faith in
the abilit# of capitalist businesses to create and implement
clean energ# solutions.
.c/ibben states it ver# well himself in e"plicitl#
advocating @organiBingA 1all Street as a vehicle for social
FnonG change Femphasis oursGKO"P
@The financial community has begun to question
the long-term value of fossil fuel stocks 3nstitutions
with large endowments, such as 6tanford =niversity,
have begun the process of divesting some of their holdings
in coal companies> as analysts have pointed out, should
the world ever do something about climate change, many
of the reserves on which those companies base their worth
would have to be left below ground This is one of the
fastest-moving debates I think Ive seen in my
thirty years in markets, Kevin Bourne, a
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
12

managing director of the inancial Times !tock
"#change, told the inancial Times this s$ring, on
the day that Blackrock, the %orlds largest asset
manager, launched a fossil-free inde# fund&
&learly, however, it will take a stronger and noisier
movement than weve seen heretofore?and a global one?
to push the players toward actions at all commensurate
with the dangerA
$acifists in the environmental movement refuse to raise%
and class peace salesmen refuse to acknowledge% the
contradictor# interests of the two antagonistic social
classes% *abor and Capital% and the# also refuse to raise an#
demands. So we have before us the prospect of an /i
.oon+s climate summit where imperialists and other
bourgeois leaders e"press their wishes for climate change
remedies and where two miles and <; hours awa# the class
peace rall# e"presses the same wishes as the bankers and
corporate e"ecutives of the Climate 4roup b# misdirection
or default.O"iP
$opular )esistance writesK
@2 lack of clear @ustice-based and ecologically sound
demands in this march will leave a vacuum 2nd no
vacuum remains empty for long 3ts simple physics #he
&limate Aroup has already set up shop in that space #he
problem is not @ust these really creepy bedfellows' #he
media will not cover a march with no demands #hey will
find a message, and if its not #he &limate Aroups
Bbusiness will save the planet message, what will it
be4AO"iiP
This week #ou had the Senators voting on CitiBens (nited.
The# were talking about a constitutional amendment that
if the Supreme Court would let pass would eliminate the
e8uivalenc# of mone# and speech. Mou would think that in
the wake of Iccup# that we would hear some echo of this
in the $eoples Climate .arch% but there is nothing coming
from the $eoples Climate .arch that is hostile to
corporations. .c/ibben has taken environmental
activists for a ride.
The great anti2corporatist upsurge that was Iccup# finds
no e"pression in this march. Iccup# ma# be there but
Iccup# will be towing .c/ibben+s class peace line. Mou
would think that in this s#nchronicit# Iccup# would go
after corporatism but #ou don+t see an# of it on the 21st.
The non2leadership of Iccup# apparentl# sensed this
default and on September 12
th
announced an @anti2
capitalistA civil disobedience on the steps of the New Mork
Stock !"change for September 22
nd
. 3or us% the onl# real
political difference between .c/ibben+s strateg# and that
of Iccup# is that .c/ibben organiBes celebrities for catch2
and2release arrests% whereas the NM$0 arranges for
Iccup# arrestees to languish on )#ker+s 6sland. And the
late announcement of the Iccup# action virtuall#
guarantees that the arrests will be confined to pett#2
bourgeois% habitual civil disobedience arrestees.
Conse8uentl# what workers see is a left that has been
bambooBled into a monomania about a /e#stone pipeline
which 1all Street does not give a damn about and for
which uffet F.c/ibben+s financial backer and puppet
masterG has made other transportation plans via his
urlington Northern and Santa 3e )ailroads.O"iiiP
;eft and GSo#ialistsH Jump on 1opular Cront
.and&agon> 1laying t!eir +eformist +ole in 1a*ing
t!e 9ay to )n*ironmental Destru#tion
A popular front is a political coalition that re8uires
agreement on a common program between the working2
class and non2working2class parties. 7owever the non2
working class parties cannot agree to the revolutionar#
workers program to solve the crisis without ceasing to be
what the# are. So the workers% through their parties and
organiBations% give up their independent political program%
their class aims and their class independence in the
interest of preserving @unit#A with the enem# class forces.
The $o$ular front is revealed thus as irrevocably
non-%orking class and anti-%orking class&
As *eon Trotsk#% leader of the )ussian )evolution% wrote
in 19D- during capitalism+s last 4reat 0epressionK
"#he /uestion of /uestions at present is the Peoples (ront
#he left centrists seek to present this /uestion as a tactical
or even as a technical maneuver, so as to be able to peddle
their wares in the shadow of the Peoples (ront 3n reality,
the Peoples (ront is the main /uestion of proletarian
class strategy for this epoch 3t also offers the best
criterion for the difference between Bolshevism and
7enshevism (or it is often forgotten that the greatest
historical e)ample of the Peoples (ront is the (ebruary
;C;D revolution (rom (ebruary to $ctober, the
7ensheviks and 6ocial Eevolutionaries, who represent a
very good parallel to the B&ommunists and 6ocial
Democrats, were in the closest alliance and in a
permanent coalition with the bourgeois party of the
&adets, together with whom they formed a series of
coalition governments =nder the sign of this Peoples
(ront stood the whole mass of the people, including the
workers, peasants, and soldiers councils #o be sure, the
Bolsheviks participated in the councils But they did not
make the slightest concession to the Peoples (ront #heir
demand was to break this Peoples (ront, to destroy the
alliance with the &adets, and to create a genuine workers
and peasants government A R*eon Trotsk#% @The 0utch
Section and the 6nternationalA F1?21- &ul# 19D-G% Fritings
of Geon #rotsky
These N4Is have created a massive popular front called
the @$eoples Climate .archA in which no social class% onl#
@peopleA and their various organiBations are purportedl#
united for a common cause% a cause which has #et to be
established with demands or points of unit#.O"ivP This
united action gathers 0emocratic politicians and
0emocratic $art# outfits like .ove2In.org with doBens of
N4Is% doBens more ethical and religious organiBations%
various pro2capitalist State 4reen $arties and even the
4reen 'ionist Alliance. These forces are >oined b# most of
the ma>or @socialistA organiBations including the Social
0emocrats in the Socialist $art# (SA and the 0emocratic
Socialists of America% the neo2Stalinist Committees of
Correspondence% the actual Stalinists of the Communist
$art# (SA% the $an Africanists of the All2African $eople+s
)evolutionar# $art#% the third camp 6nternational Socialist
IrganiBation% the fake Trotsk#ists of Socialist Action%
Solidarit# Fthe two (.Sec. organiBationsG% Socialist
Alternative% Socialist Siewpoint% 1orld Can+t 1ait
Coalition and )adical 1omen.
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
13

All have endorsed the popular front along with a doBen or
so self2proclaimed anarchist collectives. This includes the
611 !nvironmental Caucus% who activel# promote and
stand in solidarit# with the NMC )all#% #et who leave a
door open to slither out of taking political responsibilit#
for it b# not officiall# endorsing the NMC rall#% instead
endorsing the 1est Coast $eople+s Climate )all#. The 1est
Coast rall# is in Iakland% gathering at *ake .erritt in
solidarity with the NMC action where a smattering of
union locals have signed on and are e"pected to turn out
contingents of workers.O"vP
The 611 !nvironmental Caucus is raising the following
classless Fwhich means bourgeois reformistG demands for
the 1est Coast rall#KO"viP
; (or a world with an economy that works for
people and the planet
+ (or a world safe from the ravages of climate
change
H (or a world with good @obs, clean air, water and
healthy communities
4reatN Close #our e#es% click #our heels together and make
a wishN This is idealism% far divorced from a working class
program based on struggle that abolishes capitalism which
is desperatel# needed. $oliticall#% the 1est Coast rall# is
also a $o$ular front% with the 611 and other leftist
organiBations acting as the radical wing who provide
political cover for the popular front politics of an Fain+t
never gonna happenG kinder% greener capitalism. So
workers are presented with either no program Factuall# a
hidden one of bourgeois politicsG in NMC or a fake program
on the 1est Coast.
3or their part% the a# Area Transport 1orkers Solidarit#
Committee FT1SCG has #et to take an official position on
the NMC or 1est Coast popular front rallies. Climate
change is ver# much an issue for transport workers. The
ruling class has two options to transport the Tar Sands oil
to refineriesK one is the /e#stone $ipeline and the other is
via rail car. oth of these means involve workers and
effect ironworkers% pipeline and transportation and
refiner# workers. Abstention on ke# political issues is at
best >ust confusing workers who look to the T1SC for
leadership and guidance. At worst% b# their silence% the#
are the shadow of the popular front.
)ailroad workers who are members of 0oro2Chiba
FNational )ailwa# Chiba .otive $ower (nion2&apanG have
been resisting orders to go into 3ukushima2contaminated
areas and the restarting of the ?0 remaining nuclear plants
in &apan.O"viiP This is important to understand when
getting involved in the environmental movementK
'cKibben is in favor of nuclear $lants to solve the
climate $roblem, and this is his $osition even
after ukushima and the lessons from that&
0oro2Chiba workers have taken a stand for international
labor solidarit#% against nuclear power and in defense of
the environment% denouncing those who would promote
nuclear power and serve capitalist interestsKO"viiiP
@Fe call on all the friends around the world not to let
"them. repeat the same disaster Fe pledge to fight to live
and confront s/uarely whatever danger assaults us Gets
rise up together with us to abolish nuclear plants and
nuke once and for all Fe urge you to fight to overthrow
those who are promoting nuclear plant construction and
seeking only capitalist interest at the sacrifice of working
peopleA
The Communist 1orkers 4roup FC14G will not endorse%
but we will not stand b# idl# either. 1hat is there to
endorse in a parade that unites capitalists and workers% a
parade that ultimatel# endorses the continuation of
capitalism% specificall# because it does not provide a
transitional program to take workers to power and end the
anarch# of capitalist production responsible for the climate
crisisJ 1e will >oin workers on the streets and invite #ou to
(oin us in building a %orkers united front against
the class collaborationist $o$ular front
leadershi$ paid for b# the biggest capitalists% the
corporations and their foundations.
.c/ibben+s popular front of N4Is is a plan to arrange
media stunts featuring mass arrests of the gullible and
diverting the anger of the masses awa# from independent
working class action and into moralist witnessing and civil
disobedience. This is the political stock2in2trade and
modus operandi of the petit bourgeoisie. 1orkers should
be asking ourselves wh# is this political constellation a
bureaucratic top down setup with the secret bosses+
program for a @low carbon futureA that includes nuclear
power% fracking and the e"port of the tar sandsJ Nowhere
does .c/ibben acknowledge the historical necessit# of
mass struggle organiBed b# the unions to stop industrial
pollution with direct action including hot cargoing% strikes
and occupations in the work place. In the contrar# he
works to keep labor demobiliBed% side b# side with the
labor bureaucrac# and liberal 0emocrats who depend on
the campaign funding from the same class who corrupt
@democrac#A ever#where.
!e :rgani?ed/ Class-1oliti#al-Cons#ious 9or$ing
Class =as t!e 1o&er to Stop Climate C!ange
1herever .c/ibben+s popular front controls the
environmental movement% spokespersons for the anti2
capitalist view and the program of the nationaliBation of
the polluting industries under workers control are
e"cluded from the platform. There is not one atom of
coincidence in these e"clusions. 6t is not @over the topA to
recogniBe the collision of class interests each time the#
occur= each time a workers revolutionar# representative is
e"cluded from the speakers+ platform. This is pett#
bourgeois politics in action and we see the popular front
mobiliBing #ou in order to finish the movement off and to
cement in #our consciousness the idea that #ou have done
#our part% where in fact the working class has #et to enter
the struggle in its own name and has #et to address the
contradiction of capitalist ,environmentalism.+ Against the
popular front we call for a workers united front that
launches actions at the point of production to stop fracking
and shut down the shipment of tar sands.
'cKibben is trying to sto$ you from taking labor
action to sei)e the energy industry* Itherwise he
would sa# do itN 6nstead% he wants to convince #ou to take
stunt actions for media h#pe for his plan to pressure 1all
Street pla#ers to divest from high carbon fuel production.
This is a fantas# that takes no account of the anarch# of the
stock market. 7e sa#s a stronger and noisier protest
movement will push the 1all Street pla#ers to do the
moral thing% as if e"amples could be found in histor# of
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
14

1all Street turning its back on profit for an# social
good.O"i"P
.c/ibben wants a capitalist solution to the climate crisis
e"clusivel#. 7e does not call for worker and communit#
control of the energ# industr# which would re8uire a direct
challenge to the 0emocrats and )epublicans and is
necessar# to s8uarel# confront this environmental crisis.
1e all know that as long as the capitalists are in charge of
the energ# industr# the# will want to make greater profits
b# selling more oil and electricit# even if it destro#s the
world. 7is organiBation% in alliance with others% has also
e"cluded socialists such as members of the $eace and
3reedom $art# from rallies that D?0.org held% such as the
one in )ichmond in 201D where the# prevented Cind#
Sheehan from speaking% e"actl# because her part# program
calls for the e"propriation and nationaliBation of the
energ# industr#. Thus% the role of the @non2profitA industr#
is absolutel# important to understand% since the bosses use
these organiBations to politicall# mold the agenda for the
communit# and for labor.
The working class can change the course of histor# b#
seiBing control of the environmental movement and
rewriting its agenda. .assive labor2led actions are
re8uired to push the .c/ibben ilk and class collaboration
program off center stage and elevate the workers program
to the forefront of the environmental movement. 1e note
with interest the e"ample of the 0oro2Chiba railwa#
workers in &apan who marched to the Tepco 7T
demanding that the nuclear plants remain shut down and
to make clear that the# will not be human sacrifices for the
compan# in the contaminated 3ukushima Bone. Clearl#
the# see this environmental 8uestion as a transport
workers issue and so do we.
$lanetar# survival will not be achieved b# getting arrested
for blocking the street in the moralist civil disobedience
scheme. 6n man# places the oppressed have self2organiBed
to fight environmental racism since it is in their
neighborhoods that capitalism leaves its contaminants.
The e"ample of 3irst Nations $eoples facing down the
)o#al Canadian .ounted $olice to stop Tar Sand
transportation is a good one% but without the mobiliBation
of labor defense for the oppressed fighters% such e"emplar#
actions are engaged at a great personal cost. The N4Is
ma# have arrest and release photo ops at the 1hite 7ouse%
but the# never organiBe workers to defend the oppressed%
not in 3ergusson and not in Alberta or in )ichmond
California. The workers answer to environmental racism
should be workers+ mass participation% with rail workers
leading thousands of other workers and their organiBations
to support the self2defense actions of the oppressed% and
wherever bureaucratic resistance to workers+ self2defense
is encountered the old union leaderships should
immediatel# be replaced b# rank and file activists
committed to class struggle methods.
Cor So#ialist +e*olution o Sa*e =umanity!
1e are here toda# to put a workers revolutionar# solution
before our social class and to denounce class collaborators
and denounce agents of capital who are engaged in a
massive fraud designed to den# #ou #our sa# and to
e"clude #our class from independent participation in
decision making about our species future and how to have
one.
1e come to warn the workers that onl# b# taking control
of the means of production can we halt the march of the
lemmings% and we propose the following Transitional
$rogram for workers organiBations to form their o%n
%orking class $arty that organiBes the working class to
smash the capitalist s#stem that is driving the planetar#
ecos#stem to destruction.
Against dangerous processes and practices in industr# and
agriculture% we fight for factor# committees and the trade
unions to impose workers+ control and veto power. Safer
technolog# and conditions should be introduced under
workers+ inspection and at the bosses+ e"pense with no loss
of pa# to workers during shutdowns% retooling and
retraining.
1here danger e"tends be#ond the plant% we fight for direct
action and mobiliBation b# the mass of workers% where
possible in con>unction with the production workers
themselves. 1e demand that the government impose safer
methods and materials. 1herever the bosses or their state
den# danger or cite economic grounds for refusing to act
against dangerous plants% we demand a workers+ in8uir#%
with the compan#+s books% as well as its technolog#% open
to inspection b# workers and their appointed e"perts.
The demand for workers+ in8uir# is applicable generall# in
the nuclear% oil and chemical industries% and specificall#
when new plants and new dump sites are proposed% or
when an accident occurs. The main purpose of the workers+
in8uir# is to unite the plant workers with the communities
affected% around the struggle for safet#. No illusions in the
independence of the findings of government investigative
panels. These are no more independent than the bosses+
courts. *abor must emplo# its own scientists and engineers
to conduct independent in8uiries and transparent
hearings.
1e must fight for workers+ control and veto power over the
proposed plants% the disposal of waste and the process of
construction. 1hen the workers+ in8uir# finds t#pes of
plants or dumping unsafe% then the struggle becomes one
to shut them down. .ost of the time% isolated local
struggles cannot win. The battle needs to e"pand. .ass
strike actions and occupations Fsit2down strikes and work2
insNG are the ke# to victor#.
# fighting for this program through direct action% workers
can begin to effectivel# defend the environment now% in a
wa# that la#s the basis for turning that struggle into one
against capitalism and for international planning. 6n this
conte"t we fight forK
" massive public wor#s program to clean
the environment$ funded by the state and
operated under wor#ers% control. !obs for
all.
&or#ers% control over health and safety
standards in the factories$ plants and shops
and in the surrounding communities.
&here bosses cry poverty and resist$ we say
nationalize the offending firms under
wor#ers control without compensation.
&or#ers% inspection of nuclear$ chemical
and other industrial plants to determine
their levels of safety' for wor#ing class
Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
15

mobilization to enforce closure where
threats to safety are determined.
(ull lay-off pay when there are plant
closures or temporary shutdowns. (or
alternative )obs with no cut in pay if the
wor#ers decide to close a dangerous plant.
*mplement the +0 hour wor#wee# at 40
hours pay.
,own with the -secrets. of commerce and
technology. -/usiness secrets. are not
compatible with wor#ers% health and safety0
1pen the company and research boo#s0
2he wor#ers must determine what are safe
levels of e3posure to radiation$ to3ins$ and
emissions. 4ealth and safety inspectors
must be accountable to the wor#ing class.
&or#ers% control over the construction of
new energy plants$ and over plants which
will utilize to3ic chemicals. "n end to the
system of contract and temporary to3ic and
nuclear cleaning s5uads$ and their
transformation into permanent employees.
2heir wor# can only be made safe under
wor#ers% control.
(or power and construction wor#ers to
fight for the implementation of acceptable
levels of safety precautions and building
specifications at all stages of planning and
in the supervision of construction.
6tructural improvements in the housing of
reactors until they can be decommissioned
and dismantled. (or wor#ers and
community democratic control over the
means of transportation to ensure safe
disposal of nuclear waste and other to3ic
materials' establish a wor#ers plan for
abating the increase in 712$ 8ethane and
9itrous 13ide into the atmosphere and
radioactive contamination from nuclear
power plants$ uranium mining and the use
of tactical radioactive weaponry.
:epresentation of all sections of the
wor#force in factory committees as plant-
based democratic organs of struggle.
(or massive stri#e actions and/or
occupations of plants to enforce the above.
(or wor#ers% councils with the involvement
of and delegated representation from the
communities to defend wor#ers% lives and
the environment.
(or wor#ers% militias to defend occupations
and all stri#es.
9ationalize without compensation to the
ma)or shareholders the commanding
heights of the economy and run these
under sane and rational wor#ers control
for social need: the energy industry and all
other ma)or industries$ the railroads$ the
ban#ing and finance sectors$ agriculture$
healthcare and education.
(or a wor#ers party that fights for a
wor#ers government to establish a rational
centrally-planned$ green economy.
(or a new revolutionary wor#ers%
international based on the method and
program of 2rots#y%s -,eath "gony of
7apitalism and the 2as#s of the (ourth
*nternational..;33< (or world socialism0
1e postulate that capitalism must be overthrown b#
workers revolution in order to establish a planned
econom# capable of ending the dependence on the burning
of fossil fuel and mobiliBing science% engineering and the
international work force for the enormous task of
transitioning the energ# s#stems to arrest anthropogenic
climate change.
OiP httpKHHbit.l#H1t1SkbT
OiiP httpKHHbcove.meHc1li;rcl
OiiiP httpKHHwrongkindofgreen.orgH201DH11H0-Hgu#2mcpherson2>ames2
hansen2bill2mckibben2are2guilt#2of2malpractice2videoH
OivP
httpKHHen.wikipedia.orgHwikiH0oomsda#UClockVmediaviewerH3ileK0oom
sda#UClockUgraph.svg
OvP httpKHHwww.shareguide.comHCaldicott.html
OviP
httpsKHHwww.wmo.intHpagesHmediacentreHpressUreleasesHprU1002Uen.h
tml
OviiP
httpKHHwww.epa.govHclimatechangeHscienceHindicatorsHoceansHacidit#.ht
ml
OviiiP httpKHHD?0.orgHaboutHus2ad2councilH
Oi"P httpKHHwww.counterpunch.orgH201DH10H2;Hke#stone2"l2the2art2of2
ngo2discourse22H
httpKHHbreakthroughstrategiesandsolutions.comHAboutU(s.html
httpKHHbreakthroughstrategiesandsolutions.comHuploadsHAU4uideU3orU
!ngagingUandU1inningUonUClimate.pdf
httpKHHwww.popularresistance.orgHclear2demands2needed2at2peoples2
climate2marchH
O"P httpKHHwww.n#books.comHarticlesHarchivesH201<H>ulH10Hclimate2will2
we2lose2endgameH
O"iP httpKHHwww.theclimategroup.orgHwho2we2areHour2membersH
O"iiP httpKHHwww.popularresistance.orgHclear2demands2needed2at2
peoples2climate2marchH
O"iiiP httpKHHwww.counterpunch.orgH201DH10H2;Hke#stone2"l2the2art2of2
ngo2discourse22H
O"ivP httpKHHpeoplesclimate.orgHpartnersH
O"vP httpKHHecolog#.iww.orgHnodeH-1D
O"viP httpKHHecolog#.iww.orgHnodeH-1D
O"viiP httpKHHwww.doro2chiba.orgHenglishHenglish2.htm
O"viiiP httpKHHwww.doro2chiba.orgHenglishHdcUenU11HdcUenUDU2?.htm
O"i"P httpKHHwww.n#books.comHarticlesHarchivesH201<H>ulH10Hclimate2
will2we2lose2endgameH
O""P httpKHHwww.mar"ists.orgHarchiveHtrotsk#H19D;HtpH

http://redrave.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/climat
e-change-wor#ers-revolutionary.html

Class Struggle 110 July-September 2014
16

9!at 9e Cig!t Cor

Overthrow Capitalism
7istoricall#% capitalism e"panded world2wide to free much
of humanit# from the bonds of feudal or tribal societ#% and
developed the econom#% societ# and culture to a new
higher level. ut it could onl# do this b# e"ploiting the
labour of the productive classes to make its profits. To
survive% capitalism became increasingl# destructive of
EnatureE and humanit#. 6n the earl# 20th centur# it
entered the epoch of imperialism in which successive
crises unleashed wars% revolutions and counter2
revolutions. Toda# we fight to end capitalism+s wars%
famine% oppression and in>ustice% b# mobilising workers to
overthrow their own ruling classes and bring to an end the
rotten% e"ploitative and oppressive societ# that has
e"ceeded its use2b# date.
Fight for Socialism
# the 20th centur#% capitalism had created the pre2
conditions for socialism La world2wide working class and
modern industr# capable of meeting all our basic needs.
The potential to eliminate povert#% starvation% disease and
war has long e"isted. The Ictober )evolution proved this
to be true% bringing peace% bread and land to millions. ut
it became the victim of the combined assault of
imperialism and Stalinism. After 192< the (SS)% along
with its deformed offspring in !urope% degenerated back
towards capitalism. 6n the absence of a workers political
revolution% capitalism was restored between 1990 and
1992. Sietnam and China then followed. 6n the 21sst
centur# onl# Cuba and North /orea survive as degenerate
workers states. 1e unconditionall# defend these states
against capitalism and fight for political revolution to
overthrow the bureaucrac# as part of world socialism.
Defend Marxism
1hile the economic conditions for socialism e"ist toda#%
standing between the working class and socialism are
political% social and cultural barriers. The# are the
capitalist state and bourgeois ideolog# and its agents.
These agents claim that .ar"ism is dead and capitalism
need not be e"ploitative. 1e sa# that .ar"ism is a living
science that e"plains both capitalism+s continued
e"ploitation and its attempts to hide class e"ploitation
behind the appearance of individual EfreedomE and
Ee8ualit#E. 6t reveals how and wh# the reformist% Stalinist
and centrist misleaders of the working class tie workers to
bourgeois ideas of nationalism% racism% se"ism and
e8ualit#. Such false beliefs will be e"ploded when the
struggle against the ine8ualit#% in>ustice% anarch# and
barbarism of capitalism in crisis% led b# a revolutionar#
.ar"ist part#% produces a revolutionar# class2
consciousness.
For a Revolutionary Party
The bourgeois and its agents condemn the .ar"ist part# as
totalitarian. 1e sa# that without a democratic and a
centrall# organised part# there can be no revolution. 1e
base our beliefs on the revolutionar# tradition of
olshevism and Trotsk#ism. Such a part#% armed with a
transitional program% forms a bridge that >oins the dail#
fight to defend all the past and present gains won from
capitalism% to the victorious socialist revolution. 0efensive
struggles for bourgeois rights and freedoms% for decent
wages and conditions% will link up the struggles of workers
of all nationalities% genders% ethnicities and se"ual
orientations% bringing about movements for workers
control% political strikes and the arming of the working
class% as necessar# steps to workersC power and the
smashing of the bourgeois state. Along the wa#% workers
will learn that each new step is one of man# in a long
march to revolutionise ever# barrier put in the path to the
victorious revolution.
Fight for Communism
Communism stands for the creation of a classless% stateless
societ# be#ond socialism that is capable of meeting all
human needs. Against the ruling class lies that capitalism
can be made EfairE for all= that nature can be EconservedE=
that socialism and communism are EdeadE= we raise the
red flag of communism to keep alive the revolutionar#
tradition of theC Communist .anifesto of 1;<;% the
olshevik2led Ictober )evolution= the Third Communist
6nternational until 192<% the revolutionar# 3ourth
6nternational up to 19<0 before its collapse into centrism.
1e fight to build a new% 3ifth% Communist 6nternational%
as a world part# of socialism capable of leading workers to
a victorious struggle for socialism.
Class Struggle is t!e bi-(ont!ly paper of t!e Communist 9or$ers8 Broup of %e&
'ealand,Aotearoa/ in a ;iaison Committee of Communists &it! Communist
9or$ers8 Broup 5"SA6 and +e*olutionary 9or$ers8 Broup 5'imbab&e6
Class Struggle and most arti#les are online at !ttp>,,redra*e-blogspot-#om
1!one IJ4 02K2L000L0
)mail #&g200KM!otmail-#om
Ar#!i*e of publi#ations before 200J !ttp>,,#ommunist&or$er-blogspot-#om,