Russian Tensions
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It is going to be applauded by the left-wingers, it will be viewed as a socialist measure, but they do not know that nationalization was first done by the English capitalist class in order to defend their own interests and to avoid the competitions of others capitalists. The state becomes the capitalist and workers continue being wage slaves like in the Soviet Union. Capital is transferred from one pocket into another pocket
RT reports that Ukraine too is thinking of more nationalisations. So, not only is political superstructure of Ukraine and Russia converging but so are their economies:
https://www.rt.com/business/555551-ukraine-economy-russia-conflict/
Russia is planing to take over the assets and building of some of the American corporation that were operating in that country. How are they going to obtain the materials, and technology needed to operate those companies ? Let’s say that they take Apple or Microsoft how are they going to obtain the software and the chips, at the present Apple is making its own chips and CPU
Putin has confirmed that he doesn’t see Finland and Sweden joining NATO as such as a threat but only if NATO moved its troops or weapons there. A bit if shadow boxing going on here, then?
https://www.politico.eu/article/putin-russia-no-problem-finland-sweden-join-nato/amp/
I can understand the Finnish state wanting to join. It has a history of conflict and wars with the Russian state.
But the Swedish state. I can’t understand why. They don’t share a border with Russia and would be treated as just another US client state. No UN more peacekeeping roles, no more giving refuge to political opponents of other NATO states or of states NATO has attacked. In fact, the main victims of Sweden joining would seem to be Kurdish nationalists and other opponents of the Turkish state. Some are likely to have to be handed over to the Turkish state for imprisonment and torture before it lifts its veto on Sweden joining.
I am bit surprised that there isn’t quite a bit of opposition in Sweden to joining. Maybe there is and that’s why the government daren’t hold a referendum on the issue. Anybody know?
Spot the difference.
Kherson(under Russian control)
“The Russians were interested in who organised the [pro-Ukrainian] rallies in Kherson’ (…) They are still hunting the organisers. ‘The Russians went from house to house, asking them who lived where in the building.(…) Later they came to specific addresses, kidnapping people and taking them away.’” (Times, 16 May)
Odessa (under Ukrainian control)
“Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa has strong historical links to Russia. And many people there still identify as Russian.
Ukrainian officials say some local collaborators are helping the Kremlin’s war effort by supplying sensitive information.
Now, a hunt for alleged collaborators is under way in Odesa. Technology is playing a key role in this hunt as citizens use several apps and chatrooms to send information about suspicious people to the cybersecurity investigator. Once verified, they pass on the information to the SWAT police team deployed to find suspected collaborators and prosecute them for treason.“ (Al Jazeera video, 17 May https://massive.news/2022/05/17/ukraine-war-swat-police-hunt-for-russian-collaborators-in-odes/)Here’s an odd thing:
Nuclear Free Local Authorities seek assurance that UK reactors are Russian uranium free
The Nuclear Free Local Authorities say they are a group of local councils opposed to nuclear energy. That’s a position, but shouldn’t they be opposed to nuclear energy irrespective of where it comes from? Why single out a particular source? Or are they saying that as it comes from Russia it is more dangerous?
This seems just to be crude Russophobia. Councillor Blackburn is a Green Party councillor in Leeds. It might be thought that the Green Party was above this sort of thing But, then, the German Green Party has gone even further and, as part of governing coalition there, is promoting the revival of German militarism.
Zelensky is proposing to extend martial law in the country – but what does that involve?
In Ukraine, it gives the military leadership the power to intervene in areas of civilian life – for example by introducing curfews, prohibiting travel and conducting searches of civilians’ homes and vehicles.
It also suspends a raft of rights that civilians have in peacetime, including:
The inviolability of private homes
The right to private correspondence and phone conversations
The right to freedom of movement, including to leave Ukraine
The right to hold peaceful meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrations
The rights to work, carry out entrepreneurial activity and to go on strike
The right to education
Under martial law since the invasion, curfews have been imposed at various times in cities around the country.Men aged between 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving the country, although there are some exceptions, such as fathers of more than three children.
The USA exonerates itself of war crimes in Syria
“Gen. Garrett found that the ground force commander made the best decisions that he could, given the information he had at the time, given a very lethal, very aggressive threat, in a very confined space,” he added. “It is deeply regrettable… we apologize for the loss of innocent life.”
The cost of war
According to Russian Ministry of Finance data released Tuesday, Russia has spent nearly 1 billion rubles — or a burn rate of approximately $15.5 million per hour — on the Ukraine war.
Cumulatively, in January-April, the budget spent 1.681 trillion rubles on military items – three times more than on education (517 billion rubles) and health care (615 billion rubles) and 10 times more than on environmental protection (167 billion rubles).
This is pathetic:
“UN food chief David Beasley appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin: “If you have any heart at all, please open these ports.” Mr Beasley heads the World Food Programme, which feeds some 125 million people and buys 50 per cent of its grain from Ukraine.”
It isn’t a question of having a heart. Those who are in charge of a capitalist state can’t have one. They have to decide and do what is in the best national capitalist interest. So why would the Russian state release Ukrainian grain, the proceeds of which will go to their enemy and help finance their war effort?
Now if he had said if you release them I will ask Biden to relax some of the economic sanctions on your state or told him Russia can keep the proceeds of their sale . . .
Our late member Cde. Peter Newell wrote a short article on the Ukrainian ‘Socialist’ Party
https://marxthecoldwarandthespooks.blogspot.com/2012/03/ukrainian-socialist-party.html
They seem an unsavoury lot, just like all Ukrainian nationalists. Not more a socialist party than was the “German National Socialist Workers Party”.
That reminds me that about 20 years ago we were conned by a group of jokers in Ukraine (as were a number of other groups). Here are some leaflets they told us were distributed in Kiev (but would not have been). As can be seen, they did know how to win our confidence by showing that they were able to produce the sort of leaflets we would have done. It’s a pity they weren’t distributed (or that they didn’t sent us them in Ukrainian too) !
I wonder what they discussed — how to avoid a nuclear war breaking out by accident perhaps or breaking out at all?
ALB
Keymaster
They seem an unsavoury lot, just like all Ukrainian nationalists. Not more a socialist party than was the “German National Socialist Workers Party”.————————-
The only socialist/communist party that I have known thru my whole life is the Socialist Party of Great Britain, and it is the only one close to the principles of Marx and Engels
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