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We’ve been opposing the idea that tariffs can somehow better the condition of the working class right from our start. Here’s a pamphlet from 1912 on “Socialism versus Tariff Reform” when the Tory party was advocating tariffs to protect British capitalist industry.
Interesting observation by columnist Janet Samuel in yesterday’s Times with reference to the last time Trump imposed tariffs, in 2018-19:
“Back then, the tariffs were not actually paid for by consumers. As far as one can tell from the data, they were paid in two ways: first, US importers accepted lower margins on goods bought from abroad, and second, the dollar rose in value, boosting US spending power almost by exactly as much as Trump had put on tariffs.”
Thus confirms a point made above that in the first instance tariffs are paid for by the business importing goods from outside and that this will hit their profits; which depending on the nature of the good and market conditions they may or may not be able to pass on to consumers. In this case, apparently they couldn’t.
Here’s the official list of candidates standing in Folkestone West and Folkestone East of Kent County Council.
The Homeland Party appears to be a fascistic party, according to Wikipedia;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Party_(United_Kingdom)
Here is the official list of candidates standing in the local by-election in Herne Hill and Loughborough Junction ward of Lambeth Council in London. As can be seen, here too we are up against the usual suspects and TUSC:
Here is the official list of candidates standing in Stroud Central of Gloucestershire County Council. As can be seen, we are up against the usual suspects plus TUSC.
https://www.stroud.gov.uk/media/pwdaal4v/stroud-central-division.pdf
After Rumania and Turkey, another NATO country practises “democracy” by banning the main opposition candidate for President from standing — France. As in Rumania the banned candidate is less opposed to Russia than the current office-holders.
The facade that NATO is defending democracy against undemocratic Russia is beginning to crumble.
Interesting development in Gaza : some ordinary people there rejecting the rhetoric of “national resistance” in favour of being able to get on with their life in peace.
https://www.newarab.com/news/palestinians-gaza-hold-rare-protest-against-israel-and-hamas
They’re giving up (or at least say they are). They claim that this is because they have achieved their goal of stopping further drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. In fact they had nothing to do with this being suspended. If it does prove to be permanent it will have been achieved through the ballot box by electing a different government— but, as we know, governments, especially Labour ones, tend to be forced to renege on their promises (if only because they make bigger promises than the Tories). If the “economic headwinds” prove sufficiently strong the government could easily end the suspension.
Mind you, neither is Roger Hallam, the guru behind JSO, to be trusted not to renege on what he says.
In any event when Extinction Rebellion, of which JSO was an offshoot, was set up in 2018 it announced that, if greenhouse gas emissions continued, 2025 would be the point of no return, the beginning of a period in which millions and millions of human would die from the effects of climate change. They didn’t manage to achieve that aim of stopping that supposed point being reached.
In their giving-up statement JSO say:
“So it is the end of soup on Van Goghs, cornstarch on Stonehenge, and slow marching in the streets. But it is not the end of trials, of tagging and surveillance, of fines, probation and years in prison.”
This is typical of how direct action groups end up — concentrating on trying to get released those who have ended up in prison. Which is all they will now be doing.
The record of JSO has been entirely negative. They got many of their naive followers jailed. And their antics provided the state with a reason to invoke for bringing in further legislation to limit protests. They won’t be missed.
For the record and without comment:
“Millions of poorer families and disabled people will lose thousands of pounds a year after chancellor Rachel Reeves slashed benefits to fill a new £14 billion black hole in Britain’s finances — but boosted military spending.
Her cuts mean 250,000 more people will be pushed into poverty in five years, the government’s own figures show. Some 3.2million families on Universal Credit will lose £1,720 a year, and 800,000 fewer people with physical and mental health issues will get Personal Independence Payments, losing an average of £4,500 a year.
But Ms Reeves also revealed an extra £2.2million for defence in her Spring Statement, and £400 million to help UK arms manufacturers build hi-tech drones and AI-weapons to ‘make the UK a defence industry superpower’.”
(Metro, 27 March)Came across this anti-jingo musical hall song from the 1880s. Seems appropriate for today:
“I don’t want to fight. I’ll be slaughtered if I do!
I’ll change my togs and sell my kit and pop my rifle too!
I don’t like the war, I ain’t no Briton true,
And I’d let the Russians have Constantinople.”Not a socialist view of course but a view that might spread when the austerity required to militarise Europe begins to bite.
Would the situation have changed much since Robert Michels wrote his book on political parties, based mainly on the SPD, and the formulation of his so-called “iron law of oligarchy”? Did he write annything after the war (when he eventually joined Mussolini’s fascists) on the “socialist” parties in Germany?
“Now, however, Reeves’s advisers openly admit that the high growth implied by Labour’s manifesto is a pipe dream.”
So reports Times columnist Patrick Maguire (21 March).
Implied by? No, it was promised by and proclaimed from the rooftops. If Labour was elected it was going to “grow” the economy. They thought they could control capitalism and could simply will growth.
Their excuse for failing (after less than a year)?
“‘The world is changing,’ one says. ‘Global uncertainty means growth across the world – in the eurozone, the US and the UK. — has been hit’.”
We don’t recall any proviso in their election promise that they might be blown off course.
We said they would fail (unless they were lucky and be in office when capitalism entered a boom phase of its uncontrollable economic cycle) but have to admit to being surprised at being proved right so quickly.
Without comment:
“Carlson then asks “what the hell is going with Keir Starmer saying he is going to send British troops – their entire military is smaller than the US marine corps. The country is dying economically all of those countries are dying economically.
What are they thinking ? Is it a posture and a pose ?”
Witkoff replies “I think it’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like Winston Churchill. Russia is going to march across Europe.
That is preposterous by the way.”This is how CND explains the position with regard to UK dependence on the US for its nuclear weapons:
