Marine Le Pen offended at being called a Nazi?

Marine Le Pen wants it both ways. Last year she was denying any French involvement in the holocaust and this year she objects to being called a Nazi. It is no more a slur to call Le Pen a Nazi than it is to call Turnbull a Liberal.

A year ago, The Irish Times said the following:

Ms Le Pen cast doubt on French responsibility in the deportation of Jews during the Second World War, undermining years of her own efforts to dissociate the extreme right-wing Front National (FN) from second World War revisionism.

“I don’t think that France is responsible for the Vél d’Hiv,” Ms Le Pen, who is tied for first place in polls with the centrist Emmanuel Macron, said on April 9th.



Some 13,000 Jewish men, women and children were rounded up by French police on July 16th, 1942, and taken to the Vélodrome d’Hiver cycling race track, for deportation to Nazi death camps.

Socialist Reviews 

Click here

The media and Labour leaders

When Harold Wilson was Labour leader the gutter press purported to believe that he was a dangerous radical and probably a Russian spy. They had no evidence for either assertion but that scarcely slowed them down.

Even the inoffensive Miliband was labelled “Red Ed” by the Sun. I think most Socialists considered that if that was what they thought of as “a red”, heaven help them if they ever come across a real Marxist.

This infamous tradition has been continued with Jeremy Corbyn being accused of being everything from a Trot to a Stalinist with a ludicrous accusation of anti-semitism resulting for his principled support for the Palestinian cause.

To watch the TV or read the papers you would imagine that there was no problem of racism in the Tory Party, UKIP or the DUP. Again the facts don’t impinge.

The latest piece of nonsense is the slandering of the left Labour group Momentum by Sajid Javid who referred to them as ‘neo-fascists’.Did he have any evidence for this? None was presented. He proved it by asserting it.

Do the Daily Mail really genuinely believe this to be true? Surely if they did they would follow their traditional attitude towards fascism and support Momentum. That would be a sight to see. “Hurrah for Momentum – the heirs of Oswald Mosley”.

I think voters might conclude that a Labour Party which does not earn the hatred of the gutter press is probably doing something wrong. The consistently ludicrous nature of the claims, the fact that the TV and the press produce nothing which could be called evidence, means that this hate campaign is doomed to failure.

Socialists fight for the many, not the few. The millionaire press will never support that objective.

Socialist Reviews 

Click here

The Armed Man

The Sandgate Singers’ performance of ‘The Armed Man’ in Arundel Cathedral on 3rd March was a dramatic event to witness. The audience reacted to the opening in which the black-clad choir were marching on the spot for all the world like a tide of death. This was in tune with the opening theme, “The armed man must be feared.”

The work, by Karl Jenkins, is described as “a mass for peace” and it includes the traditional elements of the Kyrie, Sanctus, Agnus Dei and Benedictus. These are interspersed with movements which convey the futility and horror of war. Even the Sanctus, which praises the “Lord God of Hosts” has a distinctly martial air.

I think no less a place than a cathedral can do justice to this powerful work. It is unfortunate that one of the most distinctive pieces of the work – the Muslim call to prayer – was excluded by the powers that be. The words of the call to prayer, “God is great, prayer is better than sleep.” are not out of place in a Cathedral and now would be a good time to remind people that Muslims worship the same God.

The event was in aid of the “Love your hospital” charity. A pity a fraction of the billions squandered on war can’t be used for a better purpose. Carl Jenkins drew attention to the human cost of war and the voices of the choir became positively demonic in the sixth movement “Charge!” 

It was an evening the audience will not forget.

Far right threat

The i newspaper today says the police have warned that the far right threat is growing.

Anyone who has chatted with a member of the Metropolitan police can confirm there is definitely a lot of far-right extremism around!

I had the experience of drinking in a pub frequented by officers and most of my school pupils would have found the racism embarrassingly childish. 

David Walliams

David Walliams, the ‘know nothing’ host of the Presidents Club event for three years, has had his books pulled from shelves in bookshops. It is a bit surprising that The Pavilion Theatre thinks it appropriate to have a performance of his work on stage in April. Hasn’t news of this major scandal reached Worthing?

What have the unions ever done for us

 

Capitalism means war

A work of art represents the thousands who died while the generals treated them as "cannon fodder". The generals got medals and hypocritically commemorate the "glorious dead."

Those who survived the Great War, greeted the 11th of November as the end of the slaughter and the beginning of peace. They would have been mystified to see generals and royals using it as an opportunity to celebrate war almost a hundred years later.
Since the end of the Second World War, there has not been a single day of peace. In my lifetime there has been one imperial war of conquest after another.
The red poppy is an ambiguous symbol. On the one hand it represents remembering those who fell in war and the money is used to support those soldiers who suffered as a result of war. On the other hand it is used by generals and the royal family to glorify war. If anyone dares to criticise this disgusting militarism they are immediately accused of disrespecting the fallen and being too mean to help the military victims of warfare. This has been characterised as "Poppy Fascism".
Socialist internationalism is the only basis on which militarism can be opposed. The people of Iraq, Syria or Afghanistan are some of the poorest people in the world. What with the ruthless bombing campaigns of American Imperialism and the disgusting brutality of the Taliban and ISIL their sufferings have been made worse.

Ironically the Kurds who routed ISIL have been the victims of a vicious campaign waged by the Iraqi regime.

War is not "insanity". To the arms merchants, to the royals and generals, to the politicians it makes perfect sense. For the working class it is indistinguishable from psychosis. 

Derek McMillan

Review of Gunpowder

The Gunpowder trilogy on the BBC has drawn criticism for the violence and cruelty which it portrays. This is understandable. However, the tortures shown in such shocking detail were historically accurate. So was execution by hanging, drawing and quartering.

Any depiction of royalty which gives a romantic fairy-tale view of the splendour of the court and ignores the methods by which the autocratic rule was maintained is frankly dishonest.

The second episode in which Catesby (played by Kit Harrington) witnesses the burning of two "heretics" (actually Jews) in Spain is a fair indication that the methods of autocracy did not vary much between the regimes in Britain and Spain.

The persecution of Catholics in this country was clearly depicted as a means by which the aristocracy, and in particular Lord Robert Cecil (played by Mark Gatiss),  enriched themselves. Religion was used as a means of social control and as a pretext for torture and murder.

The interchange between  Fr Henry Garnet (played by Peter Mullan) and Cecil in the final episode is particularly telling. Cecil accused Fr Garnet of causing the gunpowder plot. Although he is not named by any conspirator and is depicted as opposing the plot, his preaching was enough to hang him. He responds by drawing attention to Cecil's role in causing the troubles. You cannot expect that people who are so persecuted will not respond in kind.

Anne Vaux (Liv Tyler) plays a strong female character in a period when patriarchy kept women firmly "in their place". I wouldn't dream of giving the plot away (no pun intended) but for most of those involved it was unlikely to end well.

Although gruesome, this is a very good series and well worth watching.

50 word story

At the border of Myanmar the police asked if I was a Muslim or a Bhuddist. Thinking fast, I claimed that I was an atheist. The police were having none of it. Pointing a gun at me the policeman said, "So are you a Muslim atheist or a Buddist atheist?"

http://derekmcmillan.com/

--

http://derekmcmillan.com/

Crawley Book Fair

--

http://derekmcmillan.com/

--

http://derekmcmillan.com/

Bosses' Law

The two most significant movements in my lifetime were in fact illegal. The fight against the Poll Tax was illegal but it defeated the Poll Tax and brought down the hated Margaret Thatcher.

The massive illegal strike wave when a Conservative government imprisoned five dockers in 1972 ended in a humiliating defeat for the Conservatives.

Unite the union is not advocating murder or arson (whatever the Daily Mail may pretend!). However, unjust laws have to be opposed.

Moggy

I don't have a vote in the Tory leadership election but I think Jacob Rees-Mogg is the nineteenth century's answer to Momentum and he can put those working classes in their place. Also "Moggy Moggy Moggy Out Out Out" has a certain resonance to it.

Practice

Our practice nurse told me they used to practise taking blood samples from each other during training. How widespread is this? Do cops practise beating each other up? Do lawyers practise lying to other trainee lawyers? As for OFSTED bullies, let's not go there. 

Unskilled

MPs define "unskilled" as anyone earning less than £30,000. MPs earn a lot more than £30,000 and the job requires no specific skills whatsoever.

There is however, a "magic money tree" for MPs salaries and perks. Who can forget Adolf Duncan Smith and his £39 breakfast at our expense? The Mirror calculated that

"Iain Duncan Smith's breakfast cost 557 times the amount to be spent on kids' morning meals."

The crackdown on "unskilled" migrants is racism pure and simple. The BBC has been quick to find businesses which oppose the government's plans. That is not the same as saying that it is immoral and disgraceful.

Yet again Teresa May has taken the opportunity of a demonstration by nurses against low pay to show her contempt. Apparently nurses are to be dismissed as "this, that and the other." I can think of a few things nurses might say about May!

 

 

 

 

Steve Bannon

According to the BBC,  Steve Bannon has distanced himself from White Nationalist "clowns". Bannon however is regarded as a far-right influence in the Trump administration. Far from providing firm leadership, Trump has in fact faced one way, then another and then back to the start on Nazis.

His photograph with a portrait of Hitler has not helped.

There is a growing consensus in the Republican Party that Trump is out of control and something of a loose cannon. By distancing himself from White Nationalists, Bannon is distancing himself from Trump's statement. The administration is falling apart.

 

 

 

 

Top of the Lake

I just caught up with "Top of the Lake". It is hard to believe men have such dreadful attitudes to women. Having said which I would lay a bet that every piece of misogyny is a quote from somebody! The teenagers sitting around with their laptops and rating prostitutes seem a caricature but if it does anything to make people look at their own attitudes and behaviour it is no bad thing.

The title is clever, a girl of "Asian appearance" is called "China Girl" in a depersonalised way and the poster for the series uses "China Girl" to refer to the fragility of the detective, Robin Griffin played by Elizabeth Moss.

 

 

 

 

Trotsky and Blair

In the Moscow trials, the Stalinists accused Trotsky of being a fascist and working for the Nazis. The trials included evidence that Trotskyists had met at a hotel which had been demolished years before. The fundamental premise was invalidated when Stalin changed his policy and went into alliance with Hitler.

The latest accusation, attempting to link Trotsky, 77 years after his death, to the mass murdering war criminal Tony Blair is just as disgraceful.

Say what you like about Trotsky, he wasn't a lickspittle of American Imperialism.

Trump

Donald Trump is not always sure which country he is bombing. He famously confused Iraq with Syria. South Korea should be nervous about his threats to North Korea. 

For what died the sons of Roisin?

Dollfuss

I was a little surprised to see Dollfuss lauded in the pages of Magnificat. He was a dictator who killed his enemies. I don't know if he forgave them afterwards. 

His rivalry with Hitler was in the nature of a turf war between gangsters and not a matter of principle. This is how Bertold Brecht portrayed it in his play "The Resisible Rise of Arturo Ui."