- The Guardian
- Issue #2114
When the struggle against apartheid in South Africa was at its height, a global blockade was implemented, to make South Africa’s isolation tangible and clear. Several countries – and quite a few capitalist firms – sought to thwart this blockade, but few dared to do it openly because of the world-wide abhorrence of the blatantly racist apartheid system.
One state that did not hesitate to give aid (especially military aid) and succour to the South African racists was Israel. South African gold helped make Israel one of the world’s major arms manufacturers and suppliers.
The universally-condemned South African policy of segregated areas or ‘Bantustans’ for the black population of the country today forms the basis for Israel’s policy in illegally-occupied Palestine.
The US, with an eye to securing control over Middle East oil and at the same time countering Arab unity and possible Arab power, has given Israel open and unstinting support, using military might and its UN veto to provide a shield for Israeli aggression.
Israel has been the USA’s big stick in the region, and a mighty useful big stick it has been. In the meantime, on the strength of this special relationship, the Zionist ‘Israel Lobby’ in Washington has flourished, attaining extraordinary influence and consequently power.
When capitalism was a newly emerging system, thrusting against the restraints of the still-prevailing feudal system, it railed against unfairness: the emerging class of factory-owners, financiers and merchants needed skilled workers in their enterprises, so they campaigned for universal public education (at least for boys). The feudal gentry had no need for it since they saw the common people only as servants, shepherds and corn-mill attendants.
The emerging capitalists needed educated people to work in their industrial and financial enterprises.
Capitalism created the working class because it needed such a class, at the same time bringing into being its own grave diggers. It turned peasants off their land, and fenced in what had been common land so they could no longer support themselves, all so that they would have to leave the land and gather in the towns, there to toil for the owners of mills and factories – for the new soon-to-be-ruling class, the capitalists.
PARASITE OF THE WEEK: Kim Williams was appointed the chair of the ABC still dripping from the sewer that is News Ltd media, an appointment now followed by the resignation of the national broadcaster’s managing director, David Anderson. Journalist union, the MEAA, responded thus: “As the effective editor-in-chief of ABC news, the next managing director must reaffirm the independence of its reporting so it can be trusted by all Australians as a source of journalism without fear and favour.
“One of the first tasks of the next managing director should be to end the pointless and costly defence of an unfair dismissal claim by Antoinette Lattouf [sacked for expressing an opinion about Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza]. The right thing to do would be to admit the ABC was wrong to dismiss Ms Lattouf, and apologise to her.
“Dropping the case would send a signal to ABC news staff that the managing director is committed to editorial independence and to making the ABC a workplace that is safe and inclusive for people from a wide spectrum of diversity.
“MEAA members are looking for a leader at the ABC who respects their work, is consultative and willing to collaborate with staff for the future of the broadcaster.”
They shouldn’t hold their breath.
