man running it. Davis writes:
The enormous political power of For most people, of course, the ernational capitalists and the way real issue is not what a lengthy y function has been variously engineering strike would cost cumented and analysed in such ent socialist works as those of M. Mr. Scanlon's union, but what it the rratt-Brown *After Imperialism', would cost the country." Mandel "Marxist Economic What a load of codswallop. corr and Baran & Sweezy What it would cost the country onopoly Capital. indeed! Why not be franker Here, as supplementary notes, are Mr. Davis and say it: What ef extracts from the writings of o orthodos journalists on the way would it cost British capitalism world's bankers are attempting and the owners of capital. The consolidate their world power tendency to substitute 'country' er the workers (although these for "capitalism' is too nauseatarnalists don't spell it out that ingly familiar to most socialists.
First. this is what T. A. Wise had It is the function of journalists say in the August issue of For- such as Davis to continue to 10 magazine. in an article about confuse and mystify the public. zards merchant bank: It is the duty of socialists to The hard financial core of capitam in the free world is composed continue to expose this connot more than 6 firms, partner- tinually and relentlessly. ips. and corporations. ntrolled hi some 1.000 men. These THE INDONESIA en head investment-banking houses New York City. merchant-banking DOSSIER ntures in London. banques There was always a phoney itaires in Paris, and similar insti- element in the British Governtions in Beltium, the Netherlands, ment's pose of defender of ily, Germany. Sweden. and Austra- Malaysia against Indonesia. In Among them they raise, directly d indirectly. an estimated 75% of fact, successive Tory and Labour : £17.000 million in fresh capital Governments have essentially eded cach year to fuel the long- been concerned with protecting rm growth of the industrialised capital investments in the area tions lodav a majority interest and with repressing socialist Lazard Brothers. which has key rectors in Now York. Paris and movements. enden. is controlled by Pearson's It is more than a coincidence andson (Pearson Tuckily made mil- that the British Labour Governons out of land he had taken over ment is now prepared to make Mexico at the beginning of the "MAKING IT HAPPEN" by Roland Muldoon a loan of £50.000 was an- There is a shortage of people in the Left nounced. (This works out at f2 who understand what it takes to use massfor every Suharto murder.) It communication methods in competition with has since been announced by the system. Most of the poster work for the Left is often esoteric. It both fails to British Embassy that explain itself and to appeal to anybody but further loan will be considered the converted. Amongst the designers in the this autumn. Left there seems to be an unhealthy fear of using methods devised by Capitalist advertisA DAY IN THE LIFE ing mainly because it seeks to propagate OF PETER DUKES unsolicited information it one realises through advertising. is able Peter Dukes is a comrade, a stimulate the production and distribution of Dwarf and a militant socialist. our daily crap. then one should look Some nights ago he went with reverence similerto various other comrades to the investigating basic Capitalism. various underground stations It's a fallacy that people are noticing socialist advertising just because it squirting OCTOBER 27 with states something that we feel people should red paint. Unfortunately Peter be interested in. For instance, current adverwas arrested. Normally in cases tising for this demonstation appeals at first like this offender' is fined 65 or sight only to those who recognise the NF £10 depending on whether the flag and fails to point out on impact why anyone should demonstrate, For a long time sentencing magistrates had a now there has been a successful branch of good night or not. In this case advertising that has been developing the Peter was charged at Bow Street so-called honesty" style. Recent ads for and he pleaded guilty. Instead charities ranging from Biafra to the Salvation Army, has been a great success with the of being fined he was sent for bourgeous Therele, hecause of its frank two weeks at Brixton prison. approach to starvation, poverty, etc. I am not Bail was at first refused but suggesting that we should adopt granted later on the following. methods ourselves. but they are a good conditions: example of pioneering work done in the (a) If Dukes agreed to pys- anti-lineal media explosion. These campaigns. chiatric treatment. (This is operating on small budget, have gigantict effect. At present there are a new mew Stalinist-type twist and wave of poster producers amongst the extrathose arrested on October parliamentary Lett. who have vet mainly should bear it in mind). failed to do anything but use outmoded (b) If he agreed to stay methods based on cartoens and the use of the simple juxta-position and irony styles. It home on October 27.
seems to me that they should make a conThe cause of British justice scious effort to understand how to fight in being served the magistrate retired for a brief recess.
FIREMEN OF ENGLAND. UNITE!
the jungle of modern Capitalism rather than borrowing romantic ideas from the past or styles successful only in the third world. I done realize that I will be accused of saying that you can sell Socialism. but I insist that one to understand fully the tacties employed by ene's enemies and the full revolutionary use can be made of their advanced methods of communication.
It seems to me that goes for street theatre that and other activities as well (although here we can't learn from the outmoded established art form of theatre). It is our duty to show at it that we are the leaders in the fight for an Marx advanced social understanding. It's no good using methods of presentation that went out of fashion before Capitalism just because they are used successfully among the peasants in China. Our style must be one that uses the mest modern and progressive use of presentation that. both reflects contemporary man and a quality which should suggest the superiority of the socialist collective. This must be as obvious as its message. The group must seem to have another function than that of romantic propaganda. It must be seen to be interested in itself and the intelligence of its audience. 1 know that all this is very difficult because like all political people one must face the daily contradictions in one's existence. One these must realise the trap in just being well meaning. The superhuman effort of working during the day and at night having discipline oneself to a constant re-appraisal had a of methods used can only be done by those seeking to really communicate and not just indulge in social therapy. It is also difficult because we have no money and the enemy is rich with materials and outlets. but just like any embryonic revolutionary movement, we have to adapt ourselves to real conditions and nct just to think that by doing 'something we are justifying our existence.
The weekend demonstration Dear Comrades. at Londonderry evoked some Tom Fawthrop's arucie painful memories of injustice. I Power to the Campus Soviets in your last issue re-confirmed a vital used to live about forty miles point-'that the first struggle begins from that city. My family and by the demand for control over predecessors were protestants on's own work situation. who did not discriminate against I have been working for the last catholics and who steered clear six years in commerce-in a relatively small family company of extremist protestant organisa- employing some 80 people. I have , tions - Orangemen. made money very successfully for In early 1930's, my grand- my employers and in the process father (mother's father), a kind have made very little-in relative gentle man, then in his seventies, through all this divorced from any terms for myself. I have felt signed a petition for the release through all this divorced from any of a catholic prisoner - for doing militant student activity although 1 SO five Orangemen dragged have taken part in all the Vietnam him from his bed in the marches. middle of the night - took him I have felt equally divorced from organised labour on the shop floor some distance away - left him and in the big factories since no tarred and feathered - he died real groupings were possible in a several months later. My father small sales office. said he knew who those men However, after many manthe nagging explanation of capital and were and was anxious that horizon in our company. my mother's influential respect- We have organised a militant able' relatives preferred the confrontation with the management matter to be hushed up, and so and forced them to meet us on our it was. Because my father (a terms-in our time. We have demanded representation on farmer) extensively employed management committees and COn. catholic workers - not out of a siderable improvements patronising motivation but a working conditions. human compassionate one and The battle has, of course, only just begun but the management of as well, paid fair wages (in the this company are now faced with days before standard rates of entirely new and completely pay were specified) there were, unknown situation. will_we over the years, several acts of believe-force them to make sabotage perpetrated against the concessions which they would otherfarm - one in particular, had it wise throw out with the rubbish.
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socialism I can now report a new justice was implemented - but