Truth will out. The Tories' pretended concern for the Falkland Islanders is no more than a fig leaf to cover the warmongering of the Thatcher government.
Labour leaders is more and more seen as an absolute disgrace. Trying to outdo the Tories in bellicosity can only succeed strengthening Thatcher's government.
Despite Britain's spurious claims, the Falkland sanes are economically integrated InIO Arcenma Yet ever the lefts have allowed Tnemseives to be aken by the 'humanitarian' claims of. Thatcher OnCe again they have failed to understand the immutable maxim that war is simply politics by other (that is, violent) means.
War threats against are part and parcel the previous politics of the Thatche government They flow Sallc basic interests: to keep the entire Ichlon. including Argentina, imperialist domination And that means keeping the path open to turtner plunaer oppression of nations and suppression of the workIng class movelnchl Heel Britain has backed the trampling under foot of democratic rights by the junta. This policy was necessary to keep Argentina imperialist domination. This remains the issue in relation to the Islands the Islanders mnemseives The achilles heel of the Labour lett is to make it. starting point the 'interests of the Falkland Islanders.' It would be inappropriate socialists blithely cast aside concern for them. However, such concern must not get in the way of a strict analysis of what is at stake. To worry away at the poor Islanders 'facing fascist aggression' to substitute the uninteresting question of who fired the first shot for SuC ASS.
The Falkland Islanders have every right to remain British if that is what they desire. They have every right to settle in Britain something presently denied them by the Tory immigration aws. As this becomes clear, the reaction of the if at all - In equally they also ought to consider living Argentinian jurisdiction alongside the 20,000 British residents already in But they cannot claim the Falkland territories as British. These islands were taken the ArgentiHaus Ov rorce ana nava been claimed by the AreCIuuaus Cve SHce The Islanders are a settler population inseparably linked to the attempts by imperialism to deny Argentinian sovereignty. We have detend their human democratic rights but it is a Ta senood grant unen national rights.
that they al C demanding independence They are demanding to be Once this false claim of British sovereignty is accepted, it is difficult in logic to defy Thatcher's bandwaggon Tony Benn JOaE Maynard, Frank Allaun and other left MPs have called for the return of the Good. But basing this on 'the interests of the Falkland Islanders' rather to imLial OUOUSILIULI perialism's false claims, they fail to break Thatcher's framework and are prone to being drawn into it.
Junta At least Reg Race admits the contradiction. But his SOLUOS 'solve the issue by negotiation' inadequate because it fails to provide principles which such negotiations should proceed.
The Morning. stal reflecting the position of the Communist Party, certainly unequivocal that Britain should cede sovereignty. But it is tightlipped on the Argentinian's case. It hints at the Areeaenars fails to tackle them head on. In the face of the pre:XSSSSSSS sent propaganda offensive such an omission disastrous.
In denying Argentinian rights, the left also gets diverted an over-riding concern the political character of the semi-fascist junta. To be workers throughout the world have a profound hatred of this .gang of murderers. Yet in reality any British victory in this crisis will help the Argentinian workers Certainly Galtieri will fall. But he will be replaced by an even more blood### Toble s thirsty fascist. This is imperialism's way. The only way to approach the inworkers understanding of politics and the dependence of the present Argentinian government on imperialism Militant rejects this basic Trotskyist framework. starting point looks OK: 'The origins of the crisis itsell found in simply asking "who struck the blow?" Inl loc class relations in ArgenLen AnerOsr soutig tina and Britain'. But the class relations in Argentina cannot ignore the domination of Argentina by imperialism But by doing this Militant's analysis leads them to pin-point the root of the crisis in 'the growing opposition (to the junta) a This simply begs the question. For how was it that the dictatorship was able to play this card? Something more must be issue than the demagogic longstanding claims of sovereignty.
Nevertheless successive governments including Labour bear some responsibility for the present TaSC( because they stalled on negolating decoronisd tion.
Frank Allaun THE Tory government got us in this mess. If they had acted week. ago, UnIS situation would not have ansen Simiariv ll lne. had not armed the fascist generals of Argentina and other southern hemisphere CouuLaC LUCI would not be in this plight.
But now there are only two choices: the first is to fight it out between the t.wo aves. volve the destruction of 1800 kalkland islanders ir the crossfire. Then in addiLIUl scvcl dl Lilousalll