Planetary prospectus OLIVER MACDONALD from Thompson's essay is any And what is entirely absent habitable is overwhelmingly a of making the planet securely vision vigorously argued, yet recognition that the problem it is inescapably present in withdrew. Nowhere is this and the (apparently non- European) Russians, Ukrainians and so on Thompsons's piece. analysis, particularly by Mary inflated and irritating title. It THIS IS a useful book with an Dan Smith & EP Thompson (eds), Prospectus for a habitable insights in the piece by Kate Charter 77. It is an excellent provocative political project socialist, Jiri Dienstbier of Soper, and a coherent and thoughtful reflections and contains some interesting for Europe by the Czech Kaldor, Dan Smith and Jonathan Steele, some planet,
socialist neutralism in Western mediate without being a force, would argue the following: for and the USA, only without (for non-alignment), rooted in the a bloc. But how can an 'area' demilitarisation, of massively a while?) their armed forces. in fact be 'without' the USSR region as well as the peace movements; for a socialist labour movements of the Thompson says it would Against this vision we denuclearisation, and 'Helsinki' charter of Europe (or socialist Carlos Cunr nationalist ideology within the international politics. He does erroneously attributes the nationalist conception of source of the cold war to simultaneously himself USSR and the USA, he succumbs to a liberal Hinckley Point absolutely central to the world imperialism in quotes, saying social question. The plain truth not see this twentieth century survival is more than can be asked for. The ferocious and capitalist classes against the we live in. Thompson does populism in the USA. Yet it reality. He puts American is that for some classes the it derives from nationalist world' - while for others planet is today eminently habitable — a beautiful barbaric violence of the great mass of people is was there before the changes in Europe could be of The main focus of attention she also rightly says that basic is spell out either the contents great importance to the third opinion and emphasis within END. But what it does not do in the book is Europe. Mary people living in Europe and European zone involving a prospectus on the range of world. Jiri Dienstbier puts of, or the conditions for, a Kaldor rightly defends the legitimacy of this focus for securely habitable planet. forward a project for a demilitarised, neutral
programmes towards the third the middle of it. At the same seek to establish a principled civil liberties across Europe, should engage in a vigorous collaboration, of social and USSR should be drawn into ideological criticism of the Soviet political model and cooperative trade and aid excluded from all this the forces in Western Europe scientific-technological world. Far from being and of pan-European expanded trade and the class divisions of the world takes to be obvious: that there world between capitalism and not even discuss the socialist, internationalist alternative to interests. The terrible crimes begins by refusing to dismiss as irrelevant, by recognising Soviet leadership, the Soviet That socialist alternative socialism and whatever the what every alert bourgeois nature of and policy of the Union as a state remains committed by the Soviet is a great struggle in the rooted in working class his vision. The biggest danger, he tells that the state is an instrument world. States for him seem to us, comes from the existence nation succumbs to bullying Also absent is any notion internationalist view of the neutrally reflect the will of nationalism, all states will Reaganites. Was Nixon a nations and so long as no populist, or Eisenhower? interests. Thompson has ideologies like big power tend to live in harmony. of violence serving class reverted to a liberal grasping the German nettle in claim to offer a more securely is one of Europe as the object the two super-powers and by habitable Europe. His vision super-powers and his project Yet the book also contains By recognising the power of Soviet Union and the USA. a frank way Dienstbier has and beneficiary of a process produced a project that can whose main actors are the underwritten by both the re-unified Germany and could form the basis for serious political debate.
39 federation including the USSR, Certainly. And even then only alternative to socialist advance 'super-power' in the world, democrats in the East. The would be a united socialist habitable planet. But the end result of this process which would indeed be a a step towards a securely looks increasingly like a though not a militarist dialogue with socialist democratic Europe, a menace. A tall order? Reaganite day of Judgement • own people and the peoples of leadership in the past upon its the planet securely habitable. a matter of indifference as to must confront. And political USSR and the Soviet bloc is a fundamental task in making the USA or to imply that it is But to equate the USSR and democratisation within the Europe are crushed by the burden which all socialists whether Eastern Europe returns to capitalism or Eastern Europe are the movements of Western whether the labour the European nations can play themselves from the Russians safe. On the road to this goal thinks that 'Britain' can do a The irony of Thompson's lot because of language links world and the world will be of only two power centres. with the US, a past alliance 'mediating area'. And he becoming what he calls a Gain polycentrism in the and the Americans and with the USSR and the a big part by freeing view is that while he Commonwealth! Russians and the Americans: 11 contribution we have a vision. independent and harmonious Socialist Outlook No 1 May/June 1987 nations if only the Americans super-powers, or perhaps as a perhaps a civilising influence pointless quarrel. At the very Europe: Europe as an active to cease their dangerous and seeking a different image of perhaps a voice of sanity or contributions from people agent in world politics, as mediator encouraging the of a Europe of flourishing least, in EP Thompson's on the crude elites of the
(our) history and heroic myths; between the script and Loach's and subtle. At times, however, tension works excitingly, such here to expect any one film to there appears to be a tension Arguably, there is too much Griffiths' script is dialectical deal with adequately, but direction; sometimes this the nature of the family. Fatherland ROSS KEITH posing as mass-observer, Loach has directed in his hyper-realist turns into a verbose thriller unworthy of Bertolt Brecht reviewing