opinion in Latin America, and a very broad swathe of liberal opinion too, was against that invasion. Because informed political opinion on that continent has very good reason to know what a stepping up of US militarism in the region means.
Balance
This brings me straight back to the question you asked me- can I substantiate that the balance of peace and justice coming out of the Gulf war will be worse and not better. That can only mean 'who does this war strengthen and what will they do with this new strength ?' Clearly the decline of US economic power cannot be overcome in the Arabian desert. But the US can, and will, try to replace the Cold War (intimately tied to its leadership of the West) with a Western confrontation against the 'South' and especially the Islamic world.
The gun turrets of a newly-defined NATO can be swiveled from the east, southwards. I do not think we can regard this prospect with equanimity. The terrible consequences of US militarism - US imperialism - have been visited in the last two decades on the people of Nicaragua, of Vietnam, of Grenada, of Cambodia - you know the list as well as I do. Why should it be any different in the future? It is even a fiction tö believe that empty waffle about a new Middle East peace process doing anything whatever for the Palestinians. Especially as the war has only strengthened the hand of Israel, and Arab governments whose.concern for the Palestinians is ritual rather than real. many and Japan. That is the new world order, not Bush's fantasy. I think we agree on that.
But if 'Americanism' is remorseless ly going under, it will not do so without a fight. And it has terrifying resources at its disposal.
Meek
It struck me during the war how meekly Japan and Germany fell into line behind the US. Neither felt strong enough to dissent; neither is strong enough for, or yet aspires to, leadership of the West. But when you have strong capitalist powers in bitter rivalry with each other, it has led, in the past at least, always to military competition. This will, I think, be the direct consequence of the decline of the global power of the USSR and the decline of American For the moment perhaps Germany will be obsessed with reunification and eastern Europe. But in the medium term the danger of a resurgence of Japanese and German militarism must be very strong. That is my second conclusion. The Gulf war has made a revival of global militarism more likeIf I am only half right about the kind of world which is emerging, then political resistance to the many terrible things that could happen is better prepared by left wing and democratic public opinion keeping its hands clean of any support for what the partisans of imperialist militarism have in store for us.
Yours sincerely Paul Clarke March 23, 1991 Dear Neal Ascherson, A final thought. Did you ever see the film 'FIST' - a not very good Sylvester Stallone piece loosely based on the life of Jimmy Hoffa?
As a rising rank and file Teamsters union leader in the 1930s, the Stallone character runs up against the bosses' goon squads, a very realistic scenario for the 1930s. How to defeat them? In desperation he makes a pact with the local Mafia. In return for their muscle, he agrees to impose Mob-owned fruit machines on all Teamster-supplied premises - and he gets a rake off.
The strike is won - but at a price. First, the Mob has the union leader in their pocket. Before he knows it, he's part of the Mob. And finally he's assassinated by them.
Gut instincts may say the only practical thing is not to be too choosy about your allies to fight oppression. But 'victories' won with the help of gangsters turn out to be something different to what you expected. It's their victory, not ours.
My instincts are different to yours. Mine say that the people who brought us Vietnam, Cambodia, and the rest are never going to take military action to defend peace, freedom and justice. And this is something which the Kurds today are learning the hard way.
This may be a harsh conclusion. It means that the poor and the oppressed cannot rely on any 'power to achieve justice, they have to rely on themselves. If that is impossibly utopian and unrealistic, then the hope for a world not dominated by imperialism is as well. It means the end of all progressive hopes since the Enlightenment and a descent into barbarism. I don't comfort myself by thinking that a socialist world is inevitable. But since it depends on human consciousness and action, then it is possible. And has to be fought for.
Yours sincerely, Paul Clarke April 15, 1991 Dispossesed must fight for their own Ilberation No. 1 May 1, 1991
Riff Raff Meanwhile in his squat he fights with his Irish companion, Susan. Serious subjects dealt with by a socialist director. Also, one of the funniest films for years.
Loach achieves this humour through an improvised style similar to that of Mike Leigh's, which lets the comedy emerge through the characters on Stevie's site. This leaves space for the film to probe the vicious exploitation of the labourer's life to full effect, without sermonising.
Played for laughs So when health and safety questions are all dealt with they are played for laughs. Even the loos aren't decently kept, forcing them to use the luxury show-homes to relieve themselves, exposing themselves to the potential buyers.
Riff-Raff makes clear it is harder to escape from the brickie's life 'than it is for a with Bleasedale. But here Boys from the Blackstuffs unrelenting air of defeatism is replaced by a spirit of defiance.
The socialist character in Bleasedale's series dies within the first few scenes. In RiffRaff, the scouser, Larry, played by Ricky Tomlinson, provides a continuous witty commentary on the site's class war.
Accepted
He is accepted as one of the gang by the rest, if not always taken seriously, since; 'every sounds like a Parliamentary debate'.
Indeed, when he starts talking about the 5,000 houses built by Liverpool Council, even he verges on self-parody.
Riff-Raff is a fine film. Its authentic feel, comes from being based on Bill Jesse's real life as a brickie. All the more reason therefore that it is