Syria: Ordinary working families will not gain anything from any future conflict

“ONE THING that can be absolutely guaranteed is that ordinary British, American or Syrian working families will not gain a thing from any future conflict.  They will be the losers.  The only winners – as usual – will be big business and the banks.”

That’s the view of Glen Nicklasson, Chairman of the National Liberal Trade Unionists who was speaking after another week of claims and counter-claims about the situation in Syria.  Without getting too bogged down in the details of the apparent chemical attack on Syrian civilians – as terrible as it was – he noted that it still hadn’t been proven beyond a doubt who had launched the attack.

He also questioned the motives of those who seem to be absolutely aching to teach Syria’s President Bashar Hafez al-Assad a military lesson.  He said:

“It’s ironic that ‘liberals’ like US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and Lord Ashdown are acting like ‘hawks’.  The ‘evidence’ that they’ve presented so far is sketchy to say the very least.  They seem to me to be overly anxious to flex their military might.  Why?

Compare this to the actions of ex-KGB man and President of Russia, Vladimir Putin.  He’s an absolute ‘dove’ compared to the others.  Indeed, it looks like his intervention has – for the moment – prevented the US and UK from launching a military strike on Syria.”

Devon-based Mr. Nicklasson continued by exposing the hypocrisy of David Cameron.  He noted that Cameron was one of the main driving forces behind the Con-Dem Government’s Austerity Agenda:

“Mr. Cameron is responsible for slashing thousands of public sector jobs.  Workers in the civil service or health and education sectors – effectively the backbone of Britain – have lost their jobs.

The private sector has also slashed jobs by the shed load.  How many here have been thrown on the scrap heap?

Attacks on the elderly, single parents and the disabled – driven by economics – continue on what appears to be a daily basis.  Indeed, look at the misery caused by the Bedroom Tax.

Mr. Cameron ‘justifies’ all this by saying that there’s ‘no money.’

I find this situation very odd.  Apparently he hasn’t got the money to keep people in jobs and pay them decent wages – yet he can suddenly find the money to wage war on Syria!  How is that?”

Even laying aside the question of money – indeed, how much would Cameron’s proposed military strike on Syria have cost? – Mr. Nicklasson noted that waging war is hardly in the interest of ordinary working families.

“In any conflict, Syrian civilians will inevitably become ‘collateral damage.’  And in the event of the US (and eventually even Britain) putting ‘boots on the ground’ the people who’ll usually get hurt are soldiers from ordinary working-class backgrounds.  Many of these youngsters will have joined up for a classic reason – to escape grinding poverty and unemployment at home.

And once the dust has settled, who’ll be pocketing hundreds of thousands in ‘reconstruction projects’?  The NLTU isn’t a betting organization.  But if we were, we’d feel that it’d be pretty safe to wager that big business and the banks will be the real winners here.”

http://nationalliberal.org/liberty-wall-3/national-liberal-trade-unionist

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-%e2%80%93-national-liberal-trade-unionists-%e2%80%93-starting-to-organise

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-%e2%80%93-national-liberal-trades-unionists

http://nationalliberal.org/magna-carta-comment-%e2%80%93-nltu

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-national-liberal-trade-unionists-debate-1-how-can-we-achieve-our-main-aims

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-national-liberal-trade-unionists-issue-1-of-liberal-worker-out-now

One part of the strategy of NwS is to build the infrastructure of an alternative mass media of news and entertainment. We've made a few small steps in the right direction with the publication of issue 1 and 2 of Freedom and issue 1 of Nation. Issue 2 of Nation will be out soon.

ALL SELF-DETERMINISTS will know that we’ve recently produced another issue of Freedom. This is the ‘street paper’ of Nations without States (1). As such, it’s designed to attract the attention of the general public – it’s loud, brash and written in a very popular and simplistic style.

Nation argues that the best way to “truly honour the fallen” is to work towards building free nations. And the way to do this is to follow “the NwS strategy of building different forms of counter-power. Here we want to create a parallel system that belongs to self-determinists and not our oppressors.”

(1) http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-nations-

without-states-issue-2-of-freedom-out-now

(2) A few copies of issue 1 of Nation are still available. As soon as they go, it will only be available in pdf format. For details of availablility, e-mail Nations without States: nationswstates@aol.co.uk

WE RECENTLY noted that issue 1 of Liberal Worker – the Voice of National Liberal Trade Unionists – would be “produced in the very near future.”

We’re now happy to report that it’s available FREE (in pdf format) to all those who take a particular interest in the economy, employment and general Trade Union issues.

Issue 1 of Liberal Worker (LW) leads with an article which examines the way the Con-Dem Government is in danger of (or maybe has sought to create?) a ‘hire and fire’ culture by giving the ‘green light’ to unfairly dismiss workers. Cameron and Clegg have already succeeded in slashing employment protection, intend to introduce costly Tribunal Fees and reduce compensation payments to those who have been unfairly dismissed. Talk about kicking people whilst they’re down!

And the real reason for this anti-worker agenda? LW hits the nail on the head when it notes that doing away with worker’s rights “is reward to the Tory party’s right-wing business donors.”

Another fine article puts the case for a National Liveable Wage – as opposed to the National Minimum Wage.

The main difference between the National Liveable Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) is that the Liveable Wage takes into account the basic cost of living. Whilst the NLW is not perfect it is far, far better than the NMW. Liberal Worker thus concludes that the Liveable Wage should replace the Minimum Wage.

Campaigning for the NLW also forms one section in LWs progressive ten-point Manifesto. Other interesting features of the Manifesto include the restoration of “Employment protections lost under the present government,” support for an ‘opt-in’ policy for Union political levy’s (as is the case in Ulster) and extending “the scope of some employment protections to the self-employed.”

All-in-all Liberal Worker is an interesting read. It’s certainly refreshing to know that there are Trade Unionists out there who are as equally opposed to socialism as they are capitalism. To get hold of your copy, simply e-mail natliberal@aol.com and ask for your FREE pdf copy of issue 1 of Liberal Worker.


The following should be read in conjunction with this article:

http://nationalliberal.org/liberty-wall-3/national-liberal-trade-unionist

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-%e2%80%93-national-liberal-trade-unionists-%e2%80%93-starting-to-organise

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-%e2%80%93-national-liberal-trades-unionists

http://nationalliberal.org/magna-carta-comment-%e2%80%93-nltu

http://nationalliberal.org/from-the-liberty-wall-national-liberal-trade-unionists-debate-1-how-can-we-achieve-our-main-aims

THE LATEST issue of Freedom – the street paper of Nations without States – is out now!

Issue 2 looks at the position of the Matebele people in Zimbabwe. It notes how they are treated as second class citizens and are discriminated against “in housing, welfare, education and jobs.” They’re discriminated against by the Shona-dominated government of “Mad Robert Mugabe.”

As well as discriminating against the Matebele, Mugabe’s troops have tried to wipe them out. As Freedom notes:

“From 1982 to 1987, Mugabe sent in his special troops who murdered between 10,000 – 40,000 people in Matabeleland.

These special troops were called the Fifth Brigade. They were made up of ruthless and sadistic Shona loyal to Mad Mugabe. And they were trained by Communist North Korean officers who were sent to Zimbabwe by the late Kim Il Sung.

The Fifth Brigade’s aim was to wipe out the entire Matebele people.

As well as attemted Genocide, they beat, raped and tortured as many Matebele as they could.”

Issue 2 of Freedom is available in pdf format only. To get hold of your FREE copy simply e-mail Nations without States: nationswstates@aol.co.uk

We’d encourage everyone to send a copy of Freedom to as many friends, family, work mates and media outlets as possible. Let’s alert the world to the discrimination and acts of genocide directed against the Matebele by Mugabe’s government.

•  Also keep your eyes peeled for news about issue 2 of Nation, the Newsletter of Nations without States.  A new issue – which will be available in both hardcopy and pdf formats – will be avaialble soon.

ISSUE 1 of Liberal Worker – the Voice of National Liberal Trade Unionists – will be produced in the very near future. Without giving too much away, it features two excellent main articles – Restore Worker’s Rights! and From National Minimum wage to a Livable one!

The first article looks at the way Cameron and Clegg appear to be hell bent on destroying the rights of workers – rights that have been introduced due to many historic and long-term union campaigns. It notes that “Since the Coalition took power they have begun to strip away decades of worker protections.” Liberal Worker examines how employment protections have been cut and compensation due to workers has been slashed.

From National Minimum wage to a Livable one! notes how the Con-Dem Government has reduced benefit payments saying that it doesn’t want people to become dependent upon benefits. However, Liberal Worker believes that “the reason why many can’t work is because wages are too low rather than benefits too high.” It goes on to propose a Livable Wage – calculated by looking at the basic cost of living – as opposed to the current National Minimum Wage.

Liberal Worker also produces a very progressive Manifesto. All in all it’s a very impressive read.

One of the main aims of the NLTU is “to promote a non-socialist trade unionism.” National Liberal Trade Unionists also believe that the primary role of unions “in industry is the protection of the individual worker and collective bargaining” and not “class revolution.”

However, given the number of socialists (of various hues and factions) within the trade union movement, the question for National Liberal Trade Unionists is simple and straight forward: how can this be achieved?