Skip to content or view screen version

"Free Market's" link to RACISM.

Bookworm | 03.05.2001 20:44

As if it was ever in doubt . . .

If you ever doubted the very real link between 'free market' capitalism and racism, read on >

A couple of interesting book reviews in the 'serious' (and capitalist) press recently. The 'Economist' - which to be fair at least advocates letting in the immigrants, unlike Blair's facist government - reviews Andrew Denham's biography of Thatcher's free-market guru, Keith Joseph. According to the reviewer, Joseph 'became, along with Enoch Powell ['Rivers of blood] the most ardent advocate of . . . free market intellectuals'. In a speech he gave he said:

"Power grows out of the barrel of a gun. A gun is certainly powerful, but who controls the man with a gun? A man with an idea."

The idea is, of course, that free markets will require force to enforce them upon the masses. At least we know how they think now.

In another revealing review, Michael Rogin, writing in the 'London review of Books' (10/05/01) notes how the 14th amendment - meant to guarantee an end to slavery for African Americans - was perverted by corporations:

'But with the defeat of reconstruction a decade after Lincoln's assasination, the 14th amendment that was supposed to guarantee former slave 'persons' equality before the law came instead to insulate corporations, designated 'artificial persons''

So, there you have it. Now what we need to do is to make rampant and unrestrained capitalism as unacceptable as racism - they are handmaidens to each other. If there are any of you out there who felt uneasy about attending Mayday (I was there!) this year, then here's your chance to make a difference. Whenever you can, point out these links, press them, don't let people get away with racism under another name. Resistance should be on every level. Never stop believing!

Bookworm