The media has made much of late of the
'Euston Manifesto', a document which has been
put out by a small group of ex-socialists led by
Norman Geres, who all, bar the odd one or two, supported
the US led invasion and occupation of Iraq. The
latest to line up in support of the Euston Manifesto
is Christopher Hitchens, one of the more forthright
and able Pens-men amongst the group of ex-leftists
who rallied to the colours in support of George
W. Bush's criminal military adventures in the Middle-East
and Afghanistan. Mr
Hitchens in a recent article published in the London
Sunday Times told his readers he would probably
sign the declaration in support of the Euston Manifesto;
myself I doubt he will, as the blessed Christopher
is far to much of a self important fellow to play
second fiddle to a retired academic blogger. No,
if he must bend the knee, these days he prefers
it to be to Presidents and Prime Ministers, whose
friends can scatter a bit of patronage around the
place.
One
of the reasons I am so wary of English middle class
leftists is epitomized in the likes of Christopher
Hitchens. Whilst a member of the SWP in the 1960-70s,
if he was not writing reams of rubbish scolding
and cajoling the working classes into supporting
this or that unrealistic political strategy, he
was hectoring us to demand of the TUC leadership
that they immediately call a general strike over
some comparatively trivial issue of the day. Plus
he was forever lecturing or condemning leading socialists
around the world such as Fidel Castro and Salvador
Allende about where they had gone wrong and advising
them to follow his and his then party's lead. When
these comrades understandably failed to heed his
advice, they would be slandered with infantile terminology
Mr Hitchens had read as an adolescent in some agitprop
student booklet such as Trotsky for Beginners.
It
should never be forgotten that through the years
of the long war in the north east of Ireland, when
British troops where rampaging through the homes
of the northern Irish working classes, Hitchen's
inkwell seemed to have run dry. Far from instinctively
siding with those being oppressed by the British
State as is the duty of all who regard themselves
as socialists, he bombarded them with inane advice
in the mould of the Harry Enfield TV character who
is forever advising others,"you don't want
to do that, this is how it should be done."
Few
were spared the lash of his pen. The poor simple
soul pontificated to the working classes as if he
had led some great revolution or controlled a political
party worthy of the name, instead of the leaky vessel
which was and is the SWP. Then, when the revolution
he predicted failed to materialize, what did Mr
Hitchens up and do after all his pontificating about
what we workers should or should not do? He left
our shores without a backward glance for the United
States of America, to get his snout in the media
trough as the Resident Lefty on magazines like Vanity
Fair. Although to be fair, he retained his sharp
wit which for a time was directed against the class
which manages Capital. However, mixing in such company
must have taken its toll on him as, like many middle
class leftists from the UK who have moved to the
USA to practice their trade, he seems to have been
enticed by its material riches and now he has emerged
as one of President Bush's cheerleaders.
By
the way, is it not strange that these middle class
mockney leftists never seem to have any problem
getting visas to enter the USA. Even in the old
days when all foreign Communists were barred from
the USA, they seemed to have few problems entering
Uncle Sam's territory, whilst working class militants
found themselves on the banned entry list, especially
if they have been active Communists, or Trade Unionists
who have led thousands of workers in struggle, let
alone Irish Republican socialists many of whom,
despite the armed struggle ending almost ten years
ago and having fully committed themselves to the
Peace Process, still find themselves barred from
the the land of the free. One cannot but think the
reason the likes of Mr Hitchens find access to the
US or citizenship so easy to attain is because their
own class has had the measure of them from day one,
knowing full well given time they will return to
the fold of the exploiters.
Thus
it comes as no surprise that these days Mr Hitchens
and many of the signatories of the Euston Manifesto
sing from the same songbook as the Thief in Chief
who sits in the Oval Office.
In
itself there is nothing wrong with changing ones
mind about political events; I myself have moved
down the years from membership of the Communist
Party to a Centrist-Left Reformist political position.
Nor
do I have a problem, beyond disappointment, with
people moving from the political Left to the Right.
But what is so pathetic about the likes of Mr Hitchens
and the Euston crowd is they seem unable to admit
they have changed their minds and moved to the Right,
although all their political statements and the
company they keep flags up this fact. No, they,
in the process of changing their political position,
have to pour filth upon their former comrades and
lie about what motivates their own political behavior.
The Euston bunch proclaim they are the only leftists
left with honour, thus all the rest of us must presumably
admit our sins and kneel before them, ask for their
forgiveness and then serve them faithfully as the
great leaders they believe themselves to be.
In
my mind's eye I can still see socialists such as
Mr Hitchens' bragging that the revolution was just
around the corner and they were just the people
to lead it, a la Lenin and Trotsky. In the mean-time,
all that was needed, according to these leaders
of the proletariat in waiting, was for workers to
show them the respect they clearly thought they
deserved by joining the SWP and go forth and sell
a few more copies of the Socialist Worker.
Well, workers rejected the politics of the likes
Christopher Hitchens in the 1970s, so we are hardly
going to support them in their latest reincarnation
as George W. Bush's and Tony Blair's pet poodle
with a pen and ink to hand.
Can
you believe the bare-faced cheek of these Euston
Manifesto people? The most monumental event of Tony
Blair's Prime Ministership, i. e., the invasion
and continuing occupation of Iraq, and Professor
Geres with Mr Hitchens in tow demand of the Left
that we put it all to one side, move on, AND THIS
WHILST IRAQ STILL BURNS! Sects like those who produced
the Euston Manifesto are sadly far from rare on
the fringes of the Left, nor is the fact that many
of these micro groups propagate hatred for their
former comrades. So I suppose one should not be
surprised that the Euston bunch pour filth on the
majority of leftists who continue to oppose US/UK
foreign policy in the Middle-East. Nor is it any
great revelation that the likes of Mr Hitchens makes
pathetic attempts to demonize them with lies and
taunts the anti war movement, which is, according
to the glorious Christopher, a movement which exists
almost entirely of supporters of mass murderers,
dictators and satraps.
However, in reality what really enrages the Euston
sect and their fellow travelers is, unlike themselves,
the overwhelming majority of the UK and Irish Left
have stayed loyal to their core beliefs, and continue
to refuse to sing from the Thief in Chief's songbook.
What the Euston Manifesto and the prominent coverage
given to it by the mass media tells us is both the
Left and Right have recognized Norman Geres and
his mates are in the political window dressing business.
Thus, I suppose we can hardly blame them for making
hay whilst the sun shines, as the tea leaves look
pretty bleak as to their future. Fish and chip paper
and yesterday's news, me fears.
