Does New Labour cause fascism?

by Con Lehane Mon Jul 07, 2008 03:46

There's a spectre haunting Europe: the continuing advance of neo-liberal capitalism.

The resulting insecurities, and now even desperation, create the breeding ground for fascism.

Unless the Left can reverse this advance the outlook is increasingly grim. How to avoid the history of the 1930s?
Do Cowen and Harney, and Kenny and Gilmore have the answers in Ireland?

by paul o toole Mon Jul 07, 2008 17:31 pauljotoole at eircom dot net

Im glad someone else is using the proper descriptive term for our governments collective foreign policy.
There seems to be a fear about the place of calling todays western world Facist.
Cowen,Harney, Aherne, FF, PD's, the New Irish Greens, Bush,Blair and all other EU leaders who are part of the coalition of the willing, even those cowards like Ireland's policy makers-to afraid to admit it they are part of it , are in fact, de facto Facists. The pretence of domestic democracy fails instantly when mirrored with the pretence of democratic forigen policy. The Irish press and all other monopolised main stream media are to unwilling to call it what it is-Facism, why? because for reasons to vairied to go into they support this facism with a thin democratic veil to disguise it.
The game will soon be up....I hope.

I was in Shannon with a banner with the
'Fianna Fail supports
IraqiGenocide' ...
the banner I like with the 'F' heading replaced with swastica in place of the two F's...Very effective.
And by the supprt shown by passers by they would seem to agree.
Call it ike it is.

by Don Tue Jul 08, 2008 18:07

The article was about new labour's failings in Britain leading to a rise in the far right's support (althogh i thought searchlight sounded cautiosly happy enough with their failed breakthrough attempt at the recent elections) which is something to be wary of alright. What does this, however, have to do with the coalition of the wiling sponsoring 'Iraqi genocide'? The involement in Iraq is an ongoing disaster but at the same time any British/American soldier that fights against the most reationary and sectarian forces on the planet, placing themselves between sub fascist thugs seeking to inflame multiple ethnic based civil wars and their would be victims, cannot, in my opinion, be called genocidal. The only time Fianna Fail supported any sort of Iraqi genocide was when giving Saddam beef. Furthermore, why did our 'de facto fascist' leader recently step down bloodlessly? In fact, why have all our fascist leaders been voted in and out of office peacefully? Why does the state broadcaster give the opposition parties a platform? If this in't a democrcy why are reporters without borders putting Ireland 9th on their free speech index? Are they also part of the complacent, fascist enabling media?
I ask so many questions only because you have made so many peculiar statements and i feel it would be wrong to let this go unchallenged.

by Desmond O'Toole - The Labour Party Tue Jul 08, 2008 20:29

Dear Lord, Paul, many thanks for setting me straight. I was totally unaware that I was a member of a fascist party.

Anti-fascist campaigners will not thank you for your reducing the meaning of the term fascist to a piece of casual abuse. The issue of the rise of the far-right across Europe is far too important for this sort of name-calling. Call everyone you disagree with a fascist and you remove the sting from the word and open the door to those who would destroy our democracy and reduce our people to objects of hate and villification.

by Argent Wed Jul 09, 2008 22:37

The post has to do with Younge's argument that the failure of British Labour has created an opportunity for fascism to make a come-back. Only the political obtuse use 'fascist' as a term of abuse to slur those they disagree with: and by so doing they occlude the real meaning of fascism, and ignore the real possibility of its resurgence.