Immigration
Left liberals, along with many other reasonable people, abhor the anti-immigrant cacophony, the volume of which is being ratcheted up everywhere. This article in the Guardian, complaining about "the gutter debate" on immigration, typifies the kind of thing I mean.
Essentially, the liberal argument runs like this - (a) most of the vitriol is either twaddle or lies, (b) why don't our politicians do something about it! ("our"?) and (c) why don't the newspapers tell the truth?
This is an understandable, but woefully inadequate response. It does not to take into account that the anti-immigration bile (and all the rest of the demonisation of minorities, the poor, youth, etc) has a definite, reactionary, political purpose!
It doesn't just happen. It doesn't simply appear in the press for no reason. The Guardian article laments that, "Sadly, politicians think the easiest answer is to endlessly blame foreigners".
Sadly?!!
It is much more than sad! The world is owned by the 1%, who have just tanked much of that world's economy. They expect the 99% to pay for it. And they are paying for it! - through public expenditure cuts, wage restraint, job cuts, privatisation, retirement at 70! etc, etc. This is the regime of austerity - although not for everyone...!
Consequently, there is, for the 1%, quite a substantial political imperative to make sure that attention is drawn away from what is happening. And that is made a little easier by virtue of the fact that, oh, they own the newspapers...
We are being pi**ed on from a great height.
So yes, all reasonable people must take the time to dig out the facts about immigration and the "invasion of our shores", and the Guardian article usefully contributes to that.
And yes we must challenge and counter the racist, xenophobic spittle-storm. But this is the least we can do!
There is much that can be done. We can take the time to find out what is driving this reactionary agenda. We can find out to our own satisfaction what social function it is that xenophobia performs. Is it, say, some kind of natural human phenomena? (no). Is it inevitable? (no). Why do we see more of it during economic crises? (ah!)
This is where socialism takes a different approach to that of the well meaning liberal. The liberal doesn't see a class society. They see only people, some wealthy, most poor. They tend to echo Thatcher's claim that there is "no society" - only people and families. (That shows you what a good education does for you - as my old mum used to say).
The socialist view stems from the understanding that there is indeed a society - and one riven by an unbreachable class divide. That between labour and capital.
Starting with that understanding, socialists can see how xenophobia - and related demonisations - help maintain the rule of capital (big capital, at any rate).
Much better that labour is divided - that workers fight amongst themselves. This way their attention is diverted from fighting the true source of their collective troubles - the owners of big capital.
So they scapegoat various groups - such as foreigners (at least the poor ones!) - before they themselves get scapegoated!
And socialists follow this reasoning through. Something liberals do not do. To cut the ground from under the spittle-flinging reactionaries the 1% must be disempowered. They have done enough damage!
This blog will have more on immigration and ways of countering the spittle-flinging fat-cats and their cap-doffing camp followers!
