FELLOW-TRAVELLERS

Keith Durham

Broadside Five

Keith Durham and his wife Brenda are long-term motorhomers, travelling in a Hobby 650. Self-retired from work in further education teaching and management training, Keith combines his travels with a deep concern for personal freedom and social justice, both of which can be subjugated by economic and political decisions. He expresses this concern in a series of Broadsides, which he describes as 'some unspun facts for busy people who care about the world in which they live'.

If any of his writing grabs your attention, excites or frustrates you, Keith would love to hear from you – email: . In addition to discussing his ideas, he can put you on his emailing list so that you receive future Broadsides directly.

Did you know … ?

… last year some 200 traditional practitioners gave up female genital mutilation after seminars held by Non-Governmental Organisations to mark Women's Day.

… the US has just abstained from voting to have those accused of war crimes in Darfur, tried in the International Criminal Court. It is part of a deal struck with other members of the UN allowing all the accused to be tried by this court except those US citizens involved in war crimes, mass murder, and ethnic cleansing.

… Reg Keys is to stand as an Independent candidate against Geoff Hoon, the War Minister (sorry, Defence Minister) in the forthcoming general elections. Reg is the father of one of the six MP's killed in Iraq last June as a result of 'operational difficulties'. (ps has anyone seen Hoon in the past 2 years?!)

… the US Government is trying to test the effects of its Genetically Modified crops by sending it as food aid to the Angolan people; despite their plight it has been rejected by the Angolans who are unwilling to face the potential dangers.

… 300,000 people have been killed by an evil dictatorship and over 2 million have had their homes burned, their land and cattle stolen and the women subjected to serial rape. Why haven't Bush/B.Liar adopted the same moral stance as they did over Iraq and Afghanistan – answer, there's no oil in Sudan!

… according to UK TV news broadcasts a Hercules plane either 'crashed' or 'came down', on 30 January 2005 in Iraq. Despite a claim from 'insurgents' that they 'shot down' the plane, now verified by independent investigators, why does our Gov't refuse to tell the truth? Answer: the plane was shot down on the day of the Iraq 'elections' – 'a resounding success' according to B.Liar. (PS. Didn't a Gov't aide have to resign recently for suggesting to hide bad news?)

… Monsanto, the giant US producer of GM crops has been forced to abandon its plans to introduce GM wheat to the world market.

The concept of Democracy, the people rule,** was first introduced to the 'civilised' world by the Greeks some 4,000 years ago. In 1787 the 'Founding Fathers' incorporated the notion of democracy into the American Constitution as a political system of governance. Benjamin Franklin, one of the small group who drew up the Constitution, but whose views are never quoted by today's US politicians, thought it merely a temporary creation; 'I believe … that this is likely to be well administered for a Course of Years, and can only end in Despotism … when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government'. Whether 'we, the People' believe we have reached this point or not is debatable but perhaps we are sufficiently close to consider Franklin's words.

Around the world, democracy appears to be the only political system being promoted whether it be in its weakest form as advocated by the regimes of Bush and B.Liar or that which exists in countries such as the Democratic Peoples Republics of North Korea, Congo and China. There are now more 'democracies' on earth now than ever before, more people able to elect or reject their governments and yet even more and more people are disillusioned with what is being served up. In 2002 the World Economic Forum undertook the then largest global opinion poll; of the 36,000 people surveyed from 47 countries, most of whom lived in 'democracies', two-thirds did not believe that their country was 'governed by the will of the people'. So if 'the People' don't believe that they live in a democracy what is it that is being 'sold' around the world as the panacea for all ills?

Capitalism, globalisation and free market economies are now the driving forces behind all the major western political parties and privatisation is deemed to be the only way forward. Bush and B.Liar continue to trumpet the apparent downfall of communism but their arguments are driven by a right wing political agenda dependant upon the free-market economic doctrines of advanced capitalism and the exclusion of social, humanitarian, environmental and ecological considerations. Contrary to what we are told, capitalism and the global free-market do not complement democracy but are the complete antithesis. Whilst politicians passionately advocate the spread (of their version) of democracy, capitalism has redefined it to represent its weakest form, i.e. the opportunity to vote every four or five years for one of two identical parties.

Sit on any bus or visit any bar in many nations and the same complaints about politicians can be heard, 'they don't listen' … 'they're all the same' … 'they don't care about ordinary people'. Whilst this might have been true throughout the ages it has a much more real and sinister edge today. Yes, they are all the same, no they don't care about ordinary people however they do listen, but not to us. Global capitalism has reached such an advanced stage that many TNC's (Trans-national Corporations) are wealthier than many countries; major shareholders have more personal wealth than the GDP (Gross Domestic Product – a measure of a country's wealth) of poorer nations and distant investors can bankrupt an entire economy in hours. The political leaders do listen … but only to the very rich corporations whose managers are charged by their owners to maximise profit, at the expense of their employees, suppliers, local communities, the environment and even human life.

The TNC's control of the politicians also leads to their control of many International Organisations, particularly the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank, the main institutions responsible for financing projects in the so called 'developing world'. Their impact can also be seen on the inevitable death of democracy. Countless examples exist of poor countries who will never be able to repay even the interest on loans and of TNC's with so much power that they dictate national policy to the leaders of those countries so dependant on their patronage. In 2002 Lula da Silva swept into power as Brazil's first working-class president following mass demonstrations against previous right-wing governments. Within a year he had to accept an IMF (International Monetary Fund) loan, the conditions of which included slashing state employee's benefits and expelling those who criticised the terms of the loan from The Workers Party. Brazil's cities are now filling up with expensive foreign chain-stores while their shanty towns remain packed with the urban poor.

Whilst Lula's intentions were sincere, according to a Sao Paulo University academic, he and his party 'have been exposed to the tsunami of the market and many do not survive'. Similarly, in South Africa in 1994, the newly elected ANC (African National Congress) adopted the World Bank's economic development programme. Today, unemployment has risen and the multi-million dollar TNC frequently turns off the electricity and water supplies to the poorest communities as they can no longer afford to pay the unrealistic prices demanded from them. Capitalism demands poverty, western Governments merely pay lip service to world poverty because they know that 'we, the rich people' feel better believing that the poor are being helped. If the poor of the world are being helped at all it is only to become avid, greedy, wasteful consumers seeking instant gratification; just like us in the civilised world.

But perhaps the most cynical and obscene abuse of this corporate-political power and which signalled the death of democracy was the invasion of Iraq. Despite millions of 'we, the people' across the world marching in protest, the war went ahead. Despite United Nations (which represents 193 countries) opposition, the war went ahead. Whilst there is no doubt that the US's dependency on oil was at the core, Bush and his family and friends in the oil and gas business could only engage in 'free-marketing' through the removal of Saddam Hussein; the $200 billion dollars worth of oil revenue from Iraq over the past two years remains unaccounted for. Cheney and Rumsfelt's corporate colleagues in the construction and security industries secured billions of dollars worth of untendered contracts. And, as the world's leading arms manufactures, suppliers and dealers what better sales opportunity could British and American companies have had to demonstrate their equipment than a war against a country which had no navy or air-force and only an ill equipped, tin-pot army?  100,000 innocent civilian men, women and children have been written-off in the corporate-political accounts as 'collateral damage'.

All the major political parties want you to vote and believe that you can make a difference; the reality is that they need you to vote to give credence and legitimacy to their corporate master's amoral actions. Whoever you vote for the political parties will have to keep their capitalist global marketers happy or see their economy crushed. Our political choices are no longer between the 'Right' or 'Left' but between BP or Shell, Coke or Pepsi, Nestle or SMA, Glaxo or Bayer, McDonalds or Burger King, Nike or Adidas; all of whom, like other TNC's engage in the abuse of human rights and where democracy is treated as a minor irritation.

However, all is not lost. Several countries particularly in Central and South America are beginning to stand up to right-wing capitalist countries and fight back against the threats and abuses from leading TNC's; they are returning previously privately  'foreign owned' industries and services to the state i.e. re-nationalising for example oil, water, minerals, forests, transport systems, hospitals, and schools. With Parliament now dissolved, Britain has no MP's; what would happen if none of us turned out to vote on May 5^th ………….?

Democratize     v. to force people to choose to elect their leaders.

Oil rig               v. to win a contract through close personal links to a government representative.

Forefather        n. foreign policy based on revenge

Starbucks         n. currency used in coffee shops on the moon.

GAP                n. difference between the retail price of a garment and price paid to the garment maker.

Shell                 n. protective layer – that separates money from conscience.

Cat-flap            n. (colloq.) Managing Director denying allegations of fraud.

Tanker             n. Cockney rhyming slang for an oil company executive.

Think-tank        n. Israeli policy advisor.

Finally, an oxymoron: Corporate Law.