tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3591186784456519139.post2834750105574872351..comments2024-01-02T17:38:32.872+00:00Comments on Economics of Imperialism: Political Fundamentals and the UK Brexit ReferendumTony Norfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03896437404164741498noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3591186784456519139.post-40781096415961426682016-07-03T21:32:35.144+01:002016-07-03T21:32:35.144+01:00TimType: You raise many points! Here are some comm...TimType: You raise many points! Here are some comments on them.<br /><br />1. The EU is not a ‘power’, but an organisation run by the major European countries. Germany and France have been at the core, with Britain formerly a key player. The arrangement is reflected in a complicated web of different deals and relationships between the wider European countries, such as the euro countries, the EEA, EFTA, etc.<br />2. What does ‘democratic accountability’ mean in relation to the EU? The term reflects a liberal concept of somehow the mass of people being in charge, which is an illusion of capitalist democracy. The powers that run the EU are happy to give up some ‘sovereignty’ – meaning less room for manoeuvre as an individual country – because this deal means they can project a greater power to get what they want. That was the case also with the UK until the Brexit vote.<br />3. The weaker European states have not suffered because of the EU, or even because of the euro. They have suffered because of the chronic crisis. In past years, the EU gave them lots of subsidies for development in the Single Market and, as euro members, the weaker ones such as Greece could also borrow at rates not much above Germany. They were nevertheless unable to develop competitively, and instead often ran up huge borrowings. In more recent times, they were also hit by competition from Asia, etc.<br />4. Those of us in the imperialist powers should not confuse the issue. The ‘EU’ is not the problem – where do EU policies come from? Focus on the policies and interests of the UK, France, Germany, etc, to understand what is happening, and do not give credence to the idea that ‘Brussels’ is the problem.<br />5. The real problem is not that imperialism has created an ‘additional layer of meditation’ to divide us, but that the prevailing political view among radicals is to avoid confronting their own state policies, or to ignore how these are driven by the exigencies of the crisis.<br /><br />Tony Norfield<br />Tony Norfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03896437404164741498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3591186784456519139.post-55853642951439846622016-06-30T18:20:31.872+01:002016-06-30T18:20:31.872+01:00Tony - I may be extrapolating an unnwarranted argu...Tony - I may be extrapolating an unnwarranted argument - but in the arguments before and after the brexit referendum a fairly universal argument has been heard that implies that the EU as currently constituted has become an oppressor power that has to be opposed as such, for its lack democratic accountability, for its collective aggressive policy of militarised borders, for its depradations of the weaker european states etc - Your material and some others seems to suggest that the european core imperialist powers have operated the EU as an umbrella agent to pursue their interests often collectively against the working class of the middle east and south and against the working class of the weaker european countries - if I am reading this correctly - is this a challenge to traditional notions of how anti-imperialism can be cenducted - you argued on Monday that we should be intransigent against resurgent nationalism - but what in our analysis can redirect the shallow criticisms of the EU back against the imperialism at home of the majorpowers - how can we challenge the additional layer of mediation that imperialism appears to have so successfully erected to divide us further. TimTypehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05900058738933390260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3591186784456519139.post-12978275590348374182016-06-28T21:10:01.485+01:002016-06-28T21:10:01.485+01:00The enemy isn't at home anywhere. The enemy is...The enemy isn't at home anywhere. The enemy is the automatic, self-moving subject. Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14894474851889323737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3591186784456519139.post-52940989777677765462016-06-24T11:43:02.950+01:002016-06-24T11:43:02.950+01:00yes you are correct, but I don't like the Tori...yes you are correct, but I don't like the Tories and racist little Englanders can be argued with. Etonians are too confident and bamboozle me<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02933562715312584853noreply@blogger.com