a letter to the editor

Letter sent by Belfast comrade to the Belfast Telegraph:

Dear Editor

In light of the comments by the hugely over-paid professional car vandal, Clarkson, for performing on camera the sort of anti-social lunacies joy-riders go to prison for we can be relieved that the consistently reactionary Edward Curran (Belfast Telegraph 29th Nov) wasn't looking for public hangings.

Obviously he, like Clarkson, has not been affected by the stagflation that, along with capitalism's "normal" cyclic slump, is ruthlessly demeaning the lives of the working class.

He condemns the strike because it entailed the loss of a day's production by those on strike, a problem that seemingly did not occur to him recently when everyone had a day off for a Royal wedding

Nor does he concern himself with the monstrously more relevant strike that underpins our present situation: the strike of capital. Real wealth is produced by the application of human labour power to nature-given materials. In an economically sane society human need would be the vital motive for combining these two forces. However, in capitalist society a third factor is forced into the production equation: profit.

The resources of nature and human labour power are as available today as they were 5 years ago when capitalism was in its cyclic boom. However, the 3rd factor in capitalism's production equation, capital investment is being withheld against the unease of the market.

Happily the absurdity of this repetitively vile way of organising our society is at last provoking consideration - especially among the young - of an alternative
agenda.

Richard Montague