Part 3 - DW062 001 028 003

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LETTERS to the EDITOR Dear Comrade, I'd like to take issue with the reader who contributed the "Star Wars" review. It's true that the film shows "small fry" rebels taking on and destroy- ing the "ultimate weapon" of an inter-planatary empire, but it's going a bit far to draw parallels with the pre- sent world situation. Of course, it can be seen that way, but isn't it true that most bourgeois "heroes and villains" films show heroes who stand against heavy odds (generally powerful enemies) and win out? "High Noon", "The Magnificent Seven", "The Dirty Dozen", and the James Bond films are all examples of this. It would be difficult, after all, to make heroes out of powerful people who overcome weak enemies! Another point is that bourgeois films like this glorify a few indivi- duals and do not show the role of the masses of the people; nor are the indivi- duals portrayed good ex- amples of the workingpeople. They represent bourgeois ideals not ideals the capitalist class today lives up to, of course, but bour- geois ideals all the same! (For example the ideal of the 'self-made man') As to the fact that U.S. film corporations re- fused to back it in the first place, there are hun- dreds of films they've re- fused to spend money on, but this has nearly always been because they were not regarded as profitable. Since, stripped of its special effects, there's not much to 'Star Wars', it's not surprising they initially decided against backing it. Although the film kept my attention through- out, and the effects really were something, I was con- The Force is with him. scious of many reactionary features. At the beginning, for example, Luke lives with his aunt and uncle; his uncle is the breadwinner while his aunt stays in and does the housework. Princess Leia, the heroine, proves tough and resourceful, but the final battle is left to the men. Her heroism is a concession to the advances women have won, andcertain- ly not ahead of its time. 'The Force' is a mystical thing which gives Luke the necessary strength to win through. It seems that the bourgeoisie has so little confidence in ordinary human beings as heroes that more and more it has to add something superhuman to them! (The 'Force' here on television, we've had the Bionic Man and Woman with machinery providing their power!) Building a real people's culture as an alternative to capitalist culture is something which can only be started on while the capitalist class has state power and controls the purse-strings of society; until there is a really attractive working class alternative, the cultural products of capitalism will draw many people. While this situation continues, CWM and other Marxist-Leninists should attempt to put work- ing people on their guard against the reactionary essence of capitalist cult- ure, and not be seduced by the attractive forms it often assumes. Although it only meets once a year, all its dec- isions are only taken after months of consult- ations and discussions outside the Congress at all levels of society. Without such mass democ- racy it wouldn't function by just meeting once a year! DEMOCRACY IN CHINA Dear Editor: "Though I found your report on the National People's Congress of China very interesting, one or two things puzzle me. How often does their Congress meet and also is it a decision-making body or does it simply carry out the orders of the Communist Party. Fraternally Reader: Stoke Newin- gton. Ed: The N.P.C. is con- stitutionally the highest decision making organisa- tion in the Chinese state. Its members are elected every five years and it generally meets at least once a year. However, in the past, the Congress has not met as often as the present Constitution in China has laid down. A great deal of disruption was caused by certain past members of the Chinese Communist Party, known in China as the 'Gang-of-Four' who interfered in the Congress's democratic process for their own wends. However, the recently appointed Chairman of the C.P., Chairman Hua has undertaken to strengthen the functioning of the National People's Cong- ress. The N.P.C.'s members are drawn from all levels of Chinese society, represen- ting workers in industry, on the communes, soldiers officials, the minority nationalities and other people both inside and outside the Communist Party. 3 BIDWELL BACKS "WHITE" BRITAIN Syd Bidwell is a man of many parts - but the parts don't fit together any more. He is the Labour Member of Parliament for the London constituency of Southall with its large immigrant community. He has long posed as a left-winger and 'friend' of Black people in Britain. A member of the Tribune group, admirer of the revisionist Communist Party of Great Britain, and associated with Trotskyist organisations, he is a man of the broadest left. But now his broadness has become an obscenity and he is revealed as a disguised, disgusting pig who betrays all to wallow in pursuit of personal ambition. He was prominently on the Select Committee on Race Rela- tions and Immigration whose report recently caused a furore among Black people and well- disposed whites. The report has only succeeded in vindicating Enoch Powell's rantings and Margaret Thatcher's sickly- sweet racism. The report has seriously undermined the security of Black people in Britain, threatened their family unity, culture, language and religion, and opened the door to establishing Pass Laws on the South African model. Bidwell is a fraud and his performance has demonstrated very forcefully how the social demo- cracy of the Labour Party conn- ives at racism and encourages racists. Bidwell is an agent of British imperialism, as is his party. A while back he showed his true-blue colours when he support- ed Indira Gandhi's state of emerg- ency which was aimed at suppress- ing the Indian masses. But Bidwell is on a losing wicket. Black people in this country are fighting back and are winning growing working-class support. The peoples of the Third World are taking their destiny into their own hands and no longer need or heed bad advice from 'socialist' quacks. They have bid farewell to the Bidwells of the world and making their own history. OVER 6MILLION JOBLESS IN EEC About 6.26 million peo- ple were out of work in the nine Common Market countries in February, according to provisional statistics iss- ued in Brussels. The figure for the same month last year was 5.77 million. Particularly hard-hit are women, youth and immig- rant workers. A similar situation exists throughout the capit- alist world, with the high- est percentage of people un- employed in Canada. In Britain, the Camb- ridge Economic Review has estimated that there will be 5million unemployed by 1990.

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