Labour Wrap: A spectre of barbarism and misery

Demands for change from working people who are most affected by the insecurity and fear barbarism breeds are growing, Terry Bell warns in his weekly Labour Wrap.

Cape Town - There is a spectre haunting this world:  the spectre of barbarism and misery, says Terry Bell in his latest Labour Wrap. And it has given rise to growing demands for change from working people who are most affected by the increase in global joblessness and the insecurity and fear this breeds.

On the one hand this has seen talk of an ill-defined socialism emerging strongly, not only in South Africa, but in countries such as Britain and even the United States; of demands for a return to earlier labour movement values of co-operation, caring and sharing. Tomorrow, in Johannesburg, representatives from more than 30 dissident trade unions will meet to discuss such topics.

But Bell maintains that this environment also encourages the proliferation of charlatans of various kinds. He lists Donald Trump in the United States and the more virulent Golden Dawn in Greece and the Freedom party in Austria as touting brands of bigotry and nationalism that are also evident in South Africa.

It is a time, says Bell, when those in political control, together with Big Business and their acolytes, continue to state that “we are all in it together”.  He agrees that this is so, but maintains that the real questions are: what are we in — and who put us there?

He adds that growing numbers of people seem to be asking these questions, with the result that there are now signs of major movements in existence or emerging that want a better, more egalitarian world.  This was, in recent history, the province of the labour movement.

Yet today, the bulk of the labour movements in many countries tend still to support the status quo, and we should ask why. Especially when there is growing disgruntlement at rank and file level that is fuelling the call for an alternative.

Is an alternative possible, for better or worse? Bell asks. Or will we all continue to be driven along an increasingly rocky path to potential disaster?

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