Very brave people - I admire them. They're a reminder that bravery of the non-military kind exists.
It also makes me think of the American truck drivers who were bringing aid to New Orleans on their own initiative and at their own expense while the Bush administration did pretty much nothing.
These FBU people were of course risking their lives as well so deserve even more admiration.
Spontaneous solidarity by people is often free of the hypocrisies and dubious motives of some governments (though i'm not making some right wing libertarian argument that charities should run all public services and foreign aid instead of government - they couldnt, they would never get the funds without taxation - and they'd tend to be less efficient because they'd duplicate the same tasks and increase administration costs by having multiple bureaucracies instead of a single one)
The FBU have always been solid opponents of the invasion, but they show that practical help can also be given to those who are obliged to try to make the best of a deeply flawed situation. This attitude has something in common with bodies in Iraq who opposed the invasion, seek an end to the presence of Coalition troops and yet also seek to work within the current framework to try to improve the condition of the Iraqi people.
Before I respond to your own reply, there is some reading on Iraq that I am keen to undertake. I am due to address my local Labour Party on "What chance for the Iraqi Labour Movement?" on 8th July. So a response to you around that period should emerge.
3 comments:
Very brave people - I admire them. They're a reminder that bravery of the non-military kind exists.
It also makes me think of the American truck drivers who were bringing aid to New Orleans on their own initiative and at their own expense while the Bush administration did pretty much nothing.
These FBU people were of course risking their lives as well so deserve even more admiration.
Spontaneous solidarity by people is often free of the hypocrisies and dubious motives of some governments (though i'm not making some right wing libertarian argument that charities should run all public services and foreign aid instead of government - they couldnt, they would never get the funds without taxation - and they'd tend to be less efficient because they'd duplicate the same tasks and increase administration costs by having multiple bureaucracies instead of a single one)
The FBU have always been solid opponents of the invasion, but they show that practical help can also be given to those who are obliged to try to make the best of a deeply flawed situation. This attitude has something in common with bodies in Iraq who opposed the invasion, seek an end to the presence of Coalition troops and yet also seek to work within the current framework to try to improve the condition of the Iraqi people.
calgacus/Duncan,
Before I respond to your own reply, there is some reading on Iraq that I am keen to undertake. I am due to address my local Labour Party on "What chance for the Iraqi Labour Movement?" on 8th July. So a response to you around that period should emerge.
Post a Comment