G.H. (Bill) Andersen
National Secretary
"Capitalist society is always an endless horror"
The whole situation arising from the terrorist air attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon raises our
obligations in respect of the struggle for the very existence of life on this planet.
Failure to arrest all terrorist and military aggressors will see the very cruel and tragic possibility of major
military conflicts and much more terrorism. The use of nuclear weaponry must also be considered as a real possibility
which, if it eventuated, would destroy much of the worlds population and many resources that we rely on to live now.
The tragic loss of life in the WTC and Pentagon attacks need to be measured against many years of US government
military terror attacks in many parts of the world and the loss of life concerned.
Terrorism and war have become more and more interlinked as war technology has become more 'sophisticated'.
Our immediate and longer term strategy must be to resist counter terrorism by the US and its allies as such counter
attacks will inevitably result in retaliatory attacks with each escalation pushing the contestants towards the nuclear
button.
In order to deal with terrorism and war we need to evoke a lot of new thinking about the size and intensity of this new
level of danger that has developed. However, we also need to creatively explain the root cause of aggressive war and
terrorism i.e. the activities of the global corporate and the imperialist system that spawns and protects these
exploitative global monsters.
On five previous occasions the NZ people have demonstrated quite clearly that they are capable of mass activity that
shapes our political stance.
Firstly, the great Maori Land March, which together with the Bastion Pt struggle, provided a great impetus to the Maori
Rights struggle.
Secondly, the street demonstrations to secure NZ troop withdrawal from the US aggression against the Vietnamese people.
Thirdly, the successful maritime workers action and mass protest that prevented US nuclear warships entering our ports.
Fourthly, the great anti-apartheid actions of 1981 which turned our country's policy around on the apartheid issue.
Fifthly, the great national union stoppages of the 1979 - 82 period against the vicious anti-worker attacks of the then
Muldoon National Government and the successful campaign to defeat that government.
These successful mass movements were built on the basis of developing the widest possible united action on the
immediate issue concerned whilst various left parties identified their own political positions in their own way.
The lessons learnt in these great mass movements need to be studied and applied in growing the mass movement for an
immediate stop on US military attacks as the most urgent priority.
G.H. (Bill) Andersen
National Secretary
Socialist Party of Aotearoa
Phone: (w) 09) 622 - 8351
(H) 09) 627 - 5547
Fax: 09) 627 - 5548
Mobile: 021) 226 - 9375