ABSOLUTISM AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE ANTI-SOCIAL OFFENSIVE
The essence of the anti-social offensive is to compel the working
class to do the bidding of the financial oligarchy. Whether the
actions and demands of the financial oligarchy harm the general
interests of the society, or the interests of certain collectives
or individuals does not in the least concern the governments. These
governments are also not concerned about the consequences of the
anti-social offensive to the economy.
The working class, on its part, cannot agree with either
compulsion as a method of governing or with the view that the
society has no responsibility towards the people. The financial
oligarchy justifies its absolutism on the basis that the various
governments across the country are democratically elected. If the
working class does not agree with the actions of a particular
government, they are told to wait until the next elections to boot
them out. Such a demand on the part of the financial oligarchy is
extremely self-serving.
Democracy does not mean that elected governments can do
whatever they wish. Elections are supposed to be for the purpose of
electing democratic governments, not absolutist governments. It is
absurd to suggest that an absolutist government is fine as long as
it is democratically elected.
A real democracy presupposes that governments will do what is
in the general interests of the society. However, all governments
in Capitalist states deny that such a compulsion on them exists, let alone
feel obligated to comply with such a principle. On the contrary,
they assert that they have every right to do whatever they wish to
do once they are elected.
It has become quite clear that in fighting the anti-social
offensive, people will have to lay down the law as to what a
government can or cannot do. This has emerged as one of the most
important questions. While opposing the anti-social offensive,
people will have to grasp the necessity to challenge the very
functioning of government, to demand that it act according to the
interests of the individuals, collectives and the general interests
of the society and not do anything that damages those same
interests.
What a government can and cannot do is the essence of the
struggle against the anti-social offensive. During the period of
absolutism, under the "divine right of kings," a king would dictate
to the people that they were not allowed to dictate what a king
could or could not do. Over 393 years later, since the time of
James I, governments are asserting the same line as the absolutist
monarchs. They are dictating that they have the absolute right to
govern for the period they are elected, and, during that mandated
period, no one can say what they can and cannot do.
Presenting themselves as democrats, these governments are
demanding the rights of absolutists. The working class can never
accept this. It is crucial that this absolutism is fought in the
course of the struggle against the anti-social offensive.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
