Protesters demand action against fossil fuels
Wildfires are raging out of control all over the world. Huge fires are just nine miles away from the city of Bordeaux in France.
Wildfires used to be considered natural disasters, a term now absent from media coverage as it has become undeniable that the disasters are caused by humans.
Climate breakdown means the fires are becoming bigger, more frequent and longer-lasting. European Union officials warn that the wildfire season in Europe could last into November.
French president Emmanuel Macron’s government faced protests earlier this year as his austerity drive led to staff shortages in the fire brigades.
And in Canada, federal and provincial governments pushed through cuts to fire services. Now we can see the consequences as smoke covers major cities and the fires swallow Indigenous communities whole.
Austerity and disasters aren’t just aberrations of the capitalist system, they are part and parcel of the system itself.
The logic of competition drives capitalists to seek short-term profits. This means even limited “green” measures like alternative sources of shipping fuel are cut back if they harm the bosses’ competitive advantage.
Imperialist rivalries mean states prioritise war spending as their interests become increasingly aligned with those of the big capitalists.
And states look to sources of cheap fuel if it is seen as being in the “national interest”.
Even anti-austerity politicians are forced to make compromises with capitalism. Andy Burnham says austerity is over. But he’s funding his reforms with cuts to net zero and international aid spending.
More oil drilling will accelerate the wildfires. And people in the poorest countries will be left to fend for themselves against the consequences of capitalist exploitation.
Disasters are not just the result of bad policies, individual misguided politicians or austerity alone. They are the consequence of a capitalist system based on exploitation and profit.
The only way to end the climate disaster will be a complete overhaul of the system to create a society based on need, not profit.
That will require a revolution.
For the first time in months, the Labour Party is ahead of Reform UK in the opinion polls—on 28 percent compared to Reform UK’s 24 percent.
Encouraging. But is this evidence of a “Burnham bump”? The new prime minister has said he was pleased to have “connected with people”.
In his first week in office, he’s announced a number of policies–a cap on bus fares, for example—to address the cost of living crisis.
But they don’t go nearly far enough. One of his first proposals, to cut VAT on energy bills, will give everyone an average of just £45 back a year.
And Labour’s poll lead might have more to do with anger at Reform UK than a Labour resurgence.
Nigel Farage and his far right party have been caught up in one financial controversy after another.
And the racism at the heart of Reform UK has been exposed time and again.
The last time Labour polled this well was in the first weeks of Keir Starmer’s government, after his “loveless landslide” win.
If Burnham wants to avoid Starmer’s fate, he’ll need to do things differently.
He can’t make concessions to the far right, as Starmer did.
And he’ll need to make a serious attempt to address the cost of living crisis. But he won’t do so unless he is pushed.
A far right party polling at 24 percent is nothing to be complacent about. And the Burnham honeymoon period may be short-lived.
Anti-racists will need to continue to build and deepen their roots in workplaces and communities.
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