10-01-2021: Greater Brisbane is currently enduring a three day lockdown – due to ONE “case” of the alleged “UK strain” of Covid-19.[1] Labor Party Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk gave little notice of the abrupt decision, which was accompanied with set of “rules” that beggar belief. Facemasks have been made mandatory under the threat of a $200 fine, and are supposed to be worn every time anyone leaves their house. Incredibly, the government has issued edicts that facemasks must be worn in workplaces, at weddings and funerals (and other restrictions apply there), at shopping centres and supermarkets, and using any form of transport. Testing the outer limits of rationality, facemasks are also mandatory while exercising and while driving alone in your vehicle.[2] Needless to say, these measures are a transparent physical and health and safety threat to both individuals and other members of the public.
Logic thrown out the window
Scant evidence about the “UK strain” of Covid has been provided. One online commentator quipped: “So is the Covid vaccine now out of date?”. Logic does not apply and is not intended to apply. The pack of lies about Covid that governments the world over have been spouting grows larger and larger. Facemasks restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain, and there are some nerve cells in the hippocampus that cannot survive for longer than 3 minutes without oxygen. Depriving the brain of oxygen, especially for children and adolescents – whose brains are still developing – can cause permanent neurological damage.[3] Big Tech giants such as Facebook relentlessly “Fact Check” posts which present scientifically based arguments and findings which indicate facemasks have no effect on the prevention of the transmission of any respiratory virus.[4] These days, being “fact-checked”, deleted or de-platformed by Facebook, Google, YouTube, Amazon, Apple etc is a very firm indicator that what is being removed is actually the truth, or close to it. State censored information these days holds some keys to logic.
Even mainstream commentators are now complaining about Australia’s mishmash of state border openings and closures,[5] which allegedly claims to be “containing” Covid-19 to “hotspots” or “clusters”. Yet this has led to serious problems with some people not being able to access proper health care at hospitals across state borders, which may have the only equipment needed to treat a certain condition. Tourism and hospitality venues across the country have been driven into near bankruptcy due the lack of travel between states, and especially during the peak summer season. Some small business owners in Brisbane expressed bitter frustration with the state government for closing them down at extremely short notice[6], while huge supermarket chains like Woolworths, Coles and Bunnings never have to close down, being judged to be “essential”, and can keep trading regardless.
This was never about a virus
The concern for socialists, however, is not the petty-bourgeois small business owners who are being crushed by infinitely larger sections of capital. The main concern is not only for the welfare of the working class, but to aid and assist this class in fighting off the assault from finance capital that comes under the false façade of “Covid-19”. It is the working class alone which has no material interest in the maintenance of the system of private profit based on private ownership of the means of production. And it is the working class that is suffering the most from the deliberate shut down of whole sections of the economy. Millions upon millions of workers have been thrown out of work through no fault of their own. Big capital is attempting “The Great Reset” of the capitalist economies, which means the destruction of certain sections of capital. This can mean a boon for finance capital, but bankruptcy for small business, and a loss of livelihood for the working class.
It is not outside the realms of possibility that Queensland Labor politicians were reacting to recent events in Washington DC, where a “Stop the Steal” rally called by President Trump led to intrusions into the capitol building where Congress was sitting.[7] Federal Labor and Liberal politicians led a chorus of condemnation of the “violence” of the Trump supporters and labelled it an effective “insurrection”.[8] If only it was! Capitalist politicians may have been concerned that the fraudulent “transition” to Joe Biden and the Democrats may have been derailed if people’s eyes were fixed on the developments leading to the last days of the Trump Administration. Supporters of Donald Trump and those who can see through the diabolical Covid nonsense somewhat coincide. Hence, one sure fire way to stop the mobilisation of not only supporters of Trump, but the entire anti-lockdown movement – is to move back into a state of lockdown. With workers effectively under house arrest due to “Covid”, and bars, restaurants and churches closed down, little or no public or private political activity can occur.
Urgent need for political leadership
The limitless hypocrisy of the Union officials and the lockdown left continues – whether the issue is the political situation in the US or the locally enforced lockdowns. Make no mistake, workers in Australia and internationally would scarcely be facing scientifically groundless lockdowns and medically absurd facemask mandates IF Union officials and so-called left parties mobilised against the capitalist class on Covid. Yet workers have experienced a betrayal from these false friends of labour that defies description. Almost every top Union official and virtually every “left” organisation have acted as willing foot soldiers of corporate politicians they hypocritically claim to oppose. Overnight, they have become vassals of big capital as it introduces a form of fascism through the parliamentary system they constructed over 150 years ago. Betrayals do not come any larger than this.
The critical key missing factor is working-class leadership. At the moment, this has to be constructed from the first strivings of the anti-lockdown movement – the only movement currently pushing back against the political terror of the ruling elite. Politics in the 21st century is in some ways the reverse of politics in the 20th century. Even if the anti-lockdown movement does not explicitly identify as pro-working class, Marxists must work within it to begin to locate the bravest and most class-conscious elements amongst them. They then must be forged into a party which can lead workers directly toward the establishment of elected workers councils – incipient organs of a new state power. Lockdown fascism will only be permanently defeated with the liquidation of capitalism and the erection of a publicly owned and democratically planned economy. Publicly owned land, banks, and infrastructure must form the basis for humanity’s liberation from lockdowns. Essential for this leap is the piece by piece assembly of a workers’ party which fights for a workers’ government.
WORKERS LEAGUE
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E: workersleague@redfireonline.com
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-covid-brisbane-lockdown-single-case-new-coronavirus-uk-variant/ (10-01-2021)
[2] What are the rules around Greater Brisbane’s coronavirus mask mandate? Your questions answered – ABC News (10-01-2021)
[3] https://www.sott.net/article/442455-German-Neurologist-Warns-Against-Wearing-Facemasks-Oxygen-Deprivation-Causes-Permanent-Neurological-Damage (10-01-2021)
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy_7a8GNN4Q (10-01-2021)
[5] https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/australia-e2-80-99s-covid-19-border-closures-are-confusing-inconsistent-and-counterproductive/ar-BB1cv9XL (10-01-2021)
[6] https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/brisbane-businesses-frustrated-over-short-lockdown-notice-20210108-p56sqn.html (10-01-2021)
[7] https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/trump-supporters-rally-in-washington-to-protest-election-results.html (10-01-2021)
[8] https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jan/07/scott-morrison-refuses-to-condemn-trump-for-inciting-distressing-violence-in-us-capitol (10-01-2021)
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