Workers' Fight workplace bulletin editorials, 19 June 2007

On Sunday a huge parade was held in London to celebrate the Falklands "victory", 25 years ago. Tribute was paid to the courage of the British forces and their "great expertise" in winning a war in hostile conditions 8,000 miles away.

As if the odds were not always in favour of wealthy, developed Britain, with its well-equipped professional military, against the unwilling conscripts of Argentina's Third World army.

This ceremony, and warmonger Thatcher's reception (with cheers) did however prove one thing. That British jingoism is alive and well. Tony Blair had already "saluted the courage" of Thatcher in deciding to send British forces to reclaim the islands.

The 255 British soldiers and sailors, the 3 Falkland islanders and the 689 Argentinians who died as a result of Thatcher's "courage" cannot be summoned in judgement over this war, of course.

Indeed, in comparison to the number of British troops killed so far during three years of Blair's war in Iraq - "only" 151 - the Falklands' death toll says a lot about the ferocity of that conflict - which lasted for less than 3 months. Needless to say, during Sunday's ceremony, the many more young Argentinian dead were scarcely mentioned.

We should recall what this war was really about. Because contrary to the official version, it had nothing to do with protecting the rights of the Falkland Islanders. Thatcher did not give a damn about them.

This war was primarily aimed at demonstrating - with the full backing of the USA and Ronald Reagan - that no country should dare to challenge the rule and "world order" of the rich imperialist powers. Not even if, as was the case with the Falklands, these few rocks in the Atlantic ocean actually, by rights and by geography, belonged to Argentina.

Thatcher used this war to "regain" not only these wind-swept islands, where sheep and penguins outnumber people (who were and are dependent on the Argentinian mainland anyway), but to regain her political advantage at home. And she was helped by a supine political "opposition" and jingoistic media, which was banned from reporting on the real horrors of this absurd war at the time.

Today, Blair no doubt wishes that the glorification of the pointless and horrific Falklands carnage will somehow give his Iraq catastrophe some kind of credibility. But it will not.

As Blair prepares for his last European summit meeting as PM, the press has been speculating about his possible next job - as EU president.

Apparently the new (very) right-wing French PM, Nicholas Sarkozy, has been trying to convince other European leaders that his good friend Tony is the perfect choice for a "permanent" EU president - to replace the current 6-month rotational presidency.

In fact it was Blair himself who proposed, in 2002, that there should be a full-time EU president. At the time the Sun newspaper said Blair wanted to be "the first elected emperor of Europe", accusing him of "Napoleonic" visions".

But it is ironical that Blair is recommended for this post. After all, the EU president is meant to be a kind of "super-referee" and a guarantor of the integrity of the European institutions!

What integrity has Tony B-liar, with his blatant deceit and criminal policies, resulting in hundreds of thousands of war dead? Not to mention the bribery and corruption linked to his government, on truly grand scale and his attempts to cover it all up.

The latest instance of his foul-play is, of course, his halting of the Serious Fraud Office enquiry into BAE's Saudi Arabian contract to replace the 20-year old Al Yamamah deal.

The incredible £1 billion in bribes, including a custom-made £75m Airbus given to Saudi Prince Bandar, are, we are told all perfectly proper! It is a government office, the MoD, which plays a key role in such contracts via its Defence Exports Services Organisation (Deso). And Deso just happens to have as its head, one, Alan Garwood, who is seconded from the missile-making company, MBDA, part-owned by BAE!

Blair now claims he has no ambition to be EU president. Which is just as well, since opinion polls amongst all the European electorates are overwhelmingly against him. But Blair will find no difficulty in getting himself a lucrative position when he leaves his post on 27 June. Unlike the tens of thousands of civil service workers, postal workers and health workers who have been, or will be, thrown out of their jobs by his government.