Workers of the World

It's an unpalatable fact, one that many people don't want to hear, that wars and battles are generally won as the result of the application of overwhelming force.  I'm afraid that all those films and stories where tiny bands of brave warriors hold off entire armies have lied to you.  Zulu was the exception, not the rule.  The key word, of course, is 'application',  It is no good having the superior force (be it in numerical or technological terms) if you can't apply it effectively.  Which is where things like logistics come in - this sort of stuff isn't glamourous, but it is what keeps armies moving and thereby wins wars.  Believe me, in those rare cases where smaller forces do overcome larger forces, it is because the larger force suffered from poor logistics - if units aren't supplied properly, they can't fight effectively.  There are other things which can determine the outcome of battles: geography, climate and weather conditions being amongst the most important.  But ultimately, it is the ability to apply overwhelming force - through logistics, discipline, organisation and technology - which counts the most.

But why am I telling you this?  Well, I was put in mind of the reality of successful military actions earlier this week by the news that my Union has called another one day strike for a couple of weeks time, this time in pursuit of a pay claim.  Now, I've been out on strike before and lost pay I can ill afford to lose, even when, as now, voted against strike action, but this time I really fail to see the point.  Last time I was on a picket line we had all the public service Unions out with us - to little ultimate effect - but this time it is just us.  We don't have overwhelming force on our side. let alone the means to apply it.  The fact is that our opponents here - the government- do have overwhelming force at their disposal and have shown their willingness to deploy it in order to destroy organised labour.  A full-frontal confrontation of this nature is akin to the folly of World War One when thousands of soldiers were thrown across no-man's land time and time again to no effect, other than senseless slaughter.  All it will do is further erode the Union's support as they keep calling upon some of the lowest paid workers in the country to give up a day's pay for no discernible return.  We have to be smarter than this.  We have to look to the bigger picture.  The truth of it is that we're at war with international capital which has no regard for national boundaries, other than as a convenient means of pitting worker against worker in an iniquitous competition to see who can endure the lowest wages and worst working conditions in exchange for the privilege of working.  The only way we stand a chance against these bastards is for labour to forget its usual insularity and parochial preoccupation with defending only its own narrow little patch, and to organise internationally.  Only then can we work toward ensuring that all workers of the world get a decent wage and conditions and stop the capitalists from pitting us against each other.  Sadly, I don't see it happening any time soon.