An new low for Socialist Worker?
Nov 8 2006 21:47
An article by a serving police officer.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=10117
But he's got a "muslim name," so I suppose that makes it alright.
Nov 8 2006 21:54
#2
How long before they get the cops carrying SW placards on demos? 
Nov 8 2006 22:03
#3
it's all about the numbers comrade, all about the numbers 
Nov 8 2006 22:04
#4
999, in this case.
*gets coat*
Nov 9 2006 09:29
#5
Obviousl its a shit article that refuses to make any serious points and settles for the ''we love muslims'' style the SWP have adopted, However, even of the actual criticisms of the olice here are pretty pathetic, how is it a new low on a basic level to criticise racism in the police force? And why is it a new low to have a serving police officer criticising the police in an article? If a serving member of the armed forces wrote an article for some anarchist publication i bet none of you would complain.
Nov 9 2006 09:49
#6
cantdocartwheels wrote:
However, even of the actual criticisms of the olice here are pretty pathetic, how is it a new low on a basic level to criticise racism in the police force? And why is it a new low to have a serving police officer criticising the police in an article?
well firstly i don't know if i give a shit about racism in the police any more than i feel sorry for Saddam Hussein getting a raw deal amongst world leaders. I don't subscribe to the 'all coppers are bastards' line or fetishise random anti-police violence etc, but i still don't have much time for people in repressive jobs demanding some spurious 'equality'. That said, i'd most likely have some sympathy if say coppers were autonomously organising against institutional racism, because such self-organisation contains the (potential) seeds of social solidarity and revolt against authority. Instead, the article calls for a racial quota in the Police Federation to make sure there are enough token darkies to give the whole institution legitimacy. Its just representative identity politics bollocks imho.
Nov 9 2006 11:22
#7
Well yeah i agree that obviously the SWP were going to settle for pathetic liberal conclusions, but its hardly like racism within the police force only affects the police itself is it, its not something you can just dismiss since it affects a lot of people on a daily basis. Its not just race, people dislike police forces more when they are recruited from outside the area and dismissing that as just ''identity politics'' seems a bit over the top to me. All in all I see your point just think this is fairly bog standard left-liberal crap and hardly the 'new low' its being made out to be.
Nov 9 2006 11:24
#8
yeah, i don't particularly care about making representative police forces and the like, but in a situation like Northern Ireland it's quite clear that it's unrepresentativeness affects much more than just the peelers themselves and has wider implications for sectarianism and ghettoisation.
Nov 9 2006 11:27
#9
cantdocartwheels wrote:
its hardly like racism within the police force only affects the police itself is it, its not something you can just dismiss since it affects a lot of people on a daily basis.
true, but i don't think sticking some token 'non-whites' in the police fed will do anything to ameliorate that.
cantdocartwheels wrote:
Its not just race, people dislike police forces more when they are recruited from outside the area and dismissing that as just ''identity politics'' seems a bit over the top to me.
'liking the police' isn't really a goal for me. at times of low class struggle, much of what they do is socially useful - and under capitalism - neccessary. i'm not rabidly anti-cop, but i don't feel any particular reason to like them either.
But yeah i don't know if a "new low" is possible for SW as it regularly explores the absolute zero of liberal-leftist crap 
Nov 13 2006 19:33
#10
Quote:
In terms of minority representation, it is a sad fact that in 2006 there are no reserved seats for minority colleagues of colour within the Police Federation.
Thats basically what the article boils down to, and the swerps are siding with one side over the other its all very 
but very predicatble of their left populism
shocking. socialists must demand a properly representative capitalist state apparatus!