Letters: Bloodsports (1992)

Letters to the Editors from the June 1992 issue of the Socialist Standard

Bloodsports

Dear Editors,

I was amused by your article (April Socialist Standard) on Alan Clark who is standing down as an MP. All of what you said was true and accurate but Clark has one redeeming feature. He is passionately opposed to blood sports and was one of the 27 Tory MPs who voted in favour of Kevin Macnamara's anti-hunting bill.

The real humbugs in Westminster are Kinnock, Ashdown, Steel, Major. Heseltine et al. At least with Clark and Ridley you knew exactly what they stood for.

Morris Kelly 

Stockport

Reply:

Alan Clark may be against killing animals for sport but is all in favour of killing humans for profit, since he was Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence at the time of the Gulf War and so bears a direct personal responsibility for organising the killings that war involved.

Editors.

Some Answers

Dear Friends,

I read with interest your articles in the Socialist Standard. I am relieved to see that Alan Clark is retiring (about time). From reading Anti-Nazi League literature I have learnt about his activities. How can a blatant racist be allowed to represent people in parliament, when socialists are condemned?

I liked the article “Accepters Anonymous”. The questions you raised set me thinking that no political party in Britain will benefit the majority of the people. In the end, whatever the party they will pamper to the rich’s needs.

Answer to Question 1: They make false promises to keep people sweet when they are going to do exactly what they want anyway.

Answer to Question 2: The building contractors can only think of profit and how much money they are earning. They would rather earn nothing for doing nothing than offer “free” houses to the homeless.

Answer to Question 3: Again this boils down to profit. Governments are greedy for money and would rather let food go to waste than offer it to Third World countries.

The governments could stop world poverty instead of asking people who probably can’t afford it to give money. Why these people give money is because they are made to feel guilty when really it is the governments who are guilty and our own “dear” royal family!

Louise Hampton 

Wolverhampton