It’s the same the whole world over/ It’s the poor wot gets the blame

While the rich has all the pleasure/ Aint it all a bleedin’ shame.

The words of the 19th century street ballad popped into my head as I watched Jacinda at the business breakfast.  The local business men and women lack confidence it seems and like autistic children, don’t like uncertainty. From the look of them, they seemed pretty confident and were not faced with the uncertainty of being able to pay the rent or feed their children. The breakfast, as well, looked sumptuous. So what’s this shit all about?

Well, it is the same the whole world over. Capitalists own the means of production and they therefore believe they should be in control of most things, but especially in control of their workforce. The coalition government murmured about being in favour of collective bargaining and even setting industry wide agreements in some areas. They started to talk some shit about redistribution and greater worker rights. All this, after years of business calling the tune via a National  government; so, yes, start pulling this government down – as quickly as possible – and let’s return to the natural order of things.

There is no one more vicious than an outraged capitalist. Try and take away their control and look out. Cuba got rid of them and have been paying the price ever since. The outrage at having their banana companies and sugar companies and their mansions taken away has led to an economic blockade which is as sadistic and vengeful as any mobster bully you can find might impose. Under Trump the intensity increases. The local embassy staff are refused eftpos cards by ANZ bank. Nor can they transfer money through the usual channels – the Yanks might object. Meanwhile, despite supplying doctors to countries in need, including South Pacific Islands, Cuba can’t buy medical supplies to treat their sick and needy. Their sports teams can’t buy the equipment needed to compete internationally. Zimbabwe, that shining example of a healthy economy refuses them bank services. If a ship calls in at Cuba it can’t visit the US for six months. If a European company makes a product with one US made component, they are not allowed to sell it to Cuba; if they do so they will be blacklisted in the states. Those capitalists want their banana and sugar companies and their mansions back, and they’ll punish a population forever until it happens. Their confidence took a momentary blow and they were faced with the uncertainty of people’s power, so they relentlessly pursue their autistic agenda. If you want to know what eternal damnation looks like, take away the capitalists’ power base. The UN condemns the blockade and finds it both immoral and farcical, but what’s the UN? Another shitty organisation trying to curb their power. Send it broke. As for Iran, your turn’s coming.

So, better keep them happy Jacinda and Grant, that’s the reality of ‘power’.