Arthur Scargill

Watched some clips on Scargill this evening and there is a lot of sense in what the man says. Nevertheless, his is not going to be a "broad church" and the evidence would appear to suggest that come the day Arthur's mob would be as willing to put the rest of the left up against a wall and shoot them as his "spiritual" brethern in the PCE were, when they followed Stalin's orders after the 16th of December 1936.(1)
Moreover, his harping on about how the European Union has undemined some of the democratic achievements in the United Kingdom, should be put into a perspective where it has to be said that, the United Kingdom has moved closer to that undemocratic political monoculture that defines America than most of the other members of the European Union have. Furthermore, it might be added that the omnipresence of "Big Brother" is more all prevading in Britain than it is anywhere else in the European Union I have been to.
One thing we cannot accuse Arthur of is wooly thinking. Nevertheless, while his understanding of history is sound he is restricted by that theoretical straightjacket that sees a solution to the world's ills not in Rosa Luxemburg's, ”Die Freiheit ist immer die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden” (freedom is always means the freedom to allow people to think differently),(2) but rather in a system that has already been tried, tested in failed in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. One is almost glad that Thatcher won the battle because at least we are left with other battles to fight. On the other hand, the evidence would seem to suggest that had Scargill won back in 1984 we would indeed have arrived at an Orwellian terminal and that Dictatorship of the Proleteriat that was epitomised by 'Stalinism'. No Arthur, the battle goes on, not for some elusive "ism" but rather towards a fair and just world, which allows all of us to live meaningful lives, and if in the process the "broad church" wishes to enlist your help Arthur, we will let you know and we promise not to put you up against a wall and shoot you when your usefulness has expired.
1 http://www.permanentrevolution.net/entry/508
2 http://deutsche-geschichte.suite101.de/article.cfm/die_freiheit_des_andersdenkenden