Freedom's supporters

Chris Dillow looks for Freedom's supporters.

Herein, though, lies my question. Where are the real, honest, defenders of freedom?

We'll obviously not find them in the police or security services who forever want to expand their powers. Nor are the main political parties unequivocally on the side of freedom. The coalition, like New Labour, has actually increased the number of new criminal offences. And the next election is likely to be a competition for who can most restrict freedom of movement. Nor should we expect companies to support freedom. Those bloggers who have criticized newspapers for not reprinting Charlie Hebdo's cartoons miss the point - that people become bosses by surrendering principle to pragmatism, which is no basis for a vigorous defence of freedom. More generally, as Nick says, companies use libel laws to suppress critics.

It's in this context that we should remember one of Marx's insights. Ideals, he thought, triumph not because of their intellectual strength but because of their political power: capitalism, he thought, would be overthrown not by sweet reason but by the power of the working class. The problem that we supporters of freedom have is that whilst we have right on our side, we don't have might.

Emphasis Mine

In the class war against Capitalism, we should always remember whose side we are on. We should be wary when the Capitalists cry out for the freedom of the press. We should what their agenda is.

The ideological superstructure of the Capitalist system, of which the press is a part, exists to preserve and defend the Capitalist system. The press continually extols the virtues and saving grace of Capitalism, follows the heroics of the Capitalists, wonder at their titantic battles. We are to be mesmerised by the wonders of Capitalism.

Capitalism can do no wrong, but it is a fragile thing for any interference results in malfunctioning of the system. And any criticism also threatens the system by upsetting the delicate natures of these heroic and valiant Capitalists.

But we should remember that freedom of the press means freedom to attack the enemies of Capitalism. But this does mean that the enemies of Capitalism have the same freedom to attack Capitalism.

The weapons used against the critics are economic, political, and police. The economic ones include deny employment to political cartoonists, like Ted Rall, and suppressing their work from being published. The political and police tactics include equating criticism with terrorism.

It is up to people like us to:

1. Support Ted Rall
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