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1261 UK govt statement on tobacco measures -- rank: 1000

This press release shows more extensive measures than might otherwise be expected, particularly in view of New Labour receiving 1 million pounds sponsorship from Formula One. It illustrates a package carefully crafted to avoid directly restricting the democratic rights of individuals to engage in enjoyable risk-taking behaviour. It sets specific targets for achievement as part of the new emphasis on professional "governance". Wherever it falls short in terms of an action it could take ...

Document Size:	12871
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sat Dec 12 00:14:08 PST 1998

1262 Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala sue tobacco companies. -- rank: 1000

I picked up yesterday's Wall Street Journal (Europe). I agree that the editorials are far more brazenly right wing and lacking in political nuance than the Financial Times. It will be interesting to see how it does in the European market in competition with the FT. According to their staff reporter in Sao Paulo, the Brazilian government says it is planning to bring a suit against US tobacco companies "on their own turf" with the aim of recovering billions of dollars in costs for treati ...

Document Size:	6987
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sat Dec 12 00:05:30 PST 1998

1263 Tobacco and capitalism. -- rank: 1000

At 10:06 AM 12/7/98 -0500, Doug wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: > >>Freud is famously quoted as saying "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". >>What a relief. But Doug, when I post an item totalling the annual profits >>of the three major tobacco capitalists in the UK, a market of roughly 50 >>million inhabitants, at around 3 billion dollars, then we cannot say a >>cigarette is just a cigarette. > >Oh yes, and the world food market is cornered by gr ...

Document Size:	12086
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Dec 10 23:59:06 PST 1998

1264 New Labour moves against tobacco profits -- rank: 1000

OK. I accept the reasoned challenge (see below) Yes I accept that the headline, necessarily short, is not necessarily totally logical. But the move is unlikely to be good for the tobacco companies. It restricts their range of action as monopolies. And your own argument that they are diversifying indicates they expect their ability to raise surplus value in tobacco products will be reduced. What it undoubtedly is, is a move against the unfettered private ownership of the means of production, admi ...

Document Size:	8335
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Dec 10 15:59:47 PST 1998

1265 New Labour moves against tobacco profits -- rank: 1000

The UK government this morning is trailing a "white paper" (policy statement) on tobacco. The headline features show further restrictions on tobacco without infringing bourgeois right. 1. Ban on tobacco advertising brought forward by one year 2. Tobacco advertising on clothing also to be banned 3. Cost of nicotine patches on the National Health Service to be reduced. The last argument is presented in an interesting way. No, non smokers are not subsidising smokers by this move. Smoking ...

Document Size:	8098
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed Dec 9 23:14:20 PST 1998

1266 Britain OKs Extradition of Pinochet -- rank: 1000

Straw has given a studiously low beat opinion but one that closes off every legal argument that has been raised during the period of debate to oppose the right of Spain to extradite Pinochet for trial. He has defended himself from judicial review. He has not stepped forward as a spurious revolutionary to mislead the people of the world. He has adjusted very slightly to the new balance of forces, and created a precedent that has shifted the balance of forces in the world still further. It has bee ...

Document Size:	6230
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed Dec 9 14:24:08 PST 1998

1267 Tobacco and capitalism. -- rank: 1000

At 04:16 PM 12/6/98 -0500, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote: > >>Drugs of addiction make for a particularly reactionary brand of capitalism >>- I am thinking of alcohol and caffeine (as in Cola), as well as nicotine. >> >>Forces are gathering against the capitalist control of nicotine. > >Oh please Chris. Liberals love hot rhetoric about tobacco capital; it makes >them feel militant without taking much social risk. But the reasons people >smoke are a hell ...

Document Size:	12969
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Mon Dec 7 00:09:48 PST 1998

1268 Tobacco and capitalism. -- rank: 1000

Drugs of addiction make for a particularly reactionary brand of capitalism - I am thinking of alcohol and caffeine (as in Cola), as well as nicotine. Forces are gathering against the capitalist control of nicotine. In Britain the main companies and their profits in Britain last year in pounds (£1=1.66 US$) are as follows: Imperial Tobacco £391 million (Brands: Regal, Embassy, Superkings, John Player Special, Lambert and Butler) Gallagher £320 million (Benson and Hedges, Silk Cut) British America ...

Document Size:	6147
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Dec 6 12:19:10 PST 1998

1269 What Shakespeare thought of the American Indian -- rank: 1000

I am sure Louis and I have not had our last conflict, (since we are both combative in our different ways - and that can be creative as well as destructive). But I want to say how much I liked this piece both on a literary and political level. Chris Burford London

Document Size:	4912
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Sun Dec 6 01:59:07 PST 1998

1270 Pinochet, the law, and tobacco -- rank: 1000

>From the excellent Guardian website a serious legal challenge by Pinochet's lawyers which hopefully is invalid, but illustrates the wide spread of the battle lines in global civil society over his case (the Spanish judge was no mere maverick), and surprise, surprise, once again, the influence of the tobacco companies. Chris Burford London. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Saturday December 5, 1998 Pinochet challenges Law Lord Lawyers allege bia ...

Document Size:	9416
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Fri Dec 4 23:36:12 PST 1998

1271 SI statement on globalisation -- rank: 1000

At 12:47 AM 12/1/98 +0100, you wrote: >I am forwarding the following programmatic statement for your information - >and in the hope of taking up this challenge to sharpen our arguments. > >HK > >>>>>>>>>>> > ><http://www.socialistinternational.org/6Meetings/SIMEETINGS/Council/Geneva-N >ov98/SICounGeneva-e.html> > >Meeting of the Socialist International Council, Palais des Nations, United >Nations Geneva, 23-24 November 1998 ...

Document Size:	11736
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Dec 3 23:52:01 PST 1998

1272 Lists and party line -- rank: 1000

At 09:13 AM 12/1/98 -0500, LP wrote: >Yes, it is true that I am a Menshevik. It is also true that I am an >ultraleftist. True. >As well as having an advanced case of flatulence. Personal qualities are not politically important but his sudden diversion again into personal farce is perhaps not so irrelevant as it sounds, despite the typical misrepresentation of Malecki as my friend. One of the points on which Lenin criticised opportunism was for its elusiveness. "An opportunist will ...

Document Size:	5307
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Thu Dec 3 23:26:56 PST 1998

1273 Pinochet and the work of re-membering -- rank: 1000

At 09:11 AM 12/1/98 +0000, you wrote: >Chris Burford wrote- >The integration of psycho-social forms of resistance and struggle with >the >class struggle against capitalism I submit is progressive and consistent > >with a true (non-dogmatic) approach to marxism. They are being >increasingly >used as world struggles intensify in their development and complexity, >and >they unite the people. > >where is this happening? and by whom? It is happening not only in So ...

Document Size:	6961
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Wed Dec 2 00:30:05 PST 1998

1274 Lists and party line -- rank: 1000

At 08:49 AM 11/29/98 -0500, LP wrote to me: >Why wouldn't I take part in a discussion on marxism-unmoderated? That is a >no brainer. It is filled with people who operate under party discipline. >You defend the Democratic Left line, while the 1001 Trotskyites defend >their own party lines. Democratic Left no doubt has many failings, but having a line is not one of them. My voice is my individual voice, (as I strongly suspect are all the ultra-leftists on the internet who claim they ar ...

Document Size:	6231
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue Dec 1 00:15:13 PST 1998

1275 Pinochet and the work of re-membering -- rank: 1000

At 10:41 PM 11/29/98 -0400, Tom Kruse changed the thread title and wrote: >The "Pinochet and bourgeois democratic right" thread has sadly had almost >nothing to do with Chile. Though I feel a bit alone in this, I'd still >like to talk about the Pinochet case. Why? It has everything to do with >how the Latin American left is fighting over the meaning of the past and >confronting the problems of the present. > >[To get the "big picture" on this, see the ...

Document Size:	9527
Author:	Chris Burford
Date:	Tue Dec 1 00:15:35 PST 1998