Galloway's opinion on the Beijing Olympics

[faceless]

China's Olympics Will Light The World
Feb 18 2008
George Galloway

FROM the outset the American right and their pathetic echo chambers here have been determined to wreck China's Olympic Games, or at least to diminish them in the way the Moscow Olympics of 1980 were. Every button is pushed from China's supposed "occupation" of Tibet (in fact Tibet was always part of the Chinese motherland, and has been rescued from the mists of obscurantism under the demi- God Dalai Lama by the Chinese revolution) through its attitude to circus bears, the Falun Gong and its one-child policy.

What nobody expected was that China's Olympics would be attacked because of, er, what another government is doing in its country thousands of miles away, namely Sudan and Darfur. Communist countries used to be attacked for interfering in other countries affairs, now China is being attacked for NOT interfering in somebody else's affairs. Of course, if China were to invade and occupy Sudan to stop the tragedy in Darfur, we'd have to boycott the Olympics because of that. Precisely the circumstances, of course which led to the US boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

We can debate Darfur another day but for now let's look at what the likes of Steven Spielberg are saying. That China should be hurt because of the actions of a third country held to be "close" to her. Well that opens the way for the boycotting of Spielberg's films or any other Americana because of the actions of, say, Israel, or Colombia, or any one of dozens of US client states.

Of course none of this is really what it seems, like Spielberg's films of course. He may be a sincere if useful idiot. But the people out to hurt China don't care much about the synchronised swimming. They are prepared to do anything to stop the rise and rise of anew superpower to balance their own. They know that if nothing changes in 20 years nothing will happen in this world without China's agreement. That in 30 years China will be able to buy the American economy lock stock and two smoking barrels. And that in 50 years we will start to say that the 21st is the Chinese century.

For all these reasons the rest of us better learn to treat China with a little more respect. The days when foreigners could order China around are gone for good. A little over a century ago Britain bombarded China into submission after she refused to allow British robber barons to continue the opium trade - yes the trade in heroin - in her country. She was forced to give us Hong Kong as the price of us accepting her surrender. Those days are gone. There will be no British drugs in China this summer -unless Dwain Chambers runs.

But there will be the greatest ever Olympics, whether Spielberg likes it or not.

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This article has annoyed me - because the direct implication is that having superpowers is a good thing. Why is it a good thing to have two (or more) massive beasts fighting over limited resources when the very existence of those massive beasts is what is causing that limit to be reached in the first place?

Also, the snide comment about Dwain Chambers was uncalled for - the guy's paid the price for his crime and here's Galloway implying that he will be taking drugs there, while seemingly not being aware that he has a lifetime ban from the Olympics for that drug-use.

[major.tom]

I thought GG admitted at the beginning of the 3rd hr (on 2/16) that he was wrong about the U.S. having boycotted the Moscow Olympics. I don't remember if they did or didn't, but was surprised to see it repeated here.

Like his attitude to Russia, his steadfast defense of China seems to hitch on the fact that they are a communist country. I find his claim that Tibet was "rescued from the mists of obscurantism" offensive.

What would he have said if Spielberg had boycotted the Chinese Olympics because of their own human rights record? Probably more of the same.

[faceless]

The idea of supporting them for their Communism struck me too - but where's the Communism in modern China? It's simply bollocks.

[nico]

[faceless]

I do understand why he wants China to be a superpower - I think it's wrong though. We should be working towards the dismantling of these massive beasts, not saying it's a good idea to make them even bigger.

[nico]

In essence, I totally agree with you dismantling these massive beasts should be the main goal, but unfortunately as long as these neocons are in power, nothing stands in their way, and to lessen more blood-shed, priority demands that they are first prevented from waging more wars.

[faceless]

Sadly, I suppose I have to agree.

[faceless]

Go on the protesters!

[cobweb]

You feckin beauty.......the only sad thing is I'm sure this lasted all of minutes before the military pulled it down. Nice effort though.

[Comsatangel]

To me, Galloway's attitude to the Tibet situation appears to be informed entirely by his religious sensibilities. He has claimed, wrongly, on several occasions that he cannot support a country whose spiritual leader claims to be the incarnation of God. "There is only one God, and that is God" I've heard Galloway say, on more than one occasion. Of course, this displays a staggering ignorance of the tenets of Bhuddhism, but I get the impression that Galloway is implying that Tibet is getting what it deserves because it is committing some sort of heresy.

[cobweb]

The more times I read the intial article the more it irks me. GG has moved more and more away from what used to be his main stances (at least as far as I remember) of socialism and supporting the little guy whatever his colour, race or creed to pushing various values on a worldwide stage to support his own ends.

He is misguided, at best, in his comments on the bhuddist philosophy and as faceless says his jibe against Chambers is harsh given the guy came clean about his past and tried to make up for it by being clean and trying to run a fast enough time to qualify but then being banned by courts. I'm sure GG wouldn't take kindly to someone commenting cruelly on his expulsion from the House of Commons next time he is expelled (I'm sure it will happen sooner or later).

The thing I ask myself is that if Tibet was claiming to be an autonomous region betwen the US and Mexico and Uncle Sam was doing what China is would GG's stance be the same???

[faceless]

Good points cobweb - I wonder if GG is aware that so many people who supported him are having doubts now, and also whether or not he actually cares... if he's not standing for parliament again then it makes more sense.

Anyway, here's an article from today's Daily Mail.

Rounded up into torture camps: the 'undesirables' China doesn't want you to see
By Andrew Malone
16th August 2008

The bleak concrete walls topped with razor wire and the sentries in towers at the gates are a chilling reminder of a different era. On the nearby roads, heavily armed guards patrol relentlessly, checking both drivers and pedestrians, constantly alert. Meanwhile, less than 30 miles away, the world's attention is focused on the world-famous 'Bird's Nest' Olympic stadium and the other venues where a global audience of two billion is watching the Games and enjoying the spectacle of the 'new' China.

The Beijing regime has deployed an army of 500,000 smiling volunteers to help foreigners find their way around the teeming capital city. Blades of grass have been individually combed. Signs have been erected in English. Spitting has been banned and taxi drivers have been told to wear ties.

But there's none of that here in the suburb of Daxing, where the only 'venues' are the five camps into which thousands of China's 'undesirables' have been swept from the streets of Beijing and locked up. Here, down bumpy, unlit roads, is where old habits die hard for China's brutal totalitarian communist regime. These camps are being used to imprison - without trial or legal representation - people that the regime wants the world to believe do not exist amid the miracle of modern China.

From street children, hawkers, the homeless and prostitutes, to the mentally ill, black migrants, drug dealers and gays caught in public bathhouses, the camps on the outskirts of the city started filling up with Beijing's 'undesirables' last year as part of the Chinese regime's determination to present what it sees as an acceptable face to the world.

It is all eerily reminiscent of the build-up to the 1936 Games in Berlin, when the government cleared similar 'undesirables' from the streets. Under Hitler's regime many of the Nazi concentration camps bore the slogan Arbeit macht frei (Work makes you free) at their gates. In China, the camps bear the slogan 'Re-education Through Labour'. (It's a peculiar irony that Beijing has been so determined to use the English language to welcome the world, that street signs even bear the chilling words.)

The camps themselves are festooned with banners in Mandarin Chinese stating that 'you must be punished according to the laws of the Olympics', and reveal the extraordinary lengths to which the Chinese are prepared to go to in order to convince the world of the country's success. Working up to 16 hours a day and held in cramped, unsanitary cells with only one toilet bucket for dozens of inmates, the existence of the jailed 'undesirables' is something China has done its best to hide.

The policy of 'people clearances' began last year and those taken in were moved to the camps on the outskirts of Beijing, which were built in the 1960s for the purposes of 'cleansing' the minds of dissidents opposed to the state. By using torture, brainwashing techniques and the use of heavy labour, Chairman Mao was determined to convince opponents of the error of their ways. The camps have been used in more recent times to hold dissidents, lawyers and followers of religions banned by the government. But sweeps of the city ahead of the influx of foreign visitors have meant these dissidents have been joined by a new list of victims, who have until now been allowed to work freely in the capital.

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I've not seen any other reports about these camps, but it would make sense.

[cobweb]

If this report is verified and found to be true it is absolutely shocking and the world at large should shun China by cutting political and economic ties as it is so reminicent of the Naazi's concentration camps...given the extensive trade links that now exist I don't see it happening anytime soon though.

[Comsatangel]

I think what Galloway needs to accept is that not all criticism of China is pro western, pro capitalist and pro american propaganda. It is not an either/or situation. I despise Bush and the neocons, like most people on this board, but I'm none too impressed by the Chinese either and I find Galloway's remarks pertaining to criticism of the Chinese to be flippant and condescending in the extreme. As someone who has been involved in the animal rights movement for over 25 years, you're damn right I'm pissed off at China for the way it treats its bears. And you know what, George? I've every fucking right to be.

I agree with Cobweb, in that I sense Galloway is moving further away from what I remember as being his core principles. I don't think I will ever disagree with him on his stance on the middle east. He is, without doubt, an expert. But his recent campaign against Grand Theft Auto IV was laughable, along with his tirade against the violence in the film Eastern Promises, after which, it became apparent that he had not even seen the film, but merely read an article about it and didn't much like the sound of it.

I haven't listened to last night's show yet, but I'm wondering if he offered an apology to the caller he lambasted last weekend for daring to suggest that the little girl singing at the opening ceremony was in fact miming? I seem to remember that he had quite a go at him.

[cobweb]

I've already suggested on another thread that it would do George no harm at all to take a large slice of humble pie on this matter given he was so vocal in support of the little girl.

I've still a huge amount of respect (no pun intended) for GG and what he has achieved and continues to do but more and more I find that he seems to be takling items/causes for self-engrandizement rather than fighting a cause for belief but that maybe because the items which make me feel like this are the ones on which I tend to disagree with GG's POV....I hope I'm wrong on that and he's just having a bad patch, as it were.