It is clear that the Chechen war is absorbing substantial military resources. Yet the
central government in Russia does not appear to be making the necessary progress for a
swift victory. Clearly there are significant potential dangers for the Russian state under
this scenario. Should the war continue to soak military resources the opportunity may open
up for other regional powers to strike out against the Russian state in a struggle for
independence. Should several such nationalist wars break out the Russian state would be
sorely tried to vanquish them. Under such circumstances it is quite conceivable that the
Russian state and economy could disintegrate.

Given a war on several fronts from nationalist movements the opportunities for Washington
and even other large powers to exploit the situation would present itself. This helps
explain why the Russian government has been putting greater emphasis on its nuclear
arsenal. The weaker the conventional military becomes and the state the more the nuclear
blackmail will be used as a defensive threat against potential incursion by imperialist
powers.
======
The NHS
Tony Blair's reluctance to raise taxes to pay for an improved health system despite much
popular support for such a move is an indication of the right wing character of the
leadership of the British Labour Party.

Blair does want to raise taxes for such a matter because he sees a rise in taxes as
deduction of surplus value from the total surplus value produced by industrial capital.
Such a reduction tends to reduce the rate of the accumulation of capital. He sees then
that even a modest increase in taxes hinders the success of capitalism in maximising
profit.

On the other hand a rise in taxes can mean an increase in wages corresponding to the tax
increase. This again does not help capital accumulation.

He may be afraid too that if taxes are increased under in this context further tax
increases may be imposed under generally similar circumstances and that before long tax
rises may have gotten, in a sense, out of hand. This may have been what happened to
Thatcher. This can be of no use to the accumulation of capital. Such a development might
lead to the abandonment, in some measure, of  New Labour by the bourgeoisie and large
sections of the middle class --this may have been what happened to Thatcher.

Warm regards
George Pennefather

Be free to check out our Communist Think-Tank web site at
http://homepage.eircom.net/~beprepared/





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