Fake “Socialist” Boyd Barrett supports European imperialism against Russia

Thursday 1 December saw a special session of both houses of the Irish Parliament to hear a presentation by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Richard Boyd Barrett (TD for People Before Profit and a long-time member of the Socialist Workers Party – Cliffites) spoke to highlight von der Leyen’s hypocrisy in opposing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while not opposing Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians or the Saudi Arabian genocidal war against Yemen. In doing so, he fully endorsed her calls for a special court to investigate alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

“I also note that this week the President has called – I support her in this – for a tribunal to be established to investigate the undoubted war crimes of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine. We all condemn the utterly barbaric and murderous invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We support the people of Ukraine in their struggle for self-determination.”

…

“If we are to condemn, as we must, the war crimes of Putin, we must simultaneously condemn all war crimes and all crimes against humanity…”.

However, he had not a word to say about Ukraine’s war crimes including the shelling of the civilian population of Donbass which go all the way back to the US inspired coup of 2014. Nor was there any mention of US/NATO’s massive involvement in the war, in whichUkraine has been operating as a puppet of these imperialist powers in their ongoing aggression aimed at ultimately carving up Russia.

Up to this point People Before Profit, while incorrectly describing the war as an inter-imperialist conflict (like most of the so-called Trotskyist left), has at least been critical of the role of US/NATO imperialists in the war:

“Because the conflict in Ukraine is not only a brutal imperialist invasion by Russia. It’s because it’s also a part of an international clash between Russian and western, US-led, imperialism.”

“It has the potential to go nuclear, with horrendous consequences for the whole world.

“We should extend solidarity and support to Ukrainians in such a way that does not fuel the inter-imperialist conflict. We should give humanitarian aid and welcome refugees. We should shut down the shadow banking system used by oligarchs. We should call for debt cancellation.”

(https://www.pbp.ie/ukraine-and-neutrality/, 11 November 2022)

It seems People Before Profit have now moved even further away from any pretence to Marxist opposition to US/NATO’s role in Ukraine by becoming open, albeit somewhat critical, supporters of European imperialist aggression against Russia.

Boyd Barrett’s full speech is available at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2022-12-01/33/

This article was originally posted at: https://revolutionaryprogramme.wordpress.com/