Trotskyism and cricket

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The views in the recent letter in S.O. from two comrades arguing that cricket simply reflects capitalism and that the Falklands war has led to a real reflection in this sport of chauvinism are dangerously simplistic, but unfortunately prevalent. I well recall S.O. supporters criticising my good self for attending Anfield to watch Liverpool every second Saturday on the grounds that I was succumbing to the opium of the masses, though I had nothing stronger than a few pints of Higsons and any postmatch euphoria was to be put down to the exhilarating quality of Dalgleish Souness and Alan Hansen.

Brutes

modern sport sUng il: nasty brutish soded has nasty brutish aspert- and reactinar Wait which tirt•ay romnio apitalist thie: Just like ilili ll literaturt charma. l can and does rued more progressit rair such as tramuern. a operation. tattiit"""

i rosit!

i. the Trotshrist (.L.R.

Be put it mn his escollent 'sor Beyond a Boundary ahich I would recommend to at comrades who take a oncided views cricket in it eun war as with other sports grasps at a more complete human existApart from being a Rates: £5 for three months, £8.75 for six months, and £1 for a year.

Bundle of five

each week: £12 for three months.

Bundle of 10: £21 for three months.

Name.

Address I enclose £..

To: Socialist Organiand beauty dan. describe hov rickor was an integial part the West Indians attempt to find themseives aș a nation and overcome the cultural inheritance of imperialism and racism. expressing very progr..sne political values.

sport can be the battleground. for fighting reactjonary ideas. James chronicles the fight achieve a black captain for Wist Indies cricket and for the West Indies to take its place as the world cricket champions against the pre•ailing racist ideas.

Against 'the blacks have a natural sense of rhythin argument. he points out that the greatness of Lare Constantine " ....was not due to his marvellous West bidian eyes and marvellous West Indian wrist It was d. if you must have it, to his marverlous West Indian brains le the moment for "sample, ther is a tremordous battle opening up zainst sexism in "ort which So supporters must dot ignor when sexists ask have women ever a hitter! we should reply i He watch Andy Roberts. C'olir Crott. Litlee or Thomps thundering to tht reast fast bowling.

for indeed the first overarm bowler was christine Willes of Kent who bowled in that fashion to avoid her arm getting caught up in her crinotine!

ours sincerit.

(asper (rutman. facing any Socialist Government in the realm of social and penal policy.

The dilemma is this. Whilst recognising the social relativity of the concept of 'criminality' as a product of the barbarous insanity of capitalism, we must also grasp the disequilibrium that would exist for any progressive Government between releasing 'criminals convicted under capitalism, and the fact that in most cases their political consciousness would not correspond to socialist norms of behaviour.

This was indeed a problem faced by the Bolshevik Government of 1917, who released convicts under an amnesty, only having to rearrest most of them a few months later for crimes against people and socialist property.

Abbott

I have just read Jack Henry Abbott's 'In the Belly of the Beast' . Abbott has spent thirty of his forty years in a US Maximum Security prison, and most of his life has been in solitary confinement.

However, under an ironic quirk of the US prison system Abbott was allowed to receive books. He read all the great works of literature, philosophy, and politics, becoming committed revolutionary in the process. An amazing achievement for someone who has 'never experienced human relationships' For Abbott, the only human beings in these prisons were the mass murderers in solitary.

Abbott argues that by defending human integrity through violence against warders who try to brutalise them, this elite of 'philosopher-prince' prisoners preserve the basis for transcending the sub-human condition of becoming mere 'Pavlovian dogs' which is the fate of prisoners who succomb to the regular beatings disbursed by these totalitarian institutions.

Norman Mailer, rather like Attwell, took up Abbott's case and earned him a parole early this year.

Relapse

However, after only a few weeks outside, Abbott murdered a waiter in a bar for serving him the wrong drink. Everything went back to square one.

Maybe a solution under the right sort of Government would be a series of institutions that would facilitate a transition for such people to 'normal' society.

What is clear, however, is that Ray Attwell and Norman Mailer are pioneering a line of development that up until now has received scant attention from socialists.

Yours fraternally Baz Haslam, Salford.

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Socialist Organiser no.99 September 9 1982 Page 13

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