The second colossal cost imposed by capitalism is military expenditure. Of course even a workers state ir Britain would need to spend money on defence against imperialist attacks. But absolutely gigantic savings are possible compared with capitalism and its imperialist requirements - and above all from an army which can't defend anybody except the capitalists.
The defence budget at present is £4,000 million a year. This goes to keep armed forces of 370,000 people whose sole real role is to repress the Irish, bolster up the imperialist military alliance of NATO in West Germany, garrison foreign bases in Cyprus, Malta, Hong Kong etc. and supply weapons and men to the utterly reactionary Sheiks of the Arab Gulf. The cost of all this is gigantic. Since the Second World War Britain has spent over £80,000 million on arms -well over £5,600 for every family of four.
more than this could be achieved by a workers state - would release and freer place by closing down all the British bases abroad.
MISUSE In addition to these vast personal incomes and military expenditure, there is of course a vast misuse and misdirection of resources under capitalism. For example, in the boom of 1971-73, no less than £4,000
Red Weekly 15 April 1976 regime of Isabel Peron has opened up a new period in Argentina's political history. The Government of General Videla puts the seal on the crisis of Peronism which had been developing ever since Peron's return in 1973.
ment places grave responsibility on the revolutionary Marxists of the PST (Socialist Workers Party - the International). Although there have been many very militant workers struggles over tae last two years what has been lacking so far is a coherent programme of struggle based on independent class action.
firming the bankruptcy of those like the Argentine Communist Party who aim to tie the workers moveThe coup which overthrew the rotten This crisis of the Peronist move- jectives of the junta.
Argentine sympathisers of the Fourth This new challenge is already conment to 'progressive' sections of the bourgeoisie. The Communist Party now favours the Videla faction of the coup because it is holding in check the Pinochet wing of the armed forces! In fact, they have gone so far as to issue a statement emphasising the similarity between their programme and certain obBLOODIER Clearly the coup is not yet a Pinochetazo, but this is not due to some conciliatory nature of the military. On the contrary, they are held back mainly by the fear of an open civil war which would be far bloodier than the present toll of one person killed every five hours. As it is, the right-wing death squads have been able to step up their murderous activities while labour leaders Argentina/Letters 9 Isabelita Peron-her overthrow puts seal on crisis of Peronism
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Reduction of current arms ex- penditure by only a half - and much
£2,000 million a year. It would also leave the world a decidedly safer