On Saturday 30 November, Brunel Univarsity Students Union (of which I am a member) sponsored a demonstration in support of the Kurdish people's struggle for the right of self-determination. One of the few groups to actively support the demonstration was the IMG. It appeared that the IMG agreed on the need for building solidarity in Britain with the Kurdish revolution and saw this demonstration as a first step in this direction.
However, the leaflet distributed by the IMO on the demonstration was a tactical blunder of the highest magnitude In the final paragraph we read: "If howe of the Kurdish loadership in TO RLKS LEA IVE TEVa duty of our Kurdish comrades to fight to take away the leadership of the Kurdish struggle from those who, by their actions, serve oniy to betray it'. (Original emphasis). This statement has already begun to have an effect.
Kurds who ware wary of IMG invohement in the demonstration have, correcny. iepremo ue woove as an accooh ou the wholle of the Kurdish leadership Isince in external affairs the Kurdish Inadimplied in the statement). Thus, in one swift movement the IMG has probably ansurad no official recognition by the Kurdish movement in Britain (all Trot right) for any Kurdish solidarity move ment in which they are involeed, and has MOATEC AM AUrEA DEUTIOEY ETER U work with the IMG.
This represents a sefbdck for the 'left' In its struggles within the Kurdish movement. Due to the fluid balance of forces wnthan the karonn revolutnary move***** Sterdust is the glossy story of the making and breaking of a pop idol.
Set firmly in the rock and roll era, it both cynically exposes the calculated manipulation of musicians by the pop managers and impresarios, and cleverly plays on the audiences' voyeuristic horror for the dangerous Truits of stardoom-dolisation, drug trips, freely available canned sex.
and big cars.
David Exsex (the star) is picked out ofa firiy run-of-the-mil band of amhitious capilalists, and groomed for the new mass market of cager fuck and roll lans. With ohviwas narallels to the Beatles story, we are conducted through the orchestraled destruction of his peronality and alienation from the othet usicians in the band, the managers hemselves and the world in general.
The end finally comes in a drugeed frak-out in front of the TV cameras, belote he tinally pops off trom an verdese Hendrix-style.
Though there is a considerable list of pop tragedies - Jimi Hendris, Janis Joplin, id Otis Redding, to name but a few (one onders how anyone at all can stand such eCsl- tho reshty ol the pop music has La is if anything obscured by such pensI histories. The pop industry will be nystified not merely by exposing the inal sufferine of individual perfomt (though this is necessary) bur also r revealing oconomic realities of the Mustry. Le Ibe relations of production.
Fot every star there are a hundred Serpaid and exploited musicians of rable ability. Behind the shiny * disc spinning on the pub juke box I the rows of women workers sorting packing endless such dises in the EMI Tries Oil not only means cars and petit also means plastic, Every long playmoard that we play partly originates the battle fieids of the Middle Fast. he same international caputalist manchat produced All you need is love Beatles, also makes radar scanning rand weapon suidanice systems B SomalaaS amaRaIu outposts of British imperiatism:
CONTROLLED th this in mind we can see that pop and the mythology surrounding it ind in the interests of the bourge lyrical content of pop music ly controlled by bourgeois conat is salcable, Potentially offcral s costea Cur. Or lE DEOoment and the strong links with all Kurds outside of Kurdistan, the IMG's error will LOTSImOIY Hen aRacEs on indrisie Kurds in Britain. It is possible that certain Kurds in Britain and their allies in Kurdistan will all be 'isolated'. Historically, the highest human price has been paid for sech 'isolstion". The IMG has thus wrecked present attempts to officially gain Kurdish support for the solid. anity movament in britain ana nas, Dy this, negatively affacted the balance of forces within the Kurdish revolution.
The IMG has every right to oriticise the Kurdish leadership, It does not have the right to indulge itself in the type of stupid, destructive and irelevant comm ents made in its leafiet.
All comrades should know that one week before the demonstration, representatives of the IMG in private discussions, agroed on the need for extreme caution, becausa of the delicate situation, in the choice of slogans supporting the Kurds - lat alone in the criticisms of the Kurdish leadership!
The IMG hes, therefors, deceitfully misused the trust placed in it. I suggest the IMG clarifies its position on the Kurdish question so that those who agree arship has never acted in a factional way, as in thair solidarity campaign can continua Thai work without the destructivo int luence of the IMG. Already the IMG's Satean Bs Taco sume teogin 1sl0 inactivity- The damage done by vou nas st back the solidarity movement and negated any work done. We are now in an inferior position to any pravious patition.
Thus, I totally dissociate myselt from the statement issued by the IMG in its leaflat, sesing this leaflar as baing BUIBERE WO UCIVH HEAL (MINIRE-THMNutionary. *** * uced is blandly ignored by the essentia without which no record is going to achicve high sales A recent example of this is what happeted to the Summer in New York Ciry album by John Lennon and Yako Ono. This included a number of songs with a specifically left wing political content, such as "Wonan is the nigger of the world". 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' and The luck oL tac Inso, suanpdly enouph for such popular artists this album received virtually no plays on radio anywhere in the English speaking world, and was largely InOPEIEPIC DUPOE TAe DEL UrDa CoDes Consequently its world sales were only 200,000 in comparison with their ssual sales of more than a million.
No matter how personally prestigious the perfotmer, if EMI don't like what you're sying then there is little hope that they will produce your music. Ideas of political struggle theough the medium of rock music are thus strangled at birth by the power of the monopolies.
Music, howevir, can be a powerful part during the demonstration in salidarity gates you to locate the political basis Droursa mmee estu ninE in the leafiet. evidevice. He picad not guilty on both counts, ement with the struggle in Kurdistan. Furthermore, the spirit in which the criticism was formulated c/early demonstrates that whereas the IMG ir deeply criticar of the politicai evalution of the Kurdish leadership, It in no way allows trovemenr in tm Orgarusanons or mhe British working class.
bo qwck/y constructeo on a boiu of total and unconditional support to the Kurdish revolution, regardiass of the pol¡tical differences that verious organisat Chiy in this way can the tragic ispiation Your criticism of the /MG's conduct