Dear friends at Corporate Watch,
Thank you for your communication on 2nd April 2020 titled “Understanding CoronaCapitalism”.
We read Capitalism helped create this crisis. The risk of increased deaths from the disease is a direct result of shortages of ventilators, tests, beds, and healthcare professionals, consequences of an economic system that prioritises profit over our health. However, I can assure you, Capitalism is not the culprit. The blame lies in militarism – a militarised world. The risk of increased deaths from the disease is a direct result of the abundance of machine guns, bullets, grenades, landmines, mortars, bombs, rockets, rocket launchers and interceptors, torpedoes, tanks, warships, air-fighters, drones, spying and torture instruments, military uniforms, and vehicles for the transport of Armed Forces.
In addition, Government has to pay the salaries of the thousands of people who give military training and to those who go on killing missions. Governments also spend fortunes in feeding the Armed Forces. In fact those who teach how to kill earn much more than those who work towards the protection, improvement and continuation of human life.
In short, your words ” […] consequences of an economic system that prioritises profit over our health.” should be: ” […] consequences of an economic system that prioritises death over life.” I urge you, my friends, to please review your views of the world if you sincerely wish to change the direction life on earth is taking.
Capitalism has always existed. The beneficiaries of Capital – money, possessions, controlling power – were, initially, a few: Royal families, the Aristocracy and Churches. Later on, through the Banking System, new owners and controllers of Capital came into being. This, you must admit, was very unfair towards the masses, who were doing all the hard work but being treated as (or almost as) slaves. A change was necessary, the only question was when it would come. Well, it eventually came. And thanks to the new social order the masses were able and are still able to enjoy a much better life. Please observe that all countries with no social – or what you call Capitalistic – regimes, are countries where Authoritarian wealthy families and/or religious corporations hold the reins of the Economy. You will find extreme poverty, illiteracy, millions dying from starvation or lack of medical care.
I wholeheartedly recommend you to analyse who is involved in the multi-billion £s military business. You will discover that politicians from the extreme Right to the extreme Left, (including the very ‘anti-Capitalism’ politicians) equally enjoy the financial benefits and power that the Industry of Death offer them.
Our Governments – Conservative or Labour makes no difference – award grants fifteen times larger to universities willing to undertake military research (more powerful rockets or bombs, fire-resistant material for military uniforms, metals to improve the efficiency of air-fighters, drones, rocket launchers, tanks) than to universities who only do medical research. By accepting the current system of military research, military industry, military trade and military spending, you would be moving in the opposite direction to the direction you think you’re going.
If you’d like to talk further, I’m all ears.
Best wishes,
Alberto Portugheis
HUFUD President
