Nowhere in the present political system do the interests of the vast majority of the population find expression. At the same time, the old institutions that in a previous period mediated class relations have collapsed.
The trade unions, run by wealthy executives who get a share of the profits obtained through the exploitation of the workers they claim to represent, can hardly manage a pro forma protest as thousands in Detroit are cut off from one of life’s most basic necessities. They are, in fact, fully integrated into the bankruptcy process, giving their support in return for a share of the billions being stolen from the pensions and health benefits of city workers and the sell-off of city assets.
As for Ferguson, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued a perfunctory statement telling protesters to rely on the Justice Department and the FBI, the very forces that have sanctioned domestic spying and framed up anti-war and anti-Wall Street protesters as “terrorists.”