More ‘leftists’ the Morning Star might want to revere.

If the Butcher of Belgrade can make the list on the grounds that he was ostensibly a ‘socialist’ and stuck two fingers up to Western sensibilities, then I don’t see why the following leaders were excluded from Neil Clark’s hero-worship:

 Kim Il-Sung

Happy Kims celebrate their independence from the neocon agenda.

The first leader of everybody’s favourite Stalinist dictatorship, People’s (aka North) Korea, Big Man K ruled his country from 1948 to 1994. That makes him the longest serving dictator of the twentieth century – useful knowledge for pub quizes. Kim bravely took on the mighty forces of US imperialism when he invaded South Korea in 1950. His heroic attempt to unite Korea under a single communist government was thwarted when the Yankees kept beating him in battles. Millions of Koreans died in the conflict. Kim was a man of principle and rejected the fashion for de-Stalinisation after Uncle Joe’s death. In line with socialist teachings, Kim’s son became his designated successor. The people of North Korea today live happy and free lives, grateful that their government pursues an independent foreign policy and that they are not slaves to the neocon agenda.

Enver Hoxha

Sticking it to US imperialism.

Another long-serving – and therefore presumably much-loved – leader, Hoxha was another solid Stalinist who made the Communist dream a reality in Albania. When the moustached one kicked the bucket in 1953, Hoxha ordered a period of national mourning in Albania. He even reportedly made the Albanian people swear a two-thousand word oath of gratitude to Stalin “the great liberator”. Like Kim, Hoxha rejected the new fangled liberal ideas of de-Stalinization and was especially peeved when Khruschev announced that the USSR sought peaceful coexistence with the West. Hoxha denounced Khruschev as a “revisionist” and cosied up to China instead, but China soon grew tired of sending aid and Albania became the ‘billy no mates’ of the Communist world. Hoxha left a glorious legacy of labour camps, economic stagnation, and international pariah status, but most importantly he never became a lap dog of US imperialism.

 Nicolae Ceausescu

De-stalinisation is for wussies.

Despite some unimpressive tendencies to seek cordial relations with the West in the early years of his rule, the Communist leader of Romania soon realised that the best way to serve the interests of the Romanian people was to stop giving two figs what outsiders thought of his regime. Just like Kim and Hoxha, Ceausescu was not a fan of de-Stalinization and stood up for old school Communism when it came to domestic freedoms. His take on foreign policy was erratic to say the least (much like his grip on reality) but was certainly not a neocon, and that’s what matters. Admittedly the Romanian people did eventually rise up against him, but even as he was facing the firing squad he did not sell-out.

Tags: communism, Lunacy on the Left