Congratulations to President Obama for his excellent speech on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech. It was a brilliant piece of rhetoric, delivered with all the force and directness we have come to expect of Obama (and without notes, it appears.)
Firstly, whatever else, we must acknowledge that the image of an African American President giving the 50th anniversary speech on the very steps Martin Luther King had stood is very potent and symbolises that for all our cynicism and the woes of the world, dreams can be realised and are. Provided we all march to achieve them.
Which brings me to the second aspect of his speech which was, in essence, a brutal indictment of the neoliberal dogma that has taken over and is devastating the world.
Now, one may say, it is all very well making a strong speech against all the harm neoliberalism has wrought, but what about some action, some positive effective action to remedy the damage? A valid criticism and one with which I fully agree.
Nevertheless, the sight of the President of the USA, delivering such a speech which is a severe indictment of the economic policy pursued by the US (and now German led Europe) for over the last 30 years is indeed impressive, and must count for something.
It is time we all started seriously marching to regain our rights and our human values.