On January 17, the Czech National Parliament has ratified the Lisbon Treaty, by votes of 125 MPs (Social-democrats 71, Civic Democrats 33, Christian Democrats 12, The Greens 4, The Non-partisans 5). The manner by which the Treaty was ratified is damnable and non-democratic. Citizens of the Czech Republic, whom the Treaty touches, have had no possibility to express themselves in referendum, and the political parties in the Czech Parliament had not in their election programmes, nor could they have, their attitudes towards the gradual centralisation of bureaucratic power of the EU administration at the expense of national Parliaments and governments. A legitimacy of any decision like this is doubtful and thus we express our principal disagreement to this act.
All citizens of the Czech Republic, not only their head representatives, have the right to take decisions on their future, which is affected by the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
Our disagreement with the Lisbon Treaty still continues, because it drags us into militarisation of international relations, into bondage to United States and its adventures in the world, and it opens the path to constitutionalisation of both free market and neoliberal politics, and, by it, towards aggravation of the social conditions of EU citizens. At the same time it markedly affects and restricts state sovereignty of the Czech Republic.
We furthermore will continue in cooperation with Left parties in the EU, in the struggle against application of this Treaty. We appeal to citizens of the Czech Republic to remember the parties, which raised their hands for the Treaty, and to express their protests during the June election to European parliament.
Prague, February 18, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
To the Government of the Republic of Korea ROK
The reunification of the divided Nation Korea is the most unanimous aspiration and important task for the Korean people. Yet, as long as the strained relations, hostility and the aggravated military tension prevail, this task will scarcely be achieved.
The reunification era, along with the June 15 Declaration, that turned half a century of distrust and confrontation of inter-Korean relations into reconciliation and unity, proves the strength "of the Korean nation itself". This was also supported by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations on 31.10.2007, which states that "peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula has to be built by dialogue and cooperation"
• We request the Government of ROK to remove the danger of war, through ending its reckless policy, prepared on inter-Korean confrontation.
• We recommend the Government of ROK to adopt an independent policy, free from the interests of the USA or any other imperialist power. This could be an introduction to the realization of the unified wishes and demands of the entire Korean people for an independent reunification, peace, sovereignty, democracy and national prosperity.
• We also recommend an abolition of the National security law of Yours, that still protect the interests of any occupant in ROK, against national liberation. Simultaneously the law obstructs every contact or dialogue with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea- DPRK
• According to these three points above, we request the ROK to implement the commitment to the mutual subscription of the June 15 Declaration from the Year 2000. The new administration of the USA should also consider supporting an independent reunification on the terms of the two Korean states.
Let the work proceed at the pace of the Korean people, slowly and peacefully towards a successful reunification.
Communist Party of Sweden SKP
Communist Party in Denmark KPiD
Communist Workers´Party KTP Finland
Communist Party of Denmark DKP
Communist Party of Norway NKP
The reunification era, along with the June 15 Declaration, that turned half a century of distrust and confrontation of inter-Korean relations into reconciliation and unity, proves the strength "of the Korean nation itself". This was also supported by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations on 31.10.2007, which states that "peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula has to be built by dialogue and cooperation"
• We request the Government of ROK to remove the danger of war, through ending its reckless policy, prepared on inter-Korean confrontation.
• We recommend the Government of ROK to adopt an independent policy, free from the interests of the USA or any other imperialist power. This could be an introduction to the realization of the unified wishes and demands of the entire Korean people for an independent reunification, peace, sovereignty, democracy and national prosperity.
• We also recommend an abolition of the National security law of Yours, that still protect the interests of any occupant in ROK, against national liberation. Simultaneously the law obstructs every contact or dialogue with the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea- DPRK
• According to these three points above, we request the ROK to implement the commitment to the mutual subscription of the June 15 Declaration from the Year 2000. The new administration of the USA should also consider supporting an independent reunification on the terms of the two Korean states.
Let the work proceed at the pace of the Korean people, slowly and peacefully towards a successful reunification.
Communist Party of Sweden SKP
Communist Party in Denmark KPiD
Communist Workers´Party KTP Finland
Communist Party of Denmark DKP
Communist Party of Norway NKP
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Working Group of the Communist and Workers’ Parties
A meeting of the Working Group of the communist and workers parties took place in Athens on 17th February 2009 hosted by KKE on the margins of the 18th KKE Congress.
The meeting was attended by the members of the Working Group CP of Brazil, CP of Cuba, CP of Spain, Portuguese CP, CPBM Czech Republic, CPRF Russia, SouthAfrican CP, CP of India[Marxist], Lebanese CP and KKE and by representatives of CP of Canada, CP of Albania, WP of Belgium, Syrian CP, CP of Syria, PPPs Palestine, CP of Turkey.
The meeting discussed and decided on the topic, the date and the place for the 11th international meeting of communist and workers’ parties 2009.
The 11th international meeting of communist and workers’ parties will be held on November India, Kerala and will be hosted by the Communist Party of India [Marxist] and the Communist Party of India .
As far as the main topic of the meeting concerns the working group decided on the theme of
“ The international capitalist crisis , the workers’ and peoples’ struggle , the alternatives and the role of the communist and working class movement “
Furthermore, in face of the very dangerous situation created by the murderous attacks and war crimes by Israel against the Palestinian people the Working Group decided to convene a extraordinary meeting of communist and workers’ parties in solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people and the other people in Middle East in Damascus Syria on September 2009.
During the session of the working group representatives from the communist and workers parties from Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and from other parties from Canada, Europe, South Africa and India informed on the situation and the popular actions in the region of Middle East after the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The parties saluted the heroic resistance to the aggressors and the great protest and solidarity movement and issued a solidarity statement appealing to continue and to amplify the action in support of the just struggle of the Palestinian people and the peace loving forces of Israel
The participants underlined their commitment to the actions and struggles against the capitalist crisis, to the initiatives commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution and to the other initiatives decided at the 10th international meeting in Sao Paolo in November 2008.
The meeting of the Working Group of the Communist and Workers’ Parties
Athens, 17th February 2009
The meeting was attended by the members of the Working Group CP of Brazil, CP of Cuba, CP of Spain, Portuguese CP, CPBM Czech Republic, CPRF Russia, SouthAfrican CP, CP of India[Marxist], Lebanese CP and KKE and by representatives of CP of Canada, CP of Albania, WP of Belgium, Syrian CP, CP of Syria, PPPs Palestine, CP of Turkey.
The meeting discussed and decided on the topic, the date and the place for the 11th international meeting of communist and workers’ parties 2009.
The 11th international meeting of communist and workers’ parties will be held on November India, Kerala and will be hosted by the Communist Party of India [Marxist] and the Communist Party of India .
As far as the main topic of the meeting concerns the working group decided on the theme of
“ The international capitalist crisis , the workers’ and peoples’ struggle , the alternatives and the role of the communist and working class movement “
Furthermore, in face of the very dangerous situation created by the murderous attacks and war crimes by Israel against the Palestinian people the Working Group decided to convene a extraordinary meeting of communist and workers’ parties in solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Palestinian people and the other people in Middle East in Damascus Syria on September 2009.
During the session of the working group representatives from the communist and workers parties from Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and from other parties from Canada, Europe, South Africa and India informed on the situation and the popular actions in the region of Middle East after the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The parties saluted the heroic resistance to the aggressors and the great protest and solidarity movement and issued a solidarity statement appealing to continue and to amplify the action in support of the just struggle of the Palestinian people and the peace loving forces of Israel
The participants underlined their commitment to the actions and struggles against the capitalist crisis, to the initiatives commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution and to the other initiatives decided at the 10th international meeting in Sao Paolo in November 2008.
The meeting of the Working Group of the Communist and Workers’ Parties
Athens, 17th February 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
SIPTU says situation could 'escalate dramatically'
SIPTU General President Jack O’Connor has warned that unless the Government, employers and the financial elite are prepared to face up to the need for a Social Solidarity Pact, rather than expect PAYE workers to pay for the current crisis “there is every possibility the situation will escalate dramatically out of control” within a matter of weeks.
He was “dismayed at the Goodbody report today proposing welfare cuts to reduce public expenditure levels. It is appalling that people threatened with unemployment, and in many cases with the loss of their homes and occupational pension entitlements as well, can expect nothing better from the elite of the financial services industry than the suggestion that their meagre social welfare benefit may be reduced; and all this while not one additional cent has been raised from the wealthy in our society.
“At the very least the big players in the financial services industry, which played a key role in creating the global crisis, should have the decency to refrain from commenting and frightening people. It is precisely this reign of psychological terror waged on PAYE workers that has contributed so much to undermining consumer confidence which, according to Goodbody’s, will result in the economy contracting by six per cent this year.
“It is now past time that those at the top in our society, be they Government, employers or the elite in the financial services industry face up to the reality that the only prospect of navigating our way out of this debacle is that offered by a Social Solidarity Pact to which all sectors of society contribute in accordance to their capacity. It is neither equitable nor financially sustainable to place the entire burden on the PAYE sector, including those joining the ranks of the unemployed.
“Unless the concept of a pact is grasped within the next few days, and certainly at the latest within a few weeks, there is every possibility that the situation will escalate dramatically out of control.”
He was “dismayed at the Goodbody report today proposing welfare cuts to reduce public expenditure levels. It is appalling that people threatened with unemployment, and in many cases with the loss of their homes and occupational pension entitlements as well, can expect nothing better from the elite of the financial services industry than the suggestion that their meagre social welfare benefit may be reduced; and all this while not one additional cent has been raised from the wealthy in our society.
“At the very least the big players in the financial services industry, which played a key role in creating the global crisis, should have the decency to refrain from commenting and frightening people. It is precisely this reign of psychological terror waged on PAYE workers that has contributed so much to undermining consumer confidence which, according to Goodbody’s, will result in the economy contracting by six per cent this year.
“It is now past time that those at the top in our society, be they Government, employers or the elite in the financial services industry face up to the reality that the only prospect of navigating our way out of this debacle is that offered by a Social Solidarity Pact to which all sectors of society contribute in accordance to their capacity. It is neither equitable nor financially sustainable to place the entire burden on the PAYE sector, including those joining the ranks of the unemployed.
“Unless the concept of a pact is grasped within the next few days, and certainly at the latest within a few weeks, there is every possibility that the situation will escalate dramatically out of control.”
WFDY welcomes Venezuelan Referendum Result
The World Federation of Democratic youth, alongside with its member and friend organizations, has followed with much attention all the process surrounding the referendum held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which has lead to a clear victory for the forces standing by the fellow president Hugo Chávez, as new demonstration of support towards the leader of the revolution and of consolidation of Bolivarian Revolution and its impacts in all Latin America.
The last ten years, have allowed to the Venezuelan people to achieve important social developments, putting all the resources of the country working for the poorest people who never had anything, and at the same time to become one example for all Latin America and all progressive forces of the world, for its decision to build a better future, in which the Venezuelan youth has had the decisive role, despite all the media manipulation that has been targeting all universities’ students, which we energetically reject and condemn.
WFDY warmly greets the fellow President Hugo Chávez, the youth and people of Venezuela, whose commitment to the its Revolution, in name of all its member and friend organizations, calls upon all the young progressive people of the world to celebrate this victory of a people who is more and more an example for all the progressive youth of the planet that to build a better world is possible.
The last ten years, have allowed to the Venezuelan people to achieve important social developments, putting all the resources of the country working for the poorest people who never had anything, and at the same time to become one example for all Latin America and all progressive forces of the world, for its decision to build a better future, in which the Venezuelan youth has had the decisive role, despite all the media manipulation that has been targeting all universities’ students, which we energetically reject and condemn.
WFDY warmly greets the fellow President Hugo Chávez, the youth and people of Venezuela, whose commitment to the its Revolution, in name of all its member and friend organizations, calls upon all the young progressive people of the world to celebrate this victory of a people who is more and more an example for all the progressive youth of the planet that to build a better world is possible.
Monday, February 16, 2009
CPI Statement on Crisis
The economic and financial crisis facing our country is growing and deepening daily and exposing as never before the myths of capitalism. The Government and the political establishment are overseeing the rip-off of €7,000,000,000 from the National Pension Fund to support speculative bankers and developers with the decision yesterday to bail out Allied Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland with public money.
The loss today of more than 1,100 jobs at the aircraft maintenance firm SR Technics at Dublin Airport, a direct result of the privatisation of Aer Lingus and the announcement by Ryanair that it will let 200 workers go, while almost 500 jobs are tottering on the brink at Waterford Glass, are just the latest in a long line of planned closures and redundancies. The strategy of privatising state assets and companies and the over-reliance on transnational corporations are now unravelling. The international venture capitalists are circling, to pick the bones of what is left of Irish industry.
While the Government can find the money to bail out bankers and speculators, the main financial backers of the establishment political parties, nothing can be found for special-needs teachers, for the sick, or to repair run-down schools and hospitals. The attacks on workers’ pay, working conditions and pensions is open class struggle by both the employers and the Government against working people.
We have a financial regulator who slinks away with a golden handshake of €600,000 and a pension of €140,000 per year, which is the equivalent of what four workers and their families on the average industrial wage would live on, while turning a blind eye to massive financial irregularities in the banking industry.
The present situation has all the appearances of a criminal conspiracy among the ruling elite to make working people pay for the deepening crisis. Clearly Fianna Fáil and the political and economic establishment believe that the public purse is their own piggy-bank, for them to dip into as often as they see fit.
The value system underpinning the “Celtic Tiger” has left a society crippled with massive personal and business debt. It has no morality except that of dog eat dog.
It is time for the trade union movement to stand up and defend the interests of working people as vigorously as the Government and the state defend the interests of the bankers and the employers. We cannot allow the National Pension Fund to be frittered away in propping up the bankers and the speculators. This is theft on a scale previously unimaginable.
Irish communists call for full support for the ICTU’s day of action on 21 February and for maximum unity between public and private-sector workers. These attacks on public-service workers are only A pretext for a more sustained attack on all workers in the coming period by both the bosses and the Government. Unity is strength!
Communist Party of Ireland
The loss today of more than 1,100 jobs at the aircraft maintenance firm SR Technics at Dublin Airport, a direct result of the privatisation of Aer Lingus and the announcement by Ryanair that it will let 200 workers go, while almost 500 jobs are tottering on the brink at Waterford Glass, are just the latest in a long line of planned closures and redundancies. The strategy of privatising state assets and companies and the over-reliance on transnational corporations are now unravelling. The international venture capitalists are circling, to pick the bones of what is left of Irish industry.
While the Government can find the money to bail out bankers and speculators, the main financial backers of the establishment political parties, nothing can be found for special-needs teachers, for the sick, or to repair run-down schools and hospitals. The attacks on workers’ pay, working conditions and pensions is open class struggle by both the employers and the Government against working people.
We have a financial regulator who slinks away with a golden handshake of €600,000 and a pension of €140,000 per year, which is the equivalent of what four workers and their families on the average industrial wage would live on, while turning a blind eye to massive financial irregularities in the banking industry.
The present situation has all the appearances of a criminal conspiracy among the ruling elite to make working people pay for the deepening crisis. Clearly Fianna Fáil and the political and economic establishment believe that the public purse is their own piggy-bank, for them to dip into as often as they see fit.
The value system underpinning the “Celtic Tiger” has left a society crippled with massive personal and business debt. It has no morality except that of dog eat dog.
It is time for the trade union movement to stand up and defend the interests of working people as vigorously as the Government and the state defend the interests of the bankers and the employers. We cannot allow the National Pension Fund to be frittered away in propping up the bankers and the speculators. This is theft on a scale previously unimaginable.
Irish communists call for full support for the ICTU’s day of action on 21 February and for maximum unity between public and private-sector workers. These attacks on public-service workers are only A pretext for a more sustained attack on all workers in the coming period by both the bosses and the Government. Unity is strength!
Communist Party of Ireland
March in Dublin draws anti-Imperialists together
A memorial function for Bob Doyle — communist and internationalist, last surviving Irish member of the International Brigades in the Spanish Anti-Fascist War — was held in Liberty Hall, Dublin, on Saturday 14 February, preceded by a march from the Garden of Remembrance organised by the Doyle family, the International Brigades Memorial Trust, and the CPI, with the participation of Dublin Council of Trade Unions, SIPTU, and other unions and organisations.
Mobilisations in Greece against EU
Thousands of tractors continue to block the Athens-Thessaloniki national highway at central Greece, and the intersection of Nikaia near the city of Larissa. Blockades are being also continued in various intersections of greek highways despite the efforts by the forces of New Democracy (liberals) and Pasok (socialdemocrats) to stop the mobilizations and persuade the peasants to abandon their massive blockades of struggle. KKE and PASY (All farmers militant rally) insist that farmers should continue their struggles. An indicative fact is that young farmers have significant participation in these mobilizations. The small and medium farmers' protests highlighting the consequenses against the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). They demand guaranteed minimum prices for their products, increased pensions, and abolition or reduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT), lower fuel prices and others.
KNE (Young Communist Movement of Greece)
KNE (Young Communist Movement of Greece)
Friday, February 6, 2009
Reality and Myth
Its time we face reality and pointed the finger where the blame lies.
It is private entities – financial institution, developers, construction companies – and the Government that have caused this crisis, recession and the great difficulties we now as a nation face.
Fianna Fail’s, and Fine Gael’s, policies of deregulation, transfer of sovereignty to the European Union - for example had we not been misled into the euro we would now have far greater control over fiscal policy and the ability to value our own currency - and reliance upon foreign direct investment have been to the heart of creating an unaccountable and unresponsive economy based solely on the drive for maximisation of profit for private entities.
Yet when one reads the papers or listens to speeches from government politicians one would feel civil servants were surely at the heart of creating this recession. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Over the past few months we have seen a sophisticated campaign of spin led by the Government to divert blame and attention away from themselves and point at those easiest to blame – the civil service.
Why are they easy to blame? Because as a well unionised and a key sector they have campaigned and won rights and conditions that are sometimes ahead of the private sector. Since when has that been such a bad thing? So the Government uses the green eyed monster to try and divert the debate away from culpability and responsibility to the ‘over-paid public sector’.
How many times have I heard FF politicians recently say, ‘let’s not focus on the past, we have to move on and move forward’?
Is the present not the future of the past? And if so surely those guilty must be held to account and most importantly be made pay. What led us hear must be corrected and mistakes made never repeated.
So I say, let us analyse the past so that the recriminations are targeted not at teachers, gardai, nurses, low-paid workers, poor in the under-developed world etc and those made pay are those responsible – the Government and big business.
Connolly Youth Movement
Dublin
It is private entities – financial institution, developers, construction companies – and the Government that have caused this crisis, recession and the great difficulties we now as a nation face.
Fianna Fail’s, and Fine Gael’s, policies of deregulation, transfer of sovereignty to the European Union - for example had we not been misled into the euro we would now have far greater control over fiscal policy and the ability to value our own currency - and reliance upon foreign direct investment have been to the heart of creating an unaccountable and unresponsive economy based solely on the drive for maximisation of profit for private entities.
Yet when one reads the papers or listens to speeches from government politicians one would feel civil servants were surely at the heart of creating this recession. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Over the past few months we have seen a sophisticated campaign of spin led by the Government to divert blame and attention away from themselves and point at those easiest to blame – the civil service.
Why are they easy to blame? Because as a well unionised and a key sector they have campaigned and won rights and conditions that are sometimes ahead of the private sector. Since when has that been such a bad thing? So the Government uses the green eyed monster to try and divert the debate away from culpability and responsibility to the ‘over-paid public sector’.
How many times have I heard FF politicians recently say, ‘let’s not focus on the past, we have to move on and move forward’?
Is the present not the future of the past? And if so surely those guilty must be held to account and most importantly be made pay. What led us hear must be corrected and mistakes made never repeated.
So I say, let us analyse the past so that the recriminations are targeted not at teachers, gardai, nurses, low-paid workers, poor in the under-developed world etc and those made pay are those responsible – the Government and big business.
Connolly Youth Movement
Dublin
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Communist Party in Denmark.
As we all know our tactics must continuously be adjusted according to the present situation. The strategy in our struggle for socialism is fixed, but since we last met there have been some substantial changes in the strength of the classes. Therefore adjustments in the tactic are necessary, and this meeting is therefore held just in the right time.
Liberalism
Capitalism and its liberalistic form have created a stronger exploitation in the recent years and the profit of big capital has reached never seen records. This is first of all a result of speculation, of wars, armament, more exploitation of labour, and of conquering of new markets.
Capitalism has come near to its goal of a deregulation of society.
Among the new markets, that capitalism has won, we should mention the former socialist countries, which on the same time have secured cheap labour and easy labour conditions and environmental rules. Another way of creating new markets for capitalism is by the heavy trend of privatisations that has been seen all over the world. Enormous wealth, which was before the property of the people by state or other forms of public property, has been handed over to the capital. Parallel to this the now commanded outsourcing to the private sector; capital has created a safe market with steady payments from the people in form of taxes. To be able to finance these revenues for the capital the societies has been forced to cut down in public spending except for the military forces. Denmark is not the only run-down country with growing poverty, as a consequence of this policy.
The strategy of the capital has been planned in details and then carried through.
Ideological methods
Also capital has in order to fulfil its strategy continuously adjusted its tactics to be able to carry its big project through. In our part of the world the EU has been the main instrument, and the stream of new and still more tightening treaties has cemented the possibilities for capital in all EU countries. To get the peoples of EU to accept this, the capital and the right wing politicians have tried to sell the EU project as a necessary kind of cooperation, a project of peace in Europe, a necessary cooperation to secure the environment, etc.
This tactic has unfortunately had a broad success not at least by the help it got from the social democratic parties and nowadays also from parties, that formerly called themselves socialist and left wing parties. - ‘You have to be present at the table. We must have influence from inside - EU will always be there so we must just try to improve the EU’ - That kind of arguments have been used.
But the greediness of capital has been so big and so undisguised anti-social, that revolts from the peoples has been the result. Not all have clearly understood that the real enemy is the EU as institution for the capital. But still the revolt was clear at the held referenda about EU treaties, where the peoples with a few exceptions objected.
Another method of capital has been to spread out the possibilities for speculation in stocks to parts of the population. First of all this has been done via compulsory savings in labour market pension schemes, which was something new in the Nordic countries, where rather fair pensions was before paid via taxation. By an erosion of the value of the public pension schemes the people was prompted to have private pension schemes, where the saving was invested in stocks and bonds by the banks and pension funds.
This casino economy was also promoted by so-called ‘employee shares’ and options. This ’legalised’ speculation in stocks, and has led to a weakening of the class consciousness about the total opposite interests between the employees and the employers, the capital. On the same time a strict policy has been carried through concerning the housing market. Owner-occupied dwellings have been encouraged on the costs of rented dwellings, and the dwellings have become a crucial object of speculation. The housing market has given an enormous profit for the financial sector, who gave loans to private people and to construction companies. The artificial created exorbitant prices in the housing market were wide spread among the population. For some groups of people this gave the possibility to have an artificial over consumption, and for others the appreciation of the prises on housing was used to supplement a stagnating wage income. For especially younger families, the high prices have made it impossible to find a payable home. The prices of the dwellings were set on the basis of expectations to the demand in the future, but when the demand was not there anymore, the collapse was the result. This is a classical example on the greediness of capital that in the end will lead to its own death. All possessing a common sense could see that this bobble would collapse. Together with the casino economy, this has lead to the many collapses in the financial sector. You can say that the bank robbery came from insiders.
The division of the working people in those, who could supply their wages with loan in their more and more exorbitant houses and those who could not, has split the working class in the struggle for better economical life conditions. This is a parts of the capital’s ‘divide and rule’ strategy. This policy also contains whipping up xenophobia in our part of the world. This policy was built up and systemised and later extended in the form of ‘War against terror’, that is clearly racist based but also hits progressive forces all over.
The split up of the labour market in an A and a B group with better conditions for some chosen groups, exclusion of other groups from important goods and services, massive attacks on the trade unions and a division of the group of pensioners according to whether they have or do not have private pensions schemes, has also been an integrated part of the capitalist strategy to destroy the unity.
On the ideological level capital have succeeded in selling their idea of society as ‘one big business - best run by bourgeois forces’ This idea have succeeded in many so-called ‘western countries’ regardless of where in the world they are, and bourgeoisie government have for decades had the power in many countries.
New phenomenon
The present collapse of the capitalist financial system has totally disproved the allegation of the success of liberalism. The present crisis is so deep and serious for the whole system, that measures normally hated by the capital and the rulers have been carried out in a hurry. The decisions to give huge state subsidies to the finance capital were the first action. Also subsidies to chosen sectors that are in the thread of bankruptcy have been given and will be given shortly. The supervision of the financial systems has been extended, and the great problems caused by the free floating of capital between the boarders are under discussion.
Unfortunately it is characteristic, that the capitalist themselves are more nervous of the big problems that can lead to the collapse for capitalism as a system, than the main consciousness in the population.
To the economic and financial crisis comes the ecological crisis. On the matter also short-sighted views have been dominating. Our Earth is succumbing to pollution and uncontrolled abuse of natural resources. In spite of fine speeches the wish of sudden profits has been more important than the consequences for the Earth in the longer run. The agreements made are useless as the countries’ daily policy oppose them.
example are among other thee policy on traffic matters, energy, Wars and armament, devastation of woodland, and so on Natural disasters have become a cruel part of every day life.
There is no news in the situation where the working class will have to pay the highest price for the capitalist crisis. We are for the moment just seeing the top of the iceberg and the current problems for the peoples. The future will show that the aim for capitalism is what our right wing premier minister called the ‘minimal-state’ where common values in society is subordinated to the needs of capital. The losers are the social security system, the educational system, research and so on.
The struggle against this situation
What can we do as communists in this situation, where the most obvious solution is to get rid of the capitalist system?
Our political line and views and slogans shall of cause first and foremost be very clear and targeted in our critics. We must coordinate our political actions and initiatives. We have via Solidnet observed that other communist parties have formulated extensive programmes for bringing the working class out of the crisis in a way that will secure the peoples who are hit most.
On the same time it is our duty to formulate the demand for at total change in the way society is run, and which kinds of changes that will be necessary. We are surely the ones who have the alternative.
And we have to look unprejudiced on the movements that arise even though they do not realize themselves to be a part of the working class movements.
On the international level we have seen one big continent, Latin America that stands up against imperialism and the US dictatorship. Maybe socialism is not on the agenda right now, but the uprising in Latin America is a very important step on the road. It will demonstrate the strength people have, if they are united, and will demonstrate the possibilities for at better life for each person, for the communities and for all men in the world!
The popular movements demanding changes in society was also clear in the campaigns up to the newly presidential election in the US.
In Denmark and in the EU countries we have seen lots of protests against the policy of the EU that is in fact against capitalism and liberalism.
In Denmark we have this spring and summer had an exceptional rebellion against the liberalist privatisations and cut downs in our collective rights, in the social security systems, in health protection and in education. There was a massive popular support to the long strikes and other actions of the nurses, the teachers, among those taking care of children and the elderly.
The people demanded and are still demanding that the taxes should be used to ensure better day-care institutions schools, hospitals, a safe situation for the elderly. On the other hand the great majority demand that less money is used on the military and that Denmark should withdraw from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to most pools the majority for the right wing in the parliament is not a reality any more.
But this important change did not come before we saw the collapse of the financial system and the coming economic crisis. For the first time in many years the most xenophobian and right wing party is loosing popular support.
We communist do always have big obligations when popular movements really are moving. We are the ones that shall show the aims, formulate the right and concrete demands and bring the necessary organisation into the movements. We need victories even when they maybe not will be big.
We have the strategy. Shortly, a good tactics is needed. Our international and regional cooperation gives us the best opportunities for a success in our common struggle
Liberalism
Capitalism and its liberalistic form have created a stronger exploitation in the recent years and the profit of big capital has reached never seen records. This is first of all a result of speculation, of wars, armament, more exploitation of labour, and of conquering of new markets.
Capitalism has come near to its goal of a deregulation of society.
Among the new markets, that capitalism has won, we should mention the former socialist countries, which on the same time have secured cheap labour and easy labour conditions and environmental rules. Another way of creating new markets for capitalism is by the heavy trend of privatisations that has been seen all over the world. Enormous wealth, which was before the property of the people by state or other forms of public property, has been handed over to the capital. Parallel to this the now commanded outsourcing to the private sector; capital has created a safe market with steady payments from the people in form of taxes. To be able to finance these revenues for the capital the societies has been forced to cut down in public spending except for the military forces. Denmark is not the only run-down country with growing poverty, as a consequence of this policy.
The strategy of the capital has been planned in details and then carried through.
Ideological methods
Also capital has in order to fulfil its strategy continuously adjusted its tactics to be able to carry its big project through. In our part of the world the EU has been the main instrument, and the stream of new and still more tightening treaties has cemented the possibilities for capital in all EU countries. To get the peoples of EU to accept this, the capital and the right wing politicians have tried to sell the EU project as a necessary kind of cooperation, a project of peace in Europe, a necessary cooperation to secure the environment, etc.
This tactic has unfortunately had a broad success not at least by the help it got from the social democratic parties and nowadays also from parties, that formerly called themselves socialist and left wing parties. - ‘You have to be present at the table. We must have influence from inside - EU will always be there so we must just try to improve the EU’ - That kind of arguments have been used.
But the greediness of capital has been so big and so undisguised anti-social, that revolts from the peoples has been the result. Not all have clearly understood that the real enemy is the EU as institution for the capital. But still the revolt was clear at the held referenda about EU treaties, where the peoples with a few exceptions objected.
Another method of capital has been to spread out the possibilities for speculation in stocks to parts of the population. First of all this has been done via compulsory savings in labour market pension schemes, which was something new in the Nordic countries, where rather fair pensions was before paid via taxation. By an erosion of the value of the public pension schemes the people was prompted to have private pension schemes, where the saving was invested in stocks and bonds by the banks and pension funds.
This casino economy was also promoted by so-called ‘employee shares’ and options. This ’legalised’ speculation in stocks, and has led to a weakening of the class consciousness about the total opposite interests between the employees and the employers, the capital. On the same time a strict policy has been carried through concerning the housing market. Owner-occupied dwellings have been encouraged on the costs of rented dwellings, and the dwellings have become a crucial object of speculation. The housing market has given an enormous profit for the financial sector, who gave loans to private people and to construction companies. The artificial created exorbitant prices in the housing market were wide spread among the population. For some groups of people this gave the possibility to have an artificial over consumption, and for others the appreciation of the prises on housing was used to supplement a stagnating wage income. For especially younger families, the high prices have made it impossible to find a payable home. The prices of the dwellings were set on the basis of expectations to the demand in the future, but when the demand was not there anymore, the collapse was the result. This is a classical example on the greediness of capital that in the end will lead to its own death. All possessing a common sense could see that this bobble would collapse. Together with the casino economy, this has lead to the many collapses in the financial sector. You can say that the bank robbery came from insiders.
The division of the working people in those, who could supply their wages with loan in their more and more exorbitant houses and those who could not, has split the working class in the struggle for better economical life conditions. This is a parts of the capital’s ‘divide and rule’ strategy. This policy also contains whipping up xenophobia in our part of the world. This policy was built up and systemised and later extended in the form of ‘War against terror’, that is clearly racist based but also hits progressive forces all over.
The split up of the labour market in an A and a B group with better conditions for some chosen groups, exclusion of other groups from important goods and services, massive attacks on the trade unions and a division of the group of pensioners according to whether they have or do not have private pensions schemes, has also been an integrated part of the capitalist strategy to destroy the unity.
On the ideological level capital have succeeded in selling their idea of society as ‘one big business - best run by bourgeois forces’ This idea have succeeded in many so-called ‘western countries’ regardless of where in the world they are, and bourgeoisie government have for decades had the power in many countries.
New phenomenon
The present collapse of the capitalist financial system has totally disproved the allegation of the success of liberalism. The present crisis is so deep and serious for the whole system, that measures normally hated by the capital and the rulers have been carried out in a hurry. The decisions to give huge state subsidies to the finance capital were the first action. Also subsidies to chosen sectors that are in the thread of bankruptcy have been given and will be given shortly. The supervision of the financial systems has been extended, and the great problems caused by the free floating of capital between the boarders are under discussion.
Unfortunately it is characteristic, that the capitalist themselves are more nervous of the big problems that can lead to the collapse for capitalism as a system, than the main consciousness in the population.
To the economic and financial crisis comes the ecological crisis. On the matter also short-sighted views have been dominating. Our Earth is succumbing to pollution and uncontrolled abuse of natural resources. In spite of fine speeches the wish of sudden profits has been more important than the consequences for the Earth in the longer run. The agreements made are useless as the countries’ daily policy oppose them.
example are among other thee policy on traffic matters, energy, Wars and armament, devastation of woodland, and so on Natural disasters have become a cruel part of every day life.
There is no news in the situation where the working class will have to pay the highest price for the capitalist crisis. We are for the moment just seeing the top of the iceberg and the current problems for the peoples. The future will show that the aim for capitalism is what our right wing premier minister called the ‘minimal-state’ where common values in society is subordinated to the needs of capital. The losers are the social security system, the educational system, research and so on.
The struggle against this situation
What can we do as communists in this situation, where the most obvious solution is to get rid of the capitalist system?
Our political line and views and slogans shall of cause first and foremost be very clear and targeted in our critics. We must coordinate our political actions and initiatives. We have via Solidnet observed that other communist parties have formulated extensive programmes for bringing the working class out of the crisis in a way that will secure the peoples who are hit most.
On the same time it is our duty to formulate the demand for at total change in the way society is run, and which kinds of changes that will be necessary. We are surely the ones who have the alternative.
And we have to look unprejudiced on the movements that arise even though they do not realize themselves to be a part of the working class movements.
On the international level we have seen one big continent, Latin America that stands up against imperialism and the US dictatorship. Maybe socialism is not on the agenda right now, but the uprising in Latin America is a very important step on the road. It will demonstrate the strength people have, if they are united, and will demonstrate the possibilities for at better life for each person, for the communities and for all men in the world!
The popular movements demanding changes in society was also clear in the campaigns up to the newly presidential election in the US.
In Denmark and in the EU countries we have seen lots of protests against the policy of the EU that is in fact against capitalism and liberalism.
In Denmark we have this spring and summer had an exceptional rebellion against the liberalist privatisations and cut downs in our collective rights, in the social security systems, in health protection and in education. There was a massive popular support to the long strikes and other actions of the nurses, the teachers, among those taking care of children and the elderly.
The people demanded and are still demanding that the taxes should be used to ensure better day-care institutions schools, hospitals, a safe situation for the elderly. On the other hand the great majority demand that less money is used on the military and that Denmark should withdraw from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
According to most pools the majority for the right wing in the parliament is not a reality any more.
But this important change did not come before we saw the collapse of the financial system and the coming economic crisis. For the first time in many years the most xenophobian and right wing party is loosing popular support.
We communist do always have big obligations when popular movements really are moving. We are the ones that shall show the aims, formulate the right and concrete demands and bring the necessary organisation into the movements. We need victories even when they maybe not will be big.
We have the strategy. Shortly, a good tactics is needed. Our international and regional cooperation gives us the best opportunities for a success in our common struggle
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