Only socialism and class struggle can end austerity

Written on June 26th, 2015 in politics Comments Off

Published on World Socialist Web Site WSWS, by the Socialist Equality Party (UK), June 22, 2015.

The newly re-elected Conservative government is intent on imposing a yet-more devastating offensive against jobs, wages and essential welfare and social services on which millions of people depend.

The Tories are committed to slashing £15 billion in welfare cuts, as part of an additional £38 billion in cuts. They are to extend the right to buy to housing association tenants in a move that will eliminate most of what remains of social housing.

Next month, Chancellor George Osborne will outline an immediate £12 billion in spending cuts across all departments including the National Health Service and schools.

However, this is only the beginning … //

… Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall, one of whom will be the next leader of the Labour Party, have all refused to even attend today’s demonstration.

Once again, it is Greece that provides the most devastating indictment of the People’s Assembly’s perspective for opposing austerity.

Today’s demonstration is being advanced as a contribution to “a European bottom up mobilization” in defence of Greece, based upon an appeal signed by Greek trade union bureaucrats and activists. It calls for “pressure” to be placed upon the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund to end their “unacceptable behaviour” because the “Greek people decided, by voting a left government to support them, to break the neoliberal consensus.”

This refers to the election of Syriza in January, which claimed that austerity could be ended through an appeal for an “honourable compromise” with the European Union while leaving Greek capitalism untouched.

The result has been an unmitigated disaster. The only deal being offered to Syriza is one where they agree to impose the next tranche of austerity measures dictated by the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This too is a foretaste of what faces the working class in Britain if they do not break from the bankrupt politics of the People’s Assembly.

The only genuine means of combating austerity is the independent political mobilisation of the working class. The only government that can reverse austerity is a workers’ government, pledged to implement socialist policies based upon planned production for need and not profit.

Above all, the working class must join and build the Socialist Equality Party to challenge the parties of big business and create new organisations of class struggle through a political break with the trade unions. This offensive must be waged as part of a continent-wide mobilisation against the EU and all its constituent governments and for the United Socialist States of Europe.

(full text).

Links:

Scrapping the Independent Living Fund is a careless policy, but at least we’re still protesting about it, on left foot forward, by James Alston, June 25, 2015: latest cut will take away the independence of 18,000 disabled people;

Feline power – Bear falls off porch attacked by house cat (VIDEO), on Russia Today RT, June 25, 2015;

Greece rejects ‘exceptionally generous’ counterproposals by creditors, on Russia Today RT, June 24, 2015;

Will Turkey’s Election Give Peace a Chance in Syria? on Dissident Voice, by Rick Sterling, June 24, 2015;

Book review: Modernising Money, why our monetary system is broken, and how it can be fixed – Andrew Jackson and Ben Dyson, on Basic Income Earth Network BIEN, by Citizens’ Income Trust, June 22, 2015;

INTERNATIONAL: preview 8th Basic Income Week in September 14-20, 2015, June 22;

3 Retirement-Crushing Unforeseen Circumstances (and How You Can Deal With Them), on The Motley Fool, by Dan Caplinger, June 21, 2015;

The end of poverty in America, on The State Journal, Msgt Thomas Vance USAF Ret, June 21, 2015;

Le Pape François, un pape écologiste, et la société post-croissance, dans Clic anoo.re, le 20 juin 2015;

Kyasano, a biodiversity sanctuary, a paradigm for sustainable rural development in Africa, on Pambazuka News, by Odomaro Mubangizi, June 19, 2015: Development is often viewed as top-down: Principally the work of government, international actors and other institutions. This village on the Rwanda-Uganda provides a case for focus on the rural political economy as the engine of bottom-up sustainable development;

52 years since OAU founding, Africa still colonized, on Pambazuka News, by Malainin Lakhal, June 19, 2015: the fate of Western Sahara, under brutal occupation by Morocco and whose resources are plundered by this colonial power working in cahoots with Western and even some African governments, remains a big shame in Africa’s quest for total liberation and unity. Africa is not free as long as the Saharawi people remain under colonialism;

A major debate about the new trade agreements TTIP and TiSA is urgently needed, 2 articles on Current Concerns, June 16, 2015:

  • By means of TiSA the ‘service public’ will be abolished, by Stefan Giger;
  • Secret contracts are incompatible with our political system, by Lukas Reimann;
  • on en.wikipedia: TTIP; TISA;

CANADA: Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi Supports Basic Income Guarantee, on Basic Income Earth Network BIEN, by Toru Yamamori, May 10, 2015;

… and this:

hidden civilization found in the antarktis, why we are not told about? (verborgene zivilisation in antarktis gefunden warum wurde nie darüber berichtet – spoken in english), 14.28 min, uploaded by The Truth, Juli 23, 2014;

Report by KAHL WOLFE, former NASA employee / ehemaliger NASA Mitarbeiter - uploaded by / hochgeladen von ahalilguzel, June 2014:

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