The strike wave in Europe and the decay of bourgeois democracy

[Bert Bakker]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

Zouden de commies het einde van de wereld al aangekondigd hebben?

Vanavond om tien over acht is het 2010 2010 2010...



2010/10/20 Henk Elegeert <h.elegeert at gmail.com>

> REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl
>
> Bert,
>
> Als ze zijn opgesteld volgens het (wij zijn Comrades, en dus - per
> definitie
> - niet kritisch op wat men schrijft) (is: http://wsws.org/) format, lees
> ik
> ze al niet eens meer.
>
> De hele opbouw is een cirkelredenering, en dat keer, op keer, op keer, op
> keer, op keer, op keer, op keer  ...  uitkomst is (vooraf al) bekend.
>
> Wat Jansen nu eigenlijk zelf vindt ??
> Tsja, is een Limbo, en die hebben geen eigen mening ... :))
> Of hooguit eentje die ze (trotski) kunnen lenin, oops lenen.
>
> Henk Elegeert
>
>
> 2010/10/20 Bert Bakker <bertbakker7 at gmail.com>
>
> > REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl
> >
> > Toch interessant altijd, die historische artikelen van Anti Doto...
> >
> >
> >
> > 2010/10/20 Antid Oto <aorta at home.nl>
> >
> > > REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl
> > >
> > > The strike wave in Europe and the decay of bourgeois democracy
> > > 20 October 2010
> > >
> > > The growing struggles of the working class in Europe and
> internationally
> > > against
> > > mass unemployment and government austerity policies are exposing the
> > > reality
> > > behind the façade of bourgeois democracy. In every country, the
> > government,
> > > whether conservative or nominally “left,” is cutting jobs and wages and
> > > slashing
> > > social programs in complete disregard for the overwhelming opposition
> of
> > > the
> > > population.
> > >
> > > Elections, parliamentary debates have no effect on policy. The state
> does
> > > the
> > > bidding of the financial aristocracy, tearing up the living standards
> of
> > > the
> > > masses in the interests of the bankers who are responsible for the
> > economic
> > > crisis. The financiers and corporate executives are making more money
> > than
> > > ever
> > > by exploiting mass unemployment and growing social distress to slash
> > wages
> > > and
> > > increase the exploitation of the working class.
> > >
> > > Where the best efforts of the trade unions do not suffice to hold the
> > > workers in
> > > check and struggles break out that challenge the plans of the
> > capitalists,
> > > most
> > > prominently in France and Greece, the state uses its powers of
> repression
> > > to
> > > smash strikes and protests. In France, the Sarkozy government has
> > deployed
> > > riot
> > > police to break up workers’ blockades of oil depots and attack
> protesting
> > > students with tear gas and rubber bullets, arresting hundreds across
> the
> > > country.
> > >
> > > In Greece, the social democratic PASOK government, elected with the
> > support
> > > of
> > > the unions, deployed the military to break a strike by truckers in
> > August.
> > > Last
> > > week, the same government used riot police and tear gas against culture
> > > ministry
> > > employees occupying the Acropolis to protest mass layoffs.
> > >
> > > Despite these attacks, the resistance of the working class is growing.
> > The
> > > current wave of strikes and protests in France is the most developed
> > > expression
> > > of a new stage in the international class struggle. It marks a shift in
> > the
> > > world political situation of historic proportions. The working class is
> > > once
> > > again entering into battle against the capitalists.
> > >
> > > Recent days have seen the spread of the strike movement in France, the
> > > outbreak
> > > of a strike in Greece that has paralyzed the country’s rail system, and
> a
> > > demonstration of hundreds of thousands in Rome protesting the policies
> of
> > > the
> > > Berlusconi government.
> > >
> > > There have been one-day general strikes and mass protests in Spain,
> > > Portugal and
> > > Ireland, strikes by workers in Romania, and powerful strikes by auto
> > > workers in
> > > China and by workers in India, Cambodia and Bangla Desh.
> > >
> > > In Britain, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government is
> > > imposing
> > > historically unprecedented cuts totaling 83 billion pounds, which will
> > mean
> > > the
> > > loss of at least 500,000 jobs in the public sector and another 500,000
> in
> > > the
> > > private sector.
> > >
> > > British workers have repeatedly sought to resist the
> government-corporate
> > > onslaught, but have to this point been stymied by the treachery of the
> > > trade
> > > unions, which oppose any serious strike action or social mobilization.
> > > London
> > > tube workers have struck against privatization and mass layoffs,
> > prompting
> > > the
> > > government to draw up anti-strike legislation. BBC and British Airways
> > > workers
> > > have voted for strike action, but the union leaders have refused to
> call
> > > them out.
> > >
> > > In the US, Obama, who came to power by appealing to the intense hatred
> > > among
> > > working people and youth for the pro-corporate, militarist policies of
> > Bush
> > > and
> > > the Republicans, is carrying out uniformly right-wing, anti-working
> class
> > > policies, shattering the illusions of millions who voted for him. The
> > > inability
> > > of the White House and the Democratic Party to in any way distance
> > > themselves
> > > from the corporate-financial elite has been underscored by the
> > > administration’s
> > > actions over the past week, just two weeks before the congressional
> > > elections.
> > >
> > > The administration has lifted the moratorium on Gulf oil drilling,
> > > announced
> > > that Social Security recipients will receive no cost-of-living
> increase,
> > > and
> > > rejected calls for a moratorium on home foreclosures.
> > >
> > > The growing opposition of the American working class is finding
> > expression
> > > in an
> > > incipient rebellion by workers against the United Auto Workers union,
> > which
> > > is
> > > seeking to make the 50 percent wage cut for newly hired workers worked
> > out
> > > last
> > > year between itself, the auto bosses and the Obama administration the
> new
> > > baseline for the industry.
> > >
> > > The contempt of the American ruling class for the democratic will of
> the
> > > people
> > > was summed up in an editorial on the events in France published Tuesday
> > by
> > > the
> > > New York Times. The major organ of the “liberal” Democratic Party
> > > establishment
> > > acknowledged that there is broad support in the French population for
> the
> > > strikes and protests against Sarkozy’s plans to raise the retirement
> age.
> > > “Despite the widespread inconvenience and economic losses,” it wrote,
> > > “public
> > > opinion has remained sympathetic to the unions.” (French polls show
> > upwards
> > > of
> > > 70 percent supporting the strikers).
> > >
> > > This did not prevent the Times from insisting, “France’s Parliament
> > should
> > > give
> > > final approval to the retirement age reform bill this week,” and
> adding,
> > > “Even
> > > with the age raised to 62, further painful adjustments would be needed
> > > before
> > > the end of this decade.”
> > >
> > > What is emerging in the experience of hundreds of millions of people
> > around
> > > the
> > > world is the incompatibility of the capitalist system with their most
> > basic
> > > needs. The growth of the class struggle is exposing bourgeois democracy
> > as
> > > little more than a fig leaf for the dictatorship of the banks and
> > > corporations
> > > over economic and political life.
> > >
> > > The political conclusions must be drawn. The fight for jobs, decent
> > living
> > > standards, housing, education, health care and all other social rights
> is
> > a
> > > political fight against the capitalist state. It is not a matter of
> > pushing
> > > the
> > > state to the left, reforming it, or replacing one bourgeois government
> > with
> > > another, but rather of replacing it, through the revolutionary
> > mobilization
> > > of
> > > the working masses, with a workers’ state, based on social ownership of
> > the
> > > means of production and workers’ democracy.
> > >
> > > The fight for workers’ power emerges organically and inevitably out of
> > the
> > > struggles of the working class against the attacks by the bourgeoisie.
> It
> > > must
> > > be conducted consciously, in opposition to the trade unions, the
> official
> > > “left”
> > > parties and the various middle-class pseudo-left organizations, such as
> > the
> > > New
> > > Anti-Capitalist Party in France, that seek to keep the working class
> tied
> > > to the
> > > existing political setup and prevent it from mounting an independent
> > > struggle
> > > for power.
> > >
> > > This fight is, moreover, an international struggle. Workers throughout
> > > Europe
> > > and around the world are facing the same attacks and fighting the same
> > > enemy. No
> > > matter how bitter the conflicts between the ruling elites of the
> various
> > > nations, they are united in seeking to impose the full cost of the
> crisis
> > > on the
> > > backs of the working class. International finance capital is carrying
> out
> > a
> > > coordinated offensive against the workers. They must fight back by
> > uniting
> > > their
> > > struggles across national borders and fighting for the program of world
> > > socialist revolution.
> > >
> > > Barry Grey
> > >
> > > http://wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/pers-o20.shtml
> > >
> > > **********
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