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Red Star A festival of politics, culture, ideas and debate July 31 - August 2 Clerkenwell Green, London
LIZ PAYNE warns our rights are being ripped up by Cameron and co
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OWEVER universal statements such as ‘all men are born free and equal’ appear to be, the ruling class never for a moment thought they applied to working people. Human rights for workers are the antithesis of capitalism and imperialism. As Marx observed: “The whole history of modern industry shows that capital, if not checked, will recklessly and ruthlessly work to cast down the whole working class to the utmost state of degradation.” Human rights for the mass of ordinary people, at home and or in the colonies, have never been of concern to the financiers, profiteers and industrialists. The hallmarks of those with power and
wealth are exploitation in the workplace; competitive wars for resources, labour and markets; mass oppression of populations; degradation of environments; and the crushing of opposition. But throughout capitalism’s history, working people have fought back bravely and consistently for rights and freedoms in their workplaces, homes and communities. The UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights in 1948 marked a major victory in this struggle, achieved with the support and championship of the socialist countries. It stated unequivocally — and correctly — that disregard and contempt for human rights had resulted in “barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of humankind” and that “human rights must be protected by the rule of law.” Two years later in Europe, The Conven-
tion for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was agreed by the Council of Europe and was underpinned by the European Court of Human Rights — which may I remind PM David Cameron is not an EU institution even though he uses its alleged failings as part of his rationale for “renegotiations” with the EU and his justification to smash human rights at home. But human rights declarations have not deterred international capital from its ruthless exploitation and impoverishment of peoples in all parts of the world. So, the struggle for civil, democratic and human rights continues. Supposed hopes that the collapse of the socialist states, might somehow bring peace and progress in achieving rights and justice were
quickly dashed by the scramble of profiteers for “freed-up” resources, goods and markets and the wars and devastation that ensued. In the current deep economic crisis and capitalism’s attack on working people everywhere, the super rich and governments who back them see no gain in promoting human rights. On the contrary, from their perspective, doing the things that respect for human rights forbids — silencing opposition, ruling by fear and taking by force what popular assent will never yield — is necessary for survival. There is no benign face to capitalism, whatever it may tell us. The issue of rights is now centre stage in the struggle against capitalism and for a just and democratic future and our task, as Engels put it, is to reconquer human rights.
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HE Tories win, after all opinion polls said they wouldn’t. Labour’s top brass say they have to be like Tories to ever win an election but a “fringe” left candidate emerges for leader and suddenly seems capable of winning. Now many trade unionists are asking if they are pro-European Union after all. Some still fear a loss of markets by criticising the EU but the rank and file has by now become pretty much opposed outright to TTIP and other trade agreements currently being negotiated by the European Commission. In Greece the true nature of the EU has been laid bare for all to see. Barbaric and destructive terms are being imposed on the country by the European Central Bank, European Commission and International Monetary Fund, undermining the country’s sovereignty, removing collective bargaining rights, privatising national assets, placing funds unaccountable to Greece’s elected government, and give transnational capital a future veto over Greek legislation. Little wonder that we are hearing voices once so clear in the view that the EU is the only game in town now so sharply agreeing that the European Union’s prescription of austerity for the peoples of Europe — less regulation for big business but special protection for banks and financial institutions — is no longer acceptable. A long and consistent struggle for a sound analysis of the EU has been waged by the strong voices behind the development of Trades Unionists Against the EU. The new crop of MPs has even strengthened the sceptical wing of Labour, the best known being Kate Hoey, Graham Stringer and Kelvin Hopkins, so that it is perhaps now 30-strong in Parliament. Could they now be joined by some of the big trade unions? The GMB has warned that if Britain walks away from the working time and agency workers directives “then there is a serious risk that many organisations traditionally in favour of the EU will campaign for a No vote.” Unite’s Len McCluskey has also warned that his members could vote No in the referendum if Cameron is successful in demanding an opt-out from the two directives. Is the penny finally dropping, connecting the EU and its liberalisation drive with austerity? Unless the terms offered in a referendum on Britain’s membership reverse the drive to the bottom in social and labour standards, some previously pro-EU trade unionists may be won to reconsider. As a first step, can this September’s TUC congress consider the emergency situation that is almost certainly still going to be upon Greece? Good relations between nations cannot be based on foundations of austerity, extortion, and the removal of democracy and national sovereignty. So, is it likely that yet more trade unionists will see the link between austerity, membership of the European Union, and the callous operation of power by transnational corporations and recon-
kill the bill Graham Stevenson on the state of the unions in Britain today
sider the stance they may take in the referendum here? The €12 billion debts Greece owes to the IMF and ECB are due by mid-August. Will the Greek government try and fail to gain long-term debt restructuring? Will the Eurogroup’s measures to keep the financing sustainable fail? Pressure for bringing pension changes and tax increases in overnight is implicit in the terms imposed upon by troika. Certainly, a new mood has swept Britain with the electrifying intervention by Jeremy Corbyn into the Labour leadership contest. With massive support in constituencies and even more so among party members, this is now feeding in to the swelling ranks of opted-in affiliated members. One of the many dirty tricks planned by what remains of New Labour is to complain that Tories registered by falsely agreeing the simple statement that they supported Labour aims and values. The truth is that Jeremy’s message of hope resonates in a way that Labour has not achieved since they told us that “things can only get better” back in 1997.
Building on this, “Kill the Bill” is set to become the most-chanted slogan in coming months. The severity of the impending Tory assault on democratic rights of workers prompted Unite’s rules conference to vote to remove the phrase “so far as may be lawful” that previously tied the union exclusively to legal action. Unison leader Dave Prentis has said his union might have to look at whether it can remain strictly inside the law. Balloting made more difficult, agency labour scabs licensed to break strikes, pickets criminalised, political funds attacked. A big campaign to raise the temperature against the illiberal attack on union rights needs to begin. Mass protests against the passage of the Bill through Parliament should ensue. There has been media comment that specifically anti-strike legislation is a sledge-hammer to crack a nut, with relatively low levels of action compared to previous decades. Yet a rising tide of successful struggles can be discerned just as the Tories begin the class based attack on working people: n Pet food operators Sarval in Doncaster agreed a stonking rise
for its cleaners, from £6.70 to £7.85 an hour. n For five months, water workers in Northern Ireland, the lowest paid in the UK, successfully campaigned for a 4 per cent pay rise. n Porters in Dundee hospitals celebrated victory after a 12-week dispute over grading issues and zero-hours contracts. n Bus workers in Bradford carried out their first walkout in 16 years with a solid picket line, after a return to work, eight days of consecutive strike action were threatened, backed by a 90 per cent majority on an 80 per cent turnout. n Pizza Express workers have begun organising over the deduction of an 8 per cent admin charge on card-paid tips. n Tata’s 17,000 steel workers stood solid in defence of their pension rights, with a 100-strong lay conference of delegates being called to lead the dispute — an important step in democratisation. n Workers in four unions gave solid support for the London Underground stoppage over the introduction of all-night Tube services from September. There are still difficult disputes
of course. Goodyear in Wolverhampton closed. HSBC announced 8,000 lost jobs. And, despite four waves of protest strike action, Bromley Council workers are still faced with a mass privatisation drive, set against a £11 million underspend, with libraries being handed to charities on a plate and replacing staff with volunteers and parks being operated by hedge funds — you couldn’t make it up. We live in a society dominated by dictatorship at work. Management techniques from the parade ground in the public sector, oligarchy in private industry, from the smallest family-owned firm to gigantic transnational corporations. For all the commentary by well-paid learned folk in the broadsheets, for all the splashed scandal in the red tops, where is the recognition of this? We have no choice but to kill this insidious Bill, and doing so show the way for millions of unorganised workers among Generation 21. Could it be that the future course of working-class history, may be on the turn? I think it may just be. n Graham Stevenson is a trustee of the Marx Memorial Library.
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Who let this lot back in? Rob Griffiths looks at how we take on the ruling class in the battle of ideas
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HY did 11 million people vote Conservative at the last general election, even though millions of them had already seen their living standards fall and their public services deteriorate — and were being promised more of the same by Messrs Cameron, Osborne and Duncan Smith? Why did they believe that a government which had choked off one economic recovery, missed every deficit reduction target and presided over a booming national debt was the best option for steering Britain to prosperity? Why do millions of people still think that trade unions were “too strong” in the 1960s and 1970s, although no trade union has ever been strong enough to sack a boss? Why do they believe that thirdworld hunger is primarily the result of indolence, corruption or the climate? Or that the Greek people have been the main beneficiaries of over-generous bail-outs paid for by the rest of us? And why do half of our fellow citizens think that Britain is made safer by the possession of weapons of mass murder that would also be weapons of mass suicide — and could only be used by sociopaths? Socialists and communists might also wonder why many more people don’t also recognise that their own interests and those of their family, the country and the planet would be best served by the creation of a society in which social
ownership, active democracy and economic planning displace corrupt big business power. After all, there are countless instances of people at work and in their communities opposing unfairness, injustice and inequality. When 2,000 respectable citizens march through solidly Conservative Henley-on-Thames to demand future NHS hospital beds — as they did on July 17 — then clearly there is potential for progressive change. But there’s the nub of the problem. Almost everybody can see and hear what’s happening to the local hospital, school or library — or to their family, friends, neighbours and workmates. Moreover, given the right conditions of support and confidence, they may be quite willing to take action about it. It’s the bigger picture that is usually presented to them in an incomplete or distorted fashion. Matters beyond their local knowledge or experience are all too often served up neatly wrapped with comments and interpretations which, at bottom, uphold the capitalist and imperialist status-quo. In the course of the 20th century, through many battles on many fronts, mass trade union, political and social movements have been built which criticise and challenge significant aspects of capitalist exploitation and power. Yet only a minority within these movements — within a minority in fact — are convinced of the need to replace capitalism with the only feasible and foreseeable alternative, namely a socialist society. On the other side, at least as
many people equate socialism and communism not with liberation, freedom and social justice but with tyranny and dictatorship. Of course, all but the most deluded or dishonest revolutionaries will accept that some responsibility for this situation lies in the reality of past violations of socialist principles. But however big these crimes and misdemeanours, they have invariably been magnified a hundred and thousand times by capitalism’s politicians, intellectuals and mass media. Obversely, the heroic efforts of socialists and communists around their world — and their plans for a humane and peaceful future — have been roundly misrepresented when not altogether suppressed. Whatever their own failings and defeats on the industrial and political fronts from time to time, the forces of capitalism and imperialism have so far prevailed on the all-important third — ideological — front. They are winning the battle of ideas, persuading people that, despite its imperfections, capitalism means economic progress, political democracy and personal freedom. This should come as no surprise. Those who own the means of material production also own or control most of the means of mental production — the newspapers, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, film studios and educational institutions. This helps ensure that the ideas of the ruling class are the ruling ideas in society generally. Britain’s mass media operate within a particular ideological framework which determines what
they select to report and how they report it. They impose this same straitjacket on most public commentary and debate — one or two journalists and politicians aside — so that the fundamentals of capitalism, often disguised as “freedom,” “democracy” and “enterprise”) are held to be innately good and immutable, while “socialism” and “communism” are portrayed as inherently dangerous and impractical. In most university economics departments (many re-badged as business schools), neoliberal dogma is preached to the exclusion of Keynesian, Marxist and all other theory, where once the syllabus was shared. The Red Star festival, however, provides an opportunity for the left to consider and debate how it can best challenge the class enemy, its ideas and policies, on every front. What should the left’s response be to a wide-ranging ruling class offensive in Britain and the EU which promotes austerity, privatisation, militarism and diktat? What arguments and policies should we unite around? How can the trade unions, the People’s Assembly, the peace movement and the National Assembly of Women help win the battle of ideas against austerity and inequality within working class communities, inspiring people to fight back on a mass scale — and for a real alternative before the next general election? What can still be achieved through the Labour Party, with or without Jeremy Corbyn as leader? Will there even be a United Kingdom in 2020? Should socialists cam-
paign for Scottish independence or a federal Britain? Then there is the battle on the streets and in people’s minds against racism. How should the left approach Ukip and its anti-immigration arguments? There is the vital task of building a left, progressive and internationalist campaign against the EU in time for the 2017 referendum campaign. How can trade unions be dissuaded from supporting Prime Minister Cameron’s call for a Yes vote to stay in, even after he secures optouts from feeble EU social and employment provisions? Public opinion appears to be almost equally divided over the issue of renewing Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons system. How can that be turned into a majority which demonstrates its opposition in ways the political Establishment cannot ignore? The medium is not the message, but we have new social media and the Morning Star to help inform, educate and mobilise the millions against the ignorance and defeatism fostered by the millionaires. But they face obstacles and threats that need to be clearly understood and overcome. The stakes for workers and their families everywhere — for society and the planet — are as high as ever. With your participation, the Red Star festival can contribute to the process identified by Karl Marx in 1844: “Material force must be overthrown by material force, but theory also becomes a material force as soon as it has gripped the masses.” n Rob Griffiths is general secretary of the Communist Party
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WHAT’S NEXT FOR LABOUR,TRADE UNIONS AND POLITICS? Vince Mills, Martin Mayer, Liz Payne (chair) Roundtable Panal, Marx Memorial Library
THE NHS
12.10 - 13.10
Rahana Azam; People’s March for NHS, Steve Sweeney
Lessons from the East – Politics in Tower Hamlets Nissar Ahmed
13.10 - 13.50
15.00 - 16.00
Focus E15, Sweetsway, Joana Ramiro (Chair)
The New Middle East Plan and the Rise of Terror Navid Shomali, Salam Ali, Rashid Sheikh Liz Payne (Chair)
16.10 - 17.10
17.30 - 18.30
sunday 11.00-12.00
(Double Session)
Using social media
Women in the economy: raising our voice
Build the People’s Assembly in your area
Politics in Trade Union
Political Economy in Britain
Trade Union Freedom: what next?
The European Union
16.10 - 17.10
Jon Schwochert
Mick Costello, Nigel Costley, Liz Payne
Jackie Longworth
Jonathan Michie, Meirian Jump
Claire Groom, Rosie Rawl
John Hendy, Marj Mayo (Chair)
Rose Keeping
Alex Gordon, Anita Halpin (Chair)
RALLY FOR PEACE AND SOCIALISM
With invited speakers including Morning Star editor Ben Chacko, Communist Party general secretary Rob Griffiths and other speakers from throughout Red Star festival
Unions in a cold climate
Trish Lavelle,Tony Conway, Kevan Nelson
Ben Chacko, Ann Field, Tony Burke
Greece, the EU and imperialism
Marxism for beginners
Building the Youth for Socialism
Bungs, Blatter and the Beautiful game
Comrade Dr. Stavros Tassos MP (KKE)
Dr. Angelos Kassianos (EDON), Zoe Hennessey
David Ayrton
Kadeem Simmonds
LUNCH Women’s Question Time
15.00 - 16.00
Pauline Fraser, Jean Geldart, Phil Katz
Kurds in struggle
13.10 - 13.50 13.50 - 14.50
Jonathan White Simon Renton
The battle against fascism
The Significance of History
The media today
12.10 - 13.10
Dialectics – what’s it all about?
LUNCH HOUSING
13.50 - 14.50
Registratio n from 10am at the Marx Memorial Library
Liz Payne(chair), Jean Geldart
How Should Economics be Taught
Global Education Reform
Austerity Britain
South Africa
Claudia Jones - Black, Woman, Communist
Romayne Phoenix, Jon Schwochert
Latin America – hope for the left VSC, NSC, CSC
Jerry Jones
Thembinkosi Obed Mlaba, James Tweedie (Chair)
Broad lefts today Jonathan White
Gawain Little, Dave Wilson
Mary Davis, Chair: Daphne Liddle
LGSM
Short film showing and workshop
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Friday During the day on Friday July 31 you’ll be able to peruse the Morning Star’s newly acquired collection of cartoons by renowned artist Martin Rowson which will be put on display at the Marx Memorial Library. In the evening we play host to the relaunch of the British Peace Assembly, with support from the Co-ordinating Committee of Communist Parties in Britain, Liberation and the National Assembly of Women. Include a speech from Dr Stavros Tassos of the World Peace Council and others. From 6.15pm at the MML.
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MORNING STAR 85 BIRTHDAY bash Music from: Neck Atilla the Stockbroker and more
Speeches from: Ben Chacko Bob Oram
Who’s who? Obed Thembinkosi Mlaba Obed is the current High Commissioner of South Africa and in 1996 he was elected as the first mayor of Durban (Ethekwini), a position he held for six years. Mlaba has an active member of the ANC for 25 years.
Vince Mills Vince is chair of the Scottish Campaign for Socialism, an active member of the Labour Party and contributed to Class, Nation and Socialism: The Red Paper on Scotland. “We need to be the party that rejects austerity, Trident, PFI and privatisation, that wants public ownership of rail and energy, that is absolutely committed to the principle of redistribution.”
Martin Mayer Martin is the chair of United Left, a grouping in Unite committed to promoting a socialist agenda in the union. “Strong unions can and do win!”
Romayne Phoenix Romayne stood as Green Party candidate for Lewisham West & Penge in the 2015 general election. She is a former teacher, campaigns
officer for the London Green Party and committed anti-austerity activist.
Claire Groom
Claire is the former local groups organiser for the People’s Assembly. She is lead organiser of her local group in Waltham Forest and a keen political activist.
Rosie Rawle Rosie is a student activist based at the School of Oriental and African Studies. She is national fundraiser for the People’s Assembly and active in its Norfolk group. She used to be an activist for People and Planet.
Trish Lavelle Trish has been an active trade unionist for over 20 years. She is currently the head of education and training for the Communication Workers Union and has helped to forge links with sister unions around the world.
Jon Schwochert Jon is the website organiser for the People’s Assembly Against Austerity. A member of the London district committee of the Communist Party and former secretary of the South-East London People’s Assembly. He is currently
8pm Saturday at The Good Ship, 289 Kilburn High Rd, London NW6 7JR
some of the speakers on offer this year
the British Wife-Carrying Champion, coming sixth in the World Championship.
Kadeem Simmonds Kadeem is the sports editor for the Morning Star. He writes frequently on both discrimination and inequality in sport.
Joana Ramiro Joana is a journalist for the Morning Star covering social affairs such as housing campaigns and disability rights.
Mary Davis Mary is a professor in labour history, penning books on Sylvia Pankhurst, the history of the Woodcraft Folk, among others. She is a member of the Communist Party executive committee.
Rahana Azam Rahana is the GMB union’s national organiser for the NHS and founder of the People’s March for the NHS.
Chris Guiton Chris is secretary (interim) of the People’s Press Printing Society, the co-operative that publishes the Morning Star.
Jackie Longworth Jackie chairs women’s equality network Fair Play South West and is vice-president of the Women’s Engineering Society. A Labour Party member, she has been active on the South West TUC executive since 2001.
Bob Oram
Liz is chair of the Communist Party and secretary of the National Assembly of Women.
Bob is chair of the People’s Press Printing Society, the co-operative that publishes the Morning Star, and a member of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign executive.
Ben Chacko
Zoe Streatfield
Ben is editor of the Morning Star and a member of the Communist Party political committee.
Zoe is general secretary of the Young Communist League and a member of Unite the Union’s Scottish youth committee.
Liz Payne
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Pic: Sterling Communications/ Creative Commons
a class war we must win ANITA WRIGHT warns that the Tories are going after the entire working class
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OR a long time politicians have tried to sell us the trickle-down theory of economics. That by giving tax breaks and other economic benefits to businesses and high-earners the rest of us will be raised up on the tide of the growing economy. David Cameron and George Osborne, like dodgy car salesmen, are persisting in their attempts to persuade us that the tiny glimpse of economic growth is paying off for everyone at a time when the gap between rich and poor has massively accelerated every year since the financial crisis of 2008. The huge rise in foodbanks and the HSBC Swiss bank scandal clearly puts the lie to this fact. There are now five families in Britain who between them have more wealth than 12.6 million people, the richest 10 per cent of households hold 40 per cent of the wealth. But it’s not just tax-dodging that is fuelling wealth accumulation, it is the enormous income differential that is exacerbating inequality. The huge bonuses for bosses set against rising unemployment and wage freezes for the lower paid is a scandal and does little to regenerate the economy. There are now 1.4 million people on zero-hours contracts, 55 per cent are women. The gender pay gap persists with women earning on average 82p for every £1 earned by men. Around 740,000 16-24-year-olds are
unemployed and many in work are being paid under the minimum wage. Osborne cuts to benefits — which far outweigh the much vaunted but paltry increase in the minimum wage — will only further increase. University of Manchester research, presented to the House of Lords just before the election, shows that despite greater educational attainment, unemployment amongst ethnic minorities is rising. Perhaps this is why the government decided not to issue the Office for National
Statistics report Households Below the Average Income until after the election. The deliberate savaging of the public sector, cuts in the welfare and benefit system, privatisation of the NHS and education and attacks on trade union rights were designed to reduce wages and has been accompanied by a culture of divide and rule. The increase in anti-immigrant propaganda, homophobia, racism, and other forms of discrimination are an inevitable consequence of the austerity agenda. This government isn’t going after just one section of the working class, it’s going after our class as a whole. If we’re to build the kind of unity that’s needed to face this assault, it’s more important than ever for equality to be top of our agenda. n Anita Wright is the president of the National Assembly of Women.
HERE’S little doubt that July 2015 will go down in history as the month when the nature of the EU was fully revealed. Its leaders tossed aside the mandate of an elected government and compelled Greece to accept an austerity programme that will cripple recovery and ensure that its international creditors can never be paid off. More to the point, the enforced settlement will permanently tilt the balance of power in Greece against working people. Labour contracts will be weakened. Social entitlements cut. And the state sector will be sold off to the highest bidder — via a consortium based in Luxemburg. Greece is a small country. Its GDP contributes less than 3 per cent to the EU total. Why then should EU leaders enforce a settlement that so visibly exposes the EU as anti-democratic and pro-big business? In part it represents a warning to others. But it is also a response to wider international conflicts — both economic and political. It warns the Spanish, Italians and French that voting against austerity will only bring grief and humiliation. For the EU’s promoters this was indeed a dangerous signal to give. It rips away the EU’s social-democratic drapery and makes clear that the deflationary neoliberal terms of the EU fiscal compact have to be accepted as permanent and irrevocable. But it was a signal nonetheless judged necessary. Wider international factors made it so. Economic recovery is precarious. The US, Japan and the EU are all printing money. Investment in the real economy remains low and speculative bubbles are building. Worse still, disproportions within the international economy are reaching danger point. The US trade deficit was up 5 per cent in 2014 to $761 billion. Conversely, Germany’s trade surplus was up 5 per cent to $74bn and China’s to around $600bn, again a record. Add these two surpluses and they more or less equate to the US deficit. This was why the International Monetary Fund, as proxy for the US, was pressing for a more “generous” settlement with Greece. The US wants the EU, by far the world’s biggest market, to loosen up fiscally and buy more US goods. So why were the Germans so resistant? Because they see where the world economy is heading. The US is already slowing its printing presses and preparing to raise interest rates. The “emerging markets,” including China, are contracting quite sharply. So, asks German big business, how can our exports be made cheaper still? US big business thinks the same. TTIP is one answer. This is designed to force down labour costs and open up new areas to competition. But neither side knows who will benefit most. Hence the importance for Germany and its allies “completing the internal market” — supported in this case by Britain. Neoliberal economics are crude, if not barbaric. Recessions can ultimately only be ended by cutting labour costs and increasing the rate of profit — not by governments increasing public spending. On paper the EU has all the regulations needed to do this. They operate well in Germany. Contractual employment rights have been slashed in line with the EU’s 2020 programme — significantly reducing union bargaining power. Wages are now lower than Britain’s with a statutory minimum of £5.95. But this progress is menaced by resistance elsewhere. The Single European Act assumed that the movement of labour across the EU would constantly lubricate the free market. Worker migration would eliminate any hot spots of labour bargaining. Germany has benefited from this so far — particularly in eastern Europe where the austerity programmes have reduced wages to less than a quarter of the level in Germany. Migrants have flooded westward and German companies have pushed their supply chains further into
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imperialism’s dirty games JOHN FOSTER examines EU and US meddling in Greece and Ukraine Poland, the Baltic states, Slovakia and Hungary. But what now? German industrialists see the solvency of EU banking institutions is still being undermined by the profligacy of the EU’s south and west and populist movements are threatening the further implementation of EU labour reforms. It is at this point that a another largely unnoticed collision is occurring at international level — one already pregnant with levels of suffering and political disaster that dwarf what is happening in Greece. This is in Ukraine where US and EU interests also clash. For the United States the big economic threat, now and for the future, is not the EU but China. It is China which is the real target of TTIP. This is equally so the hardening up of the Nato alliance in eastern Europe and the Caucasus. China and its current ally Russia must be both strategically isolated and economically penetrated. The February 2014 coup in Kiev was a key
step in this process. The resulting conflict in the east has enabled the US to orchestrate a remilitarisation of the Russian border stretching from Tallinn to Georgia. Nato troops from 18 countries are currently holding military exercises in Ukraine. Germany had rather different plans for the country — as a massive 40 million-deep labour reserve — and it did not necessarily want conflict with its major energy supplier, Russia. The EU association agreement was signed in 2014. The consequential legislation was enacted by the Kiev Parliament last week — the same week as Athens passed its legislation. It requires all relevant aspects of EU law to become law in Ukraine, the EU Court of Justice to become Ukraine’s supreme court, remaining industries to be opened to EU competition, visa-free travel to the EU to be introduced and, to ensure that migrants don’t dally, key social subsidies to be removed — most critically those for heating and fuel.
This would not be so serious if post-coup Ukraine was not already fast becoming a failed state. Unemployment is running at 25 per cent, industrial production has fallen 30 per cent and the currency lost two-thirds of its value. Debts of $20bn, mainly owned by US hedge funds, have to be repaid imminently. Default is likely — with wages already less than a sixth of those in Germany. The real danger is, however, political. Government institutions are collapsing as pro-US and pro-EU factions by vie for control and fascist militias are taking over the streets. Two weeks ago the fascist Right Sector militia got involved in a shoot-out with police in which three people were killed. Pro-US Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who had close links with fascists during the coup, defended Right Sector. Pro-EU President Petro Poroshenko, who has made some unsuccessful efforts to disband the militias, disagreed — to the fury of the Right Sector leaders.
On July 21 thousands of fascist supporters assembled in the Maidan. Their demand was for the resignation of the Poroshenko government and a referendum to “complete the national revolution.” Economic and political circumstances in Ukraine now bear a dangerous resemblance to those in Germany in 1932. In condemning EU actions against Greece, all those in Britain valuing our remaining democratic rights must also speak out against the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine. n There will be a picket of the Ukrainian embassy in London on Saturday July 25 at 11.30am to protest against anti-communist legislation. This makes any promotion of Marxism, including the distribution of writings by Marx, a criminal offence. n John Foster is international secretary of the Communist Party
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Racism and fascism: fighting then, fighting now
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ENIN viewed racism as a product and a tool of bourgeois society. Racism is used to win over working-class people to sacrificing and dying for imperial adventures abroad – in Lenin's time, Tsarist expansion in central and east Asia, in our time, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – and also to divide different sections of workers, who would otherwise be the overwhelming majority, in their struggles for economic freedom and political power. Therefore, racism was a definite obstacle to socialist revolution. The way to overcome these national rivalries was to build an "international" of socialists from all over the world. This is true today as it was in the early years of the 20th century. Indeed we have seen where this tool ends up with the mass genocides of that century. It remains the case that racism is a tool used to divide our class. These divisions see themselves most prevalent when the mass media blames immigrant communities for taking jobs and services. Migration Watch, a self-styled research group, are given maximum air time for example with their recent report into the numbers of people from eastern Europe who claim benefits. The figures used are rarely if ever challenged.
by Tony Conway David Cameron’s speech was regarded as “brave” when he again linked extremism to Muslim communities. At no stage did he look to analyse why communities may become radicalised – or even what this term means. It is used as a means to increase the sur-
veillance society and blame whole sections of the working class. The end result of this will be more attacks on the streets from the likes of the English Defence League and the more openly neonazi National Action. It will also be used to justify more militarism abroad: the bombing of Syria already exposed by the Morning Star, further forays into Iraq. We forget at our peril the root causes of
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racism. We also must remember the conditions created by Western imperialist powers which has led to the mass movement of whole populations, more than at any time since the second world war. We allow the bombing of Palestine – indeed, we allow production and sale of weapons for the Israeli army. We bombed Libya and invaded Iraq. We continue to impose economic solutions on developing countries which result in more poverty and destitution. And we oppose those countries which want to develop their own solutions to crises of capitalism. Many on the left look to the EU as an international solution. This as we have seen with Greece and people drowning in the Mediterranean cannot be a solution. Communists have consistently warned that “fortress Europe” it not a force for international good. Communists say that racism must be opposed and combated in all its forms and wherever it emerges – we welcome the collapse of the BNP but that is not the end of the matter. Broad anti-racist campaigns must be rebuilt using local trades unions and communities. We see the campaign against austerity playing a central part as some of our class supported by others seek to blame lack of services on their neighbours.
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n @CPBritain n @redstarfestival n @MarxMemorialLib
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n @M_Star_Online
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Book online http://goo.gl/K8Ygr0 or phone 07494 179-220 for discounted tickets. Full festival pass Full £25 Concessions £12.50 Saturday day Full £15 Concessions £7.50 Morning Star 85th birthday bash Sat evening £10 Sunday day Full £15 Concessions £7.50 I’ve enclosed a cheque/postal order payable to “MML” Credit card (circle appropriate): Visa/Delta/Electron/Mastercard/Eurocard Card number: _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ - _ _ _ _ Security code _ _ _ Valid from _ _ _ _ Expires _ _ _ _
Festival partners:
Communist Party
Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School
NCP, YCL and the Co-ordinating Committee of CPs in Britain