The Socialist by Socialist Party

PAPER OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY

ISSUE 90

Tell the Government...

WE WON’T PAY!

IN APRIL & MAY

MARCH 2015

INSIDE

End political policing

Paul Murphy TD on Greece vs Troika

International Women’s Day

Water bills arrive in April & May, so remember:

Join the Socialist Party

n Mass non-payment can sink Irish water

Text ‘Join’ to 087 3141986

n Join the National AntiWater Charges Protest: 2PM Saturday, 21st March, Garden of Remembrance

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March 2015

news

THE SOCIALIST

shortcuts L’Oreal Taoiseach – “Because I’m worth it”

By Dave Murphy

100% Dissatisfaction Guaranteed The National youth Council of Ireland last week launched a new study into every employers’ favourite free labour scheme JobBridge, titled JobBridge: Stepping Stone or Dead end? The report exposes the reality of JobBridge from the intern’s point of view – 44% of interns felt that the scheme was being used ‘solely for free labour’. 58% of interns said that they weren’t, or were only sometimes, treated with the same respect as other staff members. But if it’s so bad how come only 43 companies are banned? Well, that’s probably got something to do with the fact that 55.7% of interns said that they were unaware they could complain. The statistic which really undermines the government’s whole approach to so-called labour activation schemes is that of the 13% of people who were forced onto JobBridge or faced having their dole cut – 100%, every single one of them – were dissatisfied with the scheme.

Enda Kenny earns €3,500 a week

The Low pay Commission, the Labour party’s new shiny thing to try to distract workers, didn’t get off to the best of starts in February. This body, which has been set up to ‘investigate’ low pay and make recommendations on the minimum wage, was just being launched to the media when the Taoiseach had his ‘L’Oreal moment.’ enda Kenny had just finished lowering the expectations of any worker who thought that this commission might recommend a meaningful raise in their wages by saying that raises would be ‘incremental’ and ‘minimal’. Sitting at a table with Low pay Commission blazoned across the front the Taoiseach was asked if he was worth his €3,500 a week wage. “very much so” was his reply, not only that but this reflected wages which had been ‘cut to the bone’!

Housing crisis will grow as rents skyrocket 52 families became homeless in January because of rent increases by landlords. rents outside of Dublin have shot up by 10.8% in 2014, while in Dublin this is at 15% according to Daft.ie. however these figures hide some of the more extreme cases of rent increase – for instance a couple in Dublin last month went public with their story after their landlords sought to increases the rent by 51%, while rent increases of 20%-30% have been reported by different media sources.

Sinn Féin propose Jobbridge repackaged having previously said that they would scrap JobBridge if they were in government, Sinn Fein produced a document entitled Displacing JobBridge last month. unfortunately, while it may change the name on the label and give interns a few rights, it fundamentally accepts the underlying core philosophy behind JobBridge and continues the structural reform to welfare and accepts this embeds the idea of ‘working for free’ which JobBridge is part of. under their scheme the unemployed are still subjected to working for free. By

Rents have risen by 15% in Dublin

Labour Party Conference 2015 finis hes up with a (not very) rousing rendition of the Red Flag

proposing an alternative scheme Sinn Fein accept the idea of labour activation schemes which have at their core, the idea that the unemployed are lazy and need to be forced to get work.

A picture is worth a thousand words Out of fear of embarrassment the organisers of the Labour party conference printed 600 copies of the lyrics of “The red Flag”. unfortunately, judging by this picture, its seems that most of the delegates were too worn-out by the holiday speechifying, group therapy sessions and telling alan Kelly how great he was to bother turning up for it. Or maybe they saw the hypocrisy of them singing it, but we doubt it because if

FIGHT “W THIS ROTTEN SYSTEM

JOIN THE SOCIALISTS TODAY TEXT “JOIN” TO 087 3141986

We know, they know, everybody knows, this is no longer just about the water charges. This is about who rules in Irish society. It's about the possibility of a massive, left movement in this country for an economic and political revolution. It's about the possibility of ending the rule of the bankers and bondholders. It's about the possibility of fundamental and socialist change and about bringing about, for the first time in this state – together with our brothers and sisters across Europe – the rule of the majority, the rule of the 99%.”

– Extract from speech by Anti Austerity Alliance TD & Socialist Party member Paul Murphy

Labour ‘s Conference – meaningless motions & bravado declarations The annual Labour party weekend of self –delusion has passed for another year. Newspapers and social media are full of news of motions which were passed by their conference. Full of bravado, declarations appeared on Twitter that Labour stands for restoring the dole for u-26s, supports the repeal of the 8th amendment, among many others. But come Monday morning when they return to the Dail, the reality will hit Labour party members – that if their own manifesto had little chance of being implemented, it’s not looking too good for the motions.

Kenny says: Wage rises will be “incremental” & “minimal”

e do not live – that's clear to people – in a genuinely free or democratic society. We live in a society where the media, the guards, the courts, are all used to protect the interests of the rich and the powerful against the rest. that's the case right now, but it's been the case since the very foundation of this state.

Look at the Rossport Five, jailed for standing up to Shell. Look at Margaretta D'Arcy, jailed for standing up to the US war machine. Look at the bin charges protesters. Look at all those injuncted and jailed workers in the past for standing up to employers.

there’s one thing the Labour party is full of, it’s hypocrites.

March 2015

3 THE SOCIALIST

column

dUring the last seven years of austerity, the irish Congress of trades Unions (iCtU) and its biggest component, Siptu, capitulated utterly in front of the diktats of the financial markets as imposed by the troika resulting in working class people being forced to salvage the capitalist finance system.

SiPtU labour betrayal The ICTU and Siptu leadership shamefully supported the abject betrayal of the Labour Party government continuing with the austerity programmes and bank bailouts that Fianna Fail and the Greens began. They refused to mobilise their membership in opposition to the cuts and extra

taxes. With Labour facing savage retribution in the General Election as working class people pay it back for its betrayals, Jack O’Connor is desperately looking for some other political forces to hang onto in the next government. Hence the ‘courtship ritual’ that has emerged into public view involving Siptu and Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein is also very anxious to do business with Siptu and Jack O’Connor. On February 8, Gerry Adams, made a speech to his party members in Mullingar, in which he warmly welcomed a call by Jack O’Connor to ‘Social Democrats, Left Republicans and Independent Socialists . . . to set aside sectarian divisions

Damning report on inequality

and develop a political project aimed at winning the next general election on a common platform, let’s call it Charter 2016’. Adams called on trade union leaders like O Connor to look to Sinn Fein referring to ‘the unrequited support given to the Labour Party by some in the leadership of the trade union movement. This misplaced loyalty . . .now risks the very credibility of well meaning individuals.’ Behind the scenes Sinn Fein talked up the significance of this speech resulting in a front page article in The Sunday Times before it was delivered. At a fringe meeting during the Labour Party Conference in Killarney on the last weekend of February, Jack O Connor heaped praise on Sinn Fein’s housing strategy and demanded that the Labour Party be prepared to join a ‘centre Left government’, which would involve Sinn Fein. What we have here is cynical positioning in the lead in to the general election, now at most a year away but already very much in the minds of the protagonists

who will be fighting for power. Sinn Fein is desperately anxious to increase its credibility and ‘respectability’ and thereby extend its vote catchment possibilities by achieving endorsements from trade union leaders. Those leaders are preparing to embrace Sinn Fein as Labour sinks. What is completely absent is any honest critique of the disastrous role of the trade union leaders in supporting Labour in government or of the horrific programme of austerity that Sinn Fein has just signed up to in the North under the guise of the Stormont House Agreement. Twenty thousand public sector jobs are to be axed while corporation tax on big business is to be reduced. This has caused huge anger in the North with strikes and demonstrations on 13 March.

Sinn Féin is not a party of the left A new government that would not be prepared to challenge and defy the diktats of the finan-

cial markets and the capitalist establishment and take strong measures to take democratic public ownership of the banks and other key economic resources, will not be able to resolve the debt crisis and the major problems in the current situation. Sinn Fein will not play this role. It is not a Left party but a nationalist party that makes ‘necessary’ compromises with the capitalist establishment as seen in the North. Neither are the main union leaders prepared to support a radical alternative. Sinn Fein in government and these leaders will simply lean on each other for cover as opposition among working class people inevitably emerges at their failure resolve the pressing problems of society. That is why a new, principled movement against austerity and capitalism needs to be built.

Joe Higgins is a Socialist Party TD for Dublin West

No sell-off to IAG!

Re-nationalise Aer Lingus By Cllr. Mick Barry

illie Walsh’s international airlines Group (iaG) is still bidding for control of aer lingus as The socialist goes to press. Should IAG succeed in its endeavours Aer Lingus will be 100 percent privatised following its 75% privatisation under the previous Fianna Fail-led administration.

Willie Walsh’s ruthless record By Diana O’Dwyer A neW report by tASC shows that ireland has the worst ‘market income’ inequality in the eU before tax and social welfare. l the top one percent of households receive ten percent of wages, profits and rents, or €373,000 on average. l the top ten percent receive a third of market income and own 42-58% of wealth. l the bottom ten percent receive 3.1%. l the average wage of the bottom 90% – the vast majority of workers – is €27,400. l Workers’ share of national income fell from 65% in 1990 to 56% in 2009. l even after tax and social welfare, two-thirds of households had a gross income under €35,000 in 2011. l the cost of living in ireland is 20% above the eU average. l Childcare costs comprise 27% of net income compared to 11% across the eU. All of this shows the impact of real wage cuts of 11.5% since the crash and wage moderation in exchange for income tax cuts under ‘social partnership’ before that. This has facilitated low wage employers and left a minority of well-paid employees paying the majority of income tax. Driving it all has been Ireland’s role as a haven for foreign and domestic capital, which is stealing more of the value of the goods and services workers produce, while paying less tax. The result has been public services starved of funding, demands for cuts to the top rate of income tax for the wealthiest income earners, and regressive taxes like water charges that shift the burden onto the working class.

Willie Walsh is a ruthless capitalist with a track record of smashing any obstacle in the way to maximising profits for corporate shareholders. As boss of British Airways Walsh announced the axing of 1700 cabin crew in 2009 and suspended 80 and sacked 13 in the ensuing strike. Under Walsh’s ruthless management British Airway’s parent company International Airlines Group has seen profits soar. Their preexceptional operating profits for 2014 have soared 80% to €1.39bn and are expected to climb to €2.2bn in 2015. Walsh’s reputation has gone before him and he has attempted to pre-empt criticism of his takeover bid by offering various guarantees in advance. The key guarantee he has given is that under IAG control Aer Lingus slots at Heathrow will be used to serve only Irish routes for 5 years. A 5 year guarantee even if honoured means that the use made of the slots after that point would depend entirely on what was good for IAG’s corporate shareholders. If it was not in the interests of IAG’s corporate shareholders to

Willie Walsh: A ruthless capitalist

use the slots for Irish routes only then that wouldn’t happen. If that spells bad news for jobs at Aer Lingus – tough. If that spells bad news for Cork and Shannon Airports – tough. The Aer Lingus board openly supports the IAG takeover bid. Board members stand to make €30 million in share bonuses from a sale. There also seems to be support for the bid from within the trade union establishment at Aer Lingus. Despite being censured by Aer Lingus unions, the secretary of the Central Representative Council Myles Worth has voiced his support for the plan. Former Labour Minister Pat Rabbitte has openly come out in favour of 100 percent privatisation. His views are no doubt shared by colleagues at Cabinet level but with an election looming Ministers have had to be more wary. As we go to press, Transport Minister Paschal Donohue says that he would be more open to a deal if the guarantee were extend-

ed to 10 years. The Government seem to be planning to “split the difference” if Walsh shows a willingness to move on his 5 year offer. All the arguments against a 5 year guarantee apply in the case of a 7, 8 or 10 year deal as well.

Pressure must be put on government Workers at Aer Lingus and the communities served by Cork, Shannon and Knock should resist very strongly moves to sell the Government stake in Aer Lingus. Pressure should be applied on both Government parties and, in particular, the vulnerable Labour Party. Aer Lingus should be brought into public ownership based on an elected board of working class people working in Aer Lingus and those who use the service. It could be run in a fundamentally different manner to the bureaucratic way it was run when it was a state company and is the only way to safeguard against it being pawned off to the likes of Willie Walsh.

opinion & news

JOE HIGGINS the

“Sinn Fein has just signed up to... the Stormont House Agreement. Twenty thousand public sector jobs are to be axed while corporation tax on big business is to be reduced”

March 2015

water charges news

THE SOCIALIST

Mass non-payment gets organised WE WON'T PAY reports:

Cork: People find the idea of local groups in their community organising against water charges really attractive. If you are conscious about recruiting people to activity or funding the work, it will pay off. On one stall outside a community shop, we raised €65 in under an hour and a half. We will be having a march followed by a mass indoor rally in Cork in April to really launch the active non-payment campaign

We discuss political topics – like what’s happening in Greece – but also deal with practical questions and scenarios that may come up. By giving people more confidence, we have gotten more people involved in the public activities.

Dublin South West: There has been a real vibrancy about the campaign in recent weeks. The attacks from the State have demonstrated to people the need to get involved, to get active and get our key arguments across to people who might be scared. We have three times as many people involved now as we did before the Jobstown arrests. Stalls and street meetings have

Dublin North East: When we have lots on one stall it can turn into a bit of leaflet drop. You’re not convincing people to not pay and the whole activity loses its purpose. We’ve tried to be more vibrant recently, using a little whiteboard where we ask people to write down why they aren’t paying the water charge. We take a picture of them and upload it onto the Facebook page where it gets shared a lot. Doing this on the stall means that it can be easier for newer activists to talk to people and talk through the reasons why people shouldn’t pay.

been effective ways of reaching out to people.

Limerick:

Since the new year we have concentrated on building up local non-payment campaigns in communities across the city. The logic being that we are up against a huge machine, we’re already seeing the attacks in the media ratchet up in recent weeks. That’s only going to escalate. We already have about 85 or so activists doing activities. The plan is get many more involved so we can go door to door in April and May, and decisively answer the misinformation and secure massive levels of non-payment!

Why I got involved in “WE WON'T PAY” Amanda Keane, Janesboro, limerick: “As a mother, I felt it important to stand up for my children who’ll be paying bills in 2019. From being involved I’ve seen that people are struggling in all walks of life and it’s those on the ground building the campaigns who are helping people, not the politicians from the big parties.” eddie o’Sullivan, Kilealy, limerick: “I got involved in the anti-water charges campaign because I was sick of all the corruption and saw a chance to fight back. I had never been involved in anything like this, but saw a people rising. I see clearer now how people are oppressed and our rights have been taken off us.”

Dublin West: We’ve been trying to have good activist meetings regularly as many people have never done anything like this before.

Building non-payment – the next steps By Cllr. Cian Prendiville

ver april and May every house in the country will receive a water bill for either €40 or €65 for the first quarter of the year. This will be the crucial make or break period for the antiwater charges movement. local groups have to seize the time before the bills drop to activate non payers and get ready for that big push. We need to convince people that it is not enough to simply not pay. The government know thousands will not pay, and will have marches. They are expecting that. However they are hoping to isolate those of us who are definitely not paying from those who are opposed to water charges but are unsure whether to pay are not. They want to scare those undecided people into paying, panic them with lies and scaremongering. Therefore non-payers must get active in convincing the undecided to boycott too.

responding to the bills If we can do that, and convince

enough people to boycott the bills, we can cripple Irish Water financially. That would this a huge political crisis and forcing this government or the next to abolish the charge. Mass non-payment defeated water charges before – it will do it again. Polls show that for every one person planning to not pay, there is another considering it. Therefore if we have a strong enough non-payment drive when the bills drop, we can double the numbers of nonpayers. Groups should have plans to get to every house in the area in April and May, focusing on those undecided and answering their fears. We need to counter the scaremongering with facts: l There are no penalties for nonpayment in July 2016. l Revenue is not involved so they can't take it out of your income. l They cannot turn down your water pressure. That means people who are nervous can safely boycott these bills without any fear of penalties until after a general election. In the meantime, high levels of non-payment can force their abolition in the election. By going door to door and talking about these facts, we

Campaign should have a visible presence in every community

will be able to convince even those who want to hedge their bets to hold out.

organise now This, however, will require large teams of activists who are armed with the facts, and know why it is so important to spread the word.

We only have a few weeks left to build this up. We must be out every week on stalls, and community meetings, talking to people and asking them to get involved, and to donate to the campaign. Everyone who signs a petition, or gives us a thumbs up should be asked to help out. If they agree, get their details

and follow up with them to figure out some activity they can help with within a week. Whether that is a stall, leafleting their post office or just taking leaflets to deliver in their own estate – the key thing is they do something, and that we keep linking in with them and convince them to get more active once the bills drop. how we should organise between now and May l Organise local stalls and meetings, asking everyone to get involved in the campaign. They can drop campaign leaflets in their area and help organise meetings and activities. l Raise funds for the campaign on stalls and through fundraisers like pub quizzes l Build for the March 21st national protest in Dublin. Let’s have tens of thousands on the streets. l Organise a big local meeting or rally to launch the non-payment drive at the beginning of April. l Organise door-to-door activities and let people the key reasons why they should not pay l National protest April 18th called by “Non-Payment Network” – bring your bills along and bin them.

March 2015

5 THE SOCIALIST

No jailings, No arrests….

By Cllr. Michael O’Brien

harp lessOns have been learnt by antiwater charges campaigners in the course of the last six months about the role of the repressive arm of the state (Gardai, judiciary and prisons) when it comes to curbing effective protest tactics like blockading ministerial cars and preventing meter installation.

one law for the working class… For many people it has been a revelation that policing austerity is clearly more of a priority in the allocation of Garda resources than dealing with crime. Specifically in the case of Tallaght, the dedication of an incident room and four Garda inspectors over a two and a half month period between the Joan Burton protest in Jobstown and the arrest of 23 activists and public representatives including Paul Murphy is political policing. A refrain of politicians and media types has been that the law must be adhered to as if the law and how it is applied is blind to the reality of the struggle that is going on in society.

…another for the super-rich The reality is that the rule book is out the window when it suits the interest of the super-rich. Consider the total absence of prosecutions arising from the recent exposure of the existence of 300 HSBC Swiss accounts held by Irish citizens for tax purposes. Scores of complaints that have been made by people to the Health and Safety Authority of unsafe work practices on the part of water meter installers typically did not resulted in any follow up action and in only one instance result in a temporary site closure. Finally GMC Sierra, owned by Denis O’Brien, successfully bid for a massive chunk of the contracts for meter installation even though the company was not properly registered for a full two weeks after the tendering process closed.

Attack on anti-water charges movement The state picked its moment for the arrests and jailings. They could have occurred at an earlier stage but politics came into the timing. The establishment, despite having made a significant temporary retreat on the billing regime in November, saw yet

10,000 took to the streets in Dublin to protest against political policing

another mass protest on 10 December. The government did not budge any further provoking an amount of debate within the campaign about the next steps for the struggle. Confusion over the status of the 31 of January as a national Right2Water day of local actions saw a relatively smaller turnout which has been spun wrongly as a sign that the campaign is ebbing. However the momentum was interrupted and the state saw an opportunity to move in with arrests and jailings coupled with a media campaign of demonisation, all in an effort to separate the broad mass of ‘good protesters’ who they claim

are now pacified from what they paint as a militant unrepresentative minority.

Fight attacks & build mass non-payment A response at two levels is required by the anti-water charges movement. It is vital that all of the anti-water charges movement responds to the repressive measures through specific protest actions themed around the right to protest and opposition to political policing, the likes of which were organised outside the Department of Justice and Mountjoy Prison. Likewise with effective counter-

propaganda through the media and public representatives to expose political policing, an approach that paid off in Tallaght as the arrests tapered off at 23 when up to 40 were originally planned. Then positively basing ourselves on the registration figures which are a disaster for Irish Water and the fact that opinion polls show that at most only 40% of people are inclined to pay, we have to re-activate as many people as possible through big events like the 21 March Right2Water which, alongside consistent local work that serves to organise nonpayment, will be the winning of this struggle.

Dogs of war unleashed in Jailed for effective protesting Tallaght By Cllr. Kieran Mahon

he arresTs of four political activists (including three aaa elected representatives and socialist party members) for the two and half hour impeding of Joan Burton’s car in a protest in Jobstown last november came a week after another shambolic registration deadline for irish Water. Initial arrests were followed up with daily dawn raids as locals who had participated in the Protest of about 700 people were arrested and interrogated. These overtly political arrests were consolidated as teenagers as young as 14, 15 and 16 were arrested in swoops by up to ten Gardai. These were designed to criminalise activists, split the community and demonise the movement. However, the instinctive reaction was one of solidarity. Unapologetic activists used national media to counter government

spin, daily protests accompanied arrests and local and national demonstrations were quickly organised. Hardened by the jailing of five water meter protesters, up to 10,000 marched in Dublin on 21 Fe b r u a r y against political policing and in defence of their movements. Despite media reports of 40 expected arrests it has (currently) stalled at 25 in the face of huge anger though files have been sent to the DPP. Tallaght, with the byelection victory of Paul Murphy, the Jobstown protest and a huge level of organic activity is a working class community that is part of the national battle against water charges. There is a heightened political mood and an awareness that the government can be defeated.

Free the five now!

By Linda Schuetz on 19 February the high court sent five anti-water charges activists to jail: damien o'neill and Paul Moore for 56 days, Bernie hughes, derek Byrne and Michael Batty for 28 days. They are all from North east of Dublin where water meter installation has been blocked or hindered since metering started in 2014 – inspiring resistance elsewhere.

In November GMC Sierra (Company owned by Denis O’Brian, multibillionaire in tax exile and media magnate) obtained an injunction 20-metre exclusion zone around water installation, an attack on the right to effective protest by the High Court. The five were sentenced exclusively for breaching this injunction. All other charges were dropped. Together with the arrests of 23 people in Tallaght this is an

attack on the right to protest and is designed to criminalise and split the movement. The movement against the water charges answered this with a brilliant demonstration with more than 10,000 people only two days later, demanding the release of the jailed activists and the end of political policing. Stop enforcing austerity on behalf of the bankers and bondholders, using the guards, the courts and the media.

political policing

End political policing!

March 2015

special feature

THE SO

HE EFFECTIvE annulment of the Greek election results by the European capitalist governments and institutions was a defeat, writes PAuL MuRPHy TD. It need not be fatal – instead, a lost battle in an ongoing and Europe-wide class war. An essential prerequisite for this is open acknowledgement of defeat, analysis of why it happened and preparation for a renewed battle

T has rich lessons for socialists all across europe. in reality, the roots of the defeat are to be found in a particular reformist strategic line of the syriza leadership, which under-estimated the scale of the struggle facing them and the ruthlessness of the capitalist classes in europe in resisting any challenge.

eCB goes on the attack The Syriza leadership felt that more significant concessions would be granted by the European institutions and German government. They thought that the ECB would be hesitant about pulling the trigger of destroying the Greek banking system for fear of a banking crisis spreading elsewhere in Europe. They also thought that the European authorities would be unwilling to risk Greek exit from the euro because of the damage that any one country leaving would have on the Eurozone project as a whole. These assessments have turned out to be mistaken. The threat of political contagion, of Left governments successfully challenging odious debt and austerity, has proved to

how can the Greek wo class defeat the Troik be more significant to the capitalist classes in Europe than any economic contagion. They are willing to destroy a national banking system and force a country out of the Eurozone in order to send a chilling message to others across Europe thinking about electing a Left government.

euro is a neo-liberal straitjacket

In essence, the experience in the last months should definitively answer the question as to whether any “good euro” strategy is possible – whether it is possible to implement anti-austerity measures, while sticking to the euro at all costs and not decisively challenging capitalism. It is not. The rules of the Economic and Monetary Union and the EU itself are a neo-liberal straitjacket – designed to ensure adherence to right-wing economic policies. Therefore, any

genuinely Left government must be prepared to pursue its demands of debt repudiation and an end of austerity to the end, even if it means being kicked out of the euro. It must prepare people generally for the need for a confrontation with the interests of capital in Europe, in order to start to restructure the economy and society on a democratic socialist basis – organised for the interests of people, rather than for profit- maximisation.

Without significant debt writedown or total repudiation, any Left government will be crippled before it starts by massive interest payments. Rather than tamely appealing for a deal in the interests of all in Europe – it is necessary to argue for a resolution in the interests of the working classes across Europe – for a strategy of debt repudiation, at the expense of the rich bondholders and bankers.

EU: A Europe for the markets and corporations By Finghin Kelly the thin cloak of democracy that eU leaders like to cover themselves in was graphically pulled away in the aftermath of the recent greek elections. the President of the european Commission, Jean Claude Juncker commented that “there can be no democratic choice against the european treaties”, while the german Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble stated that "elections change nothing. there are rules” Henry Ford famously said that “people can have whatever colour car they like, as long as it is black”. This is exactly the attitude of EU leaders towards elections; for them, people can have whatever government they like as long as it’s an austerity government!

threats and blackmail after greek election The recent Greek election was a clear rejection of austerity policies

and an expression of the desire of working people in Greece for an alternative to the economic destruction that is taking place in the country. This election was warmly welcomed by working class people all across Europe. Rather than recognise this and put an end to austerity policies, EU leaders responded with threats and blackmail. This included the ECB threatening to cut off funds to Greek banks; a move which would have triggered a massive crisis.

Contempt for democracy This contempt for democracy by the EU is not a new development. Due to the massive opposition to austerity policies, the capitalist classes around Europe have had to attack democratic rights in order to impose their will. The right to strike and the right to protest have been severely curtailed in many countries. In the course of the crisis we have seen silent coups in Greece

and Italy with the replacement of elected governments with ‘technocrats’. In the case of Italy a former a Goldman Sachs advisor, Mario Monti, was parachuted in as Prime Minister. The unelected troika have dictated brutal cuts, privatisations and reforms that have plunged millions into poverty.

Austerity is law From its birth the euro has tied governments into a neo-liberal straight jacket. Spending levels of national governments have been curtailed. These rules have become stricter over the years. In 2011 the so-called “6 pack” shifted is important powers away from elected governments and toward the unelected Commission. The Austerity Treaty a year later went even further in curtailing democratically elected governments from deciding on its own budgetary policy. The Treaty forces governments to balance its budgets and therefore ties future governments into neo-liberal and austeri-

ty policies by limiting its ability to increase spending even on measures to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Governments that stray outside the rules can see their votes removed in the Council and if that is not enough to tame an anti austerity government, EU funding for infrastructural and social projects can be blocked.

how big business run the eU These policies are just a result of a mistaken policy or down to a few ‘bad apples’ at the top. The EU at its core is a pro-big business institution that pushes policies that are in the interests of the capitalist classes around Europe. Austerity is pushed as it acts to shift wealth away from working class people and towards big business through cuts in social spending and downward pressure on labour costs. Big business dominates EU decision making. The Commission, which is the pivotal institution in

No to an austerity Europe for the bank

March 2015

OCIALIST thousand demonstrated at short notice in support of the Greek government, demanding a firm stand be taken against the Eurogroup.

Active working class movement is crucial A radical Left government would consciously advocate this activity from below, but also for it to be given a structured basis, through the establishment of popular assemblies on a workplace and community basis, with elected delegates from these coming together. Appeals to working people across Europe to take the same path would be vital for a Left government, as would the development of deep connections and partnerships with other Left governments in Europe, as a step towards socialist change across Europe. While recent events in Greece are a setback, they do not alter the fundamental picture. The election of a Left government in Europe is historic. It opens the door to further challenges both in Greece, elsewhere in the periphery of Europe and even in the core. Socialists must study carefully events in Greece and elsewhere in Europe and prepare for a fundamental showdown with capitalism in Europe.

orking ka? Anti-capitalist socialist policies needed In response, we know from events in the last weeks, there would likely be an attempt to collapse the banking system by the ECB and effectively force the country out of the euro. A Left government would therefore have to quickly move to assert democratic control over the national central bank and to prepare for euro-exit.

kers

The State – a tool to defend the rule of the 1% By Laura Fitzgerald THE OCCUPY movement that began in the US in 2011 coined the terms, the 1% and the 99%. The movement was evocatively referring to the existence of a ruling class, encapsulated in the term the 1% a – the super-rich elite that owns and controls the key global wealth, resources and means of production. The movement’s rallying-cry was quite prophetic as the most recent global Oxfam wealth report indicates that by 2016, the 1% richest in the world will hold more wealth than the other 99% of the global population.

dictatorship of banks & big business As for this global 99%, the majority are poor, many extremely poor, and a large section of which are working class – that is they sell their labour as workers to survive for most of their lives, as well as their families, dependents etc. While the upper echelons of the 99% per se may have, or may feel they have quite a strong stake in the status quo, the potential for the majority of the 99% to side with an active, conscious working class, united in struggle against the dictatorship of the markets, the financiers and corporate rule, is huge. “We are the 99%” highlighted that the super-wealthy and powerful are a tiny minority. In order to keep such an elite in power, capitalism, organised on the basis of nation states, requires a repressive state apparatus. This protection of the status quo, of the rule of the 1%, is at its most essential, the role of the state – the courts, the police and army etc.

Maintaining the status quo 100,000 people protested against the Troika in Greece in February

the EU, is unelected. Commissioners and senior Commission officials have very close links with big business; many having worked for, or with close ties to, big corporations. Brussels is also packed with corporate lobbyists. There are estimated to be between 15,00030,000 lobbyists dedicated to influencing decision making. Lobbyists also have very deep pockets, for example, one single piece of legislation which would have seen clearer labelling of food triggered a €1 billion campaign by food industry lobbyists to have it blocked in the European Parliament.

For a socialist europe We need to get organised to defend democratic rights. To do this we need to also challenge the dominance of big business. Instead of this authoritarian neoliberal EU which pushes austerity, we need to see a truly democratic and socialist Europe based on genuine international solidarity between working people that puts the interests of the millions ahead of the millionaires.

Of course, there’s an objective necessity from the point of view of the maintenance of the status quo, that this bias and repression is not obvious or blatant at all moments in time, however, in times of heightened class conflict, and most especially of increasing working class consciousness, organisation and struggle, the role of the state can be seen clearly. At this moment, the role of the state has been exposed to the thousands of anti-water charges campaigners and beyond. GMC Sierra was able to get an injunction with the aim of preventing effective anti-water metering protesting. Five activists have been jailed for breaking this injunction. Or look at the state’s attack on Jobstown. Civil disobedience of mass, peaceful sit-down protest that’s a well-established political act going back to Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement and earlier, has been branded as a form of kidnap. It’s extremely serious that 23 working class people from one relatively small but extremely hardpressed working class community who participated in a protest have been arrested, and that Anti Austerity Alliance TD, Paul Murphy, is facing serious charges as he’s painted as the ‘ring-

leader’ by Gardai – but it’s also farcical as it exposes the state so clearly. Malcolm X’s warning, that on an a average day might sound like hyperbole, is razor-sharp: “If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” With Joan Burton, Minster for Homelessness, Water Charges and Cuts to Child Benefit, as victim and a working class community devastated by austerity as oppressor – the media certainly warmed the state up for its attack. All sections of the establishment have been incensed and enraged by claims of ‘political policing’ by Anti Austerity Alliance public reps. Why have they reacted so? Because they do not like it when the nefarious workings of their system are exposed. They hold the independence of the Judiciary, the Gardai and the Dail in high regard – but this ‘independence’ is totally meaningless when the upper echelons of the Gardai, the Judiciary, and the Government of the day unite in times of class strife, to consciously defend the rule of the 1% status quo! Though it may not be orchestrated in a conspiratorial fashion – it’s fundamentally the truth.

Who makes up the ruling class? Look at the class background of the judiciary – mixing in the same elite schools, with the same future business men and women – they propagate the class divide. A 2014 report on ‘social mobility’ in Britain for example, found that despite the fact that just 1% of the UK public was educated at Oxbridge, graduates from those universities made up 75% of senior judges, 59% of cabinet posts, 57% of permanent secretaries, 50% of diplomats, 47% of newspaper columnists, 44% of public body chairs and 33% of BBC executives. A movement of the working class and all the oppressed can challenge and overcome the apparatus that enables the rule of the 1% if such a movement has an understanding of the role of the state, and a conscious socialist position. Disempowering the 1% requires a struggle for the democratic public ownership of key wealth and resources and the building of alternative organs of power – democratic, participatory community and workplace committees will be part of this process.

special feature

Democratic control of a national central bank should be combined with public ownership and democratic control of the banking system in general. In this way, the banks and financial institutions should be transformed into public utilities – providing cheap credit quickly to small businesses and farmers. The inevitable “flight” of capital – with large amounts of money being withdrawn could be countered with effective capital controls. A Left government would say that the right of people to a job and a decent life comes before the ‘right’ of capital to move freely. The money saved through halting interest payments should be diverted into major programmes of public investment which would create jobs. A Left government would move to bring into democratic public ownership the key sectors of the economy – for example the significant oil and gas reserves, big agri-business, the energy sector, telecommunications, the major retail companies. In this way, the key sectors of the economy, under workers’ control and management, could be at the heart of a plan to redevelop the economy in the interests of the 99%. Events in Greece have shown how popular support can be mobilised to press these demands. One hundred

March 2015

8 THE SOCIALIST

lgbtq news

Marriage Equality Referendum

Poisonous bigotry must be challenged be the soft-underbelly that the Vote No campaign will target. It will be a huge mistake to bow to bigotry and to not take these arguments head on. Their banner “Every child deserves a mother and a father” is an insult – an insult to the LGBTQ couples who are currently raising families; an insult to single mothers who are raising one quarter of all children in Ireland; an insult to the 30,000 single fathers who are also doing so. Of course, should the No vote succeed, LGBTQ couples will continue to have families but will be denied the full legal protections for parents and children alike that marriage confers.

no side- homophobic and hypocritical Thousands have marched for marriage equality in Ireland in recent years

By Helen Redwood

O, aT last the irish Government has been dragged into advocating marriage equality. should the referendum be carried, it will represent a milestone in the fight against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lGBTQ) discrimination. it will also represent a huge break from one of the central tenets of Catholicism which has consistently perpetuated poisonous bigotry against lGBTQ people.

not trail-blazers for equality Far from being trail-blazers, the government tails behind 11 EU countries (the first being Holland in 2001) and 18 countries world wide (Finland being the most recent) which already have marriage equality, none of whom have experienced the predicted collapse of civilisation. Winning the right to civil partnership was an important step enabling LGBTQ couples to avail of many legal securities which mar-

ROSA demands full equality now!

riage brings. However, it is not enough. There are 160 differences between civil partnership and marriage, one of the most important being that a civil partnership is not deemed to be a family and is therefore excluded from family law.

Challenge to bigoted arguments needed A recent Red C poll shows 77% support for same sex marriage but 46% have reservations. Undoubtedly these ‘reservations’ concern child-rearing and this will

It is an emotional appeal, an idealisation of the family, that has no bearing on the reality of what is really required to provide secure, nurturing homes for children. That the majority of child abuse happens behind the closed doors of the family is happily ignored by No vote advocates such as the Catholic Iona Institute. Where are their protestations at government policy which has presided over €400 million cuts in Child Benefit since 2009 (with only €70 million restored in the 2015 budget) which has contributed to the situation that children represent one quarter of Ireland’s poor? Far from overseeing the destruction of the nuclear family, the Government have simply widened

their definitions. They will continue to offload responsibilities of the state to provide security and welfare to its citizens onto increasingly burdened families whatever their composition.

end all homophobic discrimination The government poses as the standard bearers of equality, yet presides over widening inequality. Marriage equality is a hugely significant gain for the LGBTQ community but will not end other forms of legal discrimination such as the right of Catholic schools to sack a teacher simply for being gay; nor will it automatically end homophobic bullying in schools. In France, attacks on LGBTQ people actually rose in the year following marriage equality. The Yes campaign must vigorously expose the bigotry and lies of the No campaign and counter its efforts to whip up prejudice. The referendum does not represent a choice between allowing LGBTQ relationships and families, or not – they already exist and will continue to exist; it is about equality of access to the legal supports that society offers committed couples and their children. A strong and combative approach is vital to secure the Yes vote, but will also create the basis for a continuing campaign to demolish remaining discriminatory legislation as well as an on-going challenge to anti-gay prejudice

Organising to fight homophobic bullying

By diana o’dwyer on SAtUrdAy, 7 March, roSA will launch the ‘radical yes Campaign’, as one of a range of activities organised for the weekend of international Women’s day. it will encourage active participation, particularly by lgBtQ and young people, in demanding not only a yes to marriage equality, but a more radical agenda of ending all remaining discrimination against lgBtQ people. Central to this is the full separation of church and state, so that the homophobic Catholic Church no longer receives state funding to provide public services and relinquishes control over schools, hospitals and other public institutions. this will allow universal access to progressive sex education and help combat homophobic bullying and wider prejudice against lgBtQ people in irish society. not only marriage, but all other public services must be separated from religious influence, so that lgBtQ people and women can enjoy equal rights and freedoms. For more information go to www.roSA.ie

By Monika Janas

iTh The Marriage equality referendum on everyone’s minds, more and more lGBTQ issues are coming to the forefront. One of the most crucial ones is the vicious homophobic bullying that happens in schools. 49% of LBGTQ students experienced homophobic bullying in school and 55% of all students think homophobic bullying is more tolerated by teachers and staff than other kinds of bullying. This is unacceptable, as is the lack of training available to teachers to deal with this kind of behaviour. To battle this, a group of secondary school students created an organization to support LGBTQ youth and eliminate homophobia within the school community. Spectrum’s goal is to create,

and support the development of LGBTQ groups within all schools in Ireland. They want to offer a safe space to all who may need one, as well as guidance and information. Moreover, Spectrum is calling for the separation of church and state. It is clear the church is given too much power within schools.

To find out more about the future actions of Spectrum, find them on Facebook The only real way to bring about change is to remove it from the education system.

March 2015

9 THE SOCIALIST

Oppose the capitalist system of oppression & inequality By Lea Valance

restrictive abortion laws Approximately 25% of the world’s population lives in a country where abortion is restricted and is only allowed when it poses a risk to the life of the pregnant woman. In Europe, Ireland and Malta are the most restrictive, on par with countries like Chile, Brazil and El Salvador in Latin America, Angola, Somalia and Nigeria in Africa, Afghanistan, Syria and Yemen in the Middle East and Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines in Asia to cite but a few. In total, 66 Countries have such restrictive bans on abortion. Only 39% of the world’s population lives in countries where abortions are accessible without the need for a legal justification. However, other factors may restrict a woman from accessing a termination such as her financial situation or the lack of readily available information.

violence & rape Sexual or physical violence has been experienced by an average of 35% of women worldwide Up to 15% of women in Japan and 71% of women in Ethiopia have reported some form of either sexual or physical

WOMEN Do 66% of the world’s work Earn 10% of the income Own 1% of the property violence by their partner while in rural Bangladesh, 30% of women reported their first sexual experience as forced. As many as 1 in every 5 women is a victim of rape or attempted rape during her lifetime in Ireland. Worldwide, this figure is 1 in 3. Moreover, just above 1 in 10 women worldwide has experienced some form of sexual violence. A 2007 research shows that in

the US, 45% of women murdered were killed by their current or former partner. In Ireland the figure is 52%.

Female genital Mutilation Female Genital Mutilation (FMG) is a barbaric procedure to completely or partially remove parts of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

This practice is mostly imposed on girls aged between 0 and 15 years. It has been estimated that 3million women worldwide are at risk each year of undergoing some kind of FMG. That’s approximately 8000 girls per day. This practice is more prevalent in Africa, however it is present worldwide. FMG is used as a way of controlling women’s sexuality, in order to preserve a woman’s virginity or reduce her sexual desires. Consequences of FMG include severe pain, difficulty in passing urine, causes various infections sometimes leading to death and is of course a huge trauma.

Prostitution / human trafficking It was estimated that 80% of people trafficked for sexual or other forms of exploitation are women. International research shows that 95% of trafficked women are subjected to physical or sexual violence. 89% of women involved in prostitution want to stop but can’t do so for various reasons: coercion, financial situation being two major factors.

Workplace conditions / gender pay gap

Despite the fact that discrimination on grounds of gender is illegal in most European countries; the pay gap persists. On average, men were paid just over 17% higher wages than women in 2008. Even though that figure decreased slightly in 2010 to around 16%, it has increased again in recent years. South Korea has one of the highest pay gaps in the world with 37.5%. This is closely followed by Russia, Estonia and Japan with pay gaps of 32%, 30% and 27% respectively. The list of 20 countries with highest pay gap also include France, Germany, the UK and Israel with percentages higher than 14%. Globally, women mainly fill precarious work positions. From insecure jobs to part-time, informal & low paid work a number of sectors have a predominant female workforce. Precarious work is on the rise with the growing popularity amongst the ruling class of zero hour contracts and other such schemes and the outsourcing of some public services to private companies. The lack of recognition of women’s unpaid work in terms of childcare, housework etc. is huge worldwide. Women are still expected to carry out unpaid work in the home by societies around the globe.

Labour & Sinn Fein deny women the right to choose By Aprille Scully

he BaCkWard and rotten political establishment in this country was exposed with the rejection of an opposition bill on Fatal Foetal abnormalities (FFa) on 10 February of this year. The legislation, which would allow women to seek terminations of pregnancy in cases in which the foetus has no chance of survival, was defeated by 104 votes to 20. This vote stands in stark contrast to public opinion – a Sunday Times poll saw 80% of people supporting abortion in the circumstances outlined in the bill.

Sinn Fein’s deafening silence Sinn Féin – a self-proclaimed ‘left force’ – abstained from voting, The reason, Sinn Fein claimed, was because it has not yet discussed this at its Ard Fheis. The eighth Amendment is disastrous to women’s health and their right to bodily autonomy. Given the high profile cases we have seen in the last two years since Savita Halappanavar’s death, Sinn Féin’s silence on this issue is significant. It is shambolic that a political

party has not established a position on what can be a life and death matter for women. Hiding behind the Attorney General’s recommendations, Tánaiste Joan Burton said it is "cruel" to give hope that unconstitutional legislation might be passed. Cruelly, the Labour Party offered their “enormous sympathy” to the women affected by FFA instead of holding a referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment. Labour’s confounding hypocrisy deepened after it voted at its Ard Fheis to advocate a referendum to repeal the 8th in its General Election manifesto. Furthermore, the legislation that Labour voted to replace the 8th would mean, according to the Labour Women Chair, Sinead Ahern who proposed it, that “our abortion laws would remain the most

restrictive in Europe”. As well as causing huge homelessness and poverty through its implementation of austerity, the Labour Party has made no serious attempt to push for the separation of church and state. Labour holds the office of Education and yet has completely bowed to Catholic influence in schools. It is through mass mobilisations by the working class, young people, women and all the oppressed that a secular, progressive society can be realised. Attempts to row back on abortion rights last year were stopped in Spain by an active struggle. Abortion rights were won in the US in 1973 during the administration of avowed “pro-lifer”, President Nixon. We too must wage that same war and demand a Repeal of the eighth Amendment now.

roSA activist, Katia hancke, confronts Minister for equality, Aodhan o’riordain at his constituency office in dublin Bay north. Katia berated labour’s hyprocrisy in voting against the FFA Bill and refusing to allow a referendum to lift ireland’s abortion ban, while claiming to be opposed to the 8th amendment inSert: october 2014 – Aodhan joins a roSA protest at the irish embassy in italy calling for a repeal of the 8th amendment

women

International Women’s Day 2015

March 2015

news & review

THE SOCIALIST

NAMA fire sale: Vultures make a killing world with an estimated net worth of $26.5bn and is the world’s richest hedge fund manager. Chairman of “Apollo Management”, who met in February 2014, is leon Black. He has an estimated net worth of $5.8bn and thought nothing of splashing $120m on a painting of Edvard Munch’s The Scream to hang in his private collection in 2012. “Cerberus Capital Management“ met in March 2014. It has more than $20bn under its management globally, counts former George H.W. Bush Vice President dan Quayle and Bush Jr. Treasury Secretary John snow on its board of directors and is advised in Ireland by Larry Goodman associ-

ate ron Bolger. Noonan and his colleagues had plenty of time to spare for the various breeds of indigenous Irish vultures too. “Broadhaven Capital Partners” – the new venture of dermot desmond, Ireland’s seventh richest person with wealth of approximately €1.45bn – met with the Department of Finance on no less than three occasions to discuss NAMA deals in the last twelve months. “Kildare Partners” – headed up by billionaire tycoon ellis short – had meetings on two occasions. When Mr. Short isn’t overseeing the plunder of NAMA properties he likes to relax in his $40m Florida home.

end speculation now A whole raft of government and state departments now rent office and parking spaces owned by these vulture funds and private speculators, who are making $87m per annum from this. The $1.2tn valued “PIMCO” alone pockets $5m in office rents from the HSE, Gardaí and three government departments (Justice, Agriculture and Social Protection). Instead of selling properties off to speculators they should be brought into public ownership and, in combination with a programme of building public housing, used to tackle the housing waiting lists and homelessness crisis.

Demand affordable housing for all By Emma Quinn By Paddy Delaney

T has recently come to light that approximately 90% of naMa property sales have gone to Us vulture funds, with domestic funds and individual buyers accounting for a further 7% of the sales. These ruthless, profiteering outfits have picked over the bones of the property crash and are now buying up portfolios at knock down prices in order to sell them on when the time is right and realise mega profits. The government has facilitated them at every turn in their quest to enrich themselves, with Finance

Minister Michael Noonan and other officials from the Department of Finance meeting with representatives of 19 different funds on 28 occasions in the past year. They are engaged in a quick fire sale in the hope of gaining some political capital by winding NAMA up early in advance of the next general election

A “who’s-who?” of the global & irish elite The major players in these funds are like a “who’s-who?” of the global and Irish elite: George soros is the chairman of ‘Soros Fund Management’, who met for talks in Oct 2014. Soros is the 27th richest person in the

in An attempt “to help ensure a stable and wellfunctioning mortgage lending market” i.e. prevent another catastrophic housing crash the Central Bank have issued a series of "new mortgage rules”. As per their usual pro market bias it is the interests of the lenders and not the needs of people buying homes that are prioritised. Prospective home-buyers will now be required to save larger deposits in order to secure a mortgage. First time buyers will need 10% deposit up to €220,000 of their property’s costs and 20% on anything above this limit. The majority of other borrowers will also require the 20% deposit and those that wish to avail of buy-to-let need a whopping 30%. Adversely affecting working class people The rules come with a health warning that they can be tightened even further again if necessary. These rules will adversely affect working class people already feeling the financial attacks of austerity.

Last year 50% of all residential property sales were by wealthy cash buyers who are interestingly not being affected by these changes. The mortgage restrictions will make it fundamentally harder for many workers and working class families to purchase homes, which will de facto increase demand for rental properties exacerbating rent costs. Rising rents will also mean buy-to-let prices will increase, regardless of the new measures. In the midst of a homelessness crisis, and an issuing of 68,000 repossession orders, the government is again prioritising the bankers instead of providing affordable housing for all. We demandl For public investment in social housing to clear the housing waiting lists of 90,000 families. l The writing down of existing mortgages to affordable levels for those in negative equity and arrears. l Rent controls now and reverse cuts to rent allowance.

Review: Selma directed by Ava DuVernay By James McCabe

his MOnTh marks the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march from selma, alabama to Montgomery, the state capital, which was followed by the passing of the 1965 Civil rights act a few months later. The film “selma” graphically portrays the everyday humiliations faced by african americans as well as the brutal violence they received from cops and organised racists when they campaigned for voting rights and desegregation. John Legend, who accepted an Oscar for his song which appeared in the film, smashed through the pro-imperialist, superficial atmosphere of the awards ceremony to mention that the voting rights that the civil rights activists fought for are being rolled back across America today, and that the US is the “the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in

1850…. right now the struggle for justice and freedom is real.” The director, Ava DuVernay, stated that she was shocked by the release of the film uncannily coinciding with the #blacklivesmatter movement, which erupted after Eric Garner and Mike Brown were murdered by police. Many of the young people which have become politically active in places like Ferguson, Missouri in recent months will welcome the exposure of police violence in the film. Protestors in Ferguson have been subject to beatings and tear gas fumes, which were used against the Selma marchers’ first unsuccessful attempt to cross the Pettus bridge, on the road to Montgomery, in the film. The film also serves a warning to activists with the constant FBI surveillance that Martin Luther King and others endured. Many women, who make up the majority of the #blacklivesmatter movement, will be understandably disappointed that the film completely ignores the role of Diane Nash, co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

Powerful scene from Selma which re-enacts a defiant civil-rights march

(SNCC), who played a central role in the struggle in Selma. The film also presents a clichéd characterisation of Martin Luther King’s wife, Coretta Scott King. In the film, Coretta adds pressure to MLK’s situation by com-

plaining about the financial sacrifices their family has made and admonishes him about the danger he’s putting himself through. In reality she was politically active before she met King. She protested against the Vietnam War in the

early 60s years before MLK publicly criticised the war before his death. Far from being an apolitical appendage to MLK, as portrayed in the film, she became an outspoken campaigner for gay and lesbian rights, in defiance of the Christian leaders who succeeded MLK. Although the film shows that when ordinary people get organised, they can achieve momentous victories, it also shows the understanding MLK had that the abolition of legal discrimination was just the beginning of the struggle for equality. As he says in the film, “What good is it to be able to sit at a lunch counter if you can’t afford to buy a hamburger?” Even with a black president in the Whitehouse, poverty rates have increased for people of colour. In Selma today, 60% of children live in poverty. In a speech in 1966 MLK had come to the conclusion that systemic change is needed: “We are saying that something is wrong ... with capitalism.... There must be better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism”

March 2015

11 THE SOCIALIST

By Conor Payne

he WOrld is hurtling towards environmental disaster. in the words of prominent american climate scientist, James hansen climate change has brought us to the "precipice of a great “tipping point” where we are facing the prospect of the earth transitioning into “a different planet” in terms of climate and environment.

Carbon emissions continue to rise Despite all the international conferences and fine words from politicians and big business, global carbon dioxide emissions continue to increase year on year. While emissions are declining slightly in the industrialised world, in the US emissions remain higher than in 1990. In the EU-15 countries emissions are down by 13.8% since 1990 but this should be seen in the context of the Kyoto Protocol’s target of a 55% reduction by this point. The FG/Labour government here is currently pushing through a climate change bill which contains no target for reduction of carbon emissions at all! The target of remaining under two degrees warming is not on track to be met, and three degrees is now a real possibility. 3 degrees would likely see increasing areas of the planet

being rendered essentially uninhabitable by drought and heat, a continued escalation of extreme weather events, the endangering of food and water supplies for huge numbers of people and a resulting refugee crisis on a scale never before seen.

disastrous effects of climate change If global temperatures rise by three degrees, the Himalayan ice sheet will melt and water flows into key Asian rivers such as the Indus will fall by up to 90%. Already in the Arctic, permafrost is starting to melt, triggering the release of methane, a greenhouse gas which is twenty times more powerful than CO2. This threatens a ‘feedback’ effect whereby the effects of global warming perpetuate themselves spiralling completely out of control. To avert this process, the IPCC estimates that a 50% reduction in carbon emissions in the ‘developed’ world by 2020 is necessary. So how can a problem which is so urgent be allowed to continue to worsen? The reality is that Fossil Fuels are big business, and the kinds of policies necessary to tackle climate change go completely against the grain of the profit-driven market system. A recent report in the journal, Climatic Change, says that a mere 90 companies have produced 63%

Just 90 companies have produced 63% of carbon emissions

Climate change will have further dramatic effects on everyday lives

of the cumulative global carbon emissions from 1751 to 2010. Serious action on climate change would destroy the profitibility of these companies, which wield huge economic and political influence. Trillions of euros worth of ‘stranded assets’ would be lost. According to the Carbon tracker institute in Britain, the Fossil Fuel industry has five times more carbon in reserve, counted towards stock prices etc, than the atmosphere can absorb if we want to have a 50/50 chance of staying below 2 degrees of warming. Investment in renewable energy is badly needed, but the Fossil Fuel Industry spends less than 1% of its budget on renewables.. The economic crisis of capitalism has had a major impact. Globally, invest-

ment in renewables rose to a record $257 billion in 2011, but has fallen 23% since, particularly in countries like Germany and Italy. Austerity and the Euro crisis are a major factor.

System change not climate change The competition between companies and nation states which is at the core of capitalism is a huge barrier to effectively taking on the environmental crisis. The farce of ‘carbon trading’ schemes was exposed when it was revealed that companies in India and China were intentionally producing the extremely potent greenhouse gas hfc 23 in other to gain carbon credits for reducing it. In Germany,

where, 25% of energy now comes from renewable sources, emissions have remained largely the same as the country continues to produce coal for export. Mark Jacobsen of Stanford University in the US recently published a detailed plan to move the world to 100% renewables by 2050, including the amount of resources which would be needed in money and land. But implementing a global plan to transition the world away from the use of fossil fuels, to expand public transport, to research new technology etc requires a socialist world where resources are in democratic public ownership, and where these resources are used on the basis need not profit, co-operation not competition.

TTIP: A charter to increase corporate power shake down Latin American countries, for example when El Salvador tried to stop Pacific Rim from pumping arsenic into rivers in 2012. TTIP would allow this to happen between the US and the EU, setting loose a stampede of anti-worker, pro-corporate litigation.

By Manus Lenihan

MaGine iF working class people in ireland forced the government to abolish water charges and bring the water services under public control again. imagine if, in the meantime, various multinational corporations had come in and taken over parts of the water services for themselves.

destroying our living standards

Protecting corporate profits Under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), these companies would have the right to sue us directly for every cent in profits lost to them because of us taking our water out of their hands. An unelected troika of corporate lawyers, government advisors and gravy-train riders would decide behind closed doors whether the Irish government had “unfairly” impacted on corporate profits. This process is called “InvestorState Dispute Settlement” (ISDS). Today it’s used by corporations to

Organised workers’ movement in US & Europe must take on TTIP

So we might see an EU-based company suing a US state for raising the minimum wage, or a US company suing a future UK government for trying to stop the privatisation of the National Health Service. Another threat the TTIP poses is a drive to make life easier for rich people and harder for everyone else by scrapping regulations. The free-market fanatics in the US and EU establishment think that this will lead to hundreds of billions of euros being “created”. But in the real world, ending health, environmental, safety and labour laws equals huge profits for private companies, at the expense of wages and conditions, secure jobs, services, society and the planet.

here is the wish lists of some of the biggest lobby groups pushing for the deal: l US companies want free access to the online data of people living in the EU – and to hell with privacy laws. l US food companies are outraged that they have to tell EU customers where their food comes from and what’s in it. l EU food industry giants want the US Food & Drug Administration to stop its tiresome practise of recalling contaminated foods. l Limits to financial sector gambling and scamming are in the firing line too – they don’t seem to have learned anything from the financial crash Many people in Europe and the US are well aware of the threats posed by the TTIP. When the European Commission was forced to hold a public consultation on it, they were flooded with 150,000 contributions, mostly from antiTTIP campaigners. The potential exists to derail this power-grab by the capitalist class and the trade union movement internationally must mobilise the power of the working class to stop it.

international

Capitalist profiteering is destroying our planet

PAPER OF THE SOCIALIST PARTY

ISSUE 90

MARCH 2015

Strike a blow against the bigots!

Yes

Vote to marriage

equality

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