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Open letter of solidarity and support for resistance to austerity in Europe

categoryinternational | eu | press releaseauthor Tuesday June 14, 2011 15:48author by Paul Murphy MEP - Socialist Partyauthor phone 01 6795030Report this post to the editors

Letter signed by 12 MEPs from Left Group

In light of the major movements taking place across Europe in the next week, I initiated an open letter of Left MEPs in support of these protests and urging the building of a one day general strike across Europe against austerity. Twelve MEPs from seven countries have signed the letter so far.


Dear friends,

We write to you as elected members of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) in the European Parliament. We represent workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, youth and those socially excluded.

The massive movement demanding ‘Real Democracy’ in Spain and the social earthquake rocking Greece are the response of working people, the unemployed and the poor to the vicious attack on living standards. We support the struggle for real democracy, but argue that this cannot be achieved while the dictatorship of the market and the dictates of the ‘Troika’ are allowed to continue.

The crisis in Europe continues to worsen. Millions across Europe, in particular in the so-called peripheral European countries, have experienced vicious austerity driven by neo-liberal governments and the European Commission, the ECB and the IMF. These policies have worsened the crisis for working people, the unemployed and small business owners, while protecting the interests of the bankers and international bondholders. Women have been particularly hard hit by the economic crisis. These policies also threaten to destroy the future for a whole generation of young people. Even in those countries where the economy is growing, social rights and wages and conditions are under attack.

One aspect of this austerity programme is the European establishment's attempt to introduce an "Economic Governance" package which will put the budgets of national governments under the scrutiny of the unelected European Commission, with massive fines for states that do not comply with Commission and Council diktats and targets. This will not only undermine democracy but will be a tool to introduce further austerity and privatisation programmes on a European level.

We salute the movements of the “indignados”, where hundreds of thousands of young people have now occupied squares in cities across Europe. Significantly, they have been joined by workers, unemployed people and pensioners. These occupations demonstrate the anger of young people as they face a future of unemployment and illustrate their alienation from the political establishment. The protests have clearly taken their inspiration from the revolutions that are taking place in the Middle East and North Africa and indicate that the wish for change and real democracy of the masses in that region strikes a chord with people in Europe.

To defeat the austerity attacks and to fight for real democracy in Europe, we feel it is necessary to mobilise the power of the organised and united working class in conjunction with these movements. Therefore, we welcome the general strike in Greece on 15 June and we encourage trade union activists to discuss organising industrial action in their countries to maximise the effect of a joint fight back.

15 June will be an important day of struggle across Europe. Together with the general strike in Greece, mass demonstrations are planned in Barcelona and other Spanish cities. On 19 June, national protests have been called in Spain. On 30 June, a public sector strike has been called in Britain. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is planning to organise an action and information day at the European and national level on 21 June.

We urge that European trade unions use their power to turn 21 June into a day of mass protests and strikes that underline the trade union movement’s determination to fight austerity. In order to build for this, we feel that solidarity protests should take place across Europe in the next weeks to give a clear message of opposition to the European establishment. We will raise the idea of joint action with the parties, trade unions and social movements that we are affiliated with.

The attack on living standards is Europe-wide. It is vital that a united response is built by workers, young people, the unemployed, socially excluded and pensioners across Europe. These protests should be used as the next step in building for further European wide action, including industrial action, building to a European-wide one day general strike.

We propose the following demands as a basis for discussion and organisation in the countries across Europe:

• Build demonstrations and protests in solidarity with the movements in Greece and Spain.
• For united action of working people across Europe to defeat the austerity measures – build for further European wide action, including industrial action involving both the private and public sectors, building to a European-wide one day general strike.
• The problem of mass youth unemployment must be tackled through public investment in job creation
• No to the austerity policies pushed by the EU and IMF and national governments such as cutbacks, wage cuts, unemployment, increases in the retirement age and privatisation of public services.
• Workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, youth and those socially excluded must not pay for the crisis - Make the super rich and bankers pay.
• To fight for real democracy, the dictatorship of the financial markets, credit ratings institutions and the IMF must be broken. The banks and financial institutions should be taken into democratic public ownership and run in the interests of the majority of the people.

Yours in solidarity,

Paul Murphy MEP Socialist Party (Ireland)
Nikolaos Chountis MEP Syriza (Greece)
Willy Meyer MEP Izquierda Unida (Spain)
Eva-Britt Svensson MEP Vänsterpartiet (Sweden)
Patrick Le Hyaric MEP Front de Gauche (France)
Søren Bo Søndergaard MEP (Denmark)
Gabriele Zimmer MEP Die Linke (Germany)
Sabine Lösing MEP Die Linke (Germany)
Lothar Bisky MEP Die Linke (Germany)
Jürgen Klute MEP Die Linke (Germany)
Cornelia Ernst MEP Die Linke (Germany)
Sabine Wils MEP Die Linke (Germany)

Related Link: http://www.paulmurphymep.eu/
author by Svegpublication date Tue Jun 14, 2011 22:22Report this post to the editors

That's nice but we don't need and don't want politicians involved in these protests. Doesn't matter what party are they from. We need more people on the streets instead of MEPs trying to pretend they represent us. We need self-organization instead of groups of "elected" elites making decisions for us.

Power to the people.

author by W. Finnertypublication date Wed Jun 15, 2011 10:19Report this post to the editors

Unless the term "Real Democracy" is defined very accurately and very efficiently, it seems to me that all opposed to this style of government will "muddy the waters" at every opportunity they get: for the purpose of fooling people, and causing avoidable divisions of the "divide and rule" kind.

Very fortunately, as I see things, former US President Abraham Lincoln has already provided us all with such a definition for "Real Democracy", and it is simply this:

"government of the people, by the people, for the people".

As can be seen at the www address provided just below, I have tried to draw attention to this definition of "Real Democracy" in the e-mail I sent to Paul Murphy MEP (Member of the European Parliament) -- and to several of his MEP colleagues -- on Sunday, 5 June, 2011.

Related link: http://www.humanrightsireland.com/MEPs/5June2011/Email.htm

author by W. Finnertypublication date Wed Jun 22, 2011 14:15Report this post to the editors

Information relating to this particular Indymedia Ireland Article was sent to a number of senior Republic of Ireland politicians and lawyers on June 18th 2011, and it has resulted in the following response from the Taoiseach's Office:

"I wish to acknowledge receipt of your email of 18 June, 2011 which will be brought to the Taoiseach's attention as soon as possible."

The above response (from Assistant Private Secretary David King) came in the form of an e-mail to me from the Taoiseach's Office dated 21 June, 2011 (i.e. yesterday).

My hope is that when (and if) our Taoiseach -- Republic of Ireland Prime Minister Enda Kenny TD -- gets around to considering the contents of the June 18th 2011 e-mail I sent to him, the text of which included the "Stephen Zarlenga excerpt" immediately below, that he will give some very careful consideration to what Mr Zarlenga has to say regarding the "dangerous and unacceptable" business of leaving the "money power" in the UNELECTED "private hands" of the "Global Banking Cartel".

"Why is monetary reform so critically important? Because the money power has more impact on citizens day to day lives than the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. It’s really a fourth branch of government - or should be - and leaving it in private hands is dangerous and unacceptable – it negates the balancing of powers principle of our constitution and creates an aristocracy - a plutocracy – the rule by wealth."

For some additional information on Stephen Zarlenga (Director of American Monetary Institute) please see at:
http://www.monetary.org/chicagoplan.html

A full copy of the 21 June 2011 e-mail to me from the Taoiseach's Office can be viewed at the following location:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/TaoiseachsOffice/21June2011/Email.htm

Related link (which contains a list of some of the several other groups the above Stephen Zarlenga excerpt has been sent to):
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/SocialProtectionMinisterJoanBurtonTD/17June2011/Email.htm#List

author by W. Finnertypublication date Sun Jun 26, 2011 09:20Report this post to the editors

"For example, lets take the case of Allied Irish Bank. AIB, also an Inter Alpha Group member, is also insolvent. It went cap in hand recently to the Irish Government for bailout money. The Irish Government, in their emminent wisdom, told AIB that they could have bailout money, but that they would have to attempt to raise as much capital for themselves first, as a condition of it."

"As a result of that condition, AIB sold the only profitable portion of its operation – its wholly owned Polish subsidiary, Bank Zachodni WBK to Banco Santander. AIB then qualified for bailout by the Irish taxpayer. AIB was asset stripped, leaving the bankrupt empty shell, on the backs of the Irish. Job done."

The two excerpts above have been copied from a much longer April 7th 2011 article at the following location:
http://justinwrites.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/article-explaining-the-stranglehold-inter-alpha-rothschild-banks-controlled-by-jacon-rothschild-have-over-u-k-and-u-s-economies-also-speaks-of-how-much-reinstating-the-glass-steagal-act-would-do-fo/

author by W. Finnertypublication date Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:15Report this post to the editors

Anybody who would like to learn more about Lyndon LaRouche -- and his personal viewpoint on the role of the Inter Alpha Group of Banks in the present global financial crisis -- can do so via the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pGSNYe5TRY&feature=player_embedded#at=45

 
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