by Joe Higgins MEP - Socialist Party Sat May 22, 2010 05:42 info at joehiggins dot eu 01-6795030

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.

In many European countries there are very severe attacks on the wages pensions, living standards and public services of the people we represent. It is clear that the massive financial package agreed by the EU Finance Ministers on May 9 in Brussels will only intensify the pace of attacks that are taking place across Europe.

At this stage, working people in Greece, in particular, are in the front line of these attacks. They face a 10% cut in wages and spending in the public sector, an increased retirement age, VAT increases and the freezing of pensions. But working people in Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Italy have also faced and continue to face severe attacks on their living standards. It is also clear that these attacks will not be confined to workers in the so-called "peripheral" European economies - workers in all of the countries across Europe are set to have pension rights further eroded, downward pressure on wages, cutbacks in social services and social welfare as well as the continuation of large-scale unemployment.

These attacks are in line with the broader strategy of the European establishment, as outlined in the "EU 2020" strategy paper - which alludes to the need to increase the pension age together with the number of hours worked by European workers and a strict return to the "Growth and Stability" pact, which will require a slashing of public spending in many countries.

These attacks are also combined with a poisonous attempt to divide workers along national lines. This has been particularly evident in the media in Germany and many other countries. Lies about the conditions of workers in Greece are spread to create the impression that ordinary Greeks are responsible for the crisis in their country and must pay the price. The Left must counter this disinformation with facts and figures showing the real situation. For example, contrary to the myth of lazy Greek workers retiring early, the average retirement age in Greece is 61.4 years, higher than the European average!

The Greek workers have demonstrated a heroic willingness to struggle against these attacks in the last weeks. Portuguese and Spanish workers have indicated the same willingness to fight.

Important statements have been made by European trade unions and Left organisations against the attacks on working people. We now feel that there is a need for an active joint response across Europe - to cut across the attempts to divide workers and to give people confidence to fight back.

We propose to initiate a "Week of Protest & Solidarity" for the week of June 21 to 26. What we envisage is political parties, trade unions, social movements and activists coming together and holding a major protest in their country in that week.

The purpose is to proclaim that Left and social organisations reject the policy that it is working people who must pay for the crisis, that we demand an end to the dictatorship of the markets, demand that the financial institutions are taken into public ownership and we declare that European workers stand together in solidarity.

We respectfully invite your organisation to discuss the possibility of supporting this initiative and committing to build significant European-wide protests on that date. For us, the key question is clearly solidarity with Greek workers, but also taking up the issues of the attacks in the various countries where the demonstrations take place.

We understand of course that the details and precise slogans will have to be worked out to take into account the political situation in the country where the protests take place. However, we propose that the following basic demands could form the basis of the discussion across Europe:

*Workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, youth and those socially excluded must not pay for the crisis - Make the super rich and bankers pay

*Solidarity with the working people of Greece and for the unity of working people across Europe.

*No to cutbacks, wage cuts, unemployment and increases in the retirement age

*No to privatisation of public services

*End the dictatorship of the financial markets, credit ratings institutions and the IMF

*Stop the bailouts of the banks - nationalise the banks and financial institutions in the interests of working people

We feel that successful co-ordinated protests in the week of 21 to 26 June would have a major impact and send a clear message to the European establishments. It would assist the struggles of workers in the various European countries and be a vital step in building a European-wide resistance to the ongoing neo-liberal agenda.

Obviously, time is moving very quickly. We want to build a broad coalition on a European wide basis to build for these protests, to be matched with broad coalitions on a national basis to build for these protests. We would be very much obliged if you could get back to us as soon as possible with your response.

We hope that you might look positively on these proposals and that your organisation can assist in building for European-wide protest toward the end of June. Please spread the call to your contacts and contact us to let us know your thoughts and we would be happy to meet to discuss progressing this issue further.

Yours in solidarity,

Joe Higgins MEP (Socialist Party - Ireland) - joe.higgins@europarl.europa.eu
Nikolaos Chountis MEP (Syriza - Greece) - nikolaos.chountis@europarl.europa.eu
Søren Bo Søndergaard MEP (Folkebevægelsen mod EU - Denmark) -sorenbo.sondergaard@europarl.europa.eu
Eva-Britt Svensson MEP (Left Party - Sweden)- eva-britt.svensson@europarl.europa.eu
Kyriacos Triantaphyllides MEP (AKEL - Cyprus) - kyriacos.triantaphyllides@europarl.europa.eu
Marisa Matias MEP (Bloco de Esquerda - Portugal) -marisa.matias@europarl.europa.eu
Miguel Portas MEP (Bloco de Esquerda - Portugal) -miguel.portas@europarl.europa.eu
Rui Tavares MEP (Bloco de Esquerda - Portugal) -rui.tavares@europarl.europa.eu
Jean-Luc Mélenchon MEP (Parti de Gauche - France) - jean-luc.melenchon@europarl.europa.eu
Kartika Tamara Liotard MEP (Socialistische Partij - Netherlands) - kartikatamara.liotard@europarl.europa.eu
Sabine Wils MEP (Die Linke - Germany) - sabine.wils@europarl.europa.eu
Cornelia Ernst MEP (Die Linke - Germany) cornelia.ernst@europarl.europa.eu
Helmut Scholz MEP (Die Linke - Germany) - helmut.scholz@europarl.europa.eu
Gabi Zimmer MEP (Die Linke - Germany) - gabriele.zimmer@europarl.europa.eu
Patrick Le Hyaric (Parti Communiste Français - France) - patrick.lehyaric@europarl.europa.eu

by Supporter Sat May 22, 2010 09:47

Although I do not belong to any political group (of the left, the right, or the centre), I nevertheless greatly appreciate the efforts that you and your colleagues are making to resist all the abuses that society generally is being subjected to at the present time.

I believe these abuses are being spearheaded by the "global banking cartel", and I further believe that unless their amazing and almost unbelievable ability to create money "out of thin air" (which they then lend to governments and charge interest on), is taken off the global banking cartel, there is not much hope of stopping the vast array of social abuses in question -- which I believe is adversely affecting the WHOLE of humanity (generally) in major ways: left, right, centre, and in-between.

In connection with this, I do know that in the United States Dr Ron Paul has been trying to have the Federal Reserve abolished, and I am wondering if you and your colleagues have any specific plans for the European Union, and its Federal Reserve equivalent: The European Central Bank?

Some things possibly worth keeping in mind when you "discuss building for this event" on Saturday    BACKUP  COPY by W. Finnerty Mon May 24, 2010 10:20 "When, through the process of law, the common people lose their homes, they will become more docile and more easily governed through the strong arm of government applied by a central power of wealth under leading financiers. These truths are well known among our principal men who are now engaged in forming imperialism to govern the world. By dividing the voter through the political party system, we can get them to expend their energies in fighting for questions of no importance." The above excerpt is believed to have come from a 1924 edition of the American Banker's Association Digest. Related Link: http://www.cephas-library.com/nwo/nwo_zionist_agenda_controls_goliath.html

First things first    BACKUP  COPY by Realist Tue May 25, 2010 10:06 If the global banking crisis and the many extremely serious social problems associated with it are ever to be permanently and justly solved, the first thing that needs to be done is to end the Federal Reserve (the Central Bank of the United States of America). In the interview at the address provided below, leading Harvard academic Dr. Edwin Vieira explains why the Federal Reserve must be abolished, and warns of what will happen if it's not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbSH9AlgGDY Is it cunning or is it ignorance?    BACKUP  COPY   by Realist Fri May 28, 2010 08:45 "Very good article in Guardian (UK Newspaper)" -- please see at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96602#comment269035 I can't agree, but I don't know if the Guardian's very worrying omissions are the result of ignorance or cunning. There is no mention in their article of the highly destructive role played by our grossly corrupt legal profession in getting us into the almighty financial mess we're now in, thanks to their unfaltering support for unconstitutional legislation throughout the years since the Republic of Ireland signed the United Nations Aarhus Convention Agreement in 1998, and possibly since before then even. Also, there is no mention in the Guardian article of the way the Republic of Ireland's vast oil and gas resources (valued at 5.4 trillion Euros) could be used to us get us all back on our feet financially: if only our corrupt and "runaway activist" judges could somehow be prevented from supporting the unconstitutional activities which means these natural resources of ours are all going to be given away apparently. Related Link: http://tinyurl.com/37zhhce  At the heart of the matter   BACKUP  COPY   by Insight Sat May 29, 2010 09:48 Good luck with today's meeting. I hope you might all be willing to consider the "in a nutshell" type viewpoint provided below, and make some use of it hopefully in connection with your preparations for the "European week of solidarity and protest" (scheduled for 21st – 26th June 2010). "So, here we see the ultimate practical truth of the matter: Private financial special-interest groups buy politicians; in public office these politicians empower the special-interest groups by statute to manipulate the monetary and banking systems; to the extent that these manipulations succeed, the profits are largely privatized; and to the extent that the manipulations fail, the losses are almost entirely socialized. In either case, the general public is held hostage to the racket, and foots the gargantuan bill for its operation. And the guilty parties escape scot free to steal again, and again, and again." The above excerpt is from an interview on January 10th, 2010 with leading constitutional lawyer Dr. Edwin Vieira. The full text of the interview is available at: http://www.rapidtrends.com/switzerlands-daily-bell-interviews-dr-edwin-vieira-on-police-states-and-constitutionality-money/