Europe’s right-wing governments are putting in place economic plans that will commit EU countries to austerity, Arlene McCarthy MEP Labour's European spokesperson on the EU's economic governance package says ‘‘With all eyes on Athens, many people have failed to notice that conservative politicians are pushing through rules that that will leave future European governments bound to the austerity-focussed economic policies that are failing to work in Greece, Portugal and Ireland…..It is those countries pursuing austerity-only policies, including Britain, which are recording some of the lowest growth figures of any economy globally….Britain is hurting from the Tories' self-imposed austerity drive, the imposition of these failing policies across Europe will further harm growth in the UK economy’’. McCarthy has also said ‘‘We need an alternative plan that will allow countries to make long term investments in infrastructure and research and development. We need an alternative that does not place an unfair burden on those poor and middle income families who are being hit hardest by the conservatives' policies’’
Arlene McCarthy MEP is member of the Co-operative Party, Amicus-Unite and the Socialist & Democrats Group in the European Parliament
A Future That Works
NO2aTory/Liberal coalition - Vote with your feet for an alternative to a neo-liberal economy and neo-conservative state Yes2aLeftFront and a Red/Green Left Alliance
British left parties should work with the European Left and GUE/NGL groupings in coordinate with the ETUC and British union movement as part of a European broad left coalition of resistance to the dictates of the IMF, World Bank, EU and European Central Bank.
ReplyDeleteThis is the only way that Communist, Socialist and Left/Green parties and the labour movement can fight back against the conservative and liberal centre-right agenda of the capitalist elite and the institutions of global finance capital.
The Socialist & Democrats Group have accepted the broad agenda of neo-liberal/neo-conservative ideology and seek only to slow down the process of dismantling the European Keynesian model of welfare capitalism and implementation of the American model of free market capitalism.
We need a United Left Anti-Austerity Coalition of the European Left and GUE/NGL groups and for the British Left parties to take an active role in this Anti-Austerity Coalition of Europe to defeat the conservative and liberal centre-right parties that resistance can move from the current defensive action to an offensive towards a socialist British and European political and economic model.
The Left and the European Parliament
ReplyDeleteIt is considered good form in some leftist circles – particularly the “far left” – to look down on the European Parliament
“What are you doing in this mess?”; “Decisions are taken elsewhere”; “Any change is illusory”
‘‘I understand, naturally, and share the exasperation generated as much by the structural orientation of European Union policies as by the deep lack of democracy in the way that it functions. I too deplore the “parliamentary cretinism” that leads elected representatives to shut themselves up too frequently in the “bubble” of their assembly, far from real life, and to vastly overestimate their personal ability to change things. But, there is, in my opinion, more to it than that.’’
‘‘The problem is not the Parliament’s lack of power. Rather, there are not enough MEPs willing to break – with their actions and with their votes – from the logic of liberalism. To declare that “the European Parliament is useless” sounds “leftist” but helps the right … and its allies’’
‘‘Recent …Treaties have, above all, integrated and codified a liberal economic model – with constraining regulations on every member state that signed and ratified them. As a result, a “different Europe” requires a different treaty. This is fundamental. But this does not obviate the potential – and the left’s duty – to use the new power of this Parliament to oppose these regulations, to prevent them – as much as possible – from becoming directives and to question the legitimacy of the current (liberal) model in order to prepare the ground for an alternative. A little dialectic never hurt the class struggle.’’
Francis Wurtz, Parti Communiste Français MEP and President of the European United Left
There is an alternative
ReplyDeleteThe EU is experiencing the worst crisis since its foundation which is part of a global financial, economic, social, ecological and political crisis. Capitalists are prepared to do anything to protect their interests and not to pay for their crisis.
Resistances is growing throughout Europe for an alternative demanding real democracy, and money to be used to serve the needs of the people. The strikes and social unrest that have taken place in Greece, Spain, France, Portugal, Britain and other countries are calling for a change of policy.
The European Left calls on all forces that resist: trade unionists, intellectuals, and people from the field of culture, actors of the social movements, to build everywhere fronts of resistance to the austerity policies in order to impose the primacy of human needs rather than the demands of finance.
The European Left aim is to build a Left Alternative which gives a political perspective to all struggles against austerity measures and privatisations which are aimed at creating new markets and profits for the capitalists.
European Left parties have voted against the different national austerity plans in the EU, defend, improve and develop public services, in order to fight against inequalities. The European Left are opposed to the Euro Pact and the new economic governance, which aim to institutionalise austerity in all European countries.
http://www.european-left.org/english/home/home/
Europe must stand up against the misery imposed on Greece
ReplyDeleteEuropean leaders and the IMF have demanded from the unelected and illegitimate Greek government a new austerity plan in return for EU "assistance" - not for social development, which is a vital need for Greece, but to guarantee the reimbursement of sovereign debts to banks.
After three years of austerity, during which economic recession has prevailed, the troika is back and the country has been put under supervision for new attacks on pensions, the abolition of the minimum wage in the private sector and further cuts in the public sector.
In other words the same method, always with the same consequences.
This is the eighth austerity plan. Like the previous seven it claims to solve Greece's debt crisis problem once and for all.
All those plans have been aiming at the reduction of salaries by 50 per cent, the privatisation of public services, the closing of schools and hospitals and the explosion of unemployment, job insecurity and poverty.
How could we not understand the popular anger that is expressed right now in Athens and in many Greek cities?
As the saying goes, "He who sows misery harvests anger."
The European Left Party supports Greek citizens who fight against these measures and the parliamentarians that expressed the voice of the people in the Greek parliament by voting against this text, which is dangerous for Greece and for Europe as a whole.
We call upon European citizens to organise gatherings outside the Greek embassies in the different EU countries and demonstrate their solidarity with the Greek people.
We also call everybody who resists these catastrophic austerity plans all over Europe to work together for the formation of a counter-offensive of the European peoples.
Pierre Laurent
President of the Party of European Left
Paris
http://www.morningstaronline.co.u...php/news/content/view/full/115630