Europe

Auf Wiedersehen, PDS ?

A brief initial look at the results of the German general election. by Matt Heaney, Berlin (23.09.2002) A fuller analysis of the result and what it means for the left and the working class in Germany and elsewhere will appear soon. "Exciting" and "German general election" are two thoughts that have not connected with each other in most people's minds for many years. And even when it might look close - and, just imagine, the "choices" on offer were even more than vaguely different - the way the results are counted and presented could not be done in a duller manner. No "over to Cologne town hall...

How the bourgeoisie united Europe

By John O'Mahony How did the bourgeoisie, which presided over two Europe-ruining world wars in the first half of the 20th century, come to bring Europe within sight of a United States of Europe? By the beginning of the 20th century Europe needed unity because the existing big nation states were too small for the enormous economic dynamic which had developed within the borders of the bigger ones. The economies of the great European states, in the first place that of Germany, were stifling within their too-narrow national boundaries. The question posed by history was: who would unite Europe, the...

To oppose capitalism you must oppose the EU?

By Sean Matgamna There are two basic lines of possible working class policy in relation to the EU. The first advocates building on what the bourgeoisie has created and uniting the working class across the EU to fight the bourgeoisie for democratic and social reform and, in the course of doing that, building towards socialist transformation by working-class revolution on a European scale. That means such things as: l Fight to democratise the EU; scrap the existing bureaucratic structures and replace them with a sovereign elected European Parliament; l Fight to level up working class living...

First time as tragedy…

Jim Denham looks how the left responded to the 1975 referendum on the "Common Market" The idea that the left can run its own "socialist" anti-European campaign without being tainted by the nationalism (bordering, at times, upon racism) of the official "No" campaign has been put to the test in Britain before now. In 1975 the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson called a referendum on Britain's continued membership of the EEC ("Common Market"). This was a political necessity forced upon Wilson in order to hold the government together. Official Labour Party policy was for withdrawal and prominent...

The things the "yes socialists" say

The euro will make it easier for British workers who work in Europe. This marginal reform value of the euro is far outweighed by the consequences of advocating the labour movement endorse the euro. The euro is not just a discreet, small measure - it is giant step towards capitalist integration which at this time necessarily means a package of cuts and privatisations. We cannot be seen, as we will if we say yes, to endorse those attacks. Being in the eurozone will bring British workers more jobs. This is the argument of some of the trade unions. They may or may not be right. However, the...

The things the "no socialists" say

By Cathy Nugent The introduction of the euro will bring further attacks on workers. Stopping the euro at Dover will not reduce the volume of attacks on workers. Only the exact nature and form of the attacks will be different, depending on whether Britain is in or out of the eurozone. However, New Labour, as the loyal heirs to Thatcherism, are not likely to stop their programme of cuts and privatisations, or suddenly decree the unions are free to organise, just because they've been beaten on the euro issue. The euro means, among other things, explicit limits on welfare spending. That's why we...

Europe's far right parties meet

Austria's far-right politician Jorg Haider has hosted a meeting of Europe's right-wing leaders, according to newspaper reports. The groups - including Belgium's Vlaams Blok, Haider's own Freedom Party and the Italian Northern League - discussed the possibility of a joint list for the European Parliament elections in 2003. Support for the far right has been growing across Europe. As well as holding formal government positions in Italy and Austria, far-right populist and anti-immigration parties now have important political influence in Portugal, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands. That the far...

What should socialists say about the euro?

We continue the debate on the euro with two speeches made at a Socialist Alliance debate held in Newscastle-upon-Tyne. Alan Thornett of Socialist Outlook argued that the left should back a 'no' position in any referendum on the issue. Bruce Robinson from the Alliance for Workers' Liberty called for an "active abstention". The Socialist Alliance (England) will discuss the issue at a special conference on 12 October. Further contributions from all sides of the debate are welcome and should be posted here (click on "post comment") or emailed to solidarity@actionforsolidarity.org.uk Alan Thornett...

Press Gang: Operation Highlight Hitler

By Nicole Ashford Like a lot of people, I suspect, I only saw the infamous "Hitler" anti-euro ad once it became a news story. It was a news story at first because it had Bob Geldof in it. It stayed a news story because it had Rik Mayall playing Hitler in it. The serious story, to start with, was that persuading Geldof to do the ad was something of a coup for the "No" campaign. True enough. Unconnected research about public attitudes towards/disillusionment with politics had revealed that the most common unprompted answer from focus groups to questions along the lines of who they admired in...

German engineering strike over

While strikes were still going on for a 6.5% pay rise in the states of Baden-Wuettemberg and in Berlin-Brandenburg, the IG Metall (IGM) union negotiators made a deal, on 15 May, with the engineering bosses' organisation, Gesamtmetall. It was no secret from the beginning of the strike that an offer of 4% would be enough for the IGM to settle. The deal made between both parties, which was then accepted by the IGM pay commission on 17 May, is supposedly worth "4% plus 3.1%"; 4% in 2002, 3.1% in 2003. In fact it is not as simple as the union leadership put it. The pay rise of "4% in 2002" applies...

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