Grave Crisis Facing the South African Capitalist System by Latief Parker

People’s steps emphasized by the Ukrainian crisis: attention, we are in 2014 by Ana Bazac

[this text was sent as a contribution to the conference]

Introduction: Why should we go over to Russia? We must go over to it … and more

My standpoint here is to connect the geopolitical and the social/class views – just opposite to Alexander Dugin’s opinionsⁱⁱ – and to condition the constitution of a sustainable Eurasia by rejecting the capitalist relations and by fulfilling an alternative model of society.

Therefore, the problem is no longer that of the obvious legality of the referendum in Crimea or that of the obvious legality of the behavior of Russia towards Ukraine and Crimea. This legality was demonstrated point by pointⁱⁱⁱ. But the problem is, forwards, that of the moral and geopolitical legitimacy of the procedures used by Russia and the Crimean authorities.

Neo-Nazi in Ukrainian Power is a Crucial Challenge to All Lefts in Ukraine and Russia by J. Abramson

Massive actions in Kiev and other cities since October 2013 till February 2014 have demonstrated that Ukrainians are been tired due to injustice and total corruption, due to anti-social policy and authoritarian power behavior. They have shown total bankruptcy of “guided democracy” pattern foisted on the people by oligarchs. In the same time the tragism of the situation in Ukraine reveals itself in that that broad social protest of active majority of Ukranian people labor part has been used by liberal-nationalist opposition and by the part of oligarchy standing behind it. Their goal was – to lead in the power their collaborators who will continue anti-social policy of liberal reforms under banner of Eurointegration. The events after February, 21-22, have put Ukraine on the border of the disintegration and civil war. Political forces came to power in Kiev have already in first days demonstrated their anti-communist, anti-Soviet, anti-Russian intents. Regional power is being transfer itself to local oligarchs of pro-West orientation.

The Permanent Instability of Capitalism by Hillel Ticktin

Introduction:

It is now around 7 years since the initial events around the current depression began, with the housing market having peaked in July 2006 in the United States, followed by the collapse of the US subprime mortgage industry by March 2007. The house of banking cards gradually fell in, reaching its depth with the Lehman bankruptcy in October 2008. Japan, of course, has remained in its own downturn since 1989, when their stock exchange declined over time to one quarter of its peak in 1989. The whole period from 1989 to March 2000 was marked by a high level of instability, with a downturn to 1993 followed by an upturn which led to a flow of money to East Asia which fled in 1997 precipitating an East Asian crisis, and then a dot com boom and collapse in March 2000. The combination of 9/11 and the war on Iraq drew the global economy out of its slump, albeit with a low rate of growth.

From a perspective in which we look back from 2014, the turning point appears to be around 1989, when there was a downturn in Western economies following the stock exchange crash of October 1987. Japan has even now to recover to a period of consistent economic growth, while Sweden and Canada went through major transformations. . It is no coincidence that the end of the Cold War was in 1989-91, during that global downturn. The entire period from 1940-90 was lived in the shadow of war and Cold War. Without the political and economic stability that it induced in ‘Western capitalism’, the future became uncertain. The next ten years saw a series of bubbles- in East Asia, with the implosion of the Long-term capital management fund, and the end of the dot-come boom in March 2000.

Διακήρυξη της 2ης Εργατικής Ευρωμεσογειακής Συνδιάσκεψης

[Tο EEK προτείνει στις οργανώσεις της επαναστατικής αριστεράς το παρόν κείμενο της Διακήρυξης της 2^ης Εργατικής Ευρωμεσογειακής Συνδιάσκεψης ως βάση συζήτησης για τη συγκρότηση κοινού ψηφοδελτίου για τις Eυρωεκλογές.]

Αθήνα, 29-30 Μαρτίου 2014

Κάτω τα προγράμματα κοινωνικού κανιβαλισμού της τρόικας! Διαγραφή του χρέους! Για μια σοσιαλιστική διέξοδο από την κρίση!

Κάτω όλες οι καπιταλιστικές κυβερνήσεις! Για την εργατική εξουσία!

Κάτω η ιμπεριαλιστική Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση – για τις Ενωμένες Σοσιαλιστικές Πολιτείες της Ευρώπης!

Εμείς, οι συμμετέχοντες στη 2^η Εργατική Ευρωμεσογειακή Συνδιάσκεψη στην Αθήνα, μαχόμενοι εργάτες και κοινωνικοί αγωνιστές, εκπρόσωποι λαϊκών οργανώσεων και κοινωνικών κινημάτων, τόσο στην Ευρώπη, όσο και διεθνώς, καθώς και άλλων δυνάμεων της επαναστατικής Αριστεράς, καταγόμενων από διαφορετικές παραδόσεις, που συμμετέχουμε σε κοινωνικούς αγώνες σήμερα, καλούμε την εργατική τάξη και όλους τους καταπιεσμένους σε μια αποφασιστική αναμέτρηση με τις δυνάμεις του κεφαλαίου:

• Για να νικήσουμε τα προγράμματα «λιτότητας» και κοινωνικού κανιβαλισμού που επιβλήθηκαν από την τρόικα της ΕΕ/ΕΚΤ/ΔΝΤ και όλες τις καπιταλιστικές κυβερνήσεις της Ευρώπης, προκειμένου να ανατρέψουμε τις κυβερνήσεις της τρόικας.
• Για να διαγραφεί το χρέος στους διεθνείς τοκογλύφους του χρηματιστικού κεφαλαίου.
• Για να σπάσουμε αποφασιστικά από την ιμπεριαλιστική Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, για τη σοσιαλιστική ενοποίηση της ηπείρου κάτω από εργατικές κυβερνήσεις και εργατική εξουσία, ανοίγοντας το δρόμο για μια διεθνιστική σοσιαλιστική διέξοδο από την κρίση.

Declaration of the 2nd Workers Euro-Mediterranean Conference

Athens, March 29-30, 2014

Down with the “austerity” programs of social cannibalism of the troika! No payment of the debt ! For a socialist way out from the crisis!

Down with all capitalist governments! For workers power!

Down with the imperialist European Union - for the United Socialist States of Europe!

We, participants in the 2^nd Workers Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Athens, militant workers and social fighters, representatives of popular organizations and social movements in Europe, and internationally, as well as of forces of the revolutionary Left coming from different traditions, involved in social struggles today, we call the working class and all oppressed for a decisive confrontation with the forces of capital

• to defeat the “austerity” programs of social cannibalism imposed by the troika of the EU/ ECB/ IMF and all the capitalist governments of Europe, to overthrow the troika governments
• to cancel the debt to the international usurers of finance capital,
• to break decisively from the imperialist European Union, for the socialist unification of the Continent under workers governments and workers power opening the road for an internationalist socialist way out from the crisis

Programm of the 2nd Workers Euro-Mediterranean Conference

Saturday, 29 March 2014

16.30 - 17.00 pm  The Hall opens for the delegates and the public

17.00 – 17.10 pm.  Opening of the Conference by the Chairman Sungur Savran (DIP, Turkey)

17.10- 17.45 pm Introductory Report  Europe in crisis by Savas Michael-Matsas (EEK, Greece)

 First Session

The European Union and Ukraine, Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans  

17.45-18.15pm   Speakers from “Against the Current”, Ukraine

18.15-19.00 pm  Speakers from  Russian Party of Communists(ΡΠΚ), Association of Marxist Organizations(AMO), Russian Komsomol, Left Front, Russia

19.00- 19.10 pm Speaker from Marx  Society of Budapest- Attac, Hungary

19.10- 19.25 pm  Speakers from the  women movement and the anti-capitalist Left of Poland

19.25- 19.40 pm  Speakers from  social movements of Bulgaria

19.40-19.50  pm Speaker from Albania

19.50-20.00 pm  Speaker from Attac-Romania   

20.00- 20.10pm  Short documentary on Bosnia

20.10 -21.00 Discussion    

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Second Session

       The European Union in crisis in front of the May 2014 European Elections

11.00 am The Hall opens fro delegates and public

11.30 am- 12.00 The world capitalist crisis and the EU. The decline of capitalism. Stagnation, deflation and disintegration in the EU. Talk by  Hillel Ticktin ( Glasgow University, editor of the Marxist journal Critique )

12.00-12.15 pm  Class struggle in Portugal, Raquel Varela (Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Study Group on Labor and Social Conflicts, review Rubra)

12.15- 12.45 pm  Report on Italy by  Marco Ferrando ( Partito Comunista dei Lavoratori)

12.45.-13.00 pm Report on Finland by Henri H.( Marxist Workers League- MTL)

13.00-13.30 pm Report on Greece by Yannis Aggelis (EEK), contributions by  other speakers

13.30-14.00 pm  Reports on  Cyprus by Greek and Turkish Cypriot speakers14.00-15.00 pm. Discussion

15.00-16.30 pm     Coffee Break -  refreshments

Third Session

The EU, and the Middle East, Africa and Latin America

16.30- 17.15 pm   Turkey in turmoil by Sungur Savran(DIP), and other speakers from Turkey

17.15-17.30 pm  Speaker from  Iran

17.30- 17.45 pm Speaker from Tunisia

17.45- 18. 15 pm  Latief Parker (Critique Editorial Board) and Godfrey Mdinga on South Africa

18.15-18.45 pm  Argentina and Latin America  by Osvaldo Coggiola

( Partido Obrero of Argentina, Sao Paolo University, Brazil)

18.45- 19.15 Discussion

19.15-20.00 pm  Declaration-Program of action by the 2^nd Workers Euro-Mediterranean Conference, other motions and proposals, discussion and vote.