A step towards left unity
THE dramatic crisis of the European Community in the summer months of 1992 has stimulated a series of Europe-wide initiatives by the left opposed to the capitalist vision of a united Europe embodied in the Maastricht Treaty. FRANÇOIS VERCAMMEN — Paris, April 28, 1993
HE very small majority in favour of the treaty in France followed soon after its shock defeat in the June referendum in Denmark. Italy and Greece saw a massive strike wave against the austerity plans necessitated by Maastricht's stipulations on economic convergence. And finally, the exit of the British pound and Italian lira from the European Monetary System, accompanied by a cascade of devaluations of other currencies, showed the fragility of the whole edifice.
However, collaboration between the bourgeoisies and the bureaucracies of the workers movement - with the support of the intellectual elites -prevented the emergence of any serious alternative to Maastricht Europe. The only gainers were the far right which has moved into the vacuum.
Now a series of well-known political and trade union figures from a variety of currents of the anti-capitalist left have launched an appeal for "An assembly of the European left" to be held in Paris on June 12, 1993.
This initiative comes in the wake of a conference in the Danish capital Copenhagen held on April 23-24, 1993 under the heading "for an alternative to the EEC and to political and monetary union". This was called by Denmark's Red-Green "Enhedslisten" alliance which brings together the Communist Party, the Left Socialists (VS) and the Socialist Workers Party (SAP — Danish section of the Fourth International). The aim of the conference was to back up the campaign for a second no vote in the new Danish referendum on Maastricht to be held on May 18.
In the first referendum, 50.7% of those who voted were against the treaty, although 80% of the politicians, including the opposition Social Democrats, were for. This time round, even the Socialist People's Party (SF) - a left social democratic party born out of a split in the Communist Party in 1956which was the driving force behind the campaign for a "no" back in spring last year, has been won over to the "Edinburgh Compromise".
As a result, the gulf between the aspirations of the leftwing's natural constituency and their political representatives has become still wider. Despite the SF's defection, support for the "no" continues to gravitate around 40% with around 15 to 20% undecided. This is in the face of an unprecedented propaganda barrage in the media about how a no vote will increase unemployment. At the same time there is a struggle going on within the "no" camp between the nationalist and populist far right and the socialist left.
The Enhedslisten's initiative was a big success. On the panel were Tony Benn, a leftwing Labour MP from Britain, Winfried Wolf, the editor-in-chief of the German Sozialistische Zeitung newspaper, Karmelo Landa, Euro-MP for the Basque nationalist Herri Batasuna party and Dorothy Piermont, also a Euro-MP, previously for the German Greens, but now independent.
Representatives of many organizations took part in the discussion, among them:
• Sections of the Fourth International in Denmark, Sweden, France, the Netherlands and Belgium;
• The Communist Parties of Britain, Greece (both the KKE and the AKOA - the Renovated and Ecological Left, Portugal, and Finland (the Communist Party - Unity);
• The Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and the United Socialist Party (VSP) from Germany; the exMaoist AMG and the Red Electoral Alliance from Norway, which brings together the AMG and the Workers Power Group, which has developed relations with the Fourth International; the UDP from Portugal; the Red and Green Alliance from France; Herri Batasuna and the Nationalist Bloc of Galicia from the Spanish State.
The conference organizers had prepared and sent out in advance a draft political declaration that reproduced in a generous interpretation the main ideas of the speakers. However, some CP delegations objected to this declaration.
However, the conference had a big media impact both owing to the presen-
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ce of Tony Benn and the big turnout for the public meeting on the Saturday both of which gave a sense of the legitimacy of the "leftwing no" , even if it is now represented in Denmark only by groups without parliamentary representation.
For two evenings running the conference was on the television news and various radio stations. Some papers, including the Social Democratic daily, put it on the front page with photos and interviews with Benn. In this way the Enhedslisten made its mark on the debate; on the morrow of the conference leaders of the Danish Socialist Party, which is the pivot of the new government, were calling for a visit from a spokesperson of European social democracy to reply to Benn.
The forthcoming Paris Assembly can pick up where Copenhagen left off. The latter initiative was part of a one-off campaign to influence the referendum vote while the Paris meeting will address broader political issues. Last September, as the EEC tottered, the absence of a left alternative was sorely felt. This led to the drawing up of an appeal aimed at bringing together left forces from the workers, union and social movements to present a clear profile to European public opinion.
Despite its rather general nature, the appeal is clearly anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-racist/fascist, feminist and ecologist. It embodies a long term perspective. The ruling classes of Europe are far from winning the war whatever the result of the May 19 referendum in Denmark and the forthcoming vote in the British parliam However i ment.
However, the workers and social movements of Europe are paralyzed by deadbeat leaderships and national divisions despite the obligatory "European" professions of faith.
The Paris Assembly must be the first link which tests, organizes and draws together all those who have shown themselves ready to resist the bourgeois offensive, maintain a socialist vision and have already found themselves working together on key questions such as the Gulf War, the rejection of austerity and of Maastricht, support for the progressive forces in Nicaragua, Cuba and El Salvador, against racism and for equal rights and for equality of women and men. *
Appeal for the Paris Assembly THE world is going through a period of stagnation and crisis that is throwing millions into poverty and despair. Mass unemployment and hopelessness are the result. Today, Europe cannot be regarded as a haven of peace and prosperity. Seventeen million unemployed, above all youth, and 30 million "marginalized" people constitute our "Third World". Millions of impoverished people press at Europe's borders to the south and east, attempting to escape from even more dreadful misery. Against this bleak background, racism is spreading, attempting to scapegoat immigrants for these evils. And for the first time in 50 years, fascist and neo-fascist groups are asserting themselves at the ballot box and in the streets. The form of European unity currently being pursued will not provide the needed, socially responsible, generous and fraternal answer that this crisis requires. The Maastricht Treaty, centered on monetary union and the formation of the independent bank, is being used as an alibi for dismantling social gains.and the welfare state. As resolute opponents of all forms of national and regional chauvinism, we are partisans of a Europe whose peoples are mobilized and fighting against unemployment and social exclusion, of a Europe without racism all of whose inhabitants enjoy the same rights, an egalitarian Europe which accords women their full place in society, an ecological Europe which protects natural resources and reconciles economic development and defence of the environment, a Europe where minorities enjoy democratic rights and an independent and pro-peace Europe open to the East and in solidarity with the South. Europe needs another road! One which allows ordinary people - workers, youth, women, immigrants and national minorities to go forward. Priority must be given to the social needs of the majority of the population rather than to the profits of a tiny minority. Everyone needs a job, a reasonable income, somewhere to live, health care, and the right to education and vocational training. We need the public services and infrastructure as well as a radical reduction in the working week to give people the time and the possibility for personal development and allow real community life. Such priorities are incompatible with the despotism of profit and the domination of all aspects of the economy by the law of the market. More than ever, the struggle for a new society free from exploitation and oppression, an egalitarian and democratic, free and self-managing society is on the agenda. We have no ready-made solutions and there are certainly differences amongst us. But we share solid convictions and the will to discuss and act together on a Europe-wide scale. We call on militants from the left of the workers and union movement, the women's movement, the ecological movement, the international solidarity movement, the anti-racist and anti-fascist movement and the cooperative movement to sign this appeal and come to the European Assembly of the Left which will be held on the weekend of June 12-13, 1993, in Paris. Initial list of signatories: Fausto Bertinotti, Confederal Secretary of the General Confederation of Italian Labour (CGIL) Italy; Tony Benn, Member of Parliament, Labour Party, Britain; Marcelino Camacho, National Secretary of the Workers Commissions (CCOO), Spanish State; Luciana Castellina, Member of European Parliament and editor of Liberazione, the weekly of the Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC), Italy; Armando Cossutta, President of the PRC, Italy; Luciano Pettinari, International Secretary of the PRC, Italy; Ernest Mandel, economist, Socialist Workers Party (POS/SAP) Belgium; Gregor Gysi, former President of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), member of parliament, Germany; François Vercammen, POS/SAP, Belgium; Wilfried Telkamper, Member of European Parliament, Greens, Germany; Michel Suchod, Vice-President of the Citizens Movement, France; Claude Poperen, spokesperson of the AlternativeDemocracy-Socialism (ADS), France; Gilbert Wassermann, spokesperson of the ADS France; Stéphane Peu, spokesperson of the Communist Refounders, France; Alain Krivine, spokesperson of the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), France; René Dumont, agronomist, France; Julio Anguita, United Left (IU), Spanish State. *
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