Hier die Thesen für meine Intervention auf der WAPE-Konferenz in Hanoi .
Herzliche Grüße
Hermann (0043 /676 / 972 31 10 )
1. Capitalism never produced sustainable growth or social justice. And capitalism exploited nature in a brutal way like the labourforce (Marx had very clear and hard judgements on that in the „Kapital“).
But under the specific (!) conditions after World War II there was (global) strong economic growth and in some countries (for above all in the „North“) even the working class could benefit of it. The negative ecological consequences of growth under capitalist guidelines were enormous what led worlwide since the 1980ies to a strong rise of environmental movements.
2. These specific conditions disappeared more and more and since the seventies of the past century we can see big economic crises- not only the „normal“ up and down of the capitalist conjuncture. The neoliberal offensive is THE (main) answer of the international bourgeoisie to these crises to strenghten again its positions.
The consequences of this offensive are wellknown: enormous rise of unemployment (youth unemployemnt is even higher: in Spain or Greece 50/ 60 percent- what means that a whole generantion is without future), precarity, privatisation of state owned companies etc.
3. Though there are sometimes statements to „correct“ this offensive- in reality this brutal politics will go on- under the leitmotif „There is no alternative“ . So we will see in future even more unemployment, privatizations, attempts to destroy completely the „social state“. And we will see more and ecological catastrophes: in Japon- though Fukushima!- the present government wants to open again the atomic plants ; the melting of the poles will go on as a result of the -not braked- warming of the earth etc.
4. This horror scenario led to a certain revival of neokeynesianism: „more investment instead of pure austerity“; and plädoyers for „more control“ in the the environmental field.
Realistically we have to stress : a) neither are these measures sufficient to solve the crises
b ) nor are the proposals of the neokeynesians (Stieglitz, Krugman,…) adopted by the mainstream of the international bourgeoisie. For the neoliberal show down is the adaequate answer for the capital to its problems!
5) This general picture has of course to be concretizised through analyses of the economic and political situation in the different countries: there a „winners“ and „loosers“. In Europe for example countries like Germany, Netherland or Austria are profiteurs of the „export boom“.-
Also countries like India, South Africa or Brazil have seen considerable growth – parts of the socalled „middle classes“ could gain from this development. In Brazil the „bolsa familia“ was created for the extreme poor people. But there was in no way a deepgoing change in the society- not even an ambitous agrarian reform was implemented. So it is no surprise that there are (in Brazil- sic!) a lot of protests against the football wordl championship.
In these countries there was no „take off“ for the masses- in India the hindufundamentalist Modi could profit with his demagogy from that and win the general elections.
6) Lets take the example of Greece: conscious a social catastrophy was created – to improve the „chances for the enonomy“. This paved also the conditions for the rise of the fascists of the „Golden Dawn“.
The Troika will go on with this desaster politics. When the left party Syriza wins the elections it will be confronted with enormous resistance of the international capital. Even to small reforms of the austerity measures in the past the neoliberal hardliners will say no. It would be a trap for the left to be „moderate “ in such a situation. Very soon they would loose the support of their voters. They have to act for real changes of the life for the majority of the population: cancelling of the debts; taxes on the rich ( reeders open say that they dont pay taxes); reestablishing of a functioning public health sector (which has been destroyed) etc. And for that they will need the broadest solidarity of the international workers movement!
7) Though the situation in other countries is not identic with Greece- there are certain similarities: „small modificationss“ of the neoliberal course will not produce sustainable growth not to speak of social justice; they will not defend „mother nature“ or not lead to „buen vivir“- as the comrades in Latin America say.
Capitalism today is in stagnation and we live- again- in an „epoc of rebellions and beginning revolutions“(„Arabic Spring“ with all its contradictions; Turkey- the vast movement against the Erdogan government; etc). Under such conditions RADICAL changes- in the sense of Marx: going to the roots of the problems- are on the agenda.
8) The left today has to present its radical answers to the crises of capitalism in a CONCRETE way – far away from pure propagandism. Taking in consideration the different situation in the different countries they have to elaborate a set of far reaching demands/ measures like cancelling of the debts; sozialisation of banks and important factories- under democratic/ workers control; reduction of labourtime- without reduction of the wages etc.
Such „transition“demands (in the tradition of the III. and IV. congress of the III. International) start hic et nunc , they are „understandable“ für many parts of the society but their realization leads beyond the logic of the capital and opens the perspective for a socialist society.
Hermann Dworczak