http://www.kommunisterne.dk , mailto:kpid@kommunisterne.dk

13^th International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

Athens, December 9-11, 2011

SOCIALISM IS THE FUTURE!

The international situation and the experience of the communists 20 years after the counterrevolution in the USSR. The tasks for the development of the class struggle in conditions of capitalist crisis, imperialist wars, of the current popular struggles and uprisings, for working class-popular rights, the strengthening of proletarian internationalism and the anti-imperialist front, for the overthrow of capitalism and the construction of socialism.

Contribution of the Communist Party in Denmark

Betty Frydensbjerg Carlsson, chairman.

In our analyses in Delhi on coming steps for the crises of capitalism, we said that finance capital now will drain our national finances/ cash box. It certainly has happened. In the old centres of capital, Europe and US, the statedebt is enormous. Working class pay the bill through huge cuts in public service and rising taxes, especially tax on consume, and so-called green tax on energy, heating, water, waste – and now by us in Denmark extra tax on so-called unhealthy goods as products with sugar and products containing fat. The countries are in recession. Also Japan is in crises. The stock market is in panic, and it worries the state leaders and the Medias more than the fact, that the populations are in economic panic.

The general crises

Unemployment is exploding. In Denmark until now the majority of unemployed was men, because of the industry moving abroad and cheaper building companies from the former socialist countries got the enterprises for building projects. But now the women are near to the same rate of unemployment because of the huge cuts in public service. The big unemployment of course has economic consequences, both for the families and the society. For decades the housing policy was to transfer working class from tenants to “owners” through easy loans. The consequence is now, that every month 500 families are going bankrupt. The exploding unemployment is exploited by the employers to lower or stagnant the wages, while prices are rising. The consequence is that the consuming is falling and it doesn’t help that “Economic experts”- employed in the biggest banks - daily appeal to the population to spend more money on consuming. People don’t have the money. We are in the classical situation - the classical general crisis of capitalism.

The dying system

In the last year we have seen many banks are bankrupt. Our state pays for the lost, and helps the big banks to buy the so-called healthy part of the bank business. It empties our national coffer. Since the 1990 privatizations has gone on. The EU has demanded high quotas for privatizations. In sectors as ex. tax paid eldercare, private firms are constructed in a way so they can transfer the profit to tax-heavens. It means that they don’t pay tax to the coffer that feeds them, and one day there will neither not be money enough to them. Privatizations are a short time object for new profit. Private “rating firms” rates for instance US and European countries low for investors, but the countries will not be better rated when they sell out all the so-called family silver.

Capitalism hasn’t many tools left for their rescue. Even the imperialistic wars are too expensive. For instance the short war against Libya has cost the Danish taxpayers what it would cost to make all public transport in the country free. The benefit for supporting the coup makers goes to big conglomerates; their oil interests and profit at rebuild what their war has destroyed. One can say that the capitalist system is not able to rule anymore. Unfortunately the majority of the people still accept to be ruled by it. They don’t question the system as such.

A recent report from the International Labour organization ILO states that the risk of – what they call -social unrest has grown substantially in 40 per cent of the 119 investigated countries. The estimated risk of increased social protest is especially high in advanced economies, the Middle East and North Africa and, to a lesser extent, Asia. Not at least the bad employment prospects, the worsening of living conditions and the lack of confidence in government is the reason for this development.

As communists we greet the growing activities by the people. But on the same time we know that social protest does not automatically lead to real progress or even to socialism. In many of the countries, where the social protest has grown, it has not been under a strong inspiration of a communist party and it has not been led by trade unions or other popular organisations. The development in many of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa proves this.

In the Southern Europe and especially here in Greece the situation is much more promising as the communist party and the working class organisations are leading in the popular movements. Besides struggling for better conditions right now increasingly also the struggle for the only alternative to capitalism, to unemployment, to poverty, that is socialism, is in focus.

Confused and disillusioned

Looking at results from parliamentarian elections in Europe and in other continents, people use their vote to protest. In some countries they replace the labour governments with a bourgeois and goes from ashes to fire, other where it is the opposite. But with tiny differences the policy is the same. The economic policy is the same and the same the policy on war, interfering, membership of NATO and the EU. Even in Denmark, where the new elected government is addicted of the votes from the United Left, who 3-doubbled there mandates, but the United Left will vote for the budget, containing membership of NATO, The EU, the War in Afghanistan etc. given some – well good – but small promises in return. It doesn’t help working class to recognise that socialism is a necessity to change life into a better future.

The People get disillusioned on politics. We know that in all our countries people are angry on the finance institutions. In Denmark at the moment 69 % would vote no once again, if we should vote yes or no to join the Euro. And also in Denmark many demonstrated and some occupied the central circus in protest and support to the “Occupy Wall Street” movement. But without a common goal, without socialism as an alternative, nothing will change, and the movement will die quietly like the Attack movement did some years ago.

Fascism or socialism

In front of us there is an alternative, socialism, and a huge danger: Fascism. In Europe we already see its appearance. Most clear is the dictatorship of the finance capital. First in Greece, where the prime minister was replaced with a finance boss, an afterwards even more clearly in Italy, where the elected prime minister – like him or not – was deposed and replaced with an adviser for the big monopolies. Not a protest from all the leaders who invade foreign countries to depose dictators and export the so-called western parliamentarian democracy.

After years undermining democratic rights and humanism, years with xenophobia, unemployment and growing poorness the political establishment seams surprised by the revelation of extreme right wing groups and their well-planned mass murdering. They are a product of capitalism, of its misery its material and cultural poverty and its disgusting view of human nature.

This historical situation calls for an alternative, for the socialist alternative. We need to fight anticommunism and the faking of history in an offensive way. To this education of our young members is important as our work for unity in working class. It is difficult to foretell what the outcome of the capitalist crisis will be in the short run. A socialist revolutionary situation will probably not occur within the next few years, but the struggle must go on and be intensified!

Finally I want to thank for the greetings and support to our member and comrade, president for the association of the former resistance fighters and KZ prisoners, who just is released from prison. He was convicted for terrorism because of collecting money to help the victims in Gaza after the Israeli attack, delivered through the PFLP. Through his prisoning we have been demonstrating in front of the prison, and have had big solidary meetings about this case. On the international solidarity day many demonstrated at the prison. Our struggle against the terror-legislation will continue. We appreciated your solidarity very much.

Thank You.

Solidarity forever – socialism is the future.