Athens Meeting 8-10 October 2004, Contribution of CP in
Denmark
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From: SolidNet, Wednesday, October 06, 2004
http://www.kpid.dk , mailto:kpid@kpid.dk
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Communist Party in Denmark

Contribution to the International conference on Resistance
to Imperialist aggressiveness. Fronts of Struggle and
Alternatives. Athens 2004.

Dear Comrades

The agenda of this meeting underlines the seriousness of
the present international situation and especially the
growing role and tasks of the communist parties.

US-imperialism is performing its policy in a more and more
aggressive way. And all though there are contrasts and
conflicts between capitalist countries and the centres of
international imperialism, the US-imperialism has, to a
wide extend, achieved recognition of its policy from a huge
number of other countries and their governments.

Several facts indicate that the hegemony of the
US-Imperialism is suffering a severe pressure. Take the
American economy. The US has the hugest foreign dept in the
world. The US-dollar is threatened on its position as a, or
the, world wide - recognised currency. And the American
economy is artificially kept at its present level by
foreign non-productive investments.

But those threats against the US-hegemony make the
US-Imperialism even more dangerous. The so-called war on
terror and the self-authorised right of the US to
preventive wars are only two examples.

As a consequence of the present Critic State of the
US-Imperialism neo-liberal authors are now introducing and
defending the theory that there are no alternatives to the
US-hegemony.

In this part of the world the US is trying to maintain a
state of dependence European countries towards the
US-imperialism.

This became obvious at the NATO-summit in Istanbul last
year. The other member countries are to be kept under US
control. And they are to support or participate US-actions
world wide political, military and economic. The military
actions that are carried out in Afghanistan at the moment
are organised and lead by NATO-bodies, and they are
planning the very same to take place in Iraq.

The increasing number of US-military based abroad, among
them those in former USSR republics in Asia, are part of
the NATO-doctrine of Eurasia. A Eurasia that will surround
Russia, China and a number of middle-east countries among
them Iran and Syria and will be a continuing of the
American support of Israeli imperialism.

Contradicting to what they told us when the Soviet Union
collapsed the arms race has reached a higher level than
ever before. The US-military-budget is almost as big as
those of all other countries in the world all together. And
new technologies are still developed in the
military-industry.

All though there are contrasts among the imperialist
centres of the world as we saw it when some European
countries objected on the war on Iraq the US are still
trying to maintain the other NATO-members as countries that
are political, economic and military dependant on the US.

This also goes for Denmark, a little country far up north
and with no enemies neighbouring it.

In Denmark as in other countries there were huge marches
against the war on Iraq.

But we must admit that there were problems in developing
this movement against the war. It tended to be a scene of
struggles among and between minor groups of leftists rather
than the centre that could develop a broad and united
peace-movement.

So it is still an important task for us to contribute to
the development of a peace-movement that includes broader
parts of the population, even between the marches.

The unions must have a key position in this development.
But it must also take place in co-operation with the
established peace-movement and benefit from its historical
experiences.

Furthermore we think that the movements organising the
European- and World Social Forum should contribute to the
struggle against war and arms race.

The undermining of UN and its charter is another dangerous
step towards imperialistic wars as world order. The Danish
participation in the US-aggression towards Iraq is still
opposed by the Danish population, the popular movements and
the unions.

Danish foreign policy is a puppet on a string, controlled
by USA.

The translational conglomerates are step by step
consolidating their power and erasing anything that might
limit it. They do it by undermining the authority and power
of the UN and creating their own supranational bodies. And
they deliberately and consciously weaken the two most
important tools of the working class and the population:

- The trade unions and

- The democratic institutions that enables us to influence
international politics by influencing the one of the
national governments.

For this purpose they are making so called terrorist-lists
and anti terror legislation. This legislation is
proclaiming people's struggle for freedom and democracy
into a criminal and illegal action. It even criminalizes
the solidarity and support with such movements.

In Denmark we are developing a movement called Rebellion
that opposes this legislation and the list of so called
terrorist organisations. It even provokes the authorities
and the public debate by collecting money for
liberation-organisations that are listed by EU and USA as
terrorists.

During the nazi-occupation of Denmark in 1940 1945 the
Resistance - movement were also labelled as terrorists by
the Germans and the collaborative Danish authorities. After
the liberation they were praised as freedom fighters.

Their veteran-organisations are part of the movement
against terrorist-lists as are a growing number of cultural
celebrities.

In Europe, The EU is deciding who are to be listed as
terrorists.

This consolidation of the power of the translational
monopolies is supported by organisations like WTO and the
General Agreement on Trade and Services, GATS. But in
Europe it is also supported and encouraged by the European
Union. The purpose of the union is to secure the interests
of the monopolies and consolidate their rights without any
inconvenient interference from the working class or any
democratic popular influence.

And one must say the union is doing that pretty well. The
main principle for any decision in the EU is four
fundamental rights for the capital. Prohibit of any
disturbance of the free competition is systematically
ruining the public sector. It is creating a fundament for
privatisation and it is demolishing collective public
services.

The right to move capital and labour from one country to
another and the right of the capital to establish
production or other companies and its right to avoid it has
increased the level and character of unemployment. The
number of unemployed has increased and their conditions
have been deteriorated.

The competition between companies and countries is a
competition on wages, number of working hours and the
conditions of the employees in general. And this tendency
has indeed been sharpened since the enlargement of the EU
with among others a number of previously socialist
countries in Europe.

The weakening of the union-movement and the fear of
redundancies make this development possible. Now we even
hear the industrialist's demand that the wages should be
reduced and the working hours to be increased. And the
threat that they might move the production to countries
with more "competitive" conditions often make it possible
for them to obtain what they want.

It is important that the European and the international
working class resist competing against each other to
achieve the jobs we need. On the contrary we must unite
against our common enemy: The class and the companies that
are exploiting us. This struggle is a common struggle in
which CPs and trade unions world wide have an obligation
and an objective interest to join in. Therefore our
struggle against the EU and the Danish membership is also
supported by the working class and by huge parts of the
union-movement.

At the EU-parliament-elections this summer the governing
parties suffered a severe loss of votes in all countries.
This happened to socialist as well as liberal or
conservative governing parties. By voting for the
opposition-parties the populations expressed their
dissatisfaction with the policy that is carried out in the
EU-countries. A policy that is decided by the EU and hardly
changed or modified, no matter what party is governing one
or another country.

In Denmark the opposition towards and knowledge about EU in
the population actually had the consequence that a majority
didn't vote at all. The polls conclude that it was those
who oppose the Danish membership that didn't bother to
vote. They don't think that the EU-parliament has any real
influence on the essential and important decisions. And it
hasn't.

Let me express our congratulations to that CPs who enlarged
their representation through an well-organised campaign.
Such victories are also part of the struggle against the EU
and the power of the capital throughout Europe. The EU can
not be reformed and turned into a democratic and
progressive institution. That would contradict its basic
and fundamental principles. It is a weapon used by the
international capital against the working class and must be
fought as such.

Our aim must be to replace a European Union with a
democratic co-operation among sovereign and independent
countries. A co-operation based on equal rights for those
participating.

The working class and its allies, other groups whose
interests are jeopardised by the translational
conglomerates and the EU, will carry out this struggle.

Recognising that the EU cannot be reformed and can never
become a democratic institution or serve any other
interests than those of the international capital. One must
also recognise that the attempts to create a common
European left-wing party are a mistake. Especially because
this party-construction bases it self on the conditions
decided by the European Union.

The EU is at the moment establishing it self as a genuine
federal state. It is to have a common constitution, its own
flag, and a national anthem, single currency and a common
legislation on all important matters. Its governmental
administration will be an elitist one. Neither the
president, the foreign secretary nor the government the
commission is to be elected by the people.

On 35 important legislative areas decisions are to be taken
by a majority in the EU-body authorised to deal with it.
One of them is the common policy on justice and police. The
constitution includes an article authorising the EU it self
to move more power from the member-states to the union as
such. This means that if this constitution is decided,
there will be no more referendums on any questions
concerning the increasing power of the union.

Therefore it is important that the populations in the
countries in question are allowed to have a referendum on
the constitution. If they accept it, it will be their last
referendum. The parties and the populations must support
each other in demanding referendums. The contents of the
constitution will become known and discussed among ordinary
people if there is a referendum.

The European Union also jeopardises the peace in the world.
Its countries or counties one might actually call them
have an obligation to increase their military capacities
and contribute with armed forces to its common foreign- and
security policy. The constitution authorises the EU to turn
itself also in to a military unit with a common army. This
way the EU becomes a military and political superpower that
can carry out military operations with out a UN
authorisation to do so.

This will make it more than difficult to maintain the
recognition of International Law and the UN as the
fundaments for developing a better world order. A
recognition that has been essential for Denmark and the
other Nordic countries. Among them we have through many
years had a co-operative body called The Nordic Council.
Based on the principles of democracy and equal rights they
discussed matters of common interest until an agreement
that respected the sovereignty of every member was
achieved. A model for co-operation that could serve as an
example for others.

Some progressive forces in Europe and throughout the world
have made the mistake to consider the EU as a
counterbalance to the hegemony of the US. Nothing could be
more wrong than that theory. The European Union represents
the companies and conglomerates that are established in
Europe, and they are not in any way different from those in
America or anywhere else in this world. Their main task is
to secure their profit and their access to markets. To do
that they send young workers to war and have them killed,
and they have innocent civilians killed in the very same
wars if it serve their interests. The war on Iraq and the
preparations of it is an excellent example on how they
carry out their policy. The creation of a new capitalist
superpower can be compared with the situation that led to
World War I only on a different level. The theory, that the
EU should be able to perform a better imperialism than the
US, is also comparable with the discussions in the
international labour movement before World War I. Socialist
MPs throughout Europe voted in favour of increasing
military budgets to secure the interests of their national
working class, they said.

The EU is the tool of the capital. Not only has the working
class had an interest in struggling against it. The class
has several allies in this struggle, and the strategy must
recognise the common interests through the method of unity
in action. This strategy has proved successful in Denmark,
Norway and Sweden. The Norwegians rejected EU-membership at
two referendums, and the Danes and the Swedes both rejected
the single currency.

At the moment we are developing a broad united movement
against the establishment of an EU-state with a common
constitution. There is a sturdy foundation to build it on.
According to the polls a majority of the Danish population
has decided to reject the EU-constitution when at the
referendum that is expected to take place next year. This
movement is a fundamental part of our struggle against the
capital. It includes the struggle for national independence
and democracy. It includes the struggle for worker rights
in workshops, in factories and on building sites. It
includes the solidarity with other struggling people and
the struggle for peace and against militarism. It is a
struggle to give the interest of humanity a higher priority
than the interests of capital are. It is a struggle for the
power of the people against the power of the conglomerates.

Communist Party in Denmark
Betty F. Carlsson, President