http://www.kp-l.org , mailto:kpl@zlv.lu

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.

Communist Party of Luxembourg (KPL)

Uli Brockmeyer

Member of the Executive Committee of KPL

Today we are facing a capitalist crisis, and this is not only the ongoing crisis of the financial and economic instruments of monopoly capitalism, but the deepest crisis of the capitalist system itself since the Second World War.

The contradictions between the biggest imperialist powers are becoming sharper day by day. This becomes more and more visible in the diverging positions of the leading imperialist powers concerning the most burning question of international policy, concerning the questions of war and peace, and also with a view to the European Union, its internal development, its international relations and the crisis of the Euro.

The economically powerful countries are using all their possibilities to expand their dominance over the financial and economic means – not only at the costs of the so-called »Third World« but also at the costs of less powerful countries within their own system. They are forcing practically all member states of the European Union – first of all countries like Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain – to adopt austerity programmes which are nothing else than a strategy to destruct step by step all the social achievements the working class had been struggling for over many decades. The ruling political parties and practically all bourgeois parties are supporting this policy.

The ruling forces of Germany and France are about to construct a European Union on the basis if their ideas. 66 years after its military defeat in World War II the German imperialism is again on the way to dominate other countries. With the aim to maximize the profits of German capitalists, the German government is imposing its model of ruling the society and the economy to other countries.

Also in Luxembourg the gap between rich and poor is growing, as well as the number of unemployed and people living in a situation of precarity. »Working poor« becomes a well known status for those who are still employed. More and more elder people are living with the danger of poverty in old age. Growing prices and taxes are resulting in a loss of living standard. Education and health care are becoming more expensive for the majority of the people.

As a result of the austerity policy of our government all the working people in Luxembourg have lost 12.5 per cent of one monthly salary in the period from the month of May till October. One week ago, the Minister of Finance announced openly that the government is going to continue this strategy. They are loading the costs of the crisis of the capitalist system on the shoulders of the working people, of the youth, the unemployed and the pensioners – while the so-called »upper ten thousand« continue to enlarge their assets. In Luxembourg just 10 per cent of the households are possessing 80 percent of all assets in the country.

In this situation the policy of so-called »social partnership« in our country has led to the result wanted by the ruling class. An analysis of the situation in Luxembourg by the KPL came to the conclusion that the consciousness of the working class in our country is on the lowest level since the end of the Second World War.

The total number of the working class has been reduced in an unprecedented manner. While at the end of the 60ies there were still 30,000 People working in the Luxembourg steel industry, this number was reduced to less than 4,000 nowadays. The working class in our country has been split. 80,000 of the 500,000 inhabitants of Luxembourg are immigrants from Portugal. Only one third of the workers is of Luxembourg nationality. About 150,000 workers are commuters, coming from the neighbouring countries France, Belgium and Germany. Many of the workers are of Portuguese origin living in our country. All of them speak different languages, and the solidarity among the workers is very low.

But facing the ongoing destruction of the steel industry there are first signs of resistance. Together with their colleagues from Belgium, Germany and France the steelworkers organised a 24 hours strike on Wednesday this week – this was the first strike in Luxembourg since the year 1982.

Together with our comrades from the Workers Party of Belgium we have published a statement on the recent developments in the steel industry, and we hold a press conference one day before the strike where we have reiterated our position that the expropriation of the Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and the nationalisation of the steel factories is the only possible solution to prevent the complete breakdown of the industry and to save the working places in our countries.

The KPL has adopted several programmes for the struggle against the ongoing social destruction. Using the possibilities of our daily newspaper, with press statements, leaflets, posters and other means we are informing the people about the reasons for the ongoing social destructions.

Our party has managed to continue its political line on the basis of Marxism-Leninism and is permanently analysing the situation in Luxembourg. We are aware of the fact that a strong communist party is of urgent necessity to re-organise the class struggle in our country. We are strengthening our efforts to construct our contacts with trade unions and with social organisations. We have participated with open lists under the name of Communist Party of Luxembourg in five of the biggest cities in the municipal elections in October this year, and we are proud to say that thanks to the support from many people we could celebrate our first electoral success after more than 15 years. Three of our comrades have been elected member of the municipal councils in the workers’ cities Esch/Alzette, Differdingen and Rümelingen.

Capitalism today has reached its historical limits. The sources of capitalist profit are not unlimited any more. This is the reason why the capitalist system is in a deep crisis and is breaking the still existing limits for beginning new wars for oil, natural resources, territory and markets. Inside the capitalist countries the contradiction between capital und labour is becoming more and more sharper. The times of the so called »social partnership« are over.

Unfortunately there are still many political forces who believe in the possibility of »reforming« the existing system. Most of the trade unions in Europe – with the exception of those where communists have leading positions like in Greece or in Portugal – are co-operating with the governments, mainly because social democratic parties in several countries are part of the government or are dreaming about taking over governing functions. New parties claiming to be left wing oriented are refusing to act against the mainstream and are finally playing that role, which social democratic parties have played 20 years ago.

As a small party in a small country we are aware of the fact that we are not able to deal with all problems of today’s developments, to work out the necessary analysis of the changing situation and to draw the conclusion for our activities, if we work alone. For this reason the Workers Party of Belgium, the German Communist Party, the New Communist Party of the Netherlands and the Communist Party of Luxembourg initiated a Four-Party-Cooperation in 2005. Representative of our four parties are meeting regularly every three months to consult current issues and to organize common activities, like for example a campaign of the four parties against the liberalisation and forthcoming privatisation of the post service in our countries. In this context we published a brochure with articles about the situation in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in Dutch, French and German. Once a year we organise a For-Party-Conference in one of our countries where delegation of about ten comrades from each party meet for one weekend to exchange views and experiences. Comrades from Belgium and from Germany supported our successful election campaign this year in Luxembourg.

This kind of cooperation among communists has proved to be a very effective way of improving our activities on national and multilateral level.

Basing ourselves on this positive experience, the KPL once again underlines its conviction that it is urgently necessary to develop new ways of international and regional cooperation between all parties which are struggling on the common basis of Marxism-Leninism, against the exploitation of men by men, for the abolishment of capitalism and for the construction of a new socialist society.

Almost all political forces today are co-operating in structured and well organised forms on regional or worldwide level – why should the communists further hesitate to create their own international organisation? Communist and Workers parties all over the world are possessing a common programme, the Manifesto of the Communist Party, which is the basis of our common ideology and is our common guideline in the struggle for a better society, which can only be socialism.

Let us take the slogan from 1848 serious: »Workers of all countries – unite!« The communists of Luxembourg are ready to contribute with all possible means for the creation of a new level of international cooperation.