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April 1-15, 2011
Volume 19 - Number 7
$1
Prolétaires
de tous les pays, unissez-vous!
Otatoskewak ota kitaskinahk mamawestotan!
Workers of all lands, unite
1) ON MAY 2: DUMP THE HARPER TORIES AND BLOCK THE RIGHT!
2) INTERVIEW WITH MIGUEL FIGUEROA
3) HANDS OFF LIBYA - NO FOREIGN INTERVENTION!
4) A SHAMEFUL VOTE FOR WAR - Editorial
5) A SPRINGTIME OF RESISTANCE - Editorial
6) APRIL 9 RALLY: "A Toronto for Everyone!"
7) CLC STRUCTURAL REFORM AND THE GHOST OF DEMOCRACY PAST
8) 50,000 MARCH IN MONTREAL
9) B.C. FINALLY RAISES MINIMUM WAGE
10) BLOCK REMOVAL OF COKE, DEMANDS USW 1005
11) CONNECTING THE DOTS IN WISCONSIN
12) AFGHANS FOR PEACE CONDEMN KILLING OF CIVILIANS
13) NEW COOKS, SAME RECIPE IN IRELAND
14) BEHIND THE LABOUR UPSURGE OF THE `40S
15) MUSIC NOTES, By Wally Brooker
16) WHAT’S LEFT
17)
CLARTÉ (en français)
18)
THE SPARK! (Theoretical and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of
19) INTRODUCING MARX
PEOPLE'S VOICE APRIL 1-15,
2011 (pdf)
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The Spark!
The Spark! The latest issue of The Spark! theoretical
journal, is now on sale for $5 at Communist Party offices (see p. 8) or People’s
Co-op Books, Articles include
plus reviews, editorials, and more.
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Theoretical
and Discussion Bulletin of the Communist Party of |
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April 16-30 May 1-15 Send submissions to PV Editorial Office,
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REDS
ON THE WEB |
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People's Voice finds many "Global Class Struggle" reports at the "Labour Start" website, http://www.labourstart.org/. We urge our readers to check it out! |
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(The following articles are from the
April 1-15, 2011, issue of People's
1) ON MAY 2: DUMP THE HARPER TORIES
AND BLOCK THE RIGHT!
A message
for the 2011 federal election from the Communist Party of Canada
This
federal election will be crucial for our country, and the stakes have rarely
been so high. If the Harper Conservatives manage to secure a majority in the
next Parliament, it will have catastrophic consequences for working people, for
Aboriginal peoples, for women, youth and students, pensioners, new immigrants
and racialized communities. Canadians need to defeat this Tory government and
end the ruinous, pro‑corporate policies it has inflicted ‑ a
critical first step in taking our country in a new, peaceful, democratic,
sovereign and socially progressive direction.
Defeating the Tories is paramount in importance. During their two minority
terms in office, the Harper Conservatives have attempted to disguise their aims
and "soften" their image, concealing their full reactionary agenda
from the people. But we've seen enough of their right‑wing program to
leave no doubt where they'll go if they get a majority. Over the past five
years, they have:
* attacked
jobs, wages, pensions and living standards for working people;
* enmeshed
Canada even further in an immoral and unwinnable war in Afghanistan, and have
now involved us in another dangerous conflict in Libya;
* slashed
corporate and wealth taxes for their rich buddies in Big Oil and on
* wildly increased spending on the military and prison
construction, while cutting funds to social programs, housing, and Aboriginal
peoples; and
* turned
They have distinguished themselves as the most arrogant, dictatorial and
secretive government in Canadian history.
At a time when our economy is still mired in deep crisis, the real Tory agenda
is to further drive down wages, impose longer hours and harsher working
conditions, smash unions, privatize public assets, and gut universal Medicare.
Unemployment, growing inequality, discrimination and environment destruction
are not new ‑ they are inherent features of the crisis‑ridden
system of capitalism. But at this crucial moment, the Conservative party ‑
the preferred party of monopoly capital ‑ is the most dangerous threat to
peace, democracy, and workers' rights. They must go... now!
The Liberals under Michael Ignatieff present themselves as the alternative. But
despite their criticism of the Conservatives, it was the Liberals who began
slashing corporate taxes and increasing military spending. In reality, the
Liberals also stand for pro‑corporate policies, especially on the
economy, militarism, and the 'law & order' agenda. While the Tories are the
worst threat to
Instead, many working people will consider voting for the NDP, the Bloc
Québecois, or the Greens. But while these parties occasionally advance
progressive policies, they refuse to challenge the domination of big capital
(the banks and large transnationals), or to take a consistent, principled stand
against the wars in
Dumping the Tories and working to build a powerful and broad People's Coalition
of the working class and its allies outside of Parliament can begin to achieve
real gains. This is the way to begin moving
The struggle for a people's agenda, bringing together labour, the social
justice movements, and all other democratic forces, will strengthen the labour
& people's mass fightback and help set the stage to elect a majority to
Parliament which will stand up for peace, jobs, democracy, sovereignty, and
environmental sustainability. The election of MPs genuinely committed to
democratic and progressive reform ‑ especially Communists, the most
consistent fighters for working class interests ‑ will be a crucial part
of this strategy to win fundamental social change.
Another world is possible! Another
Vote Communist for real change!
In this election, voting Communist is the strongest message you can send
against capitalist globalization and imperialist war. Your vote for a Communist
candidate will help make the voice of working people heard in Parliament and
open the door for a people's majority which can be the basis of a movement to
build socialism.
Our goal is a socialist
2) INTERVIEW WITH MIGUEL FIGUEROA
As the May
2 federal election began, People's Voice interviewed Communist Party of
People's Voice: What are the most important issues around which the federal election
will be fought?
Miguel Figueroa: I heard a
political commentator dub this a "Seinfeld" election because - like
that famous sitcom - this campaign will be `about nothing', without any pivotal
issues or defining themes. But appearances can be misleading.
Stephen Harper and his stable of advisers in the Prime Minister's Office have
been crafting such a scenario since the last election, and especially after
their post‑election brush with death when their minority government was
almost brought down (saved only by the prorogation of Parliament in December
2008). The Tory game plan is to `low‑ball' their economic and political
program and avoid sharp confrontations which would more fully expose their
reactionary anti‑labour, anti‑democratic agenda. That is the main
reason why power has been so concentrated (and carefully scripted) in the PMO.
Their `possum' strategy has been aided and abetted by both the mainstream
corporate media, and by the feebleness of the opposition parties in Parliament,
which have failed to bring forward substantive alternatives to Tory policies.
So, of course, this election is not about `nothing'. Far from
it. It is all about the most central issue: the consolidation of
Conservative political power in the form of a `stable' majority in Parliament.
This objective is also what monopoly capital - the oil barons in
This is the crux of the matter. Over the remaining days leading up to May 2nd,
workers, youth, pensioners, Aboriginal peoples, racialized communities - indeed
the vast majority of Canadians - need to do everything possible to deny Harper
and his cronies their coveted majority, and if possible drive them from the
government benches entirely.
People's Voice: Could you elaborate on how this election relates to the larger class
struggle for fundamental change?
Miguel Figueroa: Defeating
the Harper Tories is a fundamental first step for our class in the fight to
reverse the social and economic devastation wrought by capitalist governments
for decades, and which have intensified over the past five years of Tory rule.
This trail of destruction comprises a long list, but here are a few which we
consider most central: (1) the accelerating erosion of Canadian sovereignty;
(2) de‑industrialization and mounting job losses: (3) privatization and
the resulting loss of public services, especially Medicare, public education
and the CPP; (4) the increasing concentration of wealth for a small minority,
together with declines in the real living standards of most working people,
especially those increasingly herded into low‑wage and precarious job
ghettos; (5) the growing deterioration of the Canadian and global environment;
and (6) and the deepening attack on labour and democratic rights.
We realize that preventing a Tory majority, or even defeating the Harper
Conservatives, will not in itself reverse this disastrous course and take our
country in a new direction. The real battle for fundamental change will not be
restricted to the ballot booth. It will be fought out across this country, in
the workplaces, in our communities and on the streets of our towns and cities.
The strategic orientation of our Party is directed to help bring together and
unite the many threads of popular and mass resistance into a strong and
militant People's Coalition of labour, social and national movements. Centered around a comprehensive alternative program which challenges
corporate domination, a People's Coalition would put the interests of working
people and our environment first, rather than the pursuit of profit.
But it would categorically wrong to remain indifferent to the outcome of this
particular election, to sit it out or dismiss it as yet another futile exercise
in bourgeois `democracy'. The labour and people's forces must be ever mindful
of the political terrain that will arise after May 2nd. We need to work hard to
expose and defeat the Tory juggernaut as an initial step in creating better
conditions for more meaningful advance.
People's Voice: Defence and foreign policy issues are so far receiving scant attention
in the campaign. Why is that?
Miguel Figueroa: It is true
that the militarist, pro-imperialist Tory foreign policy agenda is not yet high
on the campaign radar, despite the concerns of the Canadian people. Take
Or take the $30 billion dollar purchase of F‑35 stealth fighters. The
Liberals complain that the contract was not properly tendered. The NDP rightly
points out that the exorbitant cost comes at the expense of social programs,
and both parties (as well as the BQ) are furious that Harper tried to conceal
its full cost from Parliament. All these criticisms are valid. But no one,
including the corporate media, is asking the more fundamental question:
"what are these F‑35s for?"
People's Voice: Can you say a few words about the Communist
Party's campaign and its objectives?
Miguel Figueroa: We will be
fielding about 20 candidates across the country to put forward our `people's
agenda' for a new direction for
3) HANDS OFF
Issued by
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of
On Thursday of this week, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1973,
authorizing the imposition of a "no‑fly zone" on Libya and the
use of "all necessary measures" short of an invasion - including
naval blockades, bombardment and air strikes - against Col. Muammar Gaddafi's
forces in order "to protect civilians and civilian‑populated
areas" in the rebel‑held Eastern part of Libya. The resolution also
imposes a ban on all air travel (including civilian flights) in Libyan
airspace, toughens the arms embargo, and widens the freeze of offshore Libyan
assets.
In reality, the UN decision hands the
The Communist Party of
Its invocation by Washington and its imperialist allies is also outrageously
hypocritical, when US/NATO forces have inflicted thousands of casualties on
innocent civilians in wars of occupation in
Or take what is happening right now in
The answer is very simple: because these are "US‑friendly"
client states which faithfully serve imperialist interests in the region. In
Libya, on the other hand, the imperialist powers want a "regime
change" to replace Gaddafi with a more "predictable" and pliant
puppet government, and to strengthen their hegemony in North Africa and the
Middle East where their "influence" (a.k.a. their economic interests
centred on control of the region's vital oil resources) is increasingly
threatened by the rising tide of democratic upsurge throughout the Arab world.
In response to the passage of the UN resolution, the Libyan government has
announced an immediate cessation of military action and is calling for an
"open dialogue" to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Many may question whether Gaddafi's ceasefire offer is genuine. Unfortunately,
the western powers are already dismissing this initiative without even
bothering to confirm the intentions of the Libyan regime, and are preparing to
launch military action, clearly revealing their true intent to impose regime
change through military aggression.
However bad the current situation, it will be much worse with a foreign
invasion. The Communist Party urges all Canadians who oppose war and aggression
to speak out to demand that our government withdraw our troops and warships now,
and to demand that the imperialist powers, including Canada, refrain from
military aggression against Libya and instead support a peaceful resolution to
this crisis. Let the Libyan people settle matters themselves with a political
solution. "Hands off
People's
Voice Editorial
When
Canadians vote on May 2, the issues of war and peace will be critical. On one
level, this appears simple. The Harper Tories are the most pro-war party to
rule
But sadly, despite some "peace" posturing, the opposition parties in
Parliament (and the Green Party) unanimously back the war against
Of course, Mr. Layton had already watered down his party's stand against the
war in
This shocking betrayal calls for a stronger anti-war movement in the streets, and for a much larger vote on May 2 for anti-war
candidates. The election of even one Communist MP would open the door to a real
debate on an independent Canadian foreign policy of peace and disarmament.
Until then, by supporting wars cloaked in the hypocrisy of
"humanitarianism", the opposition parties have left Canadians without
a single clear anti-imperialist voice in Parliament.
People's
Voice Editorial
At a time when transnational capital and right-wing politicians call the shots,
it can be easy to yield to the cynical idea that "nothing will ever
change." But sometimes reality changes in the blink of an eye,
historically speaking. That doesn't mean automatic success for progressive
movements, and the process of change can be complicated, even contradictory.
But the days of unchallenged global domination by the rich and powerful are
over.
For example, the year 2010 saw the largest number of million-strong general
strikes in the history of capitalism. In country after country, workers and
their allies took to the streets, fighting attacks on their wages, working
conditions, pensions, and social programs. That was quite a shock for the big
corporations and their governments, including many social democratic parties
which have adopted neoliberal economic policies.
This year has seen the fightback trend continue. The historic uprisings in
Millions of working people are rising up to demand social justice, freedom,
democracy, peace and equality. This is not a time for surrender; it is a springtime of resistance, a time to build mass struggles
for a genuine People's Agenda!
6) APRIL 9 RALLY: "A
By Liz
Rowley
Labour and its community allies across
The blunt message is backed up by an angry labour movement, galvanized by
what's happening in
In March, the Toronto and York Region Labour Council brought in Michael Pyne, a
Steel staff rep from Wisconsin, who told delegates about the epic struggle at
the State Capitol Building. For weeks, massive demonstrations have opposed the
wholesale destruction of public education, public services and public sector
bargaining. After years of take‑backs and set‑backs, the working
class in at least three US states is on its feet, fighting to push back the tea‑party's
"corporate revolution".
Recognizing the similarities between
The OFL and Labour Councils across the province are organizing buses and
carloads for April 9th to protest Toronto City Council's attacks on the right
to strike for transit workers, and the privatization of garbage collection in
the western half of the city this year and the eastern half next year. Another
issue is the wholesale removal of the publicly-appointed Board of the Toronto
Community Housing Corporation, and the expected privatization of the largest
public housing corporation in
The OFL is deeply involved because of the depth and breadth of the attack on
public sector workers, assets and services in
For those wanting to know what cities might look like under a Tory majority in
The April 9th protest will be an important event during the federal election,
and deserves the massive support of all those who care about democracy and the
future of Canadian cities. Stopping the Ford‑Harper‑Hudak express
in
Electing MPs who will deliver an agenda for people (not for profits), and an
agenda for cities, will be a big step forward. Such an agenda should include
building new affordable public and social housing stock, and amassing public
lands and assets instead of selling them off. It means expanding public transit
and building a publicly‑owned Canadian transportation industry. It
requires a new financial deal for municipalities, to provide adequate and
stable funding for cities to rebuild infrastructure, such as roads, bridges,
sewers and water treatment plants.
An agenda for people means a Canada-wide child care program, expanded public
hospitals and schools, publicly owned and administered long term care
facilities, and improved services to women, Aboriginals, youth, and new
Canadians. All of these are services delivered in cities and municipalities
across
Electing MPs who will respect the rights of cities and school boards to local
autonomy and democracy is now urgent, in light of the attack by very powerful
reactionary forces.
An injury to one is an injury to all! Dump the Tories! Block the Right! All out
on April 9th!
(
7) CLC STRUCTURAL REFORM AND THE GHOST OF DEMOCRACY PAST
By Sam
Hammond
Since 1956 and the formation of the Canadian Labour Congress, the labour movement
and the society we live in has changed dramatically. CLC affiliate
representation has grown from 1 million to 3 million workers, but the
percentage of the working class organized has dropped, and public sector unions
now represent the majority of union members.
The cold war, McCarthyism, the attack on left class struggle trade‑unionism,
and the escalating barbarity of world imperialism are also part of the
transition from 1956 to 2011. The socialist alternative has largely been
abandoned by trade union leaders who don't see any real alternative to
capitalism.
Because of this lack of an alternative vision to fight for, the main tactical
and ideological response of trade unions in the industrialized states has been
defense at best, and capitulation at worst.
The dominant leadership of social democratic reformism and compliance was the
purpose of the state sponsored attacks and witch hunts against the left in the
past. The attack on left ideology, with its dedication to mass recruiting, was
a blow to trade union democracy and the organizational model which made grass
roots involvement primary. Conversely, the vacuum created was a stimulant to
the development of "business trade unionism", where perpetuation of
the organization and concentration primarily on only the economic welfare of
its members. This created a "tunnel vision" that obscured
responsibility to the entire working class and a future permanent solution to
its exploitation.
This "tunnel vision" will in time become the main threat to the
existence of organized labour. The replacement of a class perspective with the
narrow parameters of "our organization" and "our members"
stimulated sectarianism and organizing outside of sectors to capture new
members and widen the economic base. The inevitable result was organizing in
other unions' sectors, and raiding other unions for members who already had
established contracts. The success of organizing outside of traditional sectors
has created organizations that resemble multi‑sector "mini"
labour centres.
The structural reforms being proposed to the CLC Convention this May are a
reflection of the evolution of the Congress from its creation in 1956 to the
present, and of the trade union movement in general. The CLC has evolved from a
central organization of almost exclusively private sector industrial,
extraction, resource and transportation unions, to a central organization of
private and public sector unions. The public sector unions are dramatically
more highly organized in their sectors, while the multi‑sector mini
labour centrals of the private sector are threatened with serious problems.
The CLC has also evolved from a delegate-driven convention, with nominations and
elections from the floor, to a delegate- controlled and caucus-driven creature
of the large affiliates. Remember Carol Wall, who ran for president against Ken
Georgetti in 2005, but was not allowed to address the convention delegates and
was shut out of most caucuses. Even so, the delegates gave her 37 percent of
the votes.
The structural changes that will be presented, and approved, at the May 2011
Convention have been formulated by a Commission on Structural Review mandated
from the last convention. The Commission was comprised of three CLC Officers,
and eleven of the larger affiliates. Of these, six are private sector and five
are public sector unions, although it should be pointed out that most have at
least some private and public sector members.
The recommended governance will be a modification of the present, but radically
different from the founding structure. The main body between conventions, the
"Canadian Council", will have four "elected at convention"
officers (President, Secretary Treasurer, two Vice-Presidents), 52
Vice-Presidents who will be ranking officers of affiliates, 10 Vice-Presidents
who will be women from the five largest private and public sector unions, 12
Vice-Presidents from Provincial and Territorial Federations, five members
elected from Convention equity caucuses, one youth Vice-President from
convention caucus, and one retiree from CURC. This adds up to a council of 85
members who will meet "at least" twice a year. The 52 VPs from
affiliates will be the "ranking officers". Only four
positions on the Canadian Council will be elected at convention directly by
delegates. All others will be designated either from affiliates or caucuses.
There will be no Labour Council representative on the Canadian Council, or
anywhere else in the leadership.
The Executive Committee will be structured as follows and drawn from the
Canadian Council: the four Executive Officers; Vice-Presidents from the five
largest public and private sector unions (total 10); one VP from the largest
building trades union; one woman from each of the private and public sectors,
chosen by the Canadian Council (2); one equity VP chosen by Canadian Council;
one VP from a union not in the ten largest, chosen by the Canadian Council and
the President of the Quebec Federation of Labour. This adds up to an Executive
Council of 20.
The National Campaign Committee will be the Executive Committee, plus the
twelve Presidents of Provincial and Territorial Federations.
This is the opening refrain of the swan song of the democratic rank and file
convention. This recommendation has already been accepted and recommended
through the participation on the Commission of the ranking officers of the
largest affiliated unions, with the exception of CUPW. Their delegates will go
with instructions to support. Debate will be only about timing or application.
If the Canadian Council is a done deal, the rest follows suit.
The Canadian Council will be a permanent
affiliate-controlled governance, with the exception of four Officers, five
equity VPs, and one Youth VP. The Commission recommends in two places that the
Canadian Council should function as a "Forum". Not exactly the same
as a governing body carrying out convention decisions, is it? Of its 85 members,
75 will be chosen outside of convention. The Canadian Council will be a body of
professional trade unionists who only have to meet
twice a year as a forum of discussion.
The Executive Committee, the body that will really govern the CLC, will meet
four times a year and has only four elected officers.
The proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. It would be very immature to
consider these proposals as purely structural. In any sane world, structure
should be the instrument of purpose, yet these changes are going to be
implemented without any indication of purpose whatsoever. Any observation of
the CLC performance during the economic crisis, and especially the latest
stroking of the Tory Budget on the eve of an election, would lead one to
conclude that the structural changes are to entrench this ideology of
non-struggle. After all, unfortunately, this is the status quo.
With convention resolutions getting merged into watery nothings, 75 of 85 of
Canadian Council members appointed outside convention, the Executive Committee
chosen exclusively by the Canadian Council, the National Campaign Committee
another rubber stamp, and a complete shut‑out of the grassroots Labour
Councils, what is left for delegates? What is left of the Convention?
There is little reason to believe that cash-strapped locals and Labour Councils
will be willing to spend $2-3000 to send delegates to a convention of
disappeared resolutions, guest speakers and cultural entertainment. This is a
very grave threat to the future of Canadian trade union democracy.
8) 50,000 MARCH IN
By Johan
Boyden,
Over 50,000 people marched in the streets of
The Coalition and the
The massive march paraded down some of the main streets of
The Parti Communiste du Québec expressed full support with the mobilizations
and called upon the demonstrators to return to the streets and keep up the
battle. The PCQ is advocating for a general and political or social strike to
boot out the current government and trigger an election.
The PCQ produced a special issue of its newspaper Clarté for the action, and
made almost $400 in street sales. "This shows people are very interested
in left‑wing ideas, they are recognizing our paper, and that our capacity
to sell is better," a spokesperson from the newspaper said.
Speakers at the rally demanded the withdrawal of regressive measures, including
the infamous "health tax", rising tuition and fees. To pay for this
they want a larger tax contribution from the wealthy and businesses, higher
royalties on natural resources, and a fight against tax evasion and tax havens.
"This budget will mortgage our future," said Claudette Carbonneau,
the president of
"Instead of putting up a major project to electrify transport, thus
supporting the manufacturing industry in Quebec, the government will be
[taking] several small steps, such as the development of ethanol cycling
network green or credit tax credit for efficient vehicles" Carbonneau
said, noting that the plan was more about mega‑profits than job creation.
9) B.C. FINALLY RAISES MINIMUM WAGE
B.C.'s
lowest-paid workers have finally received a pay increase, but for now, the
province still has the lowest minimum wage in
The BC Federation of Labour welcomed the announcement by Premier Christy Clark,
but expressed disappointed that
"$8.75 is a poor start," stated Jim Sinclair, president of the BCFL.
"BC will still have the lowest minimum wage in
Sinclair thanked the tens of thousands of low wage workers, students, union
members, church groups and municipal politicians who have been active in the
Federation's "$10 Now" campaign. Pressure on
the Liberal government grew stronger every year. "With their help we've
seen unprecedented levels of support for a minimum wage increase; together we
have finally forced the BC Liberals to act."
The BC Federation of Municipalities called for an increase, and even groups
representing the business sector admitted that the $8/hour figure was
unsustainable.
The change also removes the hated $6/hour "training wage", paid to
"starting workers" by many employers during their first 500 hours of
employment. Some big corporations were notorious for firing such workers near
the end of the 500-hour cheap labour period.
However, the Liberals may give a concession to restaurant industry employers,
by introducing a lower "tip wage" for liquor servers. These workers
are routinely forced to pay for items like theft and breakage, or to cover the
costs of "dine and dash" customers. They are also frequently made to
share tips, sometimes including with management. Such practices are illegal,
but employers are rarely punished.
"With no oversight from the Ministry of Labour, and additional cuts in
this year's budget this puts servers at risk of abuse," points out
Sinclair. "If the BC Liberals want to introduce a tip wage they should
first enforce Employment Standards, poor as they are."
10) BLOCK REMOVAL OF COKE, DEMANDS USW 1005
USW Local
1005, locked out since last November by
The continued production of coke at Hamilton Works, even while U.S. Steel shut
down steelmaking and shifted production to its plants in the U.S., was accepted
by Local 1005 in consideration for the well‑being of the coke ovens.
Now, Local 1005 says that
A union statement also stresses the environmental reality that the production
of coke is the most polluting aspect of blast furnace steelmaking: "
"Even as steelmaking has rebounded along with steel prices,
11) CONNECTING THE DOTS IN
By Rev.
Jesse Jackson
This weekend [March 12-13] in
They realize that the assault on the right of public workers to organize isn't
about the budget crisis. Gov. Scott Walker and the right across the country are
pushing to weaken the ability of working families to counter what is a brutal
assault on the middle class in
The reality of
Now conservative politicians act as if teachers, cops and nurses caused the
budget crisis, not Wall Street. They represent the few against the many. Only
over the last 30 years, the broad middle class has declined. The wealthiest 1
percent of Americans now capture nearly one‑fourth
of all income, and control more wealth than 90 percent of Americans. The
question now is whether we can rebuild a strong middle class, or whether the
crisis will be used to reduce it further.
This is central to a concerted offensive that has two major parts. First,
conservatives are intent on rolling back core protections for working families,
and virtually every step of progress
On the first part, look at the combined agenda of the House Republicans and
right‑wing governors like
Social
Security, Medicare and Medicaid are next on the chopping block.
In
On the second part, organized people are the most effective counter to
organized money in politics. So conservatives are pushing to permanently break
labor unions, the most powerful counterweight to the flood of corporate money
in politics. But unions aren't the only target. ACORN, the most effective
organization helping to register poor and minorities to vote, was targeted with
a dishonest sting operation. Planned Parenthood is under attack because it
informs women of their rights in chapters across 50 states. Efforts are under
way to strip students of their right to vote where they go to school. Voter ID
measures are cooked up to intimidate Latinos and discriminate against the poor
and seniors. This is bareknuckled rollback of democratic rights to protect an
unpopular agenda.
But in
Dr. King once said, "There is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a
revolution." Now, in this defining struggle about
The choice will be ours.
12) AFGHANS FOR PEACE CONDEMN KILLING OF CIVILIANS
The German
news organization, Der Spiegel,
has released three out of 4,000 photographs showing US soldiers and corpses of
innocent Afghans killed in
In a March 22 statement, the U.S.-based group Afghans for Peace (AFP) condemned
these "appalling and inhumane acts", which are posted at http://afghansforpeace.org/archives/1416.
AFP is an alliance of Afghans working for "a democratic, all inclusive,
just and peaceful
The first photograph shows
The second photo shows
The third photo shows two unidentified Afghan male civilians murdered by the
"Kill Team". The dirty clothing worn by the victims, unnatural
positioning of a foot, blood stains on the back, and bound legs and hands suggest
they were possibly dragged by a vehicle and/or tortured.
January 15, 2010 was the beginning of periodic murders by the "Kill
Team". A subsequent investigation shows the military ignored warnings of
soldiers committing atrocities against civilians. Spc. Adam Winfield had informed
his father about the killings. Winfield Sr., persistently tried to inform the
military of his son's warnings, only to be turned away.
"The guys in my group have murdered an innocent Afghan," Adam
Winfield wrote. "They planned everything out. I knew about it - I want to
do something about it, but I don't have the courage."
Many have compared this case to the Abu Ghraib outrages in
"These crimes illustrate the means by which the military industrial
complex functions through dehumanization, forced inferiority, and occupation
both historically and at present," says AFP. "This was the case with Native
Americans, Africans, Iraqis, and now Afghans. When the military force is led by
a
Afghans for Peace says it hopes that these photographs further encourage the
public to seek the truth about targeted attacks against the civilian population
of
13) NEW COOKS, SAME RECIPE IN
PV
Vancouver Bureau
The Irish general election held on Feb. 25 saw the election of a record 76 new
members (TDs) to the Dail, the lower house of parliament. Voters blamed the
country's economic meltdown on the right‑wing Fianna Fail party, which
fell from 41% of the vote and 77 seats in 2007, to just 17.4% and 20 seats. The
Fine Gael and Labour parties racked up big gains, electing 76 and 37 TDs
respectively, forming a new coalition with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny as the
new Taoiseach (prime minister).
The Sinn Fein party, led by veteran republican spokesperson Gerry Adams,
benefitted from anger against the former government's disastrous right‑wing
policies. Sinn Fein moved from 7% of the popular vote up to 10%, and nearly
tripled its representation from 5 TDs up to 14. Several other left candidates
were elected, including two from the Socialist Party. Meanwhile, the Green
Party was punished severely by voters, losing its six seats in the Dail. As a
minority partner in the former Fianna Fail coalition, the Greens had voted to
accept the anti‑working class austerity policies imposed on
The Communist Party of Ireland had warned that "the three main
establishment parties Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, and the Labour Party ‑ are
all committed one way or the other to implementing the four-year budgetary
strategy imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
They will continue to pour money into ghost banks; they will continue to lay
heavy emphasis on the private sector for creating employment; and they will all
hope (but not publicly say) that emigration will continue apace, possibly
50,000 people per year, the traditional safety value that has always released
social and class tensions in this country, sapping the strength and energy of
the families and communities left behind."
The Irish communists had predicted that Sinn Fein would be the main beneficiary
of the anti‑establishment mood among voters, since its recent economic
statements marked a shift to the left.
The new coalition government has the authority to "sweep away the cobwebs
of the discredited coalition and chart a new path for this country," says
the Workers' Party of
"The greatest millstone around the necks of the Irish people is the EU/IMF
deal with its criminal interest rates and counterproductive deadlines for
deficit cutting. Despite all their bluffing and bluster ... Fine Gael and
Labour have meekly accepted the rules imposed on us by the EU/IMF last
November," warns Finnegan. "Tinkering at the edges with an 0.25% change in the interest rate will not substantially
change the picture. Over the next two years, the most vital years to stop the
rot and start economic recovery the new coalition has committed itself to
exactly the same conditions as Fianna Fail accepted. In the December budget we
have seen the devastation which that deal created amongst workers, amongst the
unemployed, and amongst those dependent on Social Welfare payments. This
devastation will be doubled next December, and further increased in December
2012.
"What is omitted from the programme for government are
as revealing as what is included. Significantly all mention of a wealth tax is
excluded, all mention of a third tax rate for high earners is omitted; all
mention of the elimination of the rules which allow an elite coterie of super
rich to become tax exiles is excluded. It is clear that the tax burden will
continue to fall on already stressed workers and households
while the top 5% of income earners and wealth holders remain completely
untouched. It is also significant that there is no mention in the agreed programme
for government of the proper utilisation of our natural resources. This Dail
will convene as oil prices hover at $112 per barrel. Oil and gas are the most
valuable and fought‑over resources in the world.
"The present crisis of capitalism, either globally or nationally, was not
caused by low paid workers, by pensioners or carers or the unemployed; was not
caused by nurses or teachers or classroom assistants. Yet these are the groups
that have been targeted by the state in order to refloat capitalism and to
refloat the pre‑existing banking system. It is an outrage that the most
vulnerable are being asked to pay for the crimes of the most powerful elite. We
will be ever vigilant that this government ceases to target the weakest in
society and ensure that the pain is borne by those who caused this meltdown in
the first instance," says Finnegan.
14) BEHIND THE LABOUR UPSURGE OF THE `40S
Our series of articles marking the 90th anniversary of the Communist
Party continues with a look at the role of communists in the struggle to build
a mass labour movement during the 1930s and '40s.
The efforts of Canadian communists to build a fighting, militant trade union
movement through the Workers' Unity League climaxed with the On to Ottawa Trek
of 1935, organized by the WUL‑affiliated Relief Camp Workers Union. The
mid‑1930s were a period of similar working class actions in many
countries.
The world‑wide crisis of capitalism forced workers everywhere to fight
back in a more conscious and radical way. The growth of revolutionary forces
was countered by fascism, supported by the most reactionary sections of the
capitalist class. The rise of Hitlerism in
In these conditions, stronger working class unity was desperately needed and
increasingly possible. The Seventh Congress of the Communist International in
1935 called for a "united front" against fascism. This position fit
the situation created in
The Communist Party began to campaign among the WUL affiliates to join the AFL
and the CIO. This naturally met with some resistance from trade unionists who
remembered the bureaucratic, class collaborationist actions of many leaders of
the "mainstream" unions. But within two years, the revolutionary
unions were affiliated to their respective internationals, and to the Trades
and Labour Congress in
Now the focus shifted to building the new CIO unions in
There were many other successes. The Canadian Seamen's Union was started in
Other CIO organizations set up in
Unfortunately, divisions within the labour movement did not disappear. The
leadership of the AFL opposed the strategy of building industrial unions,
eventually forcing a split with the CIO.
But the labour upsurge continued. During 1936-37, union membership increased 30
percent in
The most important early struggle of the CIO unions in
These developments laid the basis for a huge expansion of labour struggles
following the 1945 military victory over fascism. In that year, working days
lost to strikes across
The next year, strike actions tripled again, with 4.5 million working days
lost. In
One of the most critical struggles was in
These advances validated the strategy of the Communists to bring the revolutionary
WUL unions into the "mainstream". Labour unity and industrial
unionism were the keys to building a mass trade union movement, which soon grew
to include hundreds of thousands of public sector workers.
A powerful wave of labour action across North America and
15) MUSIC
NOTES, By Wally Brooker
Grassroots
percussion bands are a welcome phenomenon at demonstrations and rallies these
days, providing an uplifting marching beat and lots of noisy energy. Rhythms of Resistance (RoR) is a network of bands advocating
"percussive resistance to the march of capitalism." From its roots in
the
The Milestones: historic recordings
Thanks to
the efforts of folk music historian Gary Cristall a near‑forgotten group
of Ukrainian‑Canadian musicians is receiving long‑overdue recognition.
Cristall's new release The Milestones: Historic Recordings 1960‑1965
is the first commercial recording of a group that was, in his words, "the
finest folk music group in B.C. in the sixties." The Milestones were
politically engaged. They played in support of nuclear disarmament, labour
rights, and solidarity with
Music in the
Anyone
watching alternative news coverage of the uprising in
The myths
that feed Islamophobia in the English‑speaking world are being challenged
by a new music website. Mideast Tunes is a project of
May Day March & Potluck, Sunday,
May 1, meet in front of downtown library for march at 1 pm, followed by potluck
at
Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan, Sat., April
16, 7 pm, at David Lam Auditorium, A144 MacLaurin Hall, University of Victoria,
admission by donation. Sponsored by
Peace Action Initiative-UVic Social Justice Studies, endorsed by Earth Walk,
Friends of
We Are One International Solidarity
Rally, Sat., April 2, 2 pm, Peace Arch Border Crossing, join unions from
Washington, Oregon and British Columbia in solidarity with workers struggling
to keep collective bargaining rights. For info on buses, contact BC Federation
of Labour, 604-430-1421.
People Power,
Not War, rally against the war in
Left Film Night, 7 pm, Sunday, April
24, Centre for Socialist Education,
Left Film Night/Pasta Dinner for
People’s Voice, 6 pm, Sunday, March 27, tickets $12,
followed by Left Film Night at 7 pm,
Cuba’s Health Solidarity in
Haiti, a first-hand account of Cuba’s
health brigades, Dr. Alvarez Consuegra, participant in Henry Reeves Medical Brigade
in Haiti, Sat., April 2, 7 pm, Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph. Call
Canadian-Cuban Friendship Association Vancouver, Ray, 604-254-1350.
Our City, Our Services, Our Future, April 9, 1 pm at Dundas
Square, Community Day of Action to defend good jobs, public services and
greener cities. For info on the rally and buses to
The Election and Beyond, the struggle for jobs and justice,
a community meeting with Miguel Figueroa, Communist Party Leader and Candidate
for Davenport, Monday, April 11, 7:30 pm, Bloor/Gladstone Library, info:
416-469-2446.
Palestinians And Jews United,
boycott/disinvestment/sanctions picket, every Saturday, 1-3 pm, outside Le
marcheur, at