ΝO ILLUSIONS FOR THE WORLD OF STATE AND CAPITALISM
The capitalist restructuring of the recent years takes place within a context of intensification of national capitalist rivalries, with the powerful states or supra-state constructs each trying to advance its own interests. In the geographical area of Greece, since 2010 with the implementation of the first memorandum, this procedure is in full progress. During these years, the local and international elite has used the whole spectrum of the bourgeois political staff. The advancement of SYRIZA up to the governmental power was based on one hand on taking credit and assimilating a series of struggles that preceded the elections; on making use of the defeatism that was born by the harsh repression and by nursing apathy within the struggling social groups so as to channel discontent and anger to the safe choice of the ballot. On the other hand, the advancement of SYRIZA was based on the support of a part of the local capital, to which SYRIZA granted the proper guarantees. Basic objective of the new administration was to restore the image and the prestige of the socially discredited system of authority through the triptych national unity, class cooperation, social appeasement and to neutralize social and class resistance in an attempt to maintain maximum consent to its planning.
After the parliamentary elections of January, a period of flawless communicative management of the “negotiations” with the “partners” followed, through which SYRIZA succeeded in winning over a large part of society (as this became evident in the unprecedented demonstrations in favor of the government that took place in February, 2015). At the peak of this process syriza made one of the biggest moves of political deception, that of the referendum, by setting a false-dilemma. Unfortunately, a large part of society was entrained in this dilemma and faced on one hand the terror of the bourgeois block and on the other the false hope of the leftist management of capitalism. Unfortunately, illusions were revived about the participation in the decision making and about struggling and winning through the ballot. In bourgeois democracy however, representation and participation is a fraud and so the “NO” was overnight converted to “YES” and the signing of the third memorandum became reality. The logic of assignment won and people who believed that could change the situation through voting, were lead to disappointment and resignation.
With the consequences not yet fully felt socially, SYRIZA announced elections in order to neutralize the left opposition within its own party and to forestall the implementation of the first package of prior acts. The parliamentary elections of September were very special since all the contenders for power openly favored the planning of the EU, ECB and the IMF having agreed on and co-signed the third memorandum. By this, it was shown with the most conclusive way, that no matter the each time neoliberal or social-democratic political management, the state runs its course and that it moves steadily towards the shaping of a context of modern totalitarianism and the enforcement of a state of permanent emergency over society.
Faithfull, thus, to the implementation of its memorandum policy, the coalition government of SYRIZA-ANEL kept the context that the two previous memoranda shaped intact and it proceeds rapidly with the implementation of measures of the third memorandum. Recapitalization of the banks with simultaneous consolidation of the legal framework for the facilitation of residencies’ confiscations, increase in VAT, reaffirmation of ENFIA (Integrated Tax for Estate Ownership), increase in social security charges, disintegration of public healthcare, completion of the privatization of 14 peripheral airports and scheduling of a plethora of others (Asteras, ΟΛΠ (port of Piraeus), ΟΛΘ (port of Thessaloniki), ΔΕΣΦΑ (Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator S.A.), peripheral ports). New increase in prices of public transport tickets, keeping the abolishment of Sunday holiday and of collective working agreements. Disintegration of any shred of welfare state and selling off public wealth for the payment, at all costs, of public debt.
The upcoming bills include changes in the pension system, which actually mark: reduction in pensions, gradual abolishment of state social security charges, increase of employees’ charges, increase of retirement age, legitimization of the looting of public pension funds that brought them to this point and advancement of the interests of private insurance companies. The scheduled reforms in the pension system are more far-reaching than cuts in pensions, since they transform the nature of social security from minimally redistributive to fully remunerative:
Pension “breaks down” in two, a basic or national and a remunerative. The basic will function like a welfare protection benefit (it will range somewhere around 350 euros), it will be subject to income and its exact height will be determined by the state’s fiscal capacities (clause for zero deficit) and provides for increased retirement age since it will be given at the age of 62, for 40 working years, and at the age of 67, for 15 working years. Thus, pension is transformed essentially into a survival allowance, and yet not for everyone, since its granting is questionable. At the same time, with the unification of pension funds, once more a theft of public pension fund reserves is conducted by covering the deficits of some funds with the reserves of the ones that have surplus.
All this offensive is accompanied by the simultaneous intensification of social control and repression (both police and economic). Special repressive police forces, mobilization of the military for the management of unwanted populations, special courts and states of exception, electronic tickets for football stadiums and public transport, planning for the abolishment of strikes and legitimization of lockouts. At the same time, electronic ID card is underway and the obligatory use of credit/debit cards for all economic transactions is promoted, condition that ensures more profits for the banks and full state control.
It is understood by anyone that the perpetuation of capitalism means our physical and mental annihilation by imposing conditions of long-term unemployment, extreme poverty, economic misery, impoverishment and ever-more widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. In this way, large parts of the population are driven to isolation, social exclusion and marginalization, a condition that facilitates the planning of authority, since it shapes favorable terms for the offensive and the subjugation of society.
Against the antisocial and inhumane nature of capitalism, the oppressed and exploited need to realize that no matter how difficult and immutable this situation may seem, it is up to us to change it. We must put disappointment aside, believe in our own power, move aside all feelings of resignation and stand on our feet, one by the other. All of us constitute the majority of society and it is up to us whether we will consent to the capitalist destroyer of society. Our organization in political and social groups – anti-authoritarian, radical, anti-statist- and in unions of direct participation in all working places, in schools and universities, in every social place, is more than ever absolutely essential. Let’s organize, in order to conduct resolute, independent and anti-institutional political, social and class struggles, which are the only way that can ensure light at the end of the tunnel.
We must put again on the table notions like expropriation of the wealth from the hands of the bosses, socialization of the means of production, abolishment of property and waged labor. It is here the time and place where we ought to create chinks in its armor and question in practice the “one way road” of the capitalist system. We must put forward the proposition of the complete overthrow of state and capitalism and our vision for a class-less society, against any logic of assimilation. The social and class resistance, self-organized structures, neighborhood assemblies, sit-ins of working places and their self-management, housing squats, places of political association (“stekia”) , unions of direct participation, anti-authoritarian affinity groups, are barriers against the antisocial planning of state and capital and at the same time prefigure the world we envision. A world organized in communes and will be based on the values of justice, equality and solidarity and which will operate according to the principle “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”.
ORGANIZATION AND STRUGGLE FOR ANARCHY AND COMMUNISM
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