Peter Taaffe: A world readying for revolution - Socialist Party congress 2014 скачать в хорошем качестве

Peter Taaffe: A world readying for revolution - Socialist Party congress 2014

Setting the scene for all the congress discussions, general secretary Peter Taaffe introduced the first session on world events and analysis. The need for preparation for big eruptions of struggle was a key theme. Austerity-instilled suffering and the experience of capitalist crisis, is stoking up mass rage that could erupt almost at any point - as it already has in some countries. The experience of struggle, and its absence, will provide priceless lessons for the working class: "The fundamental Leninist insight still holds: nothing can be done without organisation." This quote, not from the Socialist but from a Financial Times editorial on Ukraine, reflects how the potential for revolution is lodged in the conditions that exist today. Ukraine has dominated the world's press recently and the Socialist and socialistworld.net have featured analysis of the developing situation there. The movement in Kiev, as elsewhere, initially had big elements of 'revolution' in it. But, Peter pointed out, the absence of strong independent working class organisations able to avoid the influence of the far right, the elements of counterrevolution, has meant that the situation has taken a turn for the worse. Impoverishment Like the events in North Africa and the Middle East, Peter explained that the Ukraine events are linked to the appalling impoverishment of the Ukrainian masses. In fact around the world inequality and poverty are flourishing. One shocking indicator is that today there are more enslaved people in the world than ever before. Peter reminded us how we were encouraged to place our hope for recovery from the economic crisis in the emerging markets - particularly the so-called BRICs, Brazil, Russia, India and China. Now, with a slowing down of growth across all of those economies, the acronym has been re-assigned to Bloody Ridiculous Investment Concept! We are asked to translocate our hopes to the MINTs - Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. Congress welcomed Ramon, a socialist from Mexico, which far from offering salvation, is wracked by drugs wars. But Ramon reported on steps being taken by working class people to build independent resistance, including forming defence militias. The drive for privatisation is an expression of the rotten and parasitic character of 21st century capitalism. Big business is sitting on huge cash piles for which it can find no other profitable outlet. It refuses to invest in jobs, production or research. Peter quoted the Economist magazine which proposes $9 trillion privatisation of buildings, land and resources. For more, see http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/arti...