The Oviedo Manifesto

More than 580 elected representatives, including councillors, MPs and MEPs have signed the Oviedo Manifesto, an association against illegitimate debts that was presented to the Spanish Parliament on Wednesday, October 19, 2016.

More than 40 Mayors from all over Spain, hundreds of councillors and dozens of local and national politicians and MEPs from different political parties were among the endorsers.

The list of signatories is now open to activists, social movements and people who want to give their support or better still, to be actively involved in the process.

Standing against barbarism

by Gilbert Achcar

Both the Syrian regime's war on a pro-democracy uprising and the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen are aimed at burying the aspirations of the Arab Spring, writes Gilbert Achcar, author most recently of Morbid Symptoms: Relapse in the Arab Uprising, in an article originally published in Arabic at Mada Masr and first published in English translation at Jacobin.

Belgique : La Wallonie contre le CETA : que faire de cette victoire ?

par LCR (Belgique)

Les victoires face au rouleau compresseur néolibéral sont si rares qu’il faut savoir les savourer et les célébrer quand d’aventure elles se présentent. Le Parlement de la Wallonie a refusé de donner à l’Etat belge le feu vert pour la signature du CETA et le gouvernement wallon refuse de céder aux ultimatums, aux menaces et aux pressions émanant de l’Union Européenne, du gouvernement belge, des milieux d’affaire et du gouvernement flamand.

Une victoire de la lutte

C’est indiscutablement une victoire contre la dictature des multinationales et contre l’Union Européenne, ce serviteur zélé de la gouvernance néolibérale. « Il ne peut y avoir de recours démocratique contre les traités européens déjà ratifiés », disait Jean-Claude Juncker en pleine crise grecque. Il ne s’agit pas ici du même type de traité, mais il est clair que le « non au CETA » du Parlement wallon résonne dans toute l’Europe et au-delà comme un refus légitime de s’incliner devant cette tyrannie.

The CADTM Italy is born

by Chiara Filoni

Following the successful meeting between secular and Catholic entities in Genoa on July 15th of this year, |1| which also lead to the Charter of Genoa for the abolition of illegitimate debts, twenty Italian movements and progressives met on September 15th for CATDM Italy’s launch in the capital city of Rome.

The function room of the faculty of “Lettere e Filosofia” at the University of La Sapienza was full. Amongst those who came together to inaugurate CADTM Italy were activists from academic groups, professors, members of local debt audit commissions (including for the audit of the debt of Parma), Attac Italy, Communia, political parties (such as Sinistra anticapitalista), civil society organisations (Associazione culturale il Bradipo, Arci, Pop-Off Giornalismo, Cooperativa Bottega Solidale Genova,Fair, Fondazione “Lorenzo Milani” Onlus di Termoli, Centro Nuovo Modello di Sviluppo), trade unionists and Pax Christi |2| representatives .

Putine, Trump... – What Can We Learn from Vampires and Idiots?

by BUDRAITSKIS Ilya

The German socialist August Bebel once called anti-Semitism “the socialism of fools.” He had in mind that a fool from the lower classes, indignant at the existing state of things instead of seeking the genuine reasons for his discontent concealed in the capitalist means of production, found a facile but false target in Jews. The result of this fool’s bad decision could prove catastrophic: instead of joining the ranks of socialists, he became their fiercest and most dangerous adversary. “Socialist foolishness” merits neither indulgence nor understanding. It is, moreover, a formidable weapon in the hands of elites, who are wise enough to know how to exploit it.

Italy: The ambiguous nature of the 5 Star movement

 by TURIGLIATTO Franco

The victory of the 5 Star Movement (M5S according to its initials in Italian) and its young candidates, Virginia Raggi and Chiara Appendino, in the municipal elections of June 2016 in two symbolic cities of Italy (the capital, Rome and the main industrial city of the country, Turin) has revived many questions about the political role and the nature of the group founded by the comedian Beppe Grillo.

PSOE: Sánchez dimite, la crisis continúa

Jaime Pastor

Consumatum est. Desde que, tras el pasado miércoles, con el golpe de silbato de Felipe González y la dimisión del sector afín a Susana Díaz de la Comisión Ejecutiva Federal, se iniciara una ofensiva en todos los planos, con PRISA a la cabeza, contra el todavía Secretario General del PSOE, era difícil pensar que el equipo encabezado por Pedro Sánchez fuera capaz de aguantar la presión sufrida durante la reunión de del Comité Federal. Y, efectivamente, al final ha tenido que tirar la toalla después de una votación a mano alzada en la que su propuesta de Congreso ha sido rechazada por 137 votos contra 105.

Britain: Inside Labour is the heart of the class struggle

by STOWE Andy

Andy Stowe writes about Jeremy Corbyn’s election victory for leader and the process of change of the Labour Party.

The Labour right, its friends in the press, the commentariat and their allies threw everything they had at Jeremy Corbyn and he trounced them. He and his supporters were accused of antisemitism, intimidation and misogyny on the basis of nothing approximating to evidence and the charges were repeated endlessly throughout the mainstream media. Rarely has such a mendacious and well-resourced disinformation campaign been so utterly rejected by its intended audience. Corbyn increased his share of the vote to 62% from last year when he got 59.5%. He won support from 59% of party members, 70% of registered supporters and 60% of affiliated supporters. And that is despite a purge of many tens of thousands who would have voted for him.

Mexico’s Teachers Movement –

From Class War to Death Squads

by LA BOTZ Dan

Mexican Teachers Union (el SNTE), have also engaged in protest marches, the blocking of highways and railroads, the commandeering of government vehicles, and the occupation of government buildings.

The government has responded by docking teachers’ pay, firing them, sending the police to beat them, and issuing warrants and arresting teacher leaders. One can only call what has gone on in Chiapas and Oaxaca and to a lesser extent in Guerrero and Michoacán class war.

Catalunya 11-S: El movimiento soberanista vuelve a mostrar en la Diada de 2016 su colosal capacidad de movilización y marca al Govern el camino hacia una República Catalana

Arturo Puente

La Diada de 2016 ha vuelto a convertirse, por quinto año consecutivo, en un grito masivo en favor de la independencia de Catalunya. El movimiento soberanista ha mostrado que su capacidad de convocatoria no decae, consiguiendo mantener el pulso en cuanto a afluencia de gente, y reforzando desde la calle el llamado "proceso de desconexión" que promete el Govern de la Generalitat. Las ciudades de Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, Salt y Berga han quedado colapsadas este domingo, con manifestaciones nunca vistas fuera de la capital.

European Union referendum in Britain:

Was Brexit a Working-Class Revolt?

by MOODY Kim

ON JUNE 23 the British electorate voted to leave the European Union (EU) by 17,4120,742 (52%) to 16,141,241 (48%) with a high turnout of 72%. The referendum gave voters the simple choice of whether the UK should “Leave” or “Remain” in the EU. It was called by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, as a result of pressure from “Eurosceptic” Tory (Conservatives) Members of Parliament (MPs) and the growing right-wing, anti-EU, anti-immigrant United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP, pronounced U-kip).

Although the Conservatives split between Remain and Leave factions, most of the other parties supported Remain. [1] Cameron and most politicians assumed a Remain victory. Instead a significant majority voted for Brexit (Britain + exit), as leaving the EU has become known.

Barroso’s Gold-plated revolving door

by Corporate Europe Observatory

Never before has a former European Commission official been criticised as much for their post-EU career as ex-Commission president Barroso since he joined infamous US investment bank Goldman Sachs earlier this summer. Despite its scandalous nature, his move did not come as a complete surprise, given previous revolving door cases involving former EU commissioners. Citizens have every reason to ask if Barroso’s move goes against the public interest: evidence already points towards a gross violation of the EU Treaty. It would only be fair if Barroso was forced to choose between his new position with the banking giant and his generous EU pension.

NOBEL PRIZE IN ECONOMICS AWARDED TO KARL MARX; ACADEMIC ECONOMISTS SHOCKED, ‘DISMAYED.’

Dan La Botz

[Stockholm - August 21] The Nobel Prize in economics has been awarded posthumously to Karl Marx (1818-1883) for his book Das Kapital, a decision that has shocked and “dismayed” the economic establishment.

Lars Enquist, spokesperson for the committee, said that awarding Marx represented “an attempt to rectify shameful past errors on the part of the bank’s award committee.” He then read a remarkable statement to the media and the public explaining this year’s award:

Pas de “LEXIT” sans “Une autre Europe Possible” - à partir de luttes dans/hors/contre l'UE.

Par Catherine Samary

Depuis le traumatisme grec – à la fois diktat néo-colonial de l'euro-groupe et acceptation par Tsipras de s'y soumettre malgré « l'OXI » populaire – la gauche radicale européenne débat de « plans B », sans aucun consensus stratégique ni tactique. Le référendum du Royaume-Uni (RU) en est l'amère illustration sans que la gauche anti-raciste et opposée à l'UE ait les conditions d'expression d'une alternative crédible aux institutions et politiques dominantes, nationales, européennes et internationales. Moins médiatisé que le Brexit, le referendum du 6 avril dernier aux pays-Bas, rejetant l'accord d'association de l'Ukraine avec l'UE illustre honteusement les mêmes « choix » piégés pour la gauche internationaliste.

History of the CADTM’s anti-debt Policies – Part 1 – Against illegitimate debt: Origins

by LEMOINE Benjamin, TOUSSAINT Bruno, TOUSSAINT Eric

Interview with Eric Toussaint, spokesperson and co-founder of the international network of the Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM). Interview by Benjamin Lemoine.

This interview presents the genealogy of the anti-debt struggle, the campaigns for debt cancellation, the empirical foundation, the political battles and the concepts of the “illegitimate”, “illegal” or “odious” nature of public debt. In other words, how it is necessary for the Committee for the Abolition of Illegitimate Debt (CADTM) – formerly known as the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt – to ally with opposition forces and social movements, where the concepts and the people involved can challenge and overpower debt and its "system” once the government hears their voice. Yet, for CADTM the outright priority is to fortify the activities described below rather than lobbying.

From Africa to Latin America, citizens’ participation in audits ushers in hope. However, most of the time their purpose is lost due to the neglect of the crusaders-turned-rulers, where the rulers have the final say vis-à-vis the financial system. Yet, sometimes the audits are immensely successful. We review the experience of the audit of the Greek sovereign debt, full of intrigues and unexpected twists in which it took very little to tip the balance. When the hopeful dream for a new international cooperation (a conference in London on the Greek debt as requested by Alexis Tsipras) seems naive and where, according to Eric Toussaint, unilateral sovereign decisions are indispensable in order to reverse the balance of power.

El Parlament de Catalunya desobedece al Constitucional

por Martí Caussa

Pese a lo que han dicho muchos titulares de prensa, la decisión del Parlament no ha sido abrir la vía unilateral a la independencia, sino la vía unilateral para ejercer el derecho a decidir, después de constatar que no era posible la vía del pacto con el Estado español. Este pacto ha sido reclamado muchas veces por el movimiento independentista y las tres principales entidades del mismo, ANC, Omnium y AMI (Asociación de Municipios por la Independencia) lo han pedido de nuevo en un comunicado de rechazo a las amenazas del gobierno español.

Black Lives Matter did

something huge today

by Collier Meyerson

It’s a big day for the new civil rights movement known as Black Lives Matter. Up until now, the movement had famously opted to forgo hierarchies in favor of a diffuse coalition that more resembled Occupy Wall Street than, say, the ‘60s-era Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. The movement’s decentralized approach has been criticized in the past, and its activists have butted heads with both civil rights leaders and the Obama administration. But on Monday morning, Black Lives Matter made a decision to be a movement with a plan, a platform, and concrete demands.

In a statement released by more than 30 organizations (and endorsed by an additional 50), BLM released six platform demands and “key solutions”—a list of more than 40 policy recommendations, including demilitarizing law enforcement, unionizing unregulated industries, and decriminalizing drugs. A centralized wing of the movement for black lives, M4BL Policy Table, has been working on the demands for a little over a year, according to Thenjiwe McHarris, who is part of the M4BL Policy Table Leadership team.

Etat espagnol : Ce que à Podemos nous avons mal fait – Comment analyser des résultats électoraux et l’invalidation des pronostics ?

par TOBARRA Andreu

La soirée du 26 juin 2016 a provoqué une immense déception tant pour l’échec face aux attentes comme pour le sens inattendu des résultats électoraux. Diverses questions se posent qui semblent devoir recevoir une réponse en fonction de l’échec de la plus grande partie des pronostics.

Alors que les prévisions annonçaient une stabilité des votes que le Parti Populaire (PP) avait déjà obtenus le 20 décembre 2015, ce qui pouvait impliquer aussi bien une petite augmentation qu’une petite diminution, le PP obtient une augmentation importante, aussi bien en pourcentage, passant de 28% à 33%, qu’en nombre absolu de voix, passant de 7,2 millions à 7,9 millions, ce qui fait passer son nombre de sièges de 123 à 137 (voir tableau 1).

Rightwing Backlash: Reactionary Tide in Latin America

by LOWY Michael

SINCE THE BEGINNING of the 21st cen­tury, the Left has won elections in most Latin American countries, in a powerful wave of popular rejection of the disastrous neoliberal policies of the previous regimes. One must however distinguish between two quite different sorts of left governments:

1) Social-liberal coalitions, which do not break with the fundamental “Washington Consensus” but implement several progressive social measures. The basic principle of this sort of government is to do what is possible to improve the situation of the poor — on the condition not to touch the privileges of the rich. The left, or center-left governments of Brazil, Uruguay and Chile are the most obvious examples.

2) Anti-oligarchic, anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist governments, who set as their historical horizon “Socialism of the 21th Century.” Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador belong to this category.

Turkey (Declaration): The Way Out of This Crisis is not Declaring State of Emergency, but Democracy

by HDP (Turkey)

Five days after the coup attempt on 15th of July, the NSC and Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency in the country. This step shows the coup attempt might have been blocked, but the desire to rule the country with coup-like, authoritative mentality is not.

In this period Turkey will be ruled by Decree-laws against the constitution, the Council of Ministers will be chaired by the President, the jurisdiction of governors will be increased, and vital universal and democratic human rights will be violated while the Turkish Presidential System will be imposed without restraint. Thus, the coup attempt has become a tool and opportunity for the government to purge all opposition and limit democratic rights and freedom.