Comment on Euro-Elections
Asker | 02.06.2009 18:18 | Analysis | Workers' Movements
Comment on Euro-Elections:
All elections are seen as meaningless by many people. Elected representatives actually have little or no power to make change. People are beginning to see that the real decisions to bail out the banks, launch wars, privatise health, education, the post office and public services are not really decided in parliament. Many decisions are made behind the scenes to maximise the profits of the multinationals and financiers regardless of the cost to ordinary people. Expenses fiddles could be considered to be bribes to gain compliance and silence of MPs.
In this election circus which has come to town three things stand out:
1. People are rightly disgusted by MPs' fiddles, but this distracts attention
from the continued bail outs to the banks e.g. the £50 billion given in early
May, to the financiers by the Bank of England as “quantitative easing”.
MPs' fiddles are small change in comparison.
2. In such circumstances the media treats the BNP as respectable in spite of
the fact that people are deeply offended by their racism and other Nazi
policies. It is no accident that this is happening at a time when multinationals are creating mass unemployment, and the banks are repossessing houses, and bankrupting small businesses. Just when working people of all backgrounds need to find ways to support each other, along comes the BNP to divide them along racial or religious lines. This is exactly what their Nazi predecessors did in the 1930's on behalf of big business. A similar position is also taken by UKIP.
3. At the same time various public figures are telling people to vote for the
corrupt big parties as the only way to oppose the BNP. Yet none of these
parties can deal with the problems facing ordinary people which are
caused by the fact that society is run to maximise profits rather than to
meet people's needs.
Voting or standing for elections only makes sense if it helps to end the dictate of the multinationals and banks. People need a decent livelihood in work or
retirement, public services not privatised services, and a genuine people's army based at home and purely for defence, instead of one designed for invading other countries. How are such things to be achieved is the real question. Any honest politician would not pretend that they can make big changes through parliament in the current set up. However they could use their position in parliament (national or European) to expose what goes on and to deepen ordinary people's understanding of the situation. They could also help people to organise practical ways to work together and support each other in the difficult times ahead. Any individual candidate or small party could be considered in this light when deciding whether to vote or not. In any case the key thing is whether the working class decides to act collectively or to leave things to someone else.
All elections are seen as meaningless by many people. Elected representatives actually have little or no power to make change. People are beginning to see that the real decisions to bail out the banks, launch wars, privatise health, education, the post office and public services are not really decided in parliament. Many decisions are made behind the scenes to maximise the profits of the multinationals and financiers regardless of the cost to ordinary people. Expenses fiddles could be considered to be bribes to gain compliance and silence of MPs.
In this election circus which has come to town three things stand out:
1. People are rightly disgusted by MPs' fiddles, but this distracts attention
from the continued bail outs to the banks e.g. the £50 billion given in early
May, to the financiers by the Bank of England as “quantitative easing”.
MPs' fiddles are small change in comparison.
2. In such circumstances the media treats the BNP as respectable in spite of
the fact that people are deeply offended by their racism and other Nazi
policies. It is no accident that this is happening at a time when multinationals are creating mass unemployment, and the banks are repossessing houses, and bankrupting small businesses. Just when working people of all backgrounds need to find ways to support each other, along comes the BNP to divide them along racial or religious lines. This is exactly what their Nazi predecessors did in the 1930's on behalf of big business. A similar position is also taken by UKIP.
3. At the same time various public figures are telling people to vote for the
corrupt big parties as the only way to oppose the BNP. Yet none of these
parties can deal with the problems facing ordinary people which are
caused by the fact that society is run to maximise profits rather than to
meet people's needs.
Voting or standing for elections only makes sense if it helps to end the dictate of the multinationals and banks. People need a decent livelihood in work or
retirement, public services not privatised services, and a genuine people's army based at home and purely for defence, instead of one designed for invading other countries. How are such things to be achieved is the real question. Any honest politician would not pretend that they can make big changes through parliament in the current set up. However they could use their position in parliament (national or European) to expose what goes on and to deepen ordinary people's understanding of the situation. They could also help people to organise practical ways to work together and support each other in the difficult times ahead. Any individual candidate or small party could be considered in this light when deciding whether to vote or not. In any case the key thing is whether the working class decides to act collectively or to leave things to someone else.
Asker