Why Fighting Capitalism & What Alternative?
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Linkse Socialistische Partij
LSP LeuvenMaandag 20 oktober 2014
Why Fighting Capitalism&
What Alternative
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DuckTalesUncle Scrooge Oom Dagobert
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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse
Oom DagobertGeldpakhuis
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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse
Oom Dagobertgeldpakhuis
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Some Questions...
● Where did the money come from?● Is it really Uncle Scrooge's money? ● Is the money used in the best possible way?● Is this money accumulation not dangerous?
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Capitalismin
Decay
7McKinsey - Debt and deleveraging: The global credit bubble and its economic consequences (Updated analysis)http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/global_capital_markets/debt_and_deleveraging_the_global_credit_bubble_update
8https://twitter.com/jamestplunkett/status/340409383047553025/photo/1
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The German Miracle
London School of Economicshttp://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2014/01/08/despite-high-employment-rates-germany-is-also-experiencing-increasing-poverty-among-its-citizens/
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Plenty of other graphs and numbers available...
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Enormous increase in debtsWe have to work harder, longer
Increased productivity, GDP
Exploding unemployment & povertyRetreating public services
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Where the f**k did the money go to?
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Uncle Scrooge's money warehouse
Oom DagobertGeldpakhuis
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Transfer $ 99% → 1%
Dow Jones since 1975
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Not only an economical meltdown...
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“Neoliberalism has brought out the worst in us”
“An economic system that rewards psychopathic personality traits has
changed our ethics and our personalities”
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/29/neoliberalism-economic-system-ethics-personality-psychopathicsthic
Paul Verhaeghe,hoogleraar klinische
psychologie & psychoanalyseUgent
In The Guardian, 29/09/2014
Ethics
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People with Emotional problems (Belgian population 15+)
Wetenschappelijk instituut voor Volksgezondheidhttps://www.wiv-isp.be/News/Documents/Presentatie_web_NL.pdf
Psycho
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Suicides
“Austerity in Greece caused more than 500 male suicides, say researchers”
“[…] every 1% fall in government spending in Greece led to a 0.43% rise in suicides among men – after controlling for other characteristics that might lead to suicide, 551 men killed themselves "solely because of fiscal austerity" between 2009 and 2010. That is almost one person per day.”
Psycho
The Guardian, 21 April 2014http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/21/austerity-greece-male-suicides-spending-cuts
Historically the lowest suicide rate in Europe
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Environ-ment
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Environ-ment
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Environ-ment
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Environ-ment
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Environ-ment
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Hey, Stop!
It's not all the fault of capitalism...
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Question everything!(even capitalism)
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Ethical Justification The invisible hand
“By pursuing his own interest the individual frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it."
Adam Smith Wealth of Nations
1776
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The Religion of
The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:
Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans
Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors
In conflict with & hostile to science
Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable
Resistance is futile
Intervention by (God's) hand
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The Religion of
The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:
Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans
Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors
In conflict with & hostile to science
Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable
Resistance is futile
Intervention by (God's) hand
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Hostile Classes in SocietiesPrimitive Communism
Feudalism
Slave Society
- Lord possesses the land- Vasal works on land and ceds part of output
- Aristocrats possess the slaves- Slaves have to obey to survive
- No classes
Capitalism- Capitalists own means of production- Working class sells labour power
???
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Evolution of Societies
Growth Prosperity Decay time
CapitalismNo longer able pull humanity to a higher level
Note: Capitalism will not collapse automatically. A social revolution is required
Lie 1: Capitalism is eternal & untouchable
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The Religion of
The Invisible Hand(Re)defining the virtues:
Egoism, Greed, Competitionas the natural state of humans
Credibility by simplicityUse of metaphors
In conflict with & hostile to science
Don't question it It's eternal & untouchable
Resistance is futile
Intervention by (God's) hand
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Ethics in Societies
“The ideas of the ruling class are, in any age, the ruling ideas”
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels The German Ideology
1845Stated otherwise
“The dominant ideology is the ideology of the dominant class”
Lie 2: Egoism, greed and competition are the natural state of mind of humans
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DuckTalesUncle Scrooge Oom Dagobert
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Capitalism is... ● NOT natural● NOT eternal● NOT untouchable
In summary
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Why is capitalism unstable?
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Crisis
Wage PressureAusterity
Automatisation
Competition
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Crisis
Wage PressureAusterity
Automatisation
Competition
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Crisis
AusterityWage pressure
Declining purchasing
power
WeakeningMarket
Competition
Wealth transferto the 1%
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Crisis
Wage PressureAusterity
Automatisation
Competition
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Tendency Declining Profit Rate
Fixed capitalMachines, buildings, commodities
Variable capitalLabour
No new value creationTransfer of value to output
Not a source of profit
New value creationSource of profit
An average investment Profit per invested $
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Tendency Declining Profit Rate
Fixed capitalMachines, buildings, commodities
Variable capitalLabour
No new value creationTransfer of value to output
Not a source of profit
New value creationSource of profit
An average investment
Recovery profit rate possible by making labour cheaper This wage pressure weakens the market
Profit per invested $
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Automatisation
Decreasinglabour
intensity
Decliningprofit rate
DecliningInvestments
in real economy
Financialspeculation
Bubbles
Crisis
(1)
(1) See previous slide
(1)
WeakenedMarket
(1)
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Illustration: Neoliberalism
Privatisation
Deregulation
Austerity
● '79-81' Fiscal policy of Volker (FED)● '81 Reagan broke air traffic controllers' strike● '83 Mitterand changes policy● '84-'85 Thatcher breaks miners' strike● '89 Collapse of Berlin wall
Restored profit rateTransfer of wealth from 99% to 1%
Possible after successful attack on working class
Crisis delayed by massive debt accumulation
Weakening market
47McKinsey - Debt and deleveraging: The global credit bubble and its economic consequences (Updated analysis)http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/global_capital_markets/debt_and_deleveraging_the_global_credit_bubble_update
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Crisis
Wage pressureAusterity
Automatisation
Competition
Crisis delayed by massive debt accumulation
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The logic of
fascism
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Capitalists
Profit
CheapResources
CheapLabour
NationalismRacism
War
RepresssionViolence
Organised working class
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Capitalists
Profit
CheapResources
CheapLabour
Organisedworking class
NationalismRacism
War
RepresssionViolence
Capitalist class not strong enough to
atomize the working class
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Capitalists mobilize desparate, impoverished middle classes into violent physical attacks to break the organised working class.
Fascism
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The organised working class is the only force that can lift
society to a higher level.
The capitalist class will do everything to prevent this.
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Capitalism
Recurring & deepening
crises
Declining living conditions for the 99%
Rising tensions on all levels
Destruction of the planet
RepressionViolence
In summary
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Our alternative
Democratic Socialism
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Capitalism Dem. Socialism
Representation Can do whatever they want while earning shitloads of money
Permanent recall, average worker's wage.
On the political & economical level
Ownership of companies
private Key sectors in public hands
Organisation of society
Chaos of competition Planned according the the needs of the people
Organisation of companies & institutions
Top-downCauses growing
bureaucracy
Democratic,Bottom-up
In the interest of The 1% Society & planet
Comparison
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Historical examples
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Paris Commune, 1871
Bloodily suppressed by French state
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Petrograd, 1917Soviet Assembly meeting
Deformed by war tsarists and capitalist & isolation
66Berlin, November 1918Revolutionary soldiers in front of Brandenburger Gate
Betrayed by leadership of social democracy
67Barcelona, 1936Public transportation collectivised by CNT
Crushed by stalinists & bourgeois government
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Lessons learned
Democratic socialistsociety is possible
Capitalism will tryto destroy it
(with bloodshed if necessary)
Never trusta bureaucrat
An isolated revolution is a lost revolution
And fortunately, stalinism is dead
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The power of our class(or how we can win)
Lessons fromthe past
Class unity in action
Revolutionary PartySolidarity locally & internationally
More & better educated
We have the real economic power
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Unity in actionFreedom in debate
Uniting role of fighting together
Heterogeneity of working class
Sharpening of program & methods
Different programs tested in practice
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How Marxists deal with reformist demands
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“With the right hand, the capitalist takes back the double of what he has given with the left hand.”
Leon TrotskyThe Transitional Program
1938
Tax on energy from 21% to 6%
Rederegulationof banking sector
Right to strike Democratic &qualitativeeducation
Tax the rich ...
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“In theory we agree with revolutionary ideas such as nationalisation of the banking sector, but it is unrealistic now since people are not ready for it. Our demands should match with what people are thinking now.”
No link with socialist transition of societyCreation of illusions in capitalism
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An example: 15Now, SeattleCampaign for 15$/hour minimum wage in Seattle
In 2012 considered by many as unrealistic.
Victory in 2014!15now.org
100.000 out of poverty
Price for business: 3 bln $
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Need for audacious demandsthat can draw people into a mass movement
(Something worth fighting for)
Grassroots campaignActive involvement from many workers
No single dime from business
On the basis of collective struggleNo trust in negotiations alone
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Without creating illusions In capitalism (next slide)
Inspiring victoryNow everywhere in U.S. on the agenda
Victory after decades of setbacksConfidence to workers
Electoral mandate as toolKshama Sawant (CWI) elected
Position used to empower the movement
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“We’re very clear that winning this demand is not going to be enough. All of this inequality that you’re fighting against is at the root—the result of capitalism, and we will have to keep fighting against this and we need to build broader movements.“
Kshama SawantSeattle Councillor
CWI
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Transitional Program
● Formulate audacious, inspiring demands for better living conditions.
(or how marxists deal with reformist demands)
● But link this to the limits within capitalism and the necessity of socialism
● This will make the organised working class stronger & prepare them for future fights
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InternationalismCapitalism is a global system and should be fought globally.
LSP is part of the CWI (Committee for a Workers' International),
with section in over 40 countriesand several elected mandates
www.socialisme.bewww.socialistworld.net
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Fight with us fordemocratic socialism!
In summary
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Question everything!(even socialism)