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Demonstrate against the G20 Summit! For People’s Empowerment!
Workers' Daily Internet Edition: Article Index :
Demonstrate against the G20 Summit! For People’s
Empowerment!
Organise to Open Up the Way Out of the Crisis!
No Illusions Over the G20 Summit
28 March 2009:March in central London for jobs, justice, climateFor Your Reference:
2009 G-20 London summit
What Is G-20?
Our 12 point plan for democratic
economic governance
The Alternative London Summit 2009
Climate Camp 2009
On April 1st, we'll show the G20 what meltdown means
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Demonstrate against the G20 Summit! For People’s Empowerment!
The proposals for the G20 that have been coming from Brown and Darling as ideologues for the Anglo-US monopoly capitalist system have as their aim to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for this system. Brown and Darling have emerged as the champions of state monopoly capitalism. This is their "route map" to so-called economic recovery, to stimulate all economies to "rapid effect". However, if the cause of the crisis is not addressed, then solutions cannot be found, and the cause of the crisis is this very system which pays the rich and denies the people’s well-being.
The people’s resistance against economic wrecking and paying the rich is being stepped up, and must become further organised to combat the attempts of the US, Britain and the other big powers to make the working people and the masses of the world shoulder the burden of the crisis.
The working class has its conviction, in these circumstances, that organised as a class with their independent aim and programme, their sense of justice can and must prevail. The workers have the power of numbers, historical development and justice on their side. To lead the way out of the crisis, they require the kind of organisation which will enable them to consciously participate in politics, and to fight for their own independent programme which is diametrically opposed to the programme of the ruling financial elite.
The independent programme of the working class is for a self-reliant, independent, socialist society, developing trade and cultural relations with other countries based on mutual benefit. For society to advance and the problems of the economy be solved, what is required is the socialisation of the means of production and the elimination of the exploitative relations of production, forcing all the elements making up the economy to serve the development of the domestic economy. To realise this, the working class must take the lead in organising to oppose the monopoly capitalist parasites and the politicians who do their every bidding, up to and including shovelling obscene amounts of produced wealth to prop them up. State power must lie in the hands of the working class, and the people must be the decision-makers!
As a starting point, what is required is a change in the direction of the economy and in the motive of production, putting the needs of the people at the centre. The rule of the rich and powerful elite is criminal and superfluous, and poses yet more dangers for the people which the G20 summit will only exacerbate. The working class can have no illusions that a cure will come from the gods of plague, and they should reject any thought that the summit “cannot be allowed to fail”. The issue is how the workers can advance their independent programme.
This programme calls for more to be put into the economy than is taken out, an end to the wrecking of the manufacturing base, an end to the vicious colonial and neo-colonial relations of exploitation with other countries and nations, a ban on the export of capital, trade on the basis of mutual benefit for the peoples, banking to be put under public control on a not-for-profit, no-interest basis, an end to the bail-outs of the rich, a reversal in the hiking up of national debt to pay the rich and no servicing of this debt to the financial institutions, investments in social programmes which put the claims of the people at the centre, an end to spending on military intervention abroad and the militarisation of the economy, and a guarantee of the right to a livelihood for all.
Mechanisms must be put in place to facilitate the discussion and elaboration of this programme, and to enable the workers to consciously participate in politics, to organise in defence of their interests, to take responsibility for the fate of society, and to fight for the rights of all. The workers must consciously set out to build a workers’ opposition that will say enough is enough to the rich and powerful, with their class privilege and their political representatives, and fight for the democratic renewal of the political processes and institutions, that will say to the monopoly capitalists, do our bidding or exit from the scene of history forthwith.
There must be an end to the rapacious plundering of the world by the big monopolies, and the squandering by the rich and powerful of the wealth that working people produce. It is the public good which must be put at the centre of all considerations, the social economy, and defence of the rights of all. The working class must go for a different world in their own image, and go for it now.
There Is An Alternative! There Is A Way Out
of the Crisis!
Stop Paying the Rich! Increase Investments in Social Programmes!
On April 2, the Summit of the G20 countries will be held in London, and hosted by the British government, allegedly in order to take measures to deal with the global economic crisis. The very nature of the event shows that it is an attempt by the big powers, and particularly Anglo-American imperialism, to rescue neo-liberal globalisation, to pull the chestnuts out of the fire, and to persuade the people of the whole world that fundamentally there is nothing wrong with global capitalism. The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has already pointed out that one of the main aims of the G20 Summit is to head off the threat of growing opposition to globalisation and what he refers to as “de-globalisation”. He has suggested that measures need to be taken which will convince the world that the leaders of the biggest economies have the crisis under their control, otherwise he fears that “the legitimacy of globalisation will be lost and public support for it will erode, imperilling all our prosperities”.
However, it is not possible for the crisis to be controlled nor overcome by the measures proposed by Brown or the leaders of the other big powers. The economic crisis is precisely an indictment of the whole imperialist system, of neo-liberation globalisation and the orientation of successive governments both at home and abroad. It is a consequence of the plundering of the world by the big monopolies and all the arrangements related to globalisation, of gearing the economy to suit their needs, rather than those of the majority, the wealth producers. It is fundamentally a consequence of the contradiction between the highly socialised economy and the outmoded property relations, a contradiction that can only be avoided by the working class empowering itself and establishing an economy that put the needs of the class and people in first place.
One aim of the summit is allegedly to prevent the world and particularly the big powers moving towards protectionism and war by more intervention in the economies and therefore the politics of other countries. But as long as the big monopolies dominate the world, contention between the big powers, which represent them, is inevitable. Even now, splits have appeared between the big powers over how to re-order the world, with the EU countries, especially France and Germany, and Russia at odds with the Anglo-Americans. Since the last G20 summit in November widespread protectionist measures are already evident according to a recent World Bank report, especially in the car industry where some $48 billion in aid to the big monopolies has already been made available by the governments of France, China, Britain, Canada, Germany, the US and other countries.
What is also evident is that at this time however the government is actually re-stating its defence of neo-liberal globalisation, even if this now includes more state intervention nationally and intervention by the big powers and their institutions on a global scale. Brown talks of the need for “sustainable and inclusive globalisation”, and that the present period is an opportunity to re-order the world in favour of the big monopolies once again, in other words to do nothing to resolve the contradiction which produces the worst crisis since the 1930s. Brown, Miliband et al have therefore placed more emphasis on the re-fashioning and development of global institutions and rules that, they claim, are required to make neo-liberalism work in the 21st century. This emphasis has become even more sharply defined as it has become clearer that neo-liberal globalisation has exacerbated existing contradictions both between and within countries, that the polarisation between rich and poor is growing both nationally and internationally, that the world remains extremely unstable as the big powers contend, as new powers emerge and as the resistance of the people increases to the dire effects of globalisation and the diktat of the big powers.
Brown claims that the very severe problems that neo-liberal globalisation has exacerbated require global solutions and all countries working in concert and harmony. This again will be the theme of the G20 Summit. He claims that modern interdependence means that no country can act alone and therefore that multilateralism is the order of the day; that all countries have to take common action not only in regard to the economy and financial matters but also in regard to climate change, conflict prevention and resolution and poverty reduction. In particular, Brown continues to stress the need for an adherence to representative democracy, while also pointing to the need for a new global financial system, low carbon economies and a new public-private-voluntary sector partnership that will allegedly address poverty reduction and other problems. All this to be overseen by new international institutions, in which the G20 may come to play the role of the G8 and where there is a need for a reformed IMF and World Bank, indeed a whole new Bretton Woods-style agreement.
Brown demands a new IMF to monitor all economies and tie them more firmly to the values and interests of the big powers. In this regard too the government speaks of the need to reform the global financial system and monitor its operation. Brown actually speaks of the IMF operating as a global independent central bank – perhaps like the Bank of England – and the World Bank as a bank for the environment as well as development. What is key about the “new Bretton Woods” is that it must be under the hegemony of the Anglo-American alliance.
As in the past the Anglo-American alliance is to be the leading force, supported by the partnership between Europe and the US – which must lead, not apparently to impose rules of the new global order but to “lead and broaden” global efforts to establish the new machinery. Brown, who has presided over and championed everything that has produced the calamitous crisis, presents himself as an economic guru and the world’s saviour and envisages not less intervention but even more.
It might be argued that if there were a genuine concern to deal with the global economic crisis, if multilateralism was really the order of the day, then a world forum such as the General Assembly of the United Nations might be the appropriate place to start, rather than a meeting of the G20 countries, since the economic crisis impacts on all countries big and small. But it is clear that the big powers have decided who will be involved in the discussions and what form they will take on the basis of economic might rather than economic need.
There can be no illusions about the London summit of the G20 countries, nor the possibility of creating “sustainable and inclusive globalisation” that can provide for the needs of all. The economic and other crises that exists in the world can only be overcome by resolving the contradiction that caused them, by the working class in Britain and all countries empowering itself and establishing an economy that puts the needs of the class and people in first place.
Even before the banking collapse, the world suffered poverty, inequality and the threat of climate chaos. The world has followed a financial model that has created an economy fuelled by ever-increasing debt, both financial and environmental.
Our future depends on creating an economy based on fair distribution of wealth, decent jobs for all and a low carbon future.
People from all over the country will join the march on March 28.
Our message is clear. We must put people first.
Assembly point confirmed
The assembly point for the march is now confirmed. People should gather from 11am on Victoria Embankment by Temple tube station on March 28th. The postcode is WC2R 2 PP.
The nearest tube is Temple, but Embankment, Blackfriars and Waterloo are short walks away too opening up other possibilities.
Coaches will probably be able to drop off on Victoria Embankment or Waterloo Bridge but this will be confirmed later.
· Get the troops out of Iraq & Afghanistan
· End the siege of Gaza – free Palestine
· Create jobs not bombs
· Stop arming Israel
· Abolish all nukes
Called by Stop the War, CND, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative
Our message will be ‘Yes We Can’. Yes we can end the siege of Gaza and free Palestine, get the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, make jobs not bombs, abolish nukes, and stop arming Israel.
This is a time of slump but the G20 are spending more and more on war. Despite the disaster in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US and Britain are sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan.
They are spending more in Iraq. The total cost of the war will be around $6 trillion. The US spends $54 billion and Britain nearly £2 billion every year on nuclear weapons.
Most G20 leaders support Israel and refused to condemn the attack on Gaza or the siege. They sell arms to Israel. The US gives more aid to Israel than it gives to any other country. For all these reasons, join us to protest at the G20.
We will also be protesting on Thursday 2 April at the G20 summit, 11am at the Excel Centre.
Called by Stop the War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, The British Muslim Initiative and CND
· April 1 (afternoon): Protest March and rally in central London
· April 2: Protest march to G20 conference
The second G-20 Leaders' Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy is scheduled to take place on April 2, 2009. It follows the first G-20 Leaders Summit, that took place in Washington D.C. on November 14-15, 2008.[1] The venue of the Summit will be at the ExCel Centre.[2]
Heads of government from the G-20 countries are expected to attend.
As hosts, the UK Treasury produced an extended agenda pamphlet proposing the issues to be covered at the London summit:[3]
A number of protests are planned during the G20 leaders meeting in London:
Put People First
In response to the summit, a civil society coalition called 'Put People First' has formed, made up of development NGOs, trade unions and environmentalists.
Their 12 point economic plan for democratic governance demands democratized financial institutions to deliver secure jobs and public services, an end to global poverty and inequality and a green economy. [11]
It is backed by more than 100 major trade unions, international development NGOs and environmental organizations. [12][13] This planned campaign includes a demonstration in central London entitled 'March for Jobs, Justice and Climate' on 28 March 2009.
The movement was initiated by the economic justice networks Jubilee Debt Campaign, Trade Justice Movement, BOND and TUC.
Climate Camp in London's square mile
The website of the UK based Camp for Climate Action advocates staging a camp on 1 April 2009 as a way to focus attention on the economic drivers of climate change. The camp would be located outside the European Climate Exchange, a carbon trading market .[14][15]
On February 24, the Camp for Climate Action lodged a press complaint[ 16] against the Evening Standard and Daily Mail, for their article "Anarchists plan City riots for G20 leaders' arrival in London".[17]
Leaders of the members countries began to prepare the summit months before the effective date, notably with two official meetings dedicated to that preparation, one held in Berlin on 22 February for European leaders, and another in Horsham on March 14 for Finance Ministers.
European leaders summit
Leaders of the six European countries of the G-20 met on 22 February to prepare the London summit and to coordinate their actions.[18] The meeting was organized at the initiative of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, and gathered the leaders of Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The leaders agreed that markets, financial institutions and the wide range of financial assets they create and hedge funds should be subject to appropriate control. In addition, they have called for effective sanctions against tax havens.[19] They also agreed to impose sanctions against countries that intend to undermine their work. Finally, they advocated the doubling of funds available to the International Monetary Fund.[ 20]
Finance ministers summit
Finance ministers and central bankers of the G-20 met in Horsham on March 14, for a summit to prepare the meeting of April 2. To restore global growth as quick as possible, the participants have decided to approve of coordinated and decisive actions, to stimulate demand and employment. They also pledged to fight against all forms of protectionism and to maintain trade and foreign investments.
The members also committed themselves to maintain the supply of credit by providing more liquidity and recapitalizing the banking system, and to implement rapidly the stimulus plans. As for central bankers, they pledged to maintain low-rates policies as long as necessary. Finally, the leaders decided to help emerging and developing countries, through a strengthening of the IMF.
To strengthen the financial system, the participants proposed to regulate appropriately all important financial institutions, to register all hedge funds or their managers and to force them to provide appropriate information as for the risks they take.[21] They proposed to implement a regulation able to prevent the systemic risks and to curb business cycles, including through the limitation of the leverage effect, which amplifies cycles.[21] They announced new measures to prevent and resolve crises, through the strengthening of the IMF and the FSF.[21] In addition, they have agreed to control rating agencies and their compliance with the IOSCO Code, off-balance sheet vehicles, credit derivatives market, and non-cooperative territories.[21]
www.g-20meltdown.org
The G-20 (more formally, the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors) is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies: 19 of the world's 25 largest national economies, plus the European Union (EU). It has also met once at heads of government level, in November 2008. Collectively, the G-20 economies comprise 90% of global gross national product, 80% of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.
The G-20 is a forum for cooperation and consultation on matters pertaining to the international financial system. It operates without a permanent secretariat or staff. The chair rotates annually among the members and is selected from a different regional grouping of countries.
In 2008, there are 20 members of the G-20. These include the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States. The 20th member is the European Union, which is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank.
In addition to these 20 members, the following forums and institutions, as represented by their respective chief executive officers, participate in meetings of the G-20: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, International Monetary and Financial Committee, Development Committee of the IMF and World Bank.
The Group of Eight (G8, and formerly the (G6) or Group of Six) is a forum for governments of eight nations of the northern hemisphere: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; in addition, the EU is represented within the G8, The G8 can refer to the member states or to the annual summit meeting of the G8 heads of government. G8 ministers also meet throughout the year, such as the G7/8 finance ministers (who meet four times a year), G8 foreign ministers or G8 environment ministers.
Each calendar year, the responsibility of hosting the G8 rotates through the member states in the following order: France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. The holder of the presidency sets the agenda, hosts the summit for that year and determines which ministerial meetings will take place. Lately, both France and the United Kingdom have expressed a desire to expand the group and include five developing countries, referred to as the Outreach Five (O5) or the Plus Five: Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. These countries have participated as guests in previous meetings, which are sometimes called G8+5. Recently, France, Germany and Italy are lobbying to include Egypt.
Put People First http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk/
New out today is Put People First’s policy platform
report. It’s our analysis of the job ahead of the G20 leaders, and a
12 point plan that could go a long way towards
delivering democratic governance of the economy for jobs, justice and climate.
You can download a copy of the report in Adobe PDF format, but here are our
headline recommendations:
Compel tax havens to abide by strict international rules.
Insist on fundamental governance reform of the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
Make all financial institutions, financial products and multinationals
transparent and publicly accountable.
Ensure a massive investment in a green new deal to build a green economy based
on decent work and fair pay.
Invest in and strengthen public provision of essential services.
Work to ensure sufficient emergency funding to all countries that need it,
without damaging conditionalities attached.
Deliver 0.7% of national income as aid by 2013, deliver aid more effectively
and push for the cancellation of all illegitimate and unpayable developing country debts.
Ensure that poorer states are allowed to take
responsibility for managing their economies, including controlling
cross-border capital flows.
Stop pushing developing countries to liberalise and deregulate their economies,
and do not attempt to rush through a completion of the Doha trade round, a deal
that developing countries have rejected several times.
In addition to the green new deal, introduce the robust regulatory requirements
and financial incentives needed to deliver a green economy.
Push for a deal at Copenhagen to agree substantial, verifiable cuts in
greenhouse gases, which will limit temperature increases to well below
2°C.
Commit to substantial new resource transfer from North to South, additional to
Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), to support adaptation and sustainable
development in poor countries.
http://www.altg20.org.uk/
About Us
On April 2nd 2009, Barack Obama and the G20 ministers including World Bank and IMF governors will be arriving at a conference centre some 500 yards from the Docklands Campus of the University of East London. Lecturing staff and students at UEL have responded by hosting the ‘G20 Alternative Summit’.
The G20 Alternative Summit will be a popular assembly or ‘teach-in’ in a densely populated, working class area of London. It is being hosted at the national level by Britain’s University and College Lecturers’ Union (UCU). At 4.00 pm on April 1st, our first speaker will be welcomed and introduced by UCU General Secretary, Sally Hunt. In addition to comedians, poets, artists, musicians, scientists and academics, we will be inviting shop stewards and activists engaged in current struggles. We intend to make our summit an assembly of the East London working class and of the labour movement as a whole.
John McDonnell MP will be coming to explain to us the Parliamentary uses of the Mace. BBC Newsnight editor Paul Mason will be telling us about his new book, ‘Meltdown: the End of the Age of Greed’. Economist Jan Toporowski will be explaining why the world financial system has so suddenly collapsed. We are hoping to persuade President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to come heading a delegation from the developing nations which have been excluded from the top table. We will extend a public debating challenge also to President Barack Obama, the venue for our event being less than a mile distant from the EXCEL centre where he will be in attendance anyway.
In short, this will be an event for everyone who thinks that the bankers and politicians in their pay have been making a mess of things and need to be sacked and replaced.
President Obama has inspired people all over the world with hope for change we can believe in. Can we make capitalism history? YES WE CAN!
Our Manifesto
Can we oust the bankers from power?
Can we get rid of the corrupt politicians in their pay?
Can we guarantee everyone a job, a home, a future?
Can we establish government by the people, for the people, of the people?
Can we abolish all borders and be patriots for our planet?
Can we all live sustainably and stop climate chaos?
Can we make capitalism history?
YES WE CAN!
http://climatecamp.org.uk/g20
Stopping
carbon markets
Because nature doesn't do bailouts
First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money – with disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very future of life on earth – and once again our governments are cheering them on.
By creating a brain-bending system of carbon pollution licenses, fossil fuel companies and trading firms have found a way to keep on churning out global warming gases and to reap huge windfall profits at the same time. Meanwhile, the UK government is justifying a third runway at Heathrow and a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth by saying that these new “carbon trading” schemes will magically make all their emissions vanish.
They are handing control of our climate over to the same people and systems that caused the financial collapse . All the workable and fair alternatives aren't getting a look-in.
We need to stop this foolishness.
On April 1st the G20 leaders arrive in London. At a time of climate crisis their response to the market meltdown is emergency loans to car manufacturers, increased spending to encourage consumption, and bailouts for the very people who got us into this mess - just the thing that will make the climate crisis worse.
Don’t let them get away with it: join our camp in the Square Mile!
We will convergence on the European Climate Exchange, Hasilwood House, 62 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AW at 12:30 exactly.
Bring a pop-up tent if you've got one, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile cinema, action plans and ideas...let’s imagine another world.
http://www.g-20meltdown.org/
Capitalism has been heating up our world for years, melting the icecaps, burning up the rainforests, pushing the planet to tipping point. Now we're going to put the heat on them. At the London Summit , the G20 ministers are trying to get away with the biggest April Fools trick of all time. Their tax-dodging, bonus-guzzling, pension-pinching, unregulated free market world's in meltdown, and those fools think we're going to bail them out. They've gotta be joking!
Many, many imaginative actions will be taking place across London on April 1st. One major focus will be four separate carnival parades culminating in direct action against the financial follies in the City of London among them carbon trading.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will lead themed processions starting at 11 a.m. from the following rail stations:
·
Moorgate
Red horse against War;
·
Liverpool St
Green horse against Climate chaos
·
London
Bridge
Silver horse against Financial crimes
·
Cannon
Street
Black horse against land enclosures and borders in honour
of the 360th full circle anniversary of the Diggers
At 12 noon, April 1st , we're going to reclaim the City, thrusting into the very belly of the beast: the Bank of England.
Early a.m. April 2nd , we're going to bang on their hotel doors, @ the Excel Centre, Canning town to deliver our message of a world beyond capitalism.