The Socialist (South)--April 2022

TheSocialist

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aPril 2022

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2

Climate & Covid

The socialist

“Now or never”: IPCC report and the urgent need for socialism Irreversible tipping points the latest instalment of the iPcc report has issued a stark warning: we must act “now or never” if we are to limit global warming to 1.5°c above pre-industrial levels.

Greenhouse emissions must start to fall no later than 2025 to keep global warming to 1.5°c, yet average emissions from 2010-2019 were higher than in any previous decade. in fact, it is now “almost inevitable” that temperatures will rise above 1.5°c, crossing irreversible tipping points such as forest die off and melting away of polar ice caps. even at 1.5°c we face further intensification and proliferation of extreme weather events, such as forest fires and hurricanes.

Fossil fuels – poisoning our planet iPcc says: “immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors” are critical to avert the worst effects of climate change. this requires implementing dramatic cuts to fossil fuel use and a massive scale up of renewable energy. renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are now much cheaper and their prices less volatile than fossil fuels, as well as having far lower emissions.” you might expect that the uncertainty over supplies of oil and gas since russia’s invasion of ukraine would give extra impetus to end reliance on fossil fuels. But instead, capitalist powers are talking

about the need for even more fossil fuel infrastructure so they can continue profiting from poisoning the atmosphere.

Slash emissions now iPcc says: “it could be possible to reduce temperatures back to below 1.5°c by 2100 with the use of technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. all technological options for decarbonisation must be considered.” this approach is grasping at straws – so far these technologies are unproven and the cost and feasibility of mass deployment are completely unknown. We cannot wait to see if these highly profitable technologies developed by the likes of elon Musk will be up to the task. instead of belching carbon into the atmosphere (such as with space travel) and then inventing highly profitable technologies to remove it, we simply need to immediately slash emissions! any potential carbon capture technologies, as well as renewable energy, should be publicly developed and owned, without patents and not for profit, for our collective need. But above all, we need to act now to transform the way society is organised to prioritise dramatically reducing emissions over the profiteering of billionaires.

Preserving nature the war in ukraine has led to a spike in oil production

By Keishia Taylor

iPcc says: “the conservation of 3050% of earth’s land, freshwater and

the amazon rainforest is close

to a ‘dieback’ tipping point

oceans is critical to restore the ability of nature to regulate the planet. currently, less than 15% of land, 21% of freshwater and 8% of oceans are protected areas, and shockingly some regions, like the amazon, have switched from storing carbon to emitting it.”

Due to forest fires, soaring temperatures, droughts and the spiralling interaction of these factors, the amazon has turned from carbon sink to carbon source, producing more than a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Many of these fires, under the guidance of hyper-capitalist Bolsonaro, have been deliberately set to clear land for beef and soy and the profits of big agribusiness. We must urgently act to safeguard the integrity of natural carbon sinks, wildernesses and biodiversity, with

the rights and insights of local and indigenous peoples.

Rule of the rich Peter Kalmus, NaSa scientist, summarises the report: “We know what to do, we know how to do it – it requires taking toys away from the rich, and world leaders aren’t doing it.” But socialists know that capitalist leaders won’t do it, no matter how urgent and desperate the situation for working-class people. this leaves one option – we, the global working class and poor, must organise now to take those toys away, and use the vast wealth and resources of the world to immediately transform society in the interests of both people and the planet.

Government recklessness causes soaring covid cases By conor Payne

T

HERE HAS been a huge rise in Covid-19 infections since restrictions were lifted from late January onwards. Official figures, reflecting PCR tests and antigen tests which have been reported to the state, show thousands of new cases every day.

However, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has admitted that the real figure is probably ‘’hundreds of thousands’’ of cases a week. The 7-day average of people in hospital with Covid stands at over 1,500, compared to around 600 in early February. The effects of mass vaccination mean that many of these cases are relatively mild, although the virus remains a real threat to those with underlying health conditions who have been utterly disregarded by the government.

Abolishing restrictions

Again, Donnelly accepts that he is ‘acutely aware of the pressure which the current demand for Covid care is putting on the healthcare system’. Despite this the government has pressed ahead with its current approach.

Rather than considering a return to mask-wearing, working from home and other measures, Micheal Martin has made the laughable argument that the new variant is so transmissible that it is

work and should demand safe workplaces generally.

Throughout this pandemic, the Socialist Party has argued that neither the government nor the bosses can be trusted to put the health and safety of workers and the general public over the needs of profit. Instead, we have called for workers’ control of health and safety in the workplace including the right to implement whatever mask and socialdistancing measures are necessary.

almost impossible to stop. So in effect it's better not to make any effort to reduce the spread of the virus.

It’s no surprise that this is happening since restrictions were lifted completely earlier in the year. Research by the ESRI shows that individual behaviour has changed since restrictions were ended with, for example, those wearing masks on public transport falling from 90% to around 60%.

Government to blame

But there is no sense blaming individuals, who were only responding to the general message of the government and establishment media that a corner has been turned and the pandemic is effectively over. They have also dismantled the test and trace system, with the majority of the population no longer entitled to PCR tests. Workers – including many with medical vulnerabilities – often have no choice but to be in crowded workplaces, be they schools, pubs and restaurants, offices etc.

Now the government has requested advice from the Chief Medical Officer on reducing the self-isolation period for people who have Covid from seven to five days, undoubtedly reflecting the pressure of the business lobby. Workers should resist the attempt to force sick and potentially infectious people into

Public health must be prioritised

The new wave of Covid is putting major strain on the weak healthcare system

While this current wave may ebb in the weeks ahead, there are big dangers if the interests of profit and business interests continue to be prioritised over even basic public health measures. Clearly, people can be re-infected with Covid so we can see new waves of infection in the future and we don’t know whether future variants will be comparatively mild or more severe.

At minimum, while the current wave is at such levels, there should be a return to a policy of mask wearing and social distancing in any crowded indoor settings and on public transport, as well as a proper test and trace system. More generally our weak public health service must be overhauled with massive investment in staff and resources and the nationalisation of all private hospitals.

Cost of living Crisis

3

The socialist

Government must act on cost of living crisis!

We won’t pay for their crisis – what we need:

It’s an outrage that landlords, energy companies and supermarkets are allowed to profit from this crisis – it must end now. There are many things that can be done to ease the burden on workers and young people – it just involves transferring wealth from the super-rich and big business to working-class people. l During the pandemic nine billionaires

A movement from below must be built to force the government to act

in Ireland increased their wealth by €18.3 billion. They now have a combined wealth of €48 billion. Big businesses in Ireland made €203.8 billion in profits in 2020, an increase of €8.5 billion. l Make an emergency payment of €2000 to every household in the state (cost €3.8 billion). Fund this from an emergency 2% tax on the richest 5% of the population (revenue €4.9 billion). l We need a price freeze on energy, fuel and groceries to stop the spiral in prices.

While workers suffer, big companies and landlords make fortunes:

l Electricity bills could be slashed if the energy companies were run on a not-forprofit or break-even basis, starting with the ESB which is owned by the state. All energy companies should be brought into democratic public ownership, and we must fast track the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

l We need to cut and freeze rents at affordable levels. Restore social welfare payments to €350 per week. l We need a publicly-run scheme of free and quality childcare, because for many families the cost of childcare is like a second mortgage.

l We need a minimum wage of €15, one which rises with the cost of living. The trade unions have 500,000 members and should use that power to organise a campaign of all workers to demand pay increases of 10%+.

l We need to make public transport free and accessible to all! That means investing in an expansive, reliable public transport system – of buses, trams and trains – throughout the country. This is also an essential environmental measure.

We can win real change

l last year, energy companies implemented 35 hikes in gas and electricity. in april, Bord Gáis will increase the price of electricity and gas by 27% and 39% respectively. this will add €700 to the annual bill of an average family. l this is a company that has made profits of €70 million in the last two years, and its parent company in the uK, centrica, made a profit of £948 million last year. l the eSB which is increasing gas prices by 25% and electricity prices 23% made record profits of €679 million in 2021. l in the next 12 months, the average family will face a price hike of €780 in their shopping bill. yet Supermarkets have made massive profits during the pandemic. in 2020, aldi alone increased profits by 46% to €71.2 million.

By Dan o’rourke THE BREADBASKET of the world is burning. Russia and Ukraine export 25% of the world’s wheat, and 12% of global calorie intake is directly dependent on grain from the two countries. Additionally, the world is critically reliant on the region for fertiliser. The UN has warned of the potential for global famine. the war is halting the spring planting season, port blockades are severing food supplies, and sanctions are interrupting fertiliser production. as ukrainians suffer Putin’s brutal bombardments, and russian workers and poor people bear the brunt of economic sanctions, the outcome will be historic food shortages for the world.

S

TRAIGHT AFTER the worst of the pandemic we are faced with a new crisis. Prices are shooting up – on food, fuel, rent, electricity and gas. Working-class people are faced with a ‘cost-of-surviving’ crisis.

Many are forced to make cruel choices on what food they can or can’t buy, or what bills they can or can’t pay. A recent survey conducted by Barnardos found that 10% of parents have to skip meals to feed children.

Meagre wage increases are falling way below these galloping price hikes, resulting in a drop in our living standards.

Shamefully, the Government in January raised the already paltry minimum wage by a pitiful 2.9%, while the inflation rate was 5.5%, effectively cutting the income of the lowest paid workers by 10%.

This is happening throughout the economy. There is nothing inevitable about rising prices – they are not caused by rises in wages or state supports, as some economists make out. They are caused by bosses refusing to take a hit to their profits. So we – the working majority – pay more while the rich get richer.

The war in Ukraine and the risk of global famine

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l the 20% of the population who rent are seeing their living standards undermined by further rent rises. in the last three months of 2021, rents were 10% higher than they were in the same period as 2020. yet the government took the criminal decision to get rid of the rent freeze.

HE PANDEMIC showed that emergency measures can be taken when the need is there, and it’s there now for working-class people trying to make ends meet. But to win these demands we need to organise, as communities and workers, including in our trade unions, to build a movement from below that can force the government to act.

The pandemic also showed starkly that it is workers who are essential to the running of society – not the millionaire and billionaire bosses and their

cronies in the media and political establishment.

Their capitalist system is delivering huge inequality, climate destruction and wars – all in the interest of profit.

We need to break with this system – by organising the economy on the basis of democratic planning by workers and communities, not on the chaos of the market. This means taking the key sections of the economy – the major industries, resources and wealth – into public ownership, and planning their use to meet the needs of all.

Key global suppliers Most of russia and ukraine’s grain is bought by states already enduring precarious food supplies. lebanon, yemen, Bangladesh and Pakistan import at least 50% of their grain from the region. Wealthier countries, though better able to stockpile commodities, will also be hit by shocks to supplies, inflicting hardship on day-to-day life for millions of working-class people. combined with existing capitalist crises (climate change, covid, inflation, supply chain tangles) the latest disruption is likely to spark social upheaval on a global scale.

Agri-businesses price gouging compounding the issue is the fertiliser production crisis. russia and Belarus export between 40% and 14% of various nutrients essential for improving crop yields. the fertiliser industry is heavily monopolised, delivering a windfall to certain corporations. one such company, Nutrien, reported a 680% increase in profit margins last year.

Big corporate growers are hoarding fertiliser for next year, but small farmers, typically in poorer economies, are cutting its usage, affecting crop yields by up to 25%, making it tougher to weather further shortages and price increases next year.

Democratic ownership & control innovations in farming machinery and fertiliser since the 1950s are some of the most important, if underrated, technological achievements in the history of humanity.

We now produce more than enough to feed everyone. however, capitalism has created a contradiction of overproduction — as mountains of food go to landfill, and absurd amounts of grain goes to feed profitable livestock while millions starve everyday. in order to ensure technologies and land are used for the benefit of all, they must be democratically owned and controlled by the working-class majority, not private corporations.

4

anti-war

The socialist

establishment voices push for end to military neutrality By finghin Kelly

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HE LAST month has seen a concerted effort from large sections of the political establishment – in particular those in Fine Gael and several prominent journalists – to push for a formal abandonment of the Irish state’s position of ‘military neutrality’.

There has been a slew of calls for “debates”, “rethinks” and “mature reflection” about Ireland’s involvement in military alliances and blocs. Varadkar has called for the “need to think deeper about European defence” and Micheál Martin has called for a Citizens’ Assembly to look at the issues. The Greens have endorsed the government position, including even lining up to shamefully vote against a proposal to have a referendum to put military neutrality into the state’s constitution.

The drive for a European army

These calls come in the context of a concerted push from the major powers in the EU, and in particular the French and German governments – to further militarise the EU. The motivation here is the desire to back up the EU’s economic block with a military weight. As former Taoiseach John Bruton put it, “You cannot create a political union and then say you are not prepared to defend it. That is logical.”

The truth is that these military forces would be deployed not to prevent human rights abuses or to protect the sovereignty of weaker states, but to keep markets open and access to raw materials for European corporations, and to generally

act in the interests of the European capitalist powers.

This is very much linked with the increased inter-imperialist tensions globally which are putting European capitalist powers in sharper competition with other blocs globally. European powers are also recognising that they can and will have different interests to US and British imperialism and therefore will want to develop capabilities more independent of NATO. Increased military expenditure

There is a cynical attempt to use the fear and concerns over Ukraine to soften up public opinion here and in other countries. But the push for Irish involvement in such a militarisation is not new.

Prior to the war in Ukraine, the publication of a Commission on Defence Forces Report recommended massive increases in military spending, including potentially bringing the defence budget up to €3 billion a year. Envisaged in this plan is the Irish state investing in a squadron of combat aircraft which would cost approximately the same as building 8,000 homes or providing over 4,000 hospital beds!

The limits of Irish neutrality

The Southern state was founded in the teeth of a vicious counter revolution – an active intervention by British imperialism and the Irish capitalist class to cut across the revolutionary movements in Ireland in the 1917-1923 period. The reality is that its neutrality was always something of a fiction. The state was al-

ways a supporter of Western imperialism, and in particular US imperialism throughout its existence.

Irish airspace and ports have always been made available to Western imperialist forces en route to conflict. This is graphically shown by Shannon airport, where an estimated 2.5 million US troops have passed through on the way to Iraq. The airport has also been used for so-called ‘rendition flights’, which involved secret abduction and torture of supposed “terrorist” suspects.

However, the capitalist class in Ireland have had to be cognisant of widespread opposition to militarism. The legacy of the anti-imperialist movement against the presence of the British army in Ireland, and which saw a general strike against conscription in 1918, left an impact. Those who ruled after 1922 were not free to act in outright support for imperialist war as the Irish ruling class in 1914 for example, when its representatives gave full support to British imperialism in the First World War. Opposition to militarism

Support for ‘neutrality’ – which in reality is understood in the Irish context as an opposition to war and militarism – remains strong. A recent Red C poll showed that 69% support this policy.

This is an extremely progressive sentiment and something that the Socialist Party fully supports and opposes all military alliances and stands for the disbandment of organisations like NATO. We do not support an insular foreign policy. Socialists are internationalists and

have a complete opposition to imperialism, exploitation and oppression throughout the world. We live in a world which is defined by the struggle between the oppressors and the oppressed, the exploiters and the exploited. We are in no way neutral in that struggle.

For example, we actively support the resistance of workers against repressive states from China to Egypt to Brazil, we support the waves of feminists, antiracist and environmental protest and fight against the forces of the far-right globally. We support the struggle of the Palestinian people and all struggles against colonialism and oppression. We

also defend the right of people to take up arms when faced with military occupation.

We stand for the coming to power of a socialist government based on the rule of the working class in Ireland, whose foreign policy is committed to this internationalist outlook. It would reach out and appeal to working class, poor and oppressed people across our planet to join their siblings here in Ireland in a common struggle against the rule of capitalism and imperialism. It would stand for a vision of a truly democratic and socialist world, based on real solidarity, equality and peace.

War in yemen: Saudi arabia’s murderous war backed western imperialism By finn McKenna YEMEN IS the poorest country in the Middle East and since 2015 its populace has endured unimaginable suffering due to the civil war between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthi rebel movement. An estimated 400,000 people have been killed. the complete siege of the country – by air, land and sea – has resulted in what's arguably the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. close to five million people are on the brink of famine. the conflict has devastated the yemeni economy.

Humanitarian catastrophe half of children under 12 are malnourished and experiencing extreme hunger. cholera and other diseases are on the rise. Millions of civilians have been internally displaced and trapped within yemen due the brutal siege imposed by the Saudi regime. Day-in, day-out families have faced aerial bombardment from the Saudi regime, with 19,000 aerial attacks between 2014 and 2019 alone. there is rightly outrage throughout the world at Putin’s murderous in war in ukraine, but what is happening is

yemen totally exposes the cynical hypocrisy of the major capitalist powers in the West. here, the irish government has long had connections with Saudi arabia’s semi-feudal dictatorship. for example, on a visit there in 2014 former taoiseach, enda Kenny incredibly congratulated the regime for: "their leadership in terms of moder-

ation here in the Gulf region and their desire for peace in light of a lot of complex issues," Civil war evolves into Proxy war the government led by abdrabbuh Mansur hadi that emerged from the revolt of 2011 (as part of the general uprisings that took place in North africa

and the Middle east) failed to resolve the major social, political and economic issues facing yemen, leading to the houthi rebel uprising in 2014. the houthis are a Zaida Shia group which has been historically oppressed in yemeni society. in 2014, in conjunction with the followers of deposed autocratic leader ali abdullah Saleh, they launched their insurrection, seizing the capital city of Sana'a. this uprising was in direct opposition to the interests of Saudi arabia. a Saudi-led military coalition, which includes the united arab emirates, intervened into the civil war. the violent course of action they have pursued is motivated by maintaining their dominance in the region; fearing that a houthi victory in the civil war would bolster the position and influence of iran in yemen and the region more generally. the civil war developed into a proxy war, with western imperialism arming and aiding the Saudi war effort to the hilt with billions upon billions of dollars. if you want to know where the priorities of the major capitalist states lie, let the following sink in; according to the charity oxfam, states from the G20 (made up of the world’s richest coun-

tries) have supplied Saudi arabia with $17 billion worth of arms since 2015, three times the aid they have sent to yemen in this same period!

Revolutionary change needed this war once again highlights why the economic, political and social order of the Middle east must be overturned by a revolutionary struggle of the masses. imperialism and the plethora of capitalist regimes that dominate the region must be brought down. throughout the Middle east, there needs to be a struggle of workers, poor and oppressed people to make this a reality. the vast wealth and resources in the region must be taken out of the hands of billionaires and big business and brought into democratic public ownership. repressive governments of the super-rich must be replaced by democratic governments of the working class and poor. instead of regional rivalries between various capitalist powers there must a democratic and socialist confederation of the region, where the rights of all minorities, be they religious, ethinc or national, are guaranteed. this is the socialist future that we in the Socialist Party and international Socialist alternative are fighting for.

war in Ukraine

5

The socialist

the current stage of the Ukraine war – the view from russian anti-war socialists prepared to speak out, knowing the cost was to be detained, imprisoned, sacked demonstrates the anger that exists below the surface. At the current time, the antiwar movement has retreated. This is inevitable, given the lack of organization and the widespread repression. For many it has become clear that simply coming out in spontaneous protest on the streets where you can be beaten, fined and potentially imprisoned will not stop the war.

This does not mean at a later stage that there will not develop a wider, better organized anti-war movement. If, of course, the Kremlin can claim a victory, or even during negotiations a compromise that “saves face” it makes it less likely that such a movement will develop.

But if the war becomes a prolonged struggle, with defeats for Russian troops particularly when combined with economic difficulties, we could see the development of a more sustainable movement. Likewise, if there is a palace coup, that too could see a movement develop very quickly.

But we also have to learn the lessons of previous anti-war and anti-regime movements, such as those in Belarus and Kazakhstan. Movements that are built on a cross-class basis are bound to fail.

Not only do liberal oppositions lack any understanding of collective organization, their belief in the capitalist system means they cannot provide any answers to end the causes of war and dictatorship.

They are unable to understand that the only way to end war is using working class methods and with a socialist programme.

An abridged article from internationalsocialists.net

M

ILITARY FATALITIES are already in excess of ten thousand, civilian deaths number in the thousands. Homes, schools, hospitals, theatres have been destroyed. Five million have fled from their homes.

It is now a month since the start of military operations in Ukraine. The original aims of the Kremlin – which included the speedy seizure of cities such as Mariupol, and of course Kyiv – have not been achieved. The army expected it would be met with the support of at least a section of the Ukrainian population, but after 8 years of war in East Ukraine, even most ethnic Russians and Russian speakers living outside of the Donetsk/Luhansk ‘People’s Republics’ (DNR/LNR) have been consolidated into the Ukrainian nation.

The declaration to focus on Donetsk/Luhansk and talk of compromise at peace talks in Turkey, were met with a howl of anger in among the rightwing in Russia. Less than three months ago, Russian troops arrived in Kazakhstan to save the government from a popular uprising. However officially the Kazakhstan government is remaining neutral, at least in the Russian language media in the country – in the Kazakh speaking media there is much sympathy for Ukraine and the government, under pressure, has been forced to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

This war has dramatically speeded the development of the new cold war, mainly between US and Chinese imperialism.

Now Ukraine is being sacrificed in this conflict between imperialist forces. Russian troops should be withdrawn immediately from Ukraine. NATO should be disbanded. The western side, led by the Biden government has used the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine to step up its warmongering. Frantic diplomacy has been used to ensure all the western powers are lined up against Russia, and implementing sanctions. Nearly 6,000 different measures have been taken, more than against any other country. 330 companies employing in total hundreds of thousands mainly young and female workers have withdrawn from Russia.

These sanctions are harming ordinary Russians while the oligarchs have all been given time to rearrange their assets.

The seizure of a few luxury yachts does not disguise the fact that since the start of the war, the EU has quadrupled the money it pays to Russia for oil and gas to reach 800 million euros daily. The total of over 200 billion euros helps compensate the oligarchs for their loses and finances the military budget. Meanwhile, the effect of sanctions for ordinary Russians is described by Marina Ovsyannikova, who displayed the anti-war placard during Russian TV news: “My invalid mother can not buy the medicines she needs. My daughter can no longer use her virtual card to pay for her school dinner. There is no sugar, cooking oil or personal hygiene items on the supermarket shelves”.

The most enduring consequence of the war is the dramatic increase in militarisation. The US, UK and Russia, always at the forefront of military

“The already restrictive laws on protests, which barely tolerated even single-person pickets at the start of the pandemic have tightened to such an extent that now signing petitions, calling for protests, or expressing an alternative position, even in the form of “*** *****” [the words ‘no war’ in Russian contain 3 and 5 letters] can lead to sackings, fines or imprisonment.” spending, are pushing to spend even more. Countries closer to Russia – Poland, Romania, the Baltics are all increasing their budgets. Germany, Japan, Austria, Sweden which have all promoted themselves as having purely defensive or neutral military policies are implementing new record high military budgets. In Japan, using the excuse of increased Russian aggression, pressure is growing to develop a nuclear potential, inevitably aimed at warning China.

NATO – an imperialist aggressor

The strong illusions in Ukraine that the West/NATO would defend the country from Russian aggression have lessened as it has refused to intervene directly. Since the collapse of the USSR, NATO has not only expanded across Eastern Europe, it has initiated aggressive actions during the ‘war on terror’, wars in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya and the brutal bombardment of Belgrade amongst others.

Ignoring the suffering of civilian populations, NATO’s job is to further the interests of US/Western imperialism and has so far refused to defend Ukraine mil-

The Socialist Party and International Socialist Alternative say:

n No war in Ukraine! For the right of Ukrainians to decide their own future, including the right of selfdetermination for minorities.

Women with their children crossing the Ukrainian border into Poland

itarily to avoid a direct conflict between NATO and Russia, becoming an all-European conflict.

It is in this context that NATO is currently refusing to consider a ‘no-fly zone” over Ukraine. The ‘no fly zones’ over Iraq cost $1 billion a year to maintain, involving 300,000 flights by NATO aircraft.

Such a cover for Ukraine would be much more complex, with the involvement of several hundred aircraft and would lead to a direct confrontation with Russian aircraft. If it does eventually happen, it would lead to an expansion of the war to become ‘European’.

Having dispensed in various ways with opposition parties, and pressured any independent media, the circle around Putin narrowed to a small number of sycophants, who were not prepared to, and of course not allowed to criticize his actions.

His isolation was graphically demonstrated by his series of meetings with foreign dignitaries and his own ministers in the lead up to the war from whom he was separated by a long table.

The already restrictive laws on protests, which barely tolerated even sin-

gle-person pickets at the start of the pandemic have tightened to such an extent that now signing petitions, calling for protests, or expressing an alternative position, even in the form of “*** *****” [the words ‘no war’ in Russian contain 3 and 5 letters] can lead to sackings, fines or imprisonment. Face recognition technology is widely used to identify opposition.

So, is there a layer that does support the war? Of course. State run opinion polls indicate that at least the majority currently support the war. In the last couple of weeks that has grown. Support for the war is higher amongst middle and higher levels of management in state and commercial structures, amongst the older population and of course amongst the security services, and in rural areas.

This is not a stable layer of support however that could quickly dissipate if events mark a sudden change.

What then are the prospects for an anti-war movement. The initial, mainly spontaneous reaction to the war, although by a minority was nevertheless inspiring. The fact that so many were

n Withdraw all Russian troops.

Withdraw all western troops and missiles from Eastern Europe. n No illusions in diplomacy by the warmongers. Build a massive anti-war and anti-imperialist movement linking up workers and young people over borders to show and give practical solidarity with ordinary working people in Ukraine. n Tear down Fortress Europe & Fortress Britain. End the Tories’ hostile environment, give safe passage and the right to asylum to all refugees fleeing wars and oppression. n End the rule of this destructive and brutal profit system that breeds competition and war. For a democratic socialist society based on the rule of the working class and poor majority, not the rule of big business, oligarchs, and capitalist warmongers like Putin, Biden, Macron and co.

6

The socialist

P&o ferries: nationalise and save jobs

By Michael o’Brien

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HE SACKING last month, by video message, of 800 UK-based employees of P&O Ferries has unleashed a wave of anger among trade unionists and workers generally. The objective of the company is to replace its former workforce with agency staff on one-fifth of the local minimum wage.

P&O’s justification for the sackings was the losses it incurred during the pandemic. Any dip in revenues during the lockdown months was softened by £50 million it received in aid from the British government. Its parent company, DG World, made £2.9 billion profits in 2020 and was able to issue £250 million in dividends.

P&O’s hired thugs

CEO, Peter Hebbletwhaite, admitted to a parliamentary committee in Westminster that P&O consciously ignored the minimal legal obligations on employers to consult with workers and their unions in a redundancy situation. This was a cynical calculation that any penalties it suffers would be worth it from the point of view of the element of surprise it gained to cut across opposition to save the jobs. Hired security with handcuffs and scab labour sourced from crewing agents were also part of this plan for a seamless changeover of staff.

However, workers have not taken this lying down with protests and blockades taking place at the number of ports.

Dockers in Rotterdam refused to load a P&O ferry being crewed by the replacement labour. A number of those engaged by the crewing agents to replace the sacked workers also quit as soon as they realised they were being hired as scabs.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has also prevented a ferry from sailing because it was apparent during the inspection that the crew were insufficiently trained posing a health and safety risk to themselves and passengers.

Duress

A deadline of 31 March was imposed by the company on the workers to accept an ‘enhanced’ redundancy offer with the threat that they would otherwise get the statutory minimum. It has been reported that over 500 of the 800 workers have communicated acceptance of the offer, clearly under duress.

The Tory government has done a lot of hand wringing reminiscent of the response of the government in Ireland when Irish Ferries did precisely the same thing in 2005. The idea of bilateral agreements between the UK and destination countries including Ireland to impose a ‘minimum wage corridor’ has been raised by the UK Minister for Transport, clearly under pressure from public anger.

Marxist journal of the Socialist Party:

Socialist Alternative no.14

The use of flags of convenience by employers in the maritime sector in order to circumnavigate the statutory minimum wage in port states need to be banned.

The ferries affected by the sackings are flagged in Cyprus, Bermuda and the Bahamas which is the legal basis upon which the wages of the replacement labour is being set even though it is likely that none of the crew have ever or will ever set foot in any of those countries and they have to endure a northern European cost of living.

Public ownership of P&O

P&O should be nationalised, and the 800 sacked workers re-employed on their old terms and conditions. To achieve this an escalation of the struggle is needed to prevent the movement of ferries crewed by scabs. The employer took the gloves off and cast aside the legal niceties of consultation to achieve their ends. In that case the trade union movement cannot be restrained by the anti-trade union laws in standing up to these “fire and replace” tactics.

The 25 Irish employees who work the Liverpool/Dublin route are not among the sackings because the vessel on that route is flagged in the Netherlands and employment law there prevails. However, it is inconceivable that if P&O get away with the 800 sackings on the other boats that they won’t try the same in the rest of their fleet.

S CIALIST Marxist Journal of the Socialist Party Issue 14 Spring 2022 €3 / £3

includes articles on: l No to War in ukraine! Build a Mass anti-war & anti-imperialist Movement l a Watershed Moment: the Murder of ashling Murphy and Why We Must Demand “Not one More!” l Sinn féin in the South – Preparing for Power? l climate change: Do We Need the ‘Nuclear option’? l expropriating the expropriators: Why We call for Nationalisation & Public ownership l capitalism, oppression & the Patriarchal family l 50 years Since Bloody Sunday l an Gorta Mór: the legacy of the irish famine

€3 / £3 Get a copy from any Socialist Party member or order online or subscribe at: socialistparty.ie

INSIDE

Sinn Féin in the South: preparing for power?

Climate change: Do we need to go for the ‘nuclear option’?

175 years since Black 47: A Marxist analysis of the Irish Famine

workPlaCe & theory

Socialism 101 series #4 why socialists see the working class as the force for change

By Harper Cleves A 2021 Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) survey found that 67% of UK residents surveyed between the ages of 16 and 34 would like to live in a socialist economic system. Younger generations that have grown up in the context of increasing precarity and uncertainty under capitalism, are looking for a solution that centres human need, not capitalist greed.

A socialist vision for a just future is based on a scientific understanding of how the system developed and functions. While there may be a spectrum of wealth owned by different people on the planet today, capitalism is still composed primarily of two dominant classes: the capitalist class, which is made up of an small number of bosses that own and control most of the world's wealth and industry; and the working class, the vast majority of humanity, which can only make a living by selling their labour power (their ability to work) to a capitalist.

To put it into perspective, in Ireland North and South there are approximately 3 million people who are currently working between the ages of 16 and 65. This is nearly 70% of the working-age population, not including the unemployed, students or informal sector workers. On the other hand the millionaires who make up most of the capitalist class amount to less than 1%.

The working class has kept the world afloat over multiple lockdowns by nursing sick patients, selling essential goods at shops, teaching children, delivering mail, driving buses – the list goes on. So the pandemic made it even clearer that the working class is essential to the functioning of human society, whereas an increasingly wealthy elite of ‘owners’ is completely superfluous to the running of society, to put it mildly — in fact they are a useless drain on society. This tiny class of people hoards wealth and diverts investment away from needs, towards profits, and does so by systematically underpaying the people who do make the world function.

This is a dynamic that inevitably results in clashes between the classes. The history of the working class is a history of countless strikes, protests, occupations and social revolts of whole workingclass communities. We must prepare for many more of these in the coming years. Already workingclass struggles globally are intensifying in the face of so many crises.

In the US in recent months, as part of an uptick in strikes across the country, we’ve seen the significant development of workers beginning to unionise for the first time in giant anti-union companies such as in Starbucks and Amazon.

More significant still, last October in South Korea half a million workers across different sectors staged a general strike, calling for the abolition of precarious work, and the nationalisation of key industries including healthcare and education. Closer to home, in a single week of March in the North there were four different industrial actions waged by council workers, education welfare officers, university lectures and for the first time ever strikes by Deliveroo drivers and other app workers, as well as protest action by sacked P&O workers. These examples are a vital sign of the times.

The daily hardships experienced by workers because of the exploitative nature of the system will increasingly push people to action out of necessity. And workers, who make the world run, have the power (by refusing to work) to also bring it to a standstill, and in doing so demand better conditions, better pay, better services — to begin with. But for such reforms to be lasting socialist change is needed, and the working class can make this change too.

The Socialist Party is an organisation that seeks to organise workers and young people in a struggle for revolutionary socialist change. For Socialist Party activists, and for more and more workers globally, the vision for a socialist future is not an idealistic dream or an interesting talking point, it is a vital necessity for the collective well-being of humanity, and one which is entirely within our grasp if we organise now.

north eleCtions

7

The socialist

northern elections: we need a socialist alternative to sectarian division

By Daniel Waldron

T

HE OVERARCHING nature of the Assembly election on 5th May will, unfortunately, be deeply sectarian. Sinn Féin will appeal to Catholic voters to return them as the largest party, which they pose as a step towards securing a border poll and delivering a capitalist united Ireland.

Having been damaged by their initial acquiescence to the Northern Ireland protocol and the regulatory border in the Irish Sea, the DUP will conversely appeal to Protestant voters to unite around them to prevent this. This is a recipe for sectarian stalemate which can inflame tensions and break out in conflict, as we saw with the riots at Lanark Way in Belfast last year.

The power-sharing institutions have stumbled from crisis to crisis, based on a series of uneasy agreements to disagree over the divisive issues. The only issue upon which there has been broad agreement between the Unionist and nationalist parties is on their shared pro-capitalist economic agenda. Now that the issues of borders and the existence of the Northern Ireland state itself are coming to the fore, however, it is questionable whether a new deal can be cobbled together. Even if the Executive can be resurrected after this election, it is clear that the ‘peace process’ as it has existed is drawing to an end.

Most voters will feel compelled, more or less reluctantly, to give their support to the Unionist or nationalist parties. It is undoubtedly the case, however, that a growing section of the population, partic-

ularly young people, are fed up with the sectarian bickering of the main parties and their failure, almost a quarter of a century on from the Good Friday Agreement, to overcome the divisions in our society and deliver a better life for ordinary people. Unionism and nationalism are both dead-ends for the interests of work-

ers and young people. They offer only continued poverty and division. An alternative is urgently needed. The question is, what kind of alternative do we need?

Many will see Alliance as the most obvious ‘non-sectarian’ alternative. But Alliance has consistently and openly supported policies which are detrimental

young trade union activists offer anti-sectarian alternative TWO YOUNG trade union activists are to contest the upcoming Assembly election for the Socialist Party.

Neil Moore will stand in South Belfast while Amy Ferguson will contest West Tyrone. amy works as a barista and is the secretary of unite's Northern ireland hospitality branch, representing workers in bars, restaurants and cafes. a climate activist, she spoke alongside Greta thunberg at a rally in Glasgow during the coP26 summit, and has also campaigned against gold mining in the Sperrins. She is a member of socialist-feminist group roSa and took part in the 2018 abortion Pill Bus which challenged Northern ireland's laws on terminations. a former barworker, Neil has also been active in organising hospitality staff and now works as a trade union officer, representing workers across various sectors of the economy. he is an anti-war campaigner and a socialist feminist. Both Neil and amy have been campaigning against sexual harassment in the hospitality industry.

"Workers are seeing everything rise but their wages. However, a fightback is beginning. We have joined local authority staff and other public sector workers on the picket lines to support their fight for a real pay-rise. The main parties want another election where voters are divided along sectarian lines. Yet the Executive parties - including Alliance - have been united when it comes to cutting public services, holding down wages, and attacking our rights. We need to challenge the 'Orange versus Green' carve-up with an anti-sectarian, socialist alternative that is about uniting workers - whether Protestant, Catholic or neither - around our common interests."

- Neil Moore

"With the rising cost of living, the environmental crisis, the shadow pandemic of gender violence and brutal wars across the globe, it is urgent that the capitalist system is ended. We need to fight for a socialist future where society’s wealth is used in a planned and democratic way for people and the planet, not billionaires. We're not just asking people to vote for us on 5th May. We're asking them to get involved in the fightback."

- Amy Ferguson

to working-class communities – water charges, increasing tuition fees, welfare ‘reform’, and opposing trade union rights.

The Greens are understandably attractive to many young people who are rightly concerned about climate change, but the Greens accept the limitations of the very capitalist system which is driv-

ing environmental destruction. People Before Profit offer a more explicitly left programme but they take a one-sided and ultimately nationalist position on the divisive issues, limiting their ability to bring people together across the sectarian divide.

The Socialist Party is contesting the Assembly election to provide a genuinely anti-sectarian, socialist alternative. Our candidates – Neil Moore in South Belfast and Amy Ferguson in West Tyrone – are young trade union activists with impressive track records of campaigning on workers’ rights, gender oppression and environmental destruction.

They will campaign in all working-class communities and argue for class unity against sectarianism, against the bosses and against their political representatives – whether green, orange or yellow.

Where there are genuine left-wing and cross-community candidates standing, such as Donal O’Cofaigh in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, we encourage people to vote for them.

Ultimately, the crucial issues facing working people and the planet will not be resolved at the ballot box. That will require united struggle by workers and young people against the rotten capitalist system. We will use our campaigns to help organise that struggle. Only the coming together of working-class people around our common interests, in the fight for a socialist future, can sweep away sectarian division and lay the basis for a genuinely democratic and lasting solution to the conflict here, without coercion and with the rights of all communities guaranteed.

The woeful record of the stormont parties One in five live in poverty the main Stormont parties all agreed to implement draconian welfare reform measures – slashing benefits and driving thousands of working class households into poverty. a recent report by the rowntree foundation found that one in five people in Northern ireland live in poverty – including 110,000 children and 30,000 pensioners.

Anti-worker parties the trade union freedom Bill, which would have strengthened workers’ rights to organise and strike, was voted down by a number of parties including the alliance Party, meanwhile Green party Mlas didn't bother to even vote by proxy.

Still trying to frack while planet burns the executive has continued to refuse to ban petroleum licensing and

fracking. currently two companies – tamboran and eha exploration – are applying for the ability to drill in search for oil and gas across a huge area in the North.

“Most dangerous place in Europe for women” frightening statistics revealed that Northern ireland is the most dangerous place in europe for women and non-binary people – with a crisis of gender-based violence and murder. the pandemic led to a significant rise in domestic violence cases.

MLA mistakes are better Bizarrely, Mlas accidentally voted to force a 10% reduction in rents for private renters. this measure would have helped working-class people deal with rising prices and rents, but was soon reversed. the only way the Stormont parties can bring themselves to pass laws that help working-class people is when they do so by mistake!

TheSocialist

PaPer of the SocialiSt Party

iSSue 144

aPril 2022

no to PutIn. no to nato. oPPose all ImPerIalIsm! what the socialist Party stands for: “The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system; it must go.” — James Connolly was right. The immense social, political and economic crises that dominate life in the 21st century all testify to this truth, but the climate emergency gives added urgency to its meaning. That’s why the Socialist Party stands for revolutionary socialist change, and why we are organising to bring it about. We support every right and reform that can improve life for working-class people, while fighting for what’s needed. We say: if capitalism can’t afford to provide for our needs then we can’t afford capitalism.

Workplace • All workers need double-digit wage rises.

For a €15 an hour minimum wage.

• End precarity and bogus self-employment. For guaranteed hours with permanent contracts for all workers.

• A four-day work week with no loss of pay.

• Reduce the pension age to 60. A guaranteed decent pension for all.

• No layoffs. Open up the books and take large job shedding companies into public ownership, under democratic workers’ control and management, with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need.

• Repeal the Industrial Relations Act. For the

right to organise and effective action.

• For a fighting trade union movement that organises the unorganised and mobilises the power of its membership. All officials should be elected, subject to recall and live on the wages of the workers they represent.

Housing • Reduce and freeze rents at affordable levels. Ban evictions.

• For a massive programme to build public homes. Take the major construction companies into public ownership. Seize vacant properties and unused land being hoarded for profit.

• Provide culturally appropriate accommodation for Travellers.

• Nationalise the banks and repudiate the odious debt. Reduce mortgage payments to affordable levels.

Public services • End church control of schools and hospitals – full separation of church and state.

• For a major public works programme to build public schools, hospitals and childcare facilities.

• For a one-tier, national health service free at the point of use. Bring all private hospitals, nursing homes and pharmaceutical companies into public ownership.

• Free publicly-run childcare scheme for

join The socialisT parTy

every community. Extend fully-paid parental leave to two years and provide high quality early-years education.

• For 24-hour free counselling services and education programmes to begin to tackle the mental health crisis.

• Free education and training for all. Abolish the Leaving Cert system and provide a Third-level place for all who want one, with a living grant for all students. Build affordable, accessible student accommodation.

Environment • For substantial investment in an expanded, reliable and free public transport system.

• End the reliance on fossil fuels — keep them in the ground. For extensive state investment in renewable energy, retrofitting homes and public buildings, and green jobs.

• For a just transition to a zero carbon economy, with no job losses or regressive carbon taxes.

• Take the fossil fuel companies, big agribusinesses and corporations into democratic public ownership to stop the destruction of our planet for profit.

Equal rights for all • Oppose all forms of racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.

• For LGBTQ-inclusive, consent-based sex education in schools. Fully fund trans healthcare.

• Reduce the voting age to 16.

• Defend the right to asylum. End Direct Provision. Abolish all racist immigration laws.

• Black lives matter! Oppose far-right division.

• Fight to end gender violence, abuse and harassment in all its forms.

• For a socialist feminist movement that unites the whole working class in the struggle against oppression.

For workers’ unity in Ireland • For the unity of the working class, Protestant and Catholic, North and South, in opposition to all forms of sectarianism, paramilitarism and state repression.

• For a socialist Ireland, with no coercion and the rights of minorities guaranteed, as part of a free, equal and voluntary socialist federation of Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, as part of a socialist Europe.

End the rule of the billionaires • Take the wealth off the 1%. For real progressive taxation on incomes, assets and profits to fund public services. Stop tax avoidance and evasion by the wealthy.

• Double corporation tax. End corporate

welfare policies.

• No to all forms of privatisation in health, education, transport, housing, energy, sanitation, water and broadband provision.

For socialist change • Capitalism produces inequality, environmental destruction and war. We need an international struggle against this system.

• Solidarity with the struggles of workers and oppressed peoples internationally.

• Oppose all imperialist powers, wars and occupations. No to NATO and EU militarisation. US military out of Shannon.

• No to corporate “free trade” agreements.

No to the bosses’ EU and “Fortress Europe”.

• Build a new mass party that organises workers and young people in struggle against all injustices and for a socialist alternative. For a working-class movement to bring about a left, socialist government that breaks with capitalism.

• Take the key sectors of the economy — the monopolies in banking, industry, services, agriculture and big tech — into public ownership under the democratic control of the working class.

• Replace the capitalist market with a democratic socialist plan for the economy based on the interests of the overwhelming majority of people and the environment.

www.socialistparty.ie