occupy wall street- the popular revolt in north america
TRANSCRIPT
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OccupyWallStreet ThePopularRevoltin
NorthAmerica
AViewfromCanada
DonCurrie,EditorFocusOnSocialism,ChairCPS
MemberoftheEditorialBoardofNorthStarCompass
www.northstarcompass.org
October22,2011
www.FocusOnSocialism.ca
http://www.northstarcompass.org/http://www.northstarcompass.org/ -
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EditorsNote: the following is thearticlewritten for theNovember 2011 issueofNorthStar
Compass WOC
OnOctober15th2011tensofthousandsofCanadianandUScitizensjoinedinsolidaritywith
hundredsofthousandsaroundtheworldtodenouncefinancecapitalistimpoverishmentof
thepeople. ThestreetdemonstrationsinNorthAmericawereinspiredbytheOccupyWall
Street(OWS)movement intheUSA. TheOWSmovement isanothermanifestationofthe
breakwithimperialistpropagandaandideologybygrowingnumbersofyouth,workers,the
unemployed,unionmilitantsandthoseforcedtoliveinpovertyinCanadaandtheUSA. The
popularmovement intheheartlandof imperialism isan importantadvance inthepolitical
processthat
leads
the
laboring
masses
from
denunciation
of
capitalism
to
awareness
of
the
needtooverthrowit.
The challengepresented to communistsofCanada and theUSAby thispopular revolt is
neither to trivialize nor to exaggerate it, but to strive to arm itwith the class struggle
program,strategyandtacticsthatcanleadittowardsworkingclasspowerandsocialism.
TheConservativeFictionandCanadianReality
An internationalist duty has fallenwith particular urgency to Canadian communists. The
rightwing
Conservative
Government
of
Prime
Minister
Steven
Harper
and
Finance
Minister
JimFlahertypresentCanadatotheworldasanexampleofthesuccessofstatemonopoly
capitalism (imperialism) to manage the consequences of the 2008 global capitalist
depression. InparticularFinanceMinisterFlahertyandCanadianBankofCanadaGovernor
Mark Carney boast at the IMF and the G20 that the Canadian banking system, due to
Canadianregulatorybanking laws,savedCanadiansfromthekindoffinancialruin inflicted
onthepeopleoftheUSAandEuropebythesubprimeinducedfinancialcollapseoftheUS
bankingsystem. CPSexposedthatcharadeattheoutsetofthecurrentglobalcrisis.1
ThemajorityofCanadiansknow that suchcorporateboastsareuntrue. The 2008global
capitalistdepressionfell justasheavilyonCanadianworkers,thepoorandurbanandrural
middleclassesaselsewhere inthecapitalistworld. The1.7millionCanadiansoutofwork,
millionsmore that lost savingsandprivate retirementpension funds,and themajorityof
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wageandsalaryearnershavinglesspurchasingpowerandlowerlivingstandardstodaythan
priorto2008rejectthegovernmentline.
Abankrecoveryforbiginvestorsandpreferredshareholdersisajobandincomedisasterfor
theworking class. The impactof the recession continues to fallmost heavily on young
families.2
TheFormofBankBailoutinCanada
InacarefullyresearchedarticleinJanuary20093ProfessorEmeritusMichelChossudovskyof
Global Research exposed the Harper governments $74 billion purchase of government
insured bank mortgages taken off bank ledgers and transferred to a government
corporation,the
Canada
Mortgage
and
Housing
Corporation
(CMHC).
CMHC
was
once
used
toassistCanadianstopurchasehomes. NowCMHCisburdenedwithbankdebt. Withsuch
generousgovernmentbackingofcoursetheGovernoroftheBankofCanadacanboastat
theG20 thatCanadasbanksare stable,on thebacksof theCanadian taxpayers. At the
sametimeurgentlyneededlowcosthousingforwageearnersisunavailableandrealestate
pricesremainhigh.
Canadianbankprofitsresultingfromgovernment largessearenotsharedwiththepeople.
Quitethecontrary! PrimeMinisterHarperafterprovidingthebankswitha$74billionslush
fundfurtherloweredtaxesonbanksandcorporationstoamongthelowestinthecapitalist
world.4Coddling
the
banks
is
accompanied
with
imposing
economic
austerity
on
the
people
viapublicsectorlayoffsandwagefreeze.5 AstheCanadianbanksandcorporationsrackup
recordprofits6duringadepression, theConservativegovernmentpromotesprivatization
andunderfundsstatefundedpublichealthcareandimposesfeesforawidevarietyofsocial
programs.7
Thecombinationofplacing$74billionatthedisposalofthebanks,loweringcorporatetaxes
and increasingarms spending toanall timehistoricalhigh, theConservativegovernment
2Hhttp://earlylearning.ubc.ca/blog/2011/oct/18/raisingfamilyharderretiringeasier/3Hhttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=120074Hftp://ftp.competitivealternatives.com/2010_compalt_report_tax_en.pdfH(Notetoreaders:SeePage24ofthis
report)5Hhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/06/20/pol clementcuts.html6Hhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/reportonbusiness/robmagazine/top1000/2011rankingsofcanadastop
1000publiccompaniesbyprofit/article2071184/7Hhttp://medicare.ca/
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incurred a $40 billion budget deficit.8 To reduce the budget deficit the Conservative
Government plans large scale public sector worker layoffs, wage freeze and reduced
pensionbenefits.
At
the
same
time
the
conservative
government
asserts
the
strikes
it
provokesharm economic recovery and ismoving to enact legislation to alter the Labour
Code tobypassParliamentandplacethepowertobanstrikes in theexecutivebranchof
government.9
FarmersIncomesAlsoUnderAttack
The attack on organized labour has been extended to farmers, as the Conservative
governmentenactslegislationtoprivatizetheCanadianWheatBoardandothersingledesk
marketingagencieswhichhaveprovidedCanadianfarmerswithalevelofpricestabilityfor
theirproducts.
The
demise
of
the
Canadian
Wheat
Board
will
benefit
corporate
farming
at
theexpenseofsmallandmediumfarmersnowforcedtomarketproductsthroughprivate
corporategrainmarketers. Competition among farmers to accessprivatemarketerswill
lower prices to farmers and increase profit margins for agricultural commodity market
speculators. A reduction in the share of small and medium grain producers in the
internationalgrainmarketwillnowoccur.10,11
StateMonopolyCapitalism(Imperialism)the21stCenturyRealityforCanada
Whathasbeensaidthusfar isbutasmall indicationofatrendtoamoreopendictatorial
rule by finance capital over the economy and the political life of Canada. That is not
surprising. The evolution of Canada from a socalled liberal democracy to a rightwing
aggressiveG7NATO imperialist state isnotwellunderstoodoutsideof the country. The
mythofCanadaassomesortofenlighteneddemocracywithanaboveclasscivilsocietyis
farremovedfromthetruth.
Canada isaG7NATOstate integrated intotheglobalsystemofstatemonopolycapitalism,
imperialism. 12 Al l G7NATO states are governed by the most deceitfully reactionary
militaristicantiworkingclassregimesontheplanet. TheG7NATOstates, ledbytheUSA,
8Hhttp://www.budget.gc.ca/2011/glance apercu/briefbrefeng.html9Hhttp://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/10/10/air canadastrikethreat.html10Hhttp://friendsofcwb.ca/
11Hhttp://www.nfu.ca/cwb.html
12Hhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworldfactbook/geos/ca.html
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accountfor50.42%ofglobalGDPabout$31.688trillion13andspendmoreonmilitarismthan
allof the remainingcountriesoftheworldcombined.14 TheG7NATOstatesarethemain
sourceof
global
economic
instability
and
imperialist
war.
Without
exception
the
imperial
governmentsofallG7NATOstatesactonbehalfoftheprofitinterestsoffinancecapitalist
oligarchiesthatcontroltheeconomiesofthesecountriesandmostoftheglobaleconomy.
ImperialEntitlementandtheStruggleforPeaceandSocialism
The rulingelitesof theG7NATOstateshavesparednoeffort toattempt toconvince the
approximately 500million Europeans of the EU, 34million Canadians and 312millionUS
citizens constituting approximately 10% of the 7 billion global populations that EUNorth
Americanprosperityisanimperialentitlementtouseallofthelabourandresourcesofthe
world.The
USA
is
the
largest
per
capita
consumer
of
energy15
in
the
world.
This imperial entitlement assert G7NATO propagandists, is dependent on continued
majoritysupportforNATOwarsofregimechange,conquest ,andwealthappropriationof
other peoples labour and other peoples resources such as is underway in Libya. The
capitalistpress is fullof speculationabout investmentopportunities for foreign investors
waiting to plunder Libyas oil resources on the ruins of NATO aggression.16 Canadian
financecapitalispoisedtoparticipateintheplunder.17,18
TherulingelitesoftheG7NATOstatesasserttheyareentitledtotheentirewealthofthe
planetand
justified
to
use
all
means
including
if
necessary,
destroying
whole
civilizations
that impede theirglobaldestiny. Theonlysovereignty these rulingelites recognize is the
sovereigntyofprivatefinancecapital.
The ruling elitesof theG7NATO states assert that assigning thebulkof statewealth to
militarybudgetsisjustifiedtodefendthepreferredstatusofwesternsocieties. Theaimof
the highly centralized, privately owned and controlled club of financial oligarchies is to
convincethelaboringmassesthatglobalwesternsupremacyistheonlyinternationalorder
thatcanbeconceivedofandworthyofperpetuation.
13Source2010IMFReports.GDPUSA$14.5T(%23.09)Japan$5.46T(%8.68)Germany$3.286T(%5.22)France
$2.56T(%4.07)UK$2.25T(%3.58)Italy$2.055T(%3.27)Canada$1.577T(%2.51)14Hhttp://www.globalissues.org/article/75/worldmilitaryspending
15Hhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/business/datablog/2010/aug/03/uschinaenergyconsumptiondata
16Hhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/22/us libyainvestmentidUSTRE77L4NG20110822
17Hhttp://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/bairdbringsbigbusinessonhistriptolibya/article2198001/
18Hhttp://www.focusonsocialism.ca/random.asp?ID=635
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therealenemiesofglobalpeaceandhumanprogress. OWShashelpedtoclarifythelinesof
classstruggleinNorthAmerica.
Amovement isarising,havingasoneof itsmotivatingfactors,asearchforanewtypeof
political economic system to replace predatory capitalism. This awakening has been
simmeringintheworkingclassmovementsofthepeoplesincetheadventtwodecadesago
of neoliberalism and the Washington Consensus. Following the counterrevolutionary
overthrowofSovietSocialism that rolledbackdecadesof socialgains inboth the former
socialist states and the advanced capitalist states, international finance capital was
emboldenedtorecapitalizetheformersocialiststates,seizethelabourandresourcesofits
peoplesandimposedneoliberalismeverywhere. Ithasntturnedoutthatway.
Communistsand
the
Occupy
Wall
Street
Movement
TheOccupyWallStreetMovement isnot surprising togenuineMarxistsandCommunists
anddedicated revolutionaries. Marxismhasstudiedanddrawnconclusions from the fact
thatabruptchangesintheglobalcapitalisteconomyhastheeffectofcausingallclassesto
move intomotion and compel them to reassess theirworld view. Such a situation can
include the creation of prerevolutionary conditions. The rejection of neoliberalism,
confined in the beginning to left progressives, has now broken intomainstream public
discussion, affecting all forms of class politics, theory, ideology, political action, labour,
peace
and
electoral
struggles
on
all
continents.
ThatiswhytheOccupyWallStreet(OWS)movementeruptinginamasswayinsidetheUSA
today and spilling over into Canada is of such importance for ending NATO wars and
weakeningimperialism. TheOWSmovementisthecontinuationinNorthAmericaofsimilar
struggles,albeitindifferentforms,thathavebeenunderway intheEUsincetheeconomic
depressionof2008.
TheOWSmovementhasitsownfeaturesandthatisnotsurprising. HoweverwhatOWShas
in common with similar movements in Europe and South America and Asia is what is
significant.Because
state
monopoly
capitalism
(imperialism)
is
a
global
system,
all
of
the
strugglesofthe laboringmassesofalloftheG7EUNATOstateswithoutexceptionhavea
commonantimonopolycharacterandincreasinglyanticapitalistcharacter.
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SocialDemocracyandOWS
Even
the
class
collaborationist
role
of
social
democratic
leadership
of
organized
labour
in
CanadaandtheUSAhasnotpreventedtheriseofmilitantandindependentmassactionsof
theworkingpeople. Infactitisnotanexaggerationtosaythatsocialdemocracyhasbeen
compelled by the rapid rise ofOWS tomask its role as class conciliator and give verbal
supporttothemovement.
TheOWSmovementisonlypartlyaspontaneousmovement. Therolethatorganizedlabour
hasplayedintheWisconsineventsintheUSAisasignificantfactorinmotivatingOWSand
accountsfor itsdistinctanticorporateprolabourcontent.20 Similarly inCanada,strikesby
steelworkers,nickelminers,health andeducational sectorworkers,airlinesworkershave
giventhe
OWS
movement
a
pro
labour
content.
RightWingSocialDemocracyExposed
Theformsofmasspopularresistanceto imperialistwarandcapitalistdepression inG7EU
NATOstatesareasvariedasthecountrieswithinwhichtheydevelop. Thefightback isat
many levels, reflectingdiffering levelsofcapitalisteconomicdevelopmentandbalanceof
classforces. Whatslogansarisefromthesemovementsreflectthepoliticalexperienceand
strengthoforganizationsof theworkingclassand itsallies, inparticular thestrengthand
influenceofparticipatingcommunistparties.
Thepopularrevoltunderway inEuropeagainst IMFEUausterity,reaching itshighestform
ofmilitantresistanceinGreecewheretheCommunist PartyofGreece(KKE)playsaleading
rolewithintheGreekworkingclass,hasnowreachedtheUSAand isunfolding inCanada,
albeitatamuchlowerlevel.
The resistanceoftheworkingpeopleofCanadaandtheUSAto the2008depressionwas
alwayspresentbutmutedandconstrainedbytheroleofrightwingsocialdemocracythat
successfullychanneledpotentialmassprotesttoparliamentaryelectoralpolitics.
UnlikeGreece
where
the
communist
led
PAME
unions
have
adopted
class
struggle
strategiesof theWorldFederationofTradeUnions (WFTU)21 inNorthAmericaorganized
labour, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and in theUSA theAFLCIO is led by social
20Hhttp://www.peoplesworld.org/labortakesfightagainsttherightintothecourts/
21Hhttp://www.wftucentral.org/?language=en
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reformiststhatadheretothe InternationalFederationofTradeUnions(IFTU)doctrinesof
classcollaboration.
InCanadatheCanadianLabourCongressprovidessupporttotheNewDemocraticParty,a
socialdemocraticpartythatsincethelastfederalelectionnowholdsthepositionofofficial
opposition in the Canadian Parliament. In theUSA theAFLCIOprovides support to the
DemocraticPartyandwasanimportantfactorintheelectionofPresidentBarakObama.
TheOWSmovementbecauseof its relativepolitical independenceand rapidspontaneous
spreadtomanymajorcitiesoftheUSAhascausedalarmintherulingclassoftheUSAand
callsfor itscontrolrangefromtheextremerightwingdemandstosuppress itbyforceto
socialreformistschemestodeflectitintoareserveofsupportforthereelectionofObama
in2014.
Theexternalandinternalreactionaryforcesattemptingtodestroythemovementeitherby
state intervention or spreadingmass confusion by petty bourgeois radicals, confront an
overwhelming reality; theworsening state of theUS economywhich shows no signs of
abating.
MilitarismandtheDeepeningCrisis
Compounding the debt crisis for capitalist governments in both theUSA and Canada is
militaryspending
that
has
reached
astronomical
proportions.
The
US
government
squanders40%of theentire federalbudgetonmilitaryspending. NATOdemands that its
memberstatescontribute2%ofGDPtofundfuturepredatorywarsonpoorcountries.
Thesystemofstatemonopolycapitalism inallG7EUNATOstates is inthegripsageneral
crisisof itssystemandanacutecyclicalcrisis, the latteryet tobottomout. Thereareno
signsofaglobal recovery. ThegeneralconsensusamongMarxisteconomists is that the
global system is slipping into a second phase of the 2008 collapse. Such a two stage
depressionhappenedoncebeforeduring the 1930sGreatDepressionwhen in 1938after
almosttenyearsofpainfullyslowcapitalistrecoveryandmassiveworkingclassresistance,
theeconomytookanotherdivethatwasonlyhaltedbytheadventofWW2.
SocialismisontheAgenda
Theexperienceofhundredsofmillionsvictimizedbycapitalistdepressionandconfronted
withstateviolence iscausingan intense ideologicalreappraisalofthecapitalistsystem, its
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future and the need for a new type of governance to replace it. Socialism, contrary to
revisionisttheorists,isbackonthehistoricalagendaofclassstrugglepolitics.
What isnew intodaysstruggles isthattheyarisewhentheexampleofrealsocialismas it
wasconstructedintheSovietUnionandthesocialistsystemofstatesisstillverymuchalive
in thecollectivememoryof themasses. Unlike 1917and theascendancy topowerof the
working class inRussia,when therewas no historical precedent for socialism, today the
achievementsofrealsocialismbecomesanimportantpoliticalfactorincurrentstruggles.
TheYouthAreCreatingaNewMassMedia
The privately owned and controlledmassmedia,with the advent of socialmedia in the
handsof
savvy
young
people,
is
failing
to
completely
control
the
message
that
capitalism
is
a
system forall,demandingsupportofall. Thesloganoftheworkingclass thatwedidnt
create thecrisisandwe refuse tobe itsvictims isanexpressionof thedeterminationof
millionstoengageinindependentmasspoliticalactionthatrejectsthetutelageofcapitalist
parties.
Theexperienceofhundredsofmillionsnowable tobypass imperialistpropagandistshas
createdconditionsforrapidlyclosingthegapbetweentherisingspontaneousstrugglesof
theworkingclassanditsallies,andtheneedforacomprehensiverevolutionarytheoryand
programofmassstruggle.
This is the challenge confronting all of the Communist Parties of the world at the
InternationalMeeting of Communist andWorkers Parties at their upcomingmeeting in
AthensGreeceDecember911,2011.22
Communistsassumeresponsibilityforthewholerevolutionaryprocessunderwayinourown
countriesandinternationally.Weseekwhatisnewinrisingstruggleswithonlyonepurpose
inmind,tomakesocialismthecauseofallworkersandalloftheantiimperialistforces.
LeninsAdvice
InrereadingLeninIcameacrossthisadvicefullyapplicabletoourtime.ItisfromVolume22
page356ofhiscollectedworksintheessay,TheDiscussiononSelfDeterminationSummed
Up
22Hhttp://www.solidnet.org/
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Leninwrites:
ThesocialistRevolutioninEuropecannotbeanythingotherthananoutburstofmass
struggleonthepartofallandsundryoppressedanddiscontentedelements. Inevitably,
sectionsofthepettybourgeoisieandofthebackwardworkerswillparticipate in it
without such participation, mass struggle is impossible, without it no revolution is
possibleandjustasinevitablywilltheybringintothemovementtheirprejudices,their
reactionary fantasies, their weaknesses and errors. But objectively they will attack
capital,and the classconsciousvanguardof the revolution, theadvancedproletariat,
expressing this objective truth of variegated and discordant, motley and outwardly
fragmented,massstruggle,willbeabletouniteanddirectit,capturepower,seizethe
banks, expropriate the trusts which all hate (though for different reasons), and
introduce other dictatorial measures which in their totality will amount to the
overthrowofthebourgeoisieandthevictoryofsocialism,which,however,willbyno
meansimmediatelypurgeitselfofpettybourgeoisslag.
How well Lenin summed up mass struggles in his time, and how applicable are his
observationsfortodaysstruggles.