As I made my internet rounds yesterday, I had the misfortune of coming across the following text, evidently put out by a Russian group called “Alternatives.” Nothing I’ve seen indicates that this text or Alternatives have anything to do with today’s Financial Fool’s Protest, but as this group and the groups in London are undoubtedly part of the same ideological milieu, it’s worth posting the text in full, if only to show the naivety of the anti-finance/anti-globalization/anti-neoliberal movement.
1. We say “NO” to continuation of the neoliberal demagogy about the crisis as a “normal” part of business cycle. The neoliberals speak about decline of production, unemployment and starvation of the billions of “ordinary” people as a “normal” period of “normal” evolution of capital and about the Holy market that will solve all the problems of the crisis by itself. Neoliberal policy has led us to the terrible world crisis in all spheres; not only financial, but also economic, social, cultural; to the crisis of human personality. We say: it is enough!
We say “YES” to elaboration in the most democratic way of a program of social changes, which will guarantee strategic structural changes: such as decrease of financial and all other transactional sectors, reduction of military expenditures, diminishment of over-consumption or reduction the worst, most ugly types of “ modern mass culture”.
We need priority development of new high quality working places in education and upbringing (from kinder-gardens to universities), fine arts, civil high-tech sector, social services, ecology and so on. States must ensure creation of millions and millions of normally-paid working places in these sectors at state-owned, cooperative, socially-responsible private companies and small business. These companies must carry social responsibility, which means usage of profits for development and social needs, making their businesses absolutely transparent, abolish cutting jobs and paying high wages to the top managers, etc. This governmental support must be executed through different measures like direct state investments, tax benefits and institutional support etc. We demand that any budget assistance to any private enterprise should be under indisputable condition of increase of working places and not cutting jobs under false slogan of effectiveness of businesses.
2. We say “NO” to the compensation of profits for the Big business and first of all for the nomenklatura of financial capital. It was the big business that ruled the World economy and it must be responsible for this crisis. We say “No” to compensations to those, who lost their property because of decapitalisation of their securities at stock exchanges or lessening prices for their real estate. We say “NO” to decrease of taxes on big business and high incomes. The rich are responsible for the crisis and they must pay for that. If they cannot pay the full price of the crisis then they must compensate it with their property. Under all conditions they must fully compensate all the losses of the oppressed and the dispossessed, the poor, and the middle class people.
We say “YES” to full compensation of all incomes and savings of the poor and the middle class. The source of this compensation must be incomes and property of the big business. The big business is guilty and it should pay for overcome of the crisis, realization of strategic programs, creation of working places and support of social needs. That’s why we support socialization of companies, which are run ineffectively by private business: if business can not prevent decline of production and working places or even bankruptcy, such enterprises must be transformed to the labor-owned or state-owned (with effective self-management by workers) companies We say “YES” to the progressive income tax and to the decrease of taxes for state-owned, cooperative, socially-responsible private companies and small business if they are realizing social anti-crisis strategic programs. The burden of the crisis must be put on the back of capital and financial capital par excellence.
3. We say “NO” to the state support of development of national economies and social sphere through endorsement of private financial institutions. They have used and they will use state support (funds of tax-payers) for their speculative purposes. Financial markets with their speculations, derivatives, off-shore zones, uncontrolled financial institutions will never be transparent, unless they are not under the complete state and social control.
That’s why we say “YES” to the direct transfer of money funds from budgets to social organizations, responsible for support of social life and companies (state, coops, small and socially-responsible business), responsible for realization of strategic national programs. We demand new, transparent, financial system completely controlled by Governments and Society. We demand abolition of commercial secret. Financial institutions that are non-controlled by governmental authorities and the society must be forbidden. The off-shore zones should not exist anymore. Financial derivatives and similar financial instruments must be forbidden. The new financial system should be created, managed and controlled according to models, similar those of organization and management in the most democratic systems (regional self-management; NGOs net-works and so on)
4. We say “NO” to the closed decision-making process of G-8 or G-20 leaders, especially on questions of distribution of resources and anti-crisis programs.
We say “YES” to the open dialog of civil society, new social movements and NGOs, from one hand, and the authorities from the other on all the questions of anti-crisis strategy and tactic, resources distribution and so on.
5. We say “NO” to the monopoly of the main-stream economic experts on analysis, consultations, explanations of the nature of the crisis, anti-crisis measures etc. for the ruling strata and mass media.
We say “YES” to the open dialog and equal representation of all approaches towards the problems of the crisis, including the ones, represented by the opposition experts.
As a side note, let it be said that this mess was (unsurprisingly) signed by three professors, one of whom, against the obvious criticisms, defended the text as a “minimum programme,” as if that justifies the fantastically unrealistic demands and the mystifying analyses.
I was going to attempt to criticize the positions of Alternatives, but you know what, it’s late, I’m tired, and I know that even in my best form whatever I write wouldn’t be a tenth as cogent as these articles that I’m about to link to. While each one of these texts was written some time ago, more or less ‘against’ the anti-globalization movement, the ideology demolished in each article is essentially the same ideology being peddled and bought into today by many of those participating in Financial Fool’s Day protests. In fact, these articles are all the more relevant now that the mainstream media and the bourgeoisie have taken up the old positions of the anti-globalization movement: that the lack of regulation of financial markets (i.e., neoliberalism) is the source of every problem today, that a little more regulation will solve these problems, and that it’s only financial capital (“the bankers”) who are at fault, not the whole system.
Only one other world is possible: communism – by the International Communist Current.
The longer the list, the better the action – This text appeared in a zine called Undercurrent.
Anti-Globalization: The Socialism of Imbeciles – by Mouvement Communiste.
Anti-Capitalism as an Ideology… and as a Movement? – by Aufheben.