France, Alternative libertaire de septembre - European treaties, authoritarian and aust?ritaires (fr)

The issue of new EU treaty stirs the news. It contains measures that will affect us very
directly, possibly causing a social catastrophe ... But what is the exact content of this
treaty? ---- Firstly, you must know that there is not one but two treaties, often
confused: MES and TSCG. Behind these acronyms barbarians? First, MES, ratified on 21
February 2012, for the European Stability Mechanism. This is supposed to remedy States
Bankruptcy such as requests for assistance to the European Union of Greece, Ireland or
Spain. It consists of a huge reserve of 700 billion euros that can be loaned at rates low
enough to States. Obviously, the carrot is not without the stick: when a request for
assistance is activated, it must implement structural reforms decided by the European
Central Bank and the European Commission.

These can be privatization, wage cuts or breaks the social security ... Basically, this is
the creation of an internal IMF that Europe will impose ever more austerity and structural
reforms.

We note in passing that it costs 142 billion to France the equivalent of three times the
annual budget of the National Education ... This treaty applies only to States that have
already failed to appeal to the European Union. Fortunately, to enforce austerity States
which are not yet in bankruptcy, there is the twin brother of MES, the Treaty on
stability, coordination and governance (TSGC). Pretext of complex rules which we spare the
details to readers, this treaty imposes a maximum rate of deficit (variable). This is
known as the "golden rule".

Concretely, this means that a state exceeds a certain level of deficit is required to
reduce it, and as the money is not under the hoof of a horse, apply austerity which we do
too familiar with the content. In addition, there are automatic penalties when the deficit
reached more than 3% of GDP.

In France, the deficit amounted in 2012 to about 4.5% of GDP. If the treaty TSCG goes
under in 2014, it should not amount to more than 1.22% of GDP. This means that one year to
comply with treaty obligations, the socialists will find 70 to 80 billion euros, implying
a massive austerity.

Austerity: a war of classes!

Since the beginning of the crisis, austerity plans succeed. The two new treaties are only
steps of this mechanism austerity is at work on a European scale. An exhaustive list of
all measures take too much room.

Suffice it to say that most of austerity measures affect primarily the employee-es, the
proletariat, whether through indirect wage cuts (reductions of social security benefits
like health insurance pensions or unemployment), reduced public services or even direct
attacks against wages (eg in Greece 20% of the salaries of civil servants).

If these measures temporarily increase the rate of profit of the bourgeoisie, it is very
likely that they will almost apocalyptic consequences for the economy of the euro area.
Indeed, an overall decrease in payroll added to a drop in government spending in a context
of economic crisis led to a recession. The latter, which is a contraction of economic
activity will lead to a decrease in tax revenue, and thus has a high fiscal deficit. In
return, the high deficit will lead to new austerity measures and so on. The loop is closed.

This mechanism is at work in Greece, where a new austerity plan of 14 billion euros will
take effect in September, when the country is experiencing a recession of 7%. He is also
in Spain, a country in recession since 2010, but also to a lesser extent throughout the
euro area is expected to slump 0.4% in 2012.

More generally, these austerity policies may deepen the crisis on a global scale. Indeed,
the EU is the largest world market weakening may result in its wake the entire global economy.

Austerity policies that will be etched into the rock by the European treaties have only
one class: the European bourgeoisie. Austerity is to lower wages and social security
contributions. There is also a transfer of the tax burden on the poorest through indirect
taxes such as VAT has increased in most European countries. For the bourgeoisie, for the
rich, it means an increase in income, their rate of profit. It is obtained at the cost of
massive attacks against the working class in Europe. These attacks, following the
mechanisms described above, have a real opportunity to lead the global economy into the abyss.

Prospect

Faced with these prospects collapse, a response that is gaining ground is to propose an
alternative crisis management as can a myriad of intellectuals, Marianne columns to the
foundation through Copernicus Attac.

Illiberal discourse offers another watermark management of the capitalist economy based on
public investment, monetary stimulus and protectionism. Measures he advocates as the
monetization of debt or Keynesian stimulus (with the exception of protectionism) are
applied in other industrialized countries such as the USA or the UK (who refused treaties)
without as obtained very convincing results.

For us, this perspective is neither realistic nor desirable. Capitalism is a system that
destroys the deadly environment to produce goods largely unnecessary price ever-increasing
exploitation of the majority of humanity.

The major crisis it is going through a time when we need to ask how to get out of
capitalism and not how to amend it.

The second treaty (TSCG) has not yet been ratified by France. The referendum on the
question seems insufficient. If there is resistance to these treaties, the street it will.

Multiple austerity plans have already attracted many and strong resistance both in Spain,
Italy, Greece, but also in the United Kingdom and Romania.

Before the street, let in the street! The austerity measures in France is already
announced and endorsed by the new European treaties. It will be a direct attack on mass
and our wages and social security rights. It is important to build today resistance to the
attack and to ask the question now go further than mere resistance to austerity ...

Bron : a-infos-en@ainfos.ca