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We Won't Bail out The www.socialist.ca $2 no. 535 October 2011 THEIR CRISIS OUR RESISTANCE WE WON’T BAIL OUT THE 1 % 10 YEARS OF THE ‘WAR ON TERROR’ Pages 6 & 7 Occupy everything Page 12 Peter Hogarth on the Occupy Wall Street movement and its spread around the globe The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples Page 10 Valerie Lannon on the 15-year anniversary Profits and Pollution Page 4 John Bell on BP’s dirty plans for the Gulf by PAM FRACHE The Greek and European banks, budget deficit is coming in at 8.5 minimum wage and further water Yemenis fight for fearful that Greece may not be able per cent (instead of the targeted down labour law. AFTER THREE years of global to repay its debt, negotiated a sec- 7.6 per cent), and that its debt is Part of the reason that Greece democracy economic crisis there is no end ond €109-billion bailout package expected to grow to more than 172 has been unable to make its debt in sight, and the crisis in the in July and private creditors agreed per cent of GDP. reduction target is the magnificent Page 3 Eurozone threatens to trigger to a notional debt write-off of 21 Markets went into a tailspin. resistance of Greek workers. Since Yusur Al-Bahrani another recession. The only per cent. According to Geoffrey T. The EU postponed the release of October 2009, there have been 17 on repression and response by governments across Smith of the Wall Street Journal, the €8 billion-installment from general strikes and countless other resistance in Yemen the political spectrum—from “The deal involved asking private early October to mid-October smaller strikes, demonstrations military rule in Egypt, to the creditors for partial debt forgive- and then again to mid-November. and occupations, involving nurses, social democratic government in ness, something no developed During this time, Greece is to teachers, taxi drivers, transit Libya: Troops out Greece, to the Democrats in the country has done since World War prove its readiness to receive the workers, doctors, airline staff and US—is to impose more austerity II. But at the same time, they had funds by bleeding its workers. pilots, and more. This resistance now! measures. But from Cairo to to dress it up in such a way as to This explains the viciousness has grown, despite the reluctance Page 5 Athens to Wall Street, more and make it look like Greece wasn’t of the current round of austerity of the national trade union federa- more people are starting to defaulting on its debts.” Once being imposed by the Papandreou tions to call for all-out mobiliza- Paul Stevenson on the question and challenge the agreed, EU member countries each government. In addition to the tions against the social democratic myth of “humanitarian profit-driven system of need to approve the plan in order tens of thousands of public sector government. intervention” capitalism. for it to be fully implemented. workers already laid off, as well The Troika’s criticism of Greece On October 5, tens of That’s why many were relieved as the cuts in wages and pen- for the slow pace of privatiza- thousands of Greek workers when the German parliament ap- sions—as much as 20 per cent (the tion is a reflection of the impact took to the streets as part of proved the second bailout package equivalent of losing more than two workers’ resistance has had in ongoing resistance to the austerity at the end of September. months’ pay)—the Socialist gov- Greece. This resistance helped agenda—imposed by the social In early October, Greece was to ernment has said it intends to sack force European banks to take the democratic government of George receive an €8 billion-installment. an additional 30,000 public sector 21 per cent “haircut” and more Papandreou—which has plunged But the game suddenly shifted workers by the end of December. and more workers are concluding the country into recession. Most over the weekend of October 1 At the same time, the so-called that since the banks lent the money of Greece was at a standstill and when Greece announced that its “Troika” (the European Union, (and made handsome profits), they the two main union federations are economy actually shrank by 2.5 the European Central Bank and should be the ones to pay the price. CPMA No. 58554253-99 calling for another general strike per cent (when it was forecast the International Monetary Fund) >>>page 4 ISSN No. 0836-7094 on October 19. to grow by 0.6 per cent), that its has advised Greece to reduce the ‘Blame-the- BC jobs plan fails teacher” agenda workers and threatens environment education by BRADLEY HUGHES by TARA EHRCKE BC PREMIER Christy Clark’s new jobs plan creates very few jobs, and THE BC Public Schools most of the ones that it Employers’ Association does create will destroy (BCPSEA) is threatening the environment and other to lock out the province’s jobs. teachers, in response Premier Clark announced to job action designed the “Canada Starts Here: to push contract the BC Jobs Plan” in late negotiations forward. September. She bragged The BCPSEA Board con- about how little government sists of both elected trustee money was being spent on representatives as well as jobs creation in the plan. appointed government rep- The plan includes money resentatives. They are under to expand the port in Prince the direction of PSEC–the Rupert to accommodate Public Sector Employers’ increased shipments of coal Council, who are clearly and other goods, money an arm of government and to help open new mines, who dictate the terms of financial assistance to build bargaining. a liquefied natural gas plant, When the Liberals and plans to lure more first came to power, they A sign on the Aamjiwnaang Reserve international students to the enacted special legislation PHOTO: TOBAN BLACK province to pay discrimina- that mandated that teachers tory inflated tuition fees, be an essential service. In and a tax cut for those who 2002 this government unilat- Feds ignore suicide epidemic in First Nations invest in small businesses. erally legislated teachers Although it has fallen back to work and imposed a slightly recently, according three-year contract that was communities to Statistics Canada the not negotiated. In 2005 they by AMELIA MURPHY-BEAUDOIN unemployment rate in BC again legislated teachers the Pikangikum First Nation The soaring suicide rate in trade and suicide. remains above 6 per cent, back to work but teachers THE WILLFUL ignorance of over just two years. First Nations communities Initiatives to protect com- much higher than the 4.6 stayed out regardless. Canadian governments at The report recommends is a result of the appalling munities and prevent these per cent rate from 2008 just This government has been all levels is perpetuating improvements in health care, social and physical condi- tragic outcomes are under- before the last recession. intent on stopping any job the cycle of abuse that education and social services; tions in which First Nations funded and largely ignored. This jobs plan does action by teachers and in- First Nations people have like the recommendations of people live: overcrowded, It is vital that we understand nothing to deal with climate stead are using a legislative been grappling with since previous well-meaning re- sometimes contaminated the spiraling rate of suicides change and, by promoting hammer to force an end to residential schools. ports, these will likely not environments, usually with- in First Nations commun- coal and natural gas indus- disputes. The result has been Government officials who be implemented for lack of out adequate access to basic ities as a tragic and unneces- tries, it will also contribute low morale and frustration. have knowingly ignored the funding. services like sewage systems sary symptom of the white to climate change. That The BC Teachers’ myriad of issues affecting According to Health and running water, lower hegemonic and racist system change will destroy more Federation is conducting First Nations communities Canada, suicide rates are standards of education and in which we live. jobs than this plan creates. a phase one job action. are complicit in the epidemic five to seven times higher housing, high levels of pov- Socialists can play a role in A realistic jobs plan would Teachers are not attending of suicides affecting these for First Nations youth than erty and unemployment. building and expanding soli- raise BC’s low corporate evening events or monthly communities. for non-Aboriginal youth. All of this fosters a sense darity between Aboriginal income taxes and use that staff meetings. They are Early in September, Suicide rates among Inuit of hopelessness and results and non-Aboriginal people money to create green jobs. not attending the once Ontario’s Chief Coroner youth are among the highest in high rates of alcoholism, to force the government and yearly “meet-the-teacher” issued a report on the death in the world, at 11 times the drug addiction, domestic vio- its agents to take decisive ac- or “formal” parent-teacher by suicide of 16 youth in national average. lence, involvement in the sex tion and to stop the tragedies. >>> page 12 ‘Tories’ interviews. But teachers are continu- 4 per cent loss to the Liberals ing to meet with each other Yet another scandal for Charest (from 42 to 38 per cent). and to have department Another reflection of meetings without adminis- untapped anger is the voter tration. They are continuing by JESSICA SQUIRES turnout: for the first time in to contact parents and com- The report outlines Most recently, a third of her are limits to what it can do.
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