So& Wloirkdersa’ Lirbeirtty y No 270 16 January 2013 30p/80p www.workersliberty.org For a workers’ government SWP in Avi Shlaim: Django crisis reappraising Israel Unchained page 5 pages 6-7 page 8 FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE.... How private companies are taking over public Private companies like Serco and Capita now have a vast portfolio of outsourced public services and government functions, services driven forward by NHS reforms and spending cuts. Campaign to reverse these privatisations! see page 3 2 NEWS What is the Alliance for Can the Lagarde list topple Samaras? Workers’ Liberty? By Theodora Polenta Today one class, the working class, lives by selling its labour power to another, the capitalist class, which owns the means of production. Society is shaped by the capitalists’ “The reason is simple”, relentless drive to increase their wealth. Capitalism says Greek journalist causes poverty, unemployment, the blighting of lives Costas Vaxevanis. “The by overwork, imperialism, the destruction of the Lagarde list is the whole environment and much else. economic policy system Against the accumulated wealth and power of the that governs the country. capitalists, the working class has one weapon: solidarity. This corrupt elite speaks The Alliance for Workers’ Liberty aims to build solidarity through in the name of the Repub - struggle so that the working class can overthrow capitalism. We want lic and Democracy with socialist revolution: collective ownership of industry and services, the same ease it cancels workers’ control and a democracy much fuller than the present system, democracy. Media with elected representatives recallable at any time and an end to barons, ministers with off - bureaucrats’ and managers’ privileges. shore companies, We fight for the labour movement to break with “social partnership” bankers, prime ministers and assert working-class interests militantly against the bosses. and friends representa - Our priority is to work in the workplaces and trade unions, tives of ‘black econ - supporting workers’ struggles, producing workplace bulletins, helping omy’...” Former Greek Finance Minister George Papakonstantinou — a scapegoat? organise rank-and-file groups. We are also active among students and in many campaigns and The list, of 2,000 Greeks chief John Kapeleri to check on personal data”. tem which cannot be alliances. with deposits totalling more the 20 largest depositors. Now the Lagarde list “cleansed”, but its revolu - than 1.5 billion euros in Why hadn’t he given give could initiate a major politi - tionary overthrow! The left We stand for: Swiss banks, and what has the whole list to Kapeleri? cal crisis, and maybe the needs to work in that direc - ● Independent working-class representation in politics. happened to it since 2010, is Papakostantinou says overthrow of the three- ● A workers’ government, based on and accountable to the labour tion. high on the political agenda SDOE had “difficulty in - party coalition government. The operations of the in - movement. in Greece. ● A workers’ charter of trade union rights — to organise, to strike, to vestigating such cases”. The coalition leaders hope ternational and European The list was originally the Kapeleri says that Pa - to wriggle out by sacrificing banking system, the move - picket effectively, and to take solidarity action. “Falciani list”. Hervé Fal - ● Taxation of the rich to fund decent public services, homes, education pakonstantinou did not say one of their own, George ments of capital, the tax ciani was working at the and jobs for all. anything about the list and Papakonstantinou, who havens, the gambits by big ● A workers’ movement that fights all forms of oppression. Full Geneva branch of the HSBC only gave him a list of ten when finance minister plun - business to avoid taxes, equality for women and social provision to free women from the burden bank, and stole the names names, without asking him dered public wealth and may be legal or illegal, but of housework. Free abortion on request. Full equality for lesbian, gay, of 80,000 depositors. He officially to check upon squeezed workers’ incomes. are all expressions of the bisexual and transgender people. Black and white workers’ unity tried to sell the list to gov - them. Diotis confirms Pa - It is reckoned that total same neoliberal vision and against racism. ernments. The French au - pakostantinou handed him Greek-owned deposits in strategy, all options of a ● Open borders. thorities raided his home in the memory stick — but Swiss banks come to as system currently immersed ● Global solidarity against global capital — workers everywhere have 2009, jailed him, and without telling him that it much as 600 billion euros. in crisis and attempting to more in common with each other than with their capitalist or Stalinist handed the list to the was the Lagarde list. There is not one Lagarde overcoming it on the back rulers. French Treasury. Among Current Pasok leader list, but hundreds of them. of the working class. ● Democracy at every level of society, from the smallest workplace or the 80,000 names were 2000 Evangelos Venizelos says One has come out. Samaras and his political community to global social organisation. Greeks. that when he became fi - acolytes have tried to regain ● Working-class solidarity in international politics: equal rights for all In October 2010 Christine nance minister he got the CLASS grounds by politically at - nations, against imperialists and predators big and small. Lagarde, then French fi - memory stick from Diotis in Successive Greek govern - tacking Syriza on invented ● Maximum left unity in action, and openness in debate. nance minister, sent that list August 2011, and then it re - ments have repeatedly law and order issues — the ● If you agree with us, please take some copies of Solidarity to sell — of 2000 on a CD to then mained in his drawer for a taken rapid action against question of “terrorism”, the and join us! Greek finance minister year. Why didn’t he investi - the income of workers. Villa Amalia squatters (an - George Papakonstantinou. gate it? Venizelos blames archists evicted by police in Papakonstantinou copied Just recently the current Contact us: Papakonstantinou and Dio - December 2012 from an old the list onto a memory stick. tis. Diotis blames Venizelos government has voted extra ● 020 7394 8923 ● [email protected] As for the CD, he now says: taxes on the working class high school building in for not explicitly instructing Athens), etc. The editor (Cathy Nugent), 20e Tower Workshops, Riley “I gave it for safekeeping in him to investigate. of 2.5 billion euros for 2013. Road, London, SE1 3DG. my office, and now I do not Their class nature shows up Syriza must avoid this In October 2012, as ru - trap. Syriza must seize on ● Printed by Trinity Mirror know where it is”. When mours spread, for Venizelos in how long it takes them to Papakostantinou trans - investigate the suspected the list to reveal the class delivered the memory stick mechanism of the Memo - ferred to the Ministry of En - to current prime minister cases of tax evasion and vironment in June 2011, he concealment of large in - randum, highlighting the Antonis Samaras. role of economic power and delivered the memory stick In late October 2012 jour - comes indicated by the La - Get Solidarity every week! to the then head of Finan - garde list. not just political manage - o nalist Costas Vaxevanis ment, targeting Samaras as ● Trial sub, 6 issues £5 cial Crime (SDOE), John Di - published the list — and Greece is not in crisis for o otis, and claimed he had the “selected few” . Greek the leader of the memoran - ● 22 issues (six months). £18 waged was instantly arrested “for dum neoliberal strategy. o instructed previous SDOE flagrant violation of the law people are definitely “all in £9 unwaged it together”. Wealth is trans - Syriza must now raise its ● 44 issues (year). £35 waged o ferred out of the country, alternative proposal: £17 unwaged o Bob Carnegie campaign legally or illegally, into tax • To overthrow the gov - havens, or converted into ernment — elections now. ● European rate: 28 euros (22 issues) o • Instead of austerity, Emma Kerin, the Commu - direct action campaign expensive real estate in Eu - or 50 euros (44 issues) o ropean capitals. And most heavy taxation of capital. nications Coordinator of network that organised Tick as appropriate above and send your money to: of it is not taxed. In Greece • Nationalisation of the Australia’s National pickets and solidarity ac - banks under workers’ con - 20e Tower Workshops, Riley Road, London, SE1 3DG Union of Workers (NUW), only 51 people declare a tions in support of work - personal annual income trol and control the move - Cheques (£) to “AWL”. has contacted the Bob ers’ struggles. ment of capital. Carnegie Defence Cam - above 900,000 euros. Or make £ and euro payments at workersliberty.org/sub. Around 2,000 new It is the duty of the left, if • Break with the neolib - paign to offer NUW sup - leaflets promoting the it can get into government, eral strategy — unilateral port. Name . campaign have been cir - to use this wealth for the rejection of the memoran - She wrote: “What has benefit of the vast majority. dum. Default on the debt. happened to Bob is partic - culated to trade union ac - We need a workers’ Address . To do that it will need to ularly close to my heart tivists in the UK. To order government, which would block the exit of wealth after growing up through copies, please email be based on workers’ . from the country and pre - the years of Union Soli - [email protected] democracy, workers’ and vent the uncontrolled I enclose £ . darity here in Mel - or visit social control self organi - movement of capital. bourne.” Union Solidarity bobcarnegiedefence.