Espagne: et si l’audit de la dette commençait par les municipalités?

par  Fátima Martín, Jérôme Duval

2015-12-01 01 No-Debemos- No-PagamosLe 24 mai 2015, lors des élections municipales, des centaines de nouvelles formations, aussi appelées « candidatures d’unité populaire », émergent et raflent les votes dans toute l’Espagne regroupant divers partis politiques parfois appuyés par des mouvements sociaux. Ahora Madrid, Barcelona en Comú, Guanyem, Ganemos... quelles que soient leurs appellations, celles-ci remportent un grand succès pour un changement de politiques fondé sur un processus participatif et transparent. De plus en plus de ces partis de confluence se positionnent en faveur d’un audit citoyen de la dette municipale.

Horrible-November 2015 - The Brazilian Fukushima

Le Brésil frappé par la pire catastrophe écologique de son histoire

Mathilde Dorcadie (Reporterre)

2015-11-24 00 Brazilian FukushimaIl y a deux semaines, la rupture de deux barrages miniers a libéré des dizaines de milliers de mètres cubes de boue polluée dans le Minas Gerais. Depuis, la coulée fraye inexorablement son chemin vers l’océan, provoquant un désastre sur les écosystèmes.

- Sao Paulo, correspondance

France Returns to the State of Exception –

The discourse of war is already upon us,

but it must be resisted 

by ACHCAR Gilbert*

2015-11-22 01 ACHCAR GilbertFrench President François Hollande’s reaction to the terrorist outrage that struck again at the heart of Paris has been to declare war — just as George W. Bush did in the face of “the mother of all terrorist attacks” that struck the heart of New York.

By doing this, the French president has chosen to ignore the many criticisms of the Bush administration’s choice, even though these expressed the prevailing opinion in France itself at that time. And he did so despite the fact that the disastrous balance sheet of the Bush administration’s “war on terror” well justified its critics. Sigmar Gabriel himself, the German vice-chancellor and head of the Social Democratic Party, brother party of the French Socialists, has declared that talk of war only plays into the hands of ISIS.

“The police state will, legally, prevail over the rule of law” – France’s planned surveillance law: an attack on freedom

by PLENEL Edwy

2015-11-18 05 PLENEL EdwyThe French government is rushing through a bill which will give wide-ranging powers to security and intelligence officials to snoop on the nation’s citizens. The measure, dubbed by some the French version of America’s Patriot Act, will allow spies to tap phones and emails without obtaining permission from judges. It will also allow agents to bug suspects’ homes with microphones and cameras and add covert software to their computers to track every letter and word they type. France’s lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, will hold its final vote on the draft legislation on May 5th. Though the government has sought to justify the proposed law as a necessary tool in the fight against terrorism, the surveillance bill has met with unanimous opposition from civil liberties groups, administrative bodies and the internet community. Editor-in-chief Edwy Plenel here explains why Mediapart is so passionately opposed to this “wicked” law and urges people to join the public protest against it which is planned for Monday May 4th.

Communiqués et déclarations à la suite des attentats à Paris, le 13 décembre

par Attac FranceEnsembleLutte ouvrièreMELENCHON Jean-LucNPAPCFPGUnion syndicale Solidaires

 Après les massacres de Paris : épouvante, révolte, action

Déclaration d’Attac

2015-11-15 01 HANDSAu lendemain des massacres de Paris, les adhérents et sympathisants d’Attac, à l’’unisson de la société française, ressentent épouvante et révolte devant la haine aveugle et meurtrière. Attac exprime toute sa solidarité avec les victimes et leurs proches. Les personnes assassinées vendredi soir ne faisaient qu’exercer leur droit à la convivialité, à la civilité, à l’’art, à une vie libre, toutes choses que ces tueurs veulent éradiquer au nom d’’une vision fanatisée de la religion.

The cruelty of imperialist wars results in the cruelty of terrorism

NPA STATEMENT

2015-11-14 01 NPAThe horrible attacks which took place in Paris on Friday evening, killing 120 people, causing dozens of casualties, this blind violence, provokes revolt and indignation. The NPA shares these feelings and expresses its solidarity with the victims, with their close relations. This tragedy is even worse in that it hit innocent victims, the murderous attacks were aimed at the population.

This contemptible cruelty in central Paris responds to the equally blind and even more fatal violence of the bombings by French planes in Syria following the decisions of François Hollande and his government.

Carta oberta als membres del Comitè Central de Comunistes de Catalunya

MANUEL DELGADO

2015-11-10 01 DelgadoEl antropólogo Manuel Delgado es un comunista histórico, militante al PSUC desde el año 1973, y después a Partic Comunista de Catalunya. Ahora era a Comunistas de Cataluña, el principal grupo de EUiA. Sus opiniones cada vez eran más cercanas a la CUP, y de hecho Delgado ya hace tiempo que se mostró abiertamente independentista. Pero ha sido el voto contrario de Cataluña Sí Que Puede en la declaración de soberania, lo que ha hecho derramar el vaso.

La Relativité, un siècle après sa découverte

par KRIVINE Hubert*

2015-11-06 01 KRIVINE Hubert« Ce que j’admire le plus dans votre art, dit Albert Einstein à Chaplin, c’est son universalité. Vous ne dites pas un mot, et pourtant le monde entier vous comprend. C’est vrai, réplique Chaplin. Mais votre gloire est plus grande encore : le monde entier vous admire, alors que personne ne vous comprend. »

La théorie de la relativité restreinte a maintenant 110 ans et celle de la relativité générale, un siècle. Aussi ce dialogue attribué à Einstein et Chaplin a un peu vieilli : aujourd’hui la théorie de la relativité (restreinte) est enseignée à tous les étudiants en science, ce qui concerne quand même dans le monde quelques millions de personnes.

Last Words – Ultimas palabras: Santiago de Chile, 11 September 1973 

 

Tuesday 11 September 1973, by ALLENDE SALVADOR

2015-10-31 02 AllendeThe Spanish text (reproduced below second part) is the transcript of the last radio broadcast of Chilean President Salvador Allende, made on 11 September 1973, at 9:10 AM, before he killed himself during the US-backed coup that had Augusto Pinochet overthrow his socialist government. The English translation (below, first part) is done by Yoshie Furuhashi.

ALLENDE Salvador: Last Words

Surely, this will be the last opportunity for me to address you. The Air Force has bombed the antennas of Radio Magallanes. My words do not have bitterness but disappointment. May they be a moral punishment for those who have betrayed their oath: soldiers of Chile, titular commanders in chief, Admiral Merino, who has designated himself Commander of the Navy, and Mr. Mendoza, the despicable general who only yesterday pledged his fidelity and loyalty to the Government, and who also has appointed himself Chief of the Carabineros [paramilitary police]. Given these facts, the only thing left for me is to say to workers: I am not going to resign!

Zoe Konstantopoulou at the European Citizens’ Assembly on debt

Brussels, October 16th

2015-10-26 01 Zoe Konstantopoulou at the European Citizens Assembly on debtIn Greece as everywhere else, debt is an instrument to subject the people to the interest of the wealthy. In the name of debt, the Troïka and the Eurogroup have forced Greece to continue to implement austerity policies. However, many movements throughout Europe refuse to bow to the blackmail, and are now looking for alternatives. Debt audits already took and are taking place in several countries, and we now need to compare and disseminate their results.

After the Portuguese parliamentary election: quicksand in the center and an emboldened left

 by CAMARGO João

2015-10-23 03 CamargoAlthough it may have come as a surprise elsewhere, the Portuguese center-right ultraliberal government, which went “far beyond the troika” has won a relative majority in last week’s general election. With 36.8% of the vote and 1.994 million votes, the previous governmental coalition (PSD and CDS) was the winner. In second place came the Socialist Party, with 32.4% and 1.746 million votes. The biggest surprise and strongest rise was the Left Bloc, which had 10.2% of the vote with 551 000 votes, followed by the Communist Party, with 8.3% and 446 000 votes. When compared to the previous 2011 election, the right-wing parties lost more than 700 000 votes, the Socialist Party (PS) had 160 000 more, the Left Bloc (BE) rose by 260 000 and the Communist Party (PCP) by 3400 votes.

Indonésie 1965 : Un bain de sang impérialiste

par VANEK Pierre

2015-10-19 02 VANEK PierreIl y a 50 ans, le 30 septembre 1965, un massacre inouï débutait en Indonésie. Plus d’un million de membres ou sympathisant·e·s du Parti communiste indonésien (PKI) furent assassinés, jetés dans des fosses communes, torturés.

Des dizaines de milliers de personnes furent emprisonnées sans jugement dans des camps. Disparitions, enlèvements, torture, ostracisme et mise au ban de familles entières… ont été par la suite les méthodes de gouvernement d’un régime qui a pillé les ressources nationales indonésiennes au profit de compagnies étrangères.

A critic of present mainstream feminism in the US: A Feminism Where ‘Lean In’ Means Leaning On Others

by FRASER Nancy, GUTTING Gary

2015-10-19 01 Gary-GuttingThis interview, the latest in a series on political topics, discusses philosophical issues concerning feminism. My interviewee is Nancy Fraser, professor of philosophy and politics at The New School. She is the author of “Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis.” – Gary Gutting.
Gary Gutting: You’ve recently written: “As a feminist, I’ve always assumed that by fighting to emancipate women I was building a better world — more egalitarian — just and free. But lately I’ve begun to worry that . . . our critique of sexism is now supplying the justification for new forms of inequality and exploitation.” Could you explain what you have in mind?

Más de 5 millones de ciudadanos, preparados para realizar auditorías municipales

Fátima Martín y Jérôme Duval*

2015-10-17 01 Deuda’El valor es buscar la verdad y decirla’
Jean Jaurès (1859-1914)

En el Estado español, desde el nacimiento de la Plataforma Auditoría Ciudadana de la Deuda (PACD), existe una experiencia para poner fin a la hemorragia de capitales que constituye el pago de una deuda que no nos benefició y que, si analizamos bien, ya hemos pagado varias veces. Esa plataforma ha jugado un papel central a medida que el tema de la deuda se ha ido colocando en el foco de la actualidad.

16 October Brussels, Belgium

European Citizens’ Assembly on debt 

Auditoire Dom Helder Camara, Rue Plétinckx, 19  (Siège CSC), 9h30-17h30

2015-10-14 01 OXI-BrusselsIn the name of debt, the Troika and the Eurogroup have forced Greece to continue to implement austerity policies. The July 13th “agreement” blatantly demonstrated how the debt is a gun held by creditors and bankers to the temple of the people in order to impose austerity, insecurity and inequality. This only exacerbates the lack of legitimacy, the huge disparities and the instability of the European Union and the Eurozone.

Many movements throughout Europe refuse to bow to this blackmail and are seeking alternatives. The first objective of the conference will be to refute the false narrative of guilt (“we spent too much, now we must pay”) imposed by the elites. Debt audits took or are taking place in several countries and we now need to confront and publicise their results.

Britain Needs a Truth Committee on Debt

by Caroline Lucas (Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion.)

2015-10-11 02 Green-PartyWhile the debt of states is widely used as an instrument of submission to neoliberal policies, Caroline Lucas points out, reflected by the recent experience of Greece, the need to set up a truth commission on debt .

Over the last few days I’ve been in Greece as part of a delegation with the Greece Solidarity Campaign. The scale of the challenge facing the Greek people, though already at the forefront of my mind, has been amplified by the many people I’ve met who describe to me a country in utter turmoil. Greece’s economy has been hit by a depression deeper than the one which plagued the USA in the 1930s. A quarter of the workforce is unemployed and half of the country’s children live in poverty. Wages have declined, more than half of pension payments don’t cover the basics and deprivation has risen.

Habla la CUP: ruptura, plan de choque y proceso constituyente

Beñat Zaldua

2015-10-11 01 Habla la CUPPrimero el «qué», el «cómo» y el «cuando». Y después, el «quién». Tras una semana de silencio, la CUP presentó ayer sus líneas rojas para negociar con Junts pel Sí la hoja de ruta hacia la independencia, así como el Govern que la aplique. No hay novedad sobre la investidura, por lo que, de momento, se mantiene el veto a la reelección de Mas.

Restructuring public debts : CADTM International has debt auditing at the core of its A & B Plans

by CADTM international

2015-10-09 03 Restructuring public debtsOn 10 September 2015, The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted, by a substantial majority (136 votes in favour, 6 against and 41 abstentions), a resolution on the nine principles to be followed in public debt restructuring. A restructuring usually means either a rescheduling of maturity or debt relief.

The UN objective is to set up an international legal framework for debt restructuring and thus counter the strategy of vulture funds. These private investment funds take advantage of this legal vacuum to reclaim from states in national courts the full repayment, plus the interest, of debts they had bought at heavily discounted rates on the secondary market.

"Independencia significa la oportunidad de crear otro país donde las condiciones de las clases populares sean mejores". Entrevista a Antonio Baños y Gabriela Serra (CUP)

Marc Font

2015-10-09 02 Independencia significaLa sede nacional de la CUP, situada en la calle Casp de Barcelona, es ahora mismo el epicentro de la política catalana. Los resultados de las elecciones de domingo han situado a la formación de la izquierda independentista en una posición clave y la han convertido en el centro de casi todas las miradas, hasta el punto que en una misma tarde medios globales como The New York Times y The Wall Street Journal han entrevistado a algunos de sus dirigentes. Público ha conversado con Antonio Baños y Gabriela Serra, números uno y cuatro de la candidatura de la CUP para el 27-S, que se estrenarán como diputados. Ambos dirigentes hacen balance de las elecciones, plantean las exigencias del partido para llegar a un acuerdo con Junts pel Sí y subrayan la importancia de utilizar la palanca institucional para dar visibilidad a las alternativas al capitalismo que ya existen.

La crise mondiale des réfugiés et la crise de l’Union européenne

 par ROUSSET Pierre

2015-09-25 04 ROUSSET PierreJamais, depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale, les déplacements forcés de population n’avaient connu une telle ampleur et n’avaient été aussi meurtriers – aussi aléatoires et dangereux, imposant à tant d’enfants, de femmes et d’hommes des conditions d’existence aussi inhumaines, des souffrances aussi intolérables. Une véritable tragédie qui met à nu la vérité du nouvel ordre international instauré par la mondialisation capitaliste, comme en témoignent la multiplicité et l’universalité croissante des flux migratoires.

L’attention se porte aujourd’hui sur les réfugiés de guerre en provenance du Moyen-Orient ; mais il y a bien d’autres conflits militaires, en Afrique notamment, avec leurs cortèges de populations déplacées. Il y a peu, c’était des victimes climatiques dont la presse parlait, frappées par millions en Asie. Quant auxdites « migrations économiques » contemporaines, elles sont aussi « forcées » (donc politique) par le déchirement du tissu social sous les coups de boutoir du néolibéralisme et la violence de régimes soutenus par les puissances occidentales.