Revolt Or Whatever
July 1st, 2011
Often on the left I find people are more interested in out doing one another in projecting their truer understanding of reality than that of everyone else. It is a micro-version of the leftist group-let syndrome where each group strives to outdo the others in their political acumen. I know I often find myself in these situations where rather than using the Socratic method, or any method, we end up throwing rocks of facts at one another in what seems to be a desperate effort to be heard above the noise of data on the internet.
But socially the world is reaching some kind of crisis-point, people are boiling over with anger at the pressure they are being put under. In the wealthy west especially there are protests against the removal of their privileges by governments trying to squeeze as much value as they can out of their populations to support teetering economic and banking systems. As wealth flows increasingly to robust Asian economies, India and China in particular, the controllers in the west are battling to maintain authority.
The problem with most protests in the west is that unless they are massive, or cut off key choke points such as ports, communications and transport, they are largely ineffective and ignored although there may be some hand wringing and posturing by political bosses. People don't get into positions of power by being nice.
Going out on strike or protesting in the streets is a nice way to blow off steam. But unless you are willing to bring the system to a halt in some manner, then you are really just practicing at best, and wasting time at worst. Societies with more fragile ruling classes, propped up by militaries, or one party states like Egypt and Tunisia were able to change with relatively little pain. But it is still to be seen if the changes are transformative or simply window dressing.
In Ohio they are gathering petitions to end a ban on collective bargaining for the state. Seems like a pretty weak response to Republican efforts to destroy unions across the country. Democrats are hardly less culpable. The Democratic administration doesn't want to alienate labor, yet they don't want to make defending worker rights a major issue. They are more or less laying low on this. Notice the attempt to be evenhanded in his approach to the Boing dispute. Even handed in this case means bending over to support the corporate position. The case has to be very egregious before labor wins.
The struggle for human rights continues, but conditions seem to be forcing people to make choices and those choices are increasingly fascism or socialism.
================================================
From the Mirror
UK Strikes: 750,000 Set to Down Tools in Biggest Day of Industrial Action Since the 1980s
by Mark Ellis
Mirror/UK: June 30, 2011
THOUSANDS of furious workers are staging a mass walkout today to fight Government plans to savage their pensions.
See link for article.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/2011/06/30/750-000-to-strike-in-biggest-day-of-industrial-action-since-the-1980s-115875-23236531/
===============================================
From Terraviva
GREECE: Public Outrage over Austerity Plan
By Bego Astigarraga
ATHENS, Jun 30, 2011 (IPS) - The mass protests in Greece swelled by the hour as parliament voted this Thursday to implement the social and economic adjustment plan approved Wednesday, including measures for privatisation, tax hikes, spending cuts and mass lay-offs in the state sector.
The increasingly disappointed and restless crowd continued to demonstrate in the streets of Athens against the new Medium Term Fiscal Strategy 2012-2015, that will seriously affect middle- and low-income families and was approved at the insistence of the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
A prime target of the protestors' wrath is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "She is to blame for handing Greece over to the speculators," said Nikiforos, one of the thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building in Syntagma Square. "We must carry on demonstrating and organise a united social movement in Europe."
For more of this article see link below.
http://ipsnews.net/newsTVE.asp?idnews=56318
=========================================
From Montreal Gazette
Public-sector workers strike as protests hit Europe
Unions rally from Poland to the U.K., where Cameron calls action irresponsible
By KEITH WEIR, Reuters June 30, 2011
Hundreds of thousands of British teachers and civil servants will strike over pension reform Thursday in the most serious challenge to the coalition government's austerity drive.
Thousands of schools will close as teachers skip class and travellers face delays at ports and airports as immigration officials join the protest.
Protests are becoming increasingly common across Europe in what is turning into a summer of strife.
For more of article see link
http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Public+sector+
workers+strike+protests+Europe/5027802/story.html
=============================================
Ohio People's Movement Shifts Into High Gear In Fight To Repeal Gutting Of Collective Bargaining- 06/30/11
6/29/2011
——————————————————————————–
From WIN Workers Independent News
By Doug Cunningham
The incredible people's movement in Ohio behind repealing SB5 kicks into a new gear today. We Are Ohio's Melissa Fazekas says a huge number of volunteers have collected way more than enough signatures to get the gutting of collective bargaining on the November ballot so the people of Ohio can kill the attack on collective bargaining.
[Fazekas]: "This is really exciting. You know we have over 10,000 volunteers on the ground that have been collecting signatures, which is unprecedented in Ohio history. After June 30th then we really turn into
campaign mode and we have to make sure that everyone that's been involved stays involved and that we continue talking to our friends and family and that we make sure they turn out in November so we can repeal Senate Bill 5."
http://www.laborradio.org/Channels/Story.aspx?ID=1450529
========================================
From USA Today
Obama seeks to avoid Boeing-labor battle
By David Jackson, USA TODAY
Updated 2m ago
Obama and aides don't want to talk much about a big legal dispute between Boeing and labor unions.
"I don't know all the facts," Obama said at this week's news conference. "That's going to be up to a judge to decide."
See link below for rest of article
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/07/obama-seeks-to-avoid-boeing-labor-battle/1
No comments:
Post a Comment