20.06.2002

For a socialist Europe

The Socialist Alliance will decide its attitude to the euro at its conference in October. The following motion is backed by a number of individuals and organisations, including the Alliance for Workers' Liberty, Communist Party of Great Britain and Workers Power

The Socialist Alliance reaffirms our position as stated in our manifesto, People before profit: "We stand for workers' and socialist unity across Europe. For a democratic and federal Europe based on solidarity and cooperation. Against the Europe of the bosses, the unelected European Central Bank, and the creation of 'Fortress Europe' as a bastion of racism and exploitation. Against British nationalism and the re-raising of barriers between nations in Europe. No to the monetarist criteria for European Monetary Union - we neither advocate the euro nor defend the pound." We call on workers to spoil their ballot papers in the referendum, writing 'Workers' Europe' or 'Socialist Europe' across those papers. This campaign will seek to mobilise workers to fight for a Socialist United States of Europe and against the effects of capitalist globalisation. In or out of the euro, the bosses will attack services, benefits, wages and conditions. To call for a 'yes' vote would be an endorsement of the specific mechanics of this particular single European currency, with the unelected European Central Bank running it on neoliberal criteria. We do not wish to side with that section of the British bourgeoisie which prioritises links with Europe against that section which prioritises links with the USA. To call for a 'no' vote would imply that the Socialist Alliance prefers the pound to the euro, since this will be the concrete question around which the referendum is called. Clearly we do not have a preference between two types of capitalist currency. Worse, calling for a 'no' vote would associate the Socialist Alliance with the dominant forces in the 'no' camp ­ the reactionary nationalists and 'Little Englanders', from the Tories to the fascists. Initial signatories * Janine Booth * Alison Brown * John Bridge * Lawrie Coombs * Mervyn Davies * Kat Fletcher * Ray Gaston * Sandra Griffiths * Alison Higgins * Mark Hoskisson * Stuart King * Anne Mc Shane * Dave Parks * Kirstie Paton * Pete Radcliff * Lee Rock * Martin Thomas * Marcus Ström