20.06.2002

Neither Emu nor ostrich

Iam against the euro. I am also against the pound, the dollar and the franc. I want to see a world in which there is no need for currency, full stop. The Bennite left has always been hostile to Europe and the same logic drives groups like Scargill's Socialist Labour Party. There is an appalling chauvinism that is involved in the traditional left position. During the last European elections I was talking to a comrade who described turning the TV on part way through an election broadcast and being surprised to eventually discover that it was not the BNP ranting against Europe but the supposedly socialist SLP. The Bennite objection to Europe can be summarised along the lines that Europe will not allow socialist measures and therefore socialists should be opposed to Europe. This conception of socialism seems to involve bureaucrats and officials waving red cards and declaring socialist goals offside. Socialism as a movement radically restructuring society does not seem to be on the agenda. To illustrate the point, imagine the anti-poll tax movement at its peak, packing up and going home because some bureaucrat had declared it outside the law. I do not think I am being ultra-left here: I think I am being entirely realistic. If you believe in, and wish to fight for socialism, then do you really believe that socialism will come about purely by decrees passed by a bunch of benevolent socialist politicians in government? I do not underestimate the obstacles that laws can be against us; you only have to look at the anti-trade union laws to appreciate this. What I am saying is that the traditional left's hostility to European monetary union and Europe reflects an underlying hostility to socialism resulting from activity from the ground up, from the activity of and self-organisation of the working class. If you like, we have called the general strike, seized the means of production, disarmed the police and army and then Prodi shows the EU red card and we have to apologise for breaching EU directive 736 and all go home (directive 736 - the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism is not permitted if there is an R in the month). Put in a less glamorous (or revolutionary) way, imagine a socialist government elected on a platform to carry out bold socialist measures. Such a government is only likely to exist at the very least on the back of a mass movement demanding radical change. This government introduces the measures it has been elected to carry out and they conflict with the EU. I think that in this context the reaction of bureaucrats in Europe will be entirely irrelevant. The ruling classes of all major capitalist countries will go mental if genuine socialist measures were carried out regardless of whether we are in Europe or not. A mass movement is not, however, going to be deterred by objections from Brussels. Perhaps our response to the EU could simply be that we are carrying out socialist policies, these are good things that should be done throughout Europe, and beyond, and that we would like to see the people of Europe benefiting from the same policies. We would no doubt be thrown out but so what in this context? It would show workers in the other European Union countries how reactionary the EU is. It might even radicalise people in other countries in the process. To summarise, I think we should reject the anti-EU perspective of the traditional left as chauvinist and argue for socialism and internationalism. We should not be anti-EU as such - let's stay in Europe and advocate socialism. I do not think we should be advocating entry to the euro, but instead advocating anti-capitalist measures. The propaganda value of advocating socialist policies as we are thrown out could be very effective in encouraging socialist movements internationally. In contrast to this I see little to be gained from bureaucratically withdrawing from Europe to carry out bureaucratic socialism and being indistinguishable form the chauvinists and fascists in the meantime. To reject an anti-EU position in this manner would also spell out a commitment to socialism as being something produced by the working class rather than by a bunch of left politicians on their behalf. Dave Parks