European Conference Against Austerity & Privatisation & in defence of the Welfare State

 

 'I will be speaking at this conference on behalf of BARAC UK. Please support by attending and promoting to your networks. European activists coming together to talk about how we work together to challenge the European wide austerity measures.' 
 Lee Jasper 

 Fightback against Austerity – Organise across Europe

The economic crisis of 2008 is still gripping Europe. Governments are telling us that we are all in it together. But we are not responsible for this crisis of the neo-liberal system.
The EU Central Bank and the IMF are trying to impose austerity programmes on a scale not seen since the 1930s. This means mass unemployment, wage cuts, reforms of pensions, and privatisation of public services.

Meanwhile the same bankers collect bonuses worth millions. But these programmes are not working. Greece and Ireland are now asking for more help as they are unable to pay back the first financial bail-out.

There is an alternative.

This crisis is not our crisis. We should refuse to pay their debt. Together across Europe, we must take action to resist these attacks and to defend our public services and jobs. And together, we must organise for a society which meets the needs of people and the planet, not private profit.

Join us in London on Saturday 1st October 2011

Delegations and representatives welcome from trade-unions, social movements and progressive organisations from across Europe.

Conference initiated by: the
Coalition Of Resistance

Agenda

The conference will include plenary sessions and workshops on the following themes:

• The Eurocrisis – causes and solutions from a progressive perspective
• Speakers: Elisabeth Gauthier (Transform,France), Max Bank (AttacGermany), Steffen Stierle (AttacGermany)Facilitator: Hugo Braun (AttacGermany) This workshop covers the causes of the Eurocrisis and opens up perspectives for our movement to counter the crisis. With respect to the causes, we argue along 3 lines:
  
  • state indebtedness as a consequence of the 2008 financial and economic crisis and a lack of fiscal policy coordination
  • macroeconomic imbalances in the Eurozone
  • speculative attacks on financial markets.
  We suggest concrete policies measures in order to tackle the causes and problems named above:
  
  • a fiscal union with higher taxes on corporations and property
  • closer macroeconomic cooperation including also the punishment of surplus countries like Germany
  • an effective regulation of financial markets

• Alternatives to the crisis
• Economic governance and the crisis of democracy at EU level
• Taxation and Tax Harmonisation in Europe
• Military spending
• Youth and Students
• The crisis and the debt
• Mobilising against austerity
• Migrant workers and Schengen
• The far right and racism
• Women
• LGBT
• Disability
• Health
• Education
• Privatisation