Weekly Worker 436 Thursday June 13 2002

Euro referendum

SWP comes out for ‘no’

This motion for the Socialist Alliance conference on the euro in October was drafted by the Socialist Workers Party, International Socialist Group and Will McMahon. It is being sent out to SWP branches with a request from Rob Hoveman for members to raise it in their local alliances and “take the better independents with us”

Conference notes:

1. The intention of New Labour to hold a referendum on joining the euro.
2. That the majority of big business is in favour of joining the euro.
3. The Maastricht treaty regulates government debt and therefore restricts welfare spending and economic measures designed to counter unemployment.
4. The undemocratic and unaccountable nature of European Union institutions and in particular the power and unaccountability of the ECB.

Conference believes:

1. That the euro project is an attempt to advance deregulation, privatisation and the neoliberal economic model across Europe.
2. That control of the labour market is crucial to the success of the euro and therefore necessitates the construction of a ‘fortress Europe’ through the imposition of draconian immigration controls.
3. That there are ongoing attempts to coordinate the military apparatus of the EU in order to bolster military interventions on a global scale.
4. The rise of anti-capitalist and trade union opposition to the EU under the slogan of ‘For a workers’ Europe, not a bosses’ Europe’ [sic].
5. The internationalist and socialist policy on Europe requires open borders, an end to Nato and solidarity with all anti-capitalist forces on whatever continent they arise.
6. European integration, through the Maastricht and Amsterdam treaties, is the central project of the European employers. It is an anti-working class project aimed at increasing the exploitation of the European workers in order that European capital can compete more effectively in world markets. For this it needs to maximise job flexibility and insecurity and increase the power of the bosses in the workplace. Tony Blair is collaborating with Berlusconi and Anzar to this end. It involves the reorganisation and rationalisation of capital across Europe to the advantage of big business and the multinationals and the destruction of jobs in the process.

Conference resolves:

1. To campaign in any referendum on the demands ‘For a workers’ Europe, not a bosses’ Europe’, ‘No to the euro’ and ‘No to Fortress Europe’.
2. To seek to campaign with other left forces opposed to the euro on a similar basis.
3. To oppose anti-European arguments based on nationalism, xenophobia or sovereignty.
4. To defend the interests of the working class against what is a hostile project of the employers.

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