In his latest column for the New Statesman, John Pilger inverts the perception of Greece as a "junk country" and sees hope in the uprising of ordinary Greeks protesting against the "bailout" of an economy plunged into debt by the tax-evading rich. Greece, he writes, is a microcosm for the developed world, where class war are the words seldom used because they are the truth. As Britain’s political class pretends that its arranged marriage of Tweedledee to Tweedledum is democracy, the inspiration for the rest of us is Greece. It is hardly surprising that Greece is presented not as a beacon but as a “junk country” getting its comeuppance for its “bloated public sector” and “culture of cutting corners” (the Observer). The heresy of Greece is that the uprising of its ordinary people provides an authentic hope unlike that lavished upon the warlord in the White House. The crisis that has led to the “rescue” of Greece by the European banks and the International Monetary Fund is the product of a grotesque financial system which itself is in crisis. Greece is a microcosm of a modern class war that is rarely reported as such and is waged with all the urgency of panic among the imperial rich. What makes Greece different is that within its living memory is invasion, foreign occupation, betrayal by the West, military dictatorship and popular resistance. Ordinary people are not cowed by the corrupt corporatism that dominates the European Union. The right-wing government of Kostas Karamanlis, which preceded the present Pasok (Labour) government of George Papandreou, was described by the French sociologist Jean Ziegler as “a machine for systematic pillaging the country’s resources”. The machine had infamous friends. The US Federal reserve Board is investigating the role of Goldman Sachs and other American hedge fund operators which gambled on the bankruptcy of Greece as public assets were sold off and its tax-evading rich deposited 360 billion euros in Swiss banks. The largest Greek ship-owners transferred their companies abroad. This haemorrhage of capital continues with the approval of the European central banks and governments. At 11 per cent, Greece’s deficit is no higher than America’s. However, when the Papandreou government tried to borrow on the international capital market, it was effectively blocked by the American corporate ratings agencies, which “downgraded” Greece to “junk”. These same agencies gave triple-A ratings to billions of dollars in so-called sub-prime mortgage securities and so precipitated the economic collapse in 2008. What has happened in Greece is theft on an epic, though not unfamiliar scale. In Britain, the “rescue” of banks like Northern Rock and the Royal Bank of Scotland has cost billions of pounds. Thanks to the former prime minister, Gordon Brown, and his passion for the avaricious instincts of the City of London, these gifts of public money were unconditional, and the bankers have continued to pay each other the booty they call bonuses. Under Britain’s political monoculture, they can do as they wish. In the United States, the situation is even more remarkable, reports investigative journalist David DeGraw, “[as the principal Wall Street banks] that destroyed the economy pay zero in taxes and get $33 billion in refunds”. In Greece, as in America and Britain, the ordinary people have been told they must repay the debts of the rich and powerful who incurred the debts. Jobs, pensions and public services are to be slashed and burned, with privateers in charge. For the European Union and the IMF, the opportunity presents to “change the culture” and dismantle the social welfare of Greece, just as the IMF and the World Bank have “structurally adjusted” (impoverished and controlled) countries across the developing world. Greece is hated for the same reason Yugoslavia had to be physically destroyed behind a pretence of protecting the people of Kosovo. Most Greeks are employed by the state, and the young and the unions comprise a popular alliance that has not been pacified; the colonels’ tanks on the campus of Athens University remain a political spectre. Such resistance is anathema to Europe’s central bankers and regarded as an obstruction to German capital’s need to capture markets in the aftermath of Germany’s troubled reunification. In Britain, such has been the 30-year propaganda of an extreme economic theory known first as monetarism then as neo-liberalism, that the new prime minister can, like his predecessor, describe his demands that ordinary people pay the debts of crooks as “fiscally responsible”. The unmentionables are poverty and class. Almost a third of British children remain below the breadline. In working class Kentish Town in London, male life expectancy is 70. Two miles away, in Hampstead, it is 80. When Russia was subjected to similar “shock therapy” in the 1990s, life expectancy nosedived. A record 40 million impoverished Americans are currently receiving food stamps: that is, they cannot afford to feed themselves. In the developing world, a system of triage imposed by the World Bank and the IMF has long determined whether people live or die. Whenever tariffs and food and fuel subsidies are eliminated by IMF diktat, small farmers know they have been declared expendable. The World Resources Institute estimates that the toll reaches 13-18 million child deaths every year. “This,” wrote the economist Lester C. Thurow, “is neither metaphor nor simile of war, but war itself.” The same imperial forces have used horrific military weapons against stricken countries whose majorities are children, and approved torture as an instrument of foreign policy. It is a phenomenon of denial that none of these assaults on humanity, in which Britain is actively engaged, was allowed to intrude on the British election. The people on the streets of Athens do not suffer this malaise. They are clear who the enemy is and they regard themselves as once again under foreign occupation. And once again, they are rising up, with courage. When David Cameron begins to cleave £6 billion from public services in Britain, he will be bargaining that Greece will not happen in Britain. We should prove him wrong         Next week's election is the most important our country has faced for many, many years. We've got an enormous task on our hands - but this election won't be decided until the votes are cast. Millions of people have not made up their minds yet. Watch this video to see what you can do about it:       Watch the video. You can make the difference. The threat we'd face under the Tories is huge - catastrophic job losses and savage cuts to the services we rely on. We mustn't have selective amnesia about the past and how badly working people were treated by the Tories. I know that sometimes there's been frustrations with our own party, Labour, but let's not kid ourselves that disappointment has anything on the disaster that will unfold if Cameron's team come to power. Right now, it's crucial that we don't just snipe from the sidelines - but that we get out and campaign for a fourth term for Labour. Because it's union members who will suffer under the Tories: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/MakeTheDifference All of our unions have worked really hard for Labour. We've made contact with people in our workplaces and communities across the country - and when we talk to people, it makes a difference. It's not too late to make a difference. I've spent time hitting the phone banks, and I've seen undecided voters suddenly realise the difference between Labour and the Tories, and wake up to the fact that a vote for the Liberals is a vote to let the Tories in by the back door. And I know that it's only by talking to people about why this election matters that we can cut through the cynicism and distrust in politics. When we make the time to talk to people, they start to see the real difference that Labour has made since 1997, and realise what's at stake: the minimum wage, tax credits, investment in our schools and other frontline public services, and support for jobs throughout the economic recovery. It's crucial that - in this last week - we get busy on the doorsteps and knockers, and vote in a Labour government for a fourth term, because the alternative doesn't bear thinking about. http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/MakeTheDifference Let's get out there and make that difference, Tony Woodley Chair of Unions Together Joint General Secretary, Unite the Union    The general election is just two days away. For the first time in over a decade, there is a real and serious threat that the Tories could come back to power. On Thursday - polling day - we are not just deciding who holds the keys to Downing Street. We are voting on jobs, on our public services, and on our rights - whether to elect a government that will protect them, or a government that will put them at risk. Listen to the stories of real workers who depend on a Labour government: Watch this video: Don't forget what the Tories did last time The threat of a Conservative government doesn't just lie in the hands of the Tories. With David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the race, the threat is twice as big this time around. Let's not kid ourselves - the Liberal Democrats do not speak up for working people. Nick Clegg likes to talk about fairness, but scratch the surface and you can see what they really stand for. Just last week, Vince Cable announced that the Lib Dems are opposed to the Working Time Directive - the Europe-wide right to paid leave and minimum breaks at work. And that's just the start - they're also planning to take away vital tax credits from 2.5 million people - making it harder for working families to make ends meet. Sounds an awful lot like the Tories, doesn't it? Volunteer just an hour or two of your time on Thursday to make sure our next government speaks up for working people: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/elect-Labour Many people have lost faith in politics and politicians, but the reality is that the decision about who forms the next government will have a direct impact on all our lives. It's only by talking to people that we can make it clear what's at stake this election. We have to remind them that Labour is the only party that stands up for ordinary families and protects workers' rights. Every single vote will count in stopping the Tories and Lib Dems - that's why I'll be spending polling day knocking on doors and reminding people to vote Labour. Join me on polling day to make sure that all Labour supporters remember to vote. Volunteer just an hour or two of your time on polling day to protect your future: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/elect-Labour The Labour movement has always relied on trade unionists and grassroots campaigners coming together to protect jobs and fight for workers' rights. We have never needed to fight more than now. Helen     Dear Friend It's time. This morning, Gordon Brown called the election. As GMB general secretary, my top priority is speaking up for the best interests of our members. And now it's the turn of working people like you to decide who is going to speak up for you in Parliament. In the last 13 years of Labour government, the 600,000 workers I represent have experienced real change. I remember the bad old days under the Tories, when kids had to wear their coats into school because the government wouldn't pay for heating. But things have changed since then. I want to make sure my grandchildren continue to get the first class education they are receiving at their newly built local school. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unionstogether.org.uk%2Fpaul-kenny-video&h=5e101787243cccb730efb05a10347596 Governing is difficult, and we know that over the last 13 years Labour hasn't always lived up to all our expectations. They haven't given union members everything we've asked for. But, when it comes down to it, Labour has changed Britain for the better. And what about the Tories? Make no mistake, we know what they stand for: greed. Big cuts to public spending, soaring unemployment, scrapping rules that give mums and dads time off - and tax cuts for millionaires. The Tories would wreck Britain. No wonder they have 63 bankers standing as their candidates in this election. They don't speak for ordinary people. Union members face a choice. The day after the election, we are either going to wake up with a Labour government, or a Tory government - it's as simple as that. Labour or Tory. Fairness or greed. It's a choice we all have to make. If you don't cast your vote, you will still have to live with the consequences of the election - and that could be 5 long years of Tory rule. The consequences of that Tory rule will be dire for everyone except the wealthiest few, which is why we need to do everything we can to stop it happening. We need to make sure people are voting Labour, and where possible are getting active and helping campaign for Labour too. That's why we are calling a weekend of action on 17th and 18th April. We are asking you to give up just an hour or two of your time, to help prevent 5 long years of the Tories. I'll be out campaigning that weekend, and I hope to see as many union activists as possible joining me - letting other people know the truth about the choice we all face on polling day. Click here to find out the nearest event to you: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/weekend-of-action This election is a choice for all of us - do we want a government that cares for the majority, or one that just protects the narrow interests of a wealthy minority? To me, the choice this election remains clear, which is why I'll be casting my vote for Labour. Paul Kenny General Secretary, GMB   UNIONS TOGETHER 23rd March 2010 Video: I remember... We all remember the last period of Tory rule. These memories of low wages and jobs being lost are more than statistics – they are powerful images of the lives we lived. Send the message below to your friends and get them to watch this video as well - the more we remember, the more committed to fighting we will be! CLICK THE LINK FOR THE VIDEO http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/page/invite/IRememberVideo?source=email20100322&utm_source=full%2Blist&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010_03_22   Battle for Brighton Morning Star Tuesday 26 January 2010   John Millington   With a general election just around the corner and a renewed Conservative Party desperate to use the recession to crush resistance to wholesale cuts in public services, the working class needs champions. Over the last year there has been a concerted effort by elements in the trade union movement to seek out alternatives, to find new champions of the class through electoral alliances and new workers' parties. Whether these efforts will prove successful in the future or not, one thing remains clear - Labour or the Conservatives will form the next government. And hoping to join the ranks in Parliament as a voice for working people is Brighton Pavilion Labour candidate Nancy Platts. Sitting in a smart independent cafe in Brighton, she speaks with enthusiasm about the current struggle by local refuse collectors. "I went down to the picket line to support GMB members on strike. Some of them are having their wages reduced from £18,500 to £11,000. "If we end up with a Tory government this is the kind of thing we are all in for." As a former executive member of feminist group the Fawcett Society, Platts is particularly outraged by how Tory councillors have used equal pay as the excuse to reduce predominantly male refuse collectors' wages to that of other lower-paid, often women council workers. Understandably Platts is keen to engage in issues that specifically affect local constituents. But it is easy to draw a comparison with the struggles faced by people in Brighton and elsewhere in Britain. "Affordable housing is key to people in Brighton. When Labour controlled the council 40 per cent was affordable," she says. "Due to the high costs, people are forced to commute. This is another reason for a fully integrated rapid transit system to help commuters. "Transport, housing and jobs have to be pulled together and tackled." Platts cites increased competition between jobs between people with different skills as a key problem in Brighton. For Platts, it is not enough simply to increase job opportunities but to increase the range of jobs to suit people from a wide range of backgrounds and skill sets. "There are not enough graduate-level jobs, for instance. And this leads to those unemployed graduates occupying jobs which could be done by people without academic qualifications." Well versed in practical policies to tackle immediate problems, Platts sees trade unions as key to informing Labour policy locally and nationally. Star readers will be all too well aware of how new Labour, particularly under the premiership of Tony Blair, has sought to sideline unions over the last 12 years. "I don't think this is right," says Platts. "We [the trade union movement] started off as the bedrock of the party and then the Labour leadership saw that they should be 'managed' as an interest group. "The links have been weakened, but Labour remains a route into government for the union movement." Platts has a great deal of personal experience with the trade union movement, both when she worked for the fire service and for rail union TSSA. Although she describes the Thatcher period as "devastating for working people," she reveals that it spurred her on to follow her convictions and to serve the movement. All this explains her emphatic support for the People's Charter and the repeal of all anti-trade union laws. And with over a decade's worth of experience in a transport union, Platts is four-square behind calls for renationalisation of the railways. "It is not only Labour Party policy, but it is also very popular with the public," she says. "We should also have public ownership of the buses. This would help cut CO2 emission, particularly if bus services were extended to rural areas. It would lead to fewer people using their cars." Overall Platts is pleased with the efforts of the government on the environment but she expresses huge disappointment with the failure of the recent Copenhagen climate summit. "We must continue to fight for a legally binding treaty that covers all nations," she says. This awareness of the environment and how it is an issue for working people and not just interested intellectuals is particularly relevant considering the constituency she is standing in. The Brighton Pavilion seat is likely to attract increasing media attention, not least as one of Platt's opponents is Green Party leader Caroline Lucas. I put it to her that some on the left are calling for Lucas to be elected arguing that she would be a "fresh face" in Parliament. Platts is unequivocal in her response. "Labour or the Conservatives will form the next government. The Tories do not want another Labour Party MP, particularly as it is not clear how Caroline would vote in Parliament." Platts also argues that the Greens have made the Brighton Pavilion seat about "getting a foot in the door of Parliament, not about the interests of the constituents." But she stops short of saying anything stronger, declaring that she is "against negative campaigning." For Platts, positive change comes from within and she is supportive of the Labour government on the introduction of the national minimum wage and better maternity rights for women. However she sees no need for the national minimum wage to have differentials that mean some 16-year-olds are paid as little £3.80 an hour. "I cannot see why we have the differential. It is the same job, so it should be at the same rate." An advocate of international peace, Platts admits to doing a lot of "soul searching" after Blair took Britain to war in 2003. "After much thought, I decided to stay and try to influence change within the party," she says. Platts highlights two areas that she believes could help bring a Labour victory at the general election - moving away from the mantra that cuts are needed in public services and being more positive about achievements on anti-poverty initiatives. The Labour Party was originally founded as "the parliamentary representation of working people in Parliament." Capable individuals can and do make a contribution to advance the lot of the working class, but there is no substitute for collective activity. And it is vital that the trade union movement flexes its financial and political muscle to press the Labour government to challenge the dominance of capital. Getting behind candidates like Platts is part of that process. Battle for Brighton Tuesday 26 January 2010 John Millington Printable Email With a general election just around the corner and a renewed Conservative Party desperate to use the recession to crush resistance to wholesale cuts in public services, the working class needs champions. Over the last year there has been a concerted effort by elements in the trade union movement to seek out alternatives, to find new champions of the class through electoral alliances and new workers' parties. Whether these efforts will prove successful in the future or not, one thing remains clear - Labour or the Conservatives will form the next government. And hoping to join the ranks in Parliament as a voice for working people is Brighton Pavilion Labour candidate Nancy Platts. Sitting in a smart independent cafe in Brighton, she speaks with enthusiasm about the current struggle by local refuse collectors. "I went down to the picket line to support GMB members on strike. Some of them are having their wages reduced from £18,500 to £11,000. "If we end up with a Tory government this is the kind of thing we are all in for." As a former executive member of feminist group the Fawcett Society, Platts is particularly outraged by how Tory councillors have used equal pay as the excuse to reduce predominantly male refuse collectors' wages to that of other lower-paid, often women council workers. Understandably Platts is keen to engage in issues that specifically affect local constituents. But it is easy to draw a comparison with the struggles faced by people in Brighton and elsewhere in Britain. "Affordable housing is key to people in Brighton. When Labour controlled the council 40 per cent was affordable," she says. "Due to the high costs, people are forced to commute. This is another reason for a fully integrated rapid transit system to help commuters. "Transport, housing and jobs have to be pulled together and tackled." Platts cites increased competition between jobs between people with different skills as a key problem in Brighton. For Platts, it is not enough simply to increase job opportunities but to increase the range of jobs to suit people from a wide range of backgrounds and skill sets. "There are not enough graduate-level jobs, for instance. And this leads to those unemployed graduates occupying jobs which could be done by people without academic qualifications." Well versed in practical policies to tackle immediate problems, Platts sees trade unions as key to informing Labour policy locally and nationally. Star readers will be all too well aware of how new Labour, particularly under the premiership of Tony Blair, has sought to sideline unions over the last 12 years. "I don't think this is right," says Platts. "We [the trade union movement] started off as the bedrock of the party and then the Labour leadership saw that they should be 'managed' as an interest group. "The links have been weakened, but Labour remains a route into government for the union movement." Platts has a great deal of personal experience with the trade union movement, both when she worked for the fire service and for rail union TSSA. Although she describes the Thatcher period as "devastating for working people," she reveals that it spurred her on to follow her convictions and to serve the movement. All this explains her emphatic support for the People's Charter and the repeal of all anti-trade union laws. And with over a decade's worth of experience in a transport union, Platts is four-square behind calls for renationalisation of the railways. "It is not only Labour Party policy, but it is also very popular with the public," she says. "We should also have public ownership of the buses. This would help cut CO2 emission, particularly if bus services were extended to rural areas. It would lead to fewer people using their cars." Overall Platts is pleased with the efforts of the government on the environment but she expresses huge disappointment with the failure of the recent Copenhagen climate summit. "We must continue to fight for a legally binding treaty that covers all nations," she says. This awareness of the environment and how it is an issue for working people and not just interested intellectuals is particularly relevant considering the constituency she is standing in. The Brighton Pavilion seat is likely to attract increasing media attention, not least as one of Platt's opponents is Green Party leader Caroline Lucas. I put it to her that some on the left are calling for Lucas to be elected arguing that she would be a "fresh face" in Parliament. Platts is unequivocal in her response. "Labour or the Conservatives will form the next government. The Tories do not want another Labour Party MP, particularly as it is not clear how Caroline would vote in Parliament." Platts also argues that the Greens have made the Brighton Pavilion seat about "getting a foot in the door of Parliament, not about the interests of the constituents." But she stops short of saying anything stronger, declaring that she is "against negative campaigning." For Platts, positive change comes from within and she is supportive of the Labour government on the introduction of the national minimum wage and better maternity rights for women. However she sees no need for the national minimum wage to have differentials that mean some 16-year-olds are paid as little £3.80 an hour. "I cannot see why we have the differential. It is the same job, so it should be at the same rate." An advocate of international peace, Platts admits to doing a lot of "soul searching" after Blair took Britain to war in 2003. "After much thought, I decided to stay and try to influence change within the party," she says. Platts highlights two areas that she believes could help bring a Labour victory at the general election - moving away from the mantra that cuts are needed in public services and being more positive about achievements on anti-poverty initiatives. The Labour Party was originally founded as "the parliamentary representation of working people in Parliament." Capable individuals can and do make a contribution to advance the lot of the working class, but there is no substitute for collective activity. And it is vital that the trade union movement flexes its financial and political muscle to press the Labour government to challenge the dominance of capital. Getting behind candidates like Platts is part of that process.     UNIONS TOGETHER   17-01-2010     Terence Patrick - There's nothing that would make David Cameron happier than destroying your rights at work. Just a few days ago, Cameron praised Margaret Thatcher's anti-union laws and said he would be "very happy" to go even further to stop unions protecting their members' rights. For once, I believe he's telling the truth. If the Tories want to get elected so they can roll back our ?hard-won rights, we need to let our friends and colleagues know just what the Tories stand for. Co-sign our letter to David Cameron, ?demanding he tell us why he thinks we don't deserve the same rights at work as everyone else in Europe. This Christmas, while we all enjoyed time with our families, I was proud to know that David Cameron received a Christmas card signed by you and thousands of trade unionists. Along with our holiday greetings, we let Cameron know that his plans to pull out of the legal guarantee to 4 weeks paid leave for workers are unacceptable. I would hate for Cameron to think that he doesn't need to bother to answer the thousands of people who signed that Christmas card. We are not finished telling David Cameron and his party that their complete disregard for workers' rights will not be tolerated. We have worked too hard and for too long to let our rights be taken from us now. Sign our letter to David Cameron and ask him to come clean on his plans to destroy workers' rights: http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/lettertoCameron Thanks, Byron Taylor