CoR Europe Against Austerity Conference – Exeter Anti Cuts Alliance delegates’ report

Matt’s reflections on the day…

“This was a fantastic conference, from which I came away feeling initially overawed at the scale of the challenge facing all the advocates across Europe, but after a short time to reflect I became buoyed at the shared experience of a determination to make real, effective and lasting change that our we and our international brothers and sisters have in common.

Lots of Breakout Sessions…

As well as two general sessions to open and close the event, I attended three breakout meetings which focussed on: how disabled people are affected by the cuts we are facing; how we can coordinate to keep health services across Europe from becoming privatised; and finally how we can mobilise as a synchronized campaign of resistance across Europe.

Consistent Themes

Running themes apparent in all of these sessions, and amongst delegates from every country, was that of shared experiences we have all had of attacks upon the vulnerable in society, the working classes, those who have no voice to defend themselves, and most importantly; those who did not cause the economic crisis in which we now find ourselves. However, amongst the darker tales which were shared there were also common themes of resistance and solidarity; of a determination to forge a new, socially equal Europe in the flames of the protests and public outcry that is running through the continent. Calls for social spending, people-centred decision making and the changing of debates to force the left and political oppositions to re-engage with the critical issues rang around the halls at every turn.

Call for New Way of Determining Society

It is these calls for an entirely new way of determining society that have gripped me the most at this conference. It is something which has always chimed with my personal ideals and beliefs, but today I saw and participated in active discussion on how this can be achieved, and importantly how these changes can be achieved now. Discussing forcing opposition political parties to not support new bailouts, but rather examine options as extreme as writing-off the debt through to forcing its repayment through closing tax avoidance loopholes, I witnessed a desire to create a new future today, to save the poor rather than the rich, and the collective power to achieve this. There were calls for European wide general strikes, and an enthusiastic determination to walk-out and stay out until we achieve the social and economic equality we deserve.

Shared Voice and Vision

Many of these ideas are not new, most are older than the debate that has sprung-up around the concurrent financial crashes since 2008, but never have I met so many people from so many cultures in one place, speaking with one voice looking to the future with shared goals and visions. This is what inspired me today, and this is what has now left me feeling that what we can achieve is unprecedented in scale and wholly possible. Together we will make a difference, together we will change our futures, together we can stand in the face of current neo-liberal tyranny and with one voice shout ‘NO’. And with the numbers we have, and the geographic and demographic spread that we have, and the links that are beginning to grow out of conferences such as this one, we will be heard.”

Case for Defaulting on all the Debt and Building a New Democratic Europe

Chris Bambery, from the floor of the conference, makes the case for countries defaulting on their debts and for a new democracy serving the people of Europe

Andrew’s Impressions

“Twas a great event!

Things kicked off when we spotted some delegates from Germany and Belgium in a nearby cafe having breakfast beforehand and there was immediately a feeling of camaraderie and Solidarity…

Same Struggle

It’s clear the people of Europe are all fighting the same struggle against austerity, cuts to vital public services, precarious jobs, greater inequality between rich and poor and the “race to the bottom” on wages…

Shared Outrage

There were impressive and impassioned speeches from delegates from all over Europe. What is clear is the shared sense of outrage at the injustice – and particularly of the use of Greece as a laboratory for the neo-liberals in the Troika of the EU, European Central Bank (ECB) and IMF to engineer further shifts of wealth from poor to rich.

Shared Positive Vision

But particularly there was also a shared sense of patience at the need to build a positive alternative from the grass roots up to entirely dismantle and replace the old, broken, failing and out of touch capitalist fantasy edifice. We need to build that alternative truly to serve the collective of peoples in Europe and indeed across the planet – again to provide secure education for all, employment, housing, healthcare and welfare – and we can do this together!

Much More to Do – but a Good Beginning

There was the sense that there was so much more to be done to organise internationally, but we collectively approved the Conference Declaration and agreed to begin.”

Economist, James Meadway: Root Causes of the Crisis

James Meadway gives a lively explanation during a breakout session on the root causes of the crisis

Written by Andrew Duncan
From EACA site