Submitted by Wilhelm Langthaler on
Despite evident structural flaws in the Maastricht system from the beginning, the dominant lobbies went on and created the common currency in 1999.
Behind the backs of the people, the parties (both left wing and right) and the parliaments became business committees of the banking and financial lobbies, thus depriving the States of their traditional right to coin money.
Not only did the States surrender their monetary sovereignty, but also a large part of their political and institutional powers. And they did not surrender them - as promised - to a supranational and federal body elected by the citizens, but to an oligarchy of technocrats devoid of any democratic legitimacy. The dream of a Europe of the peoples became a reformatory nightmare.
This was the actual proof of the hidden scheme of the dominant class: a union in which the sovereignty would not belong to the people, but to the bankocratic and globalitarian financial gangs, whose "europeism" was just smoke and mirrors, intended to deceive the citizens in order to get their consensus.
The Euro and the Single Market, instead of improving the welfare of the workers, have worsened them: instead of reducing social inequalities, they have deepened them; instead of mitigating the differences among the countries, they have increased them, and instead of helping poorer countries, they have wrecked them.
The financial crisis that exploded in the USA in 2008 soon turned into the crisis of the casino-capitalism system, and it has shattered the euro(peist) building.
All empirical evidence has demonstrated the fallacy of the neoliberalist dogmas and the unsustainability of the single currency. Nevertheless, to avoid the collapse of both, the techno-oligarchies have imposed criminal policies of social slaughter, privatizations, welfare cuts (Stability and Growth Pact, European Stability Mechanism and Fiscal Compact) instead of loosening their monetarist grip. The fiasco of this strategy is blatantly obvious. For the countries that feel the Euro as a straightjacket, to get rid of it is necessary and inescapable.
The dominant forces will try to block in all possible ways the recovery, by peoples and nations, of their political and monetary sovereignty.
This fight for popular self-government is democratic by its nature, but can always be steered towards laissez-faire capitalism and/or authoritarian outcomes by different reactionary and nationalist forces. These forces must be stopped. That's why the democratic and revolutionary movements of the different countries must join forces and show that there is an alternative, and this alternative comes from the movements and from the ability to rebel against this modern eurocratic dictatorship.
The history of Europe is once again at a crucial turning point.
The main reason for having the European Forum "Beyond the Euro: there is an alternative" is to compare different ideas and experiences; to make the first steps towards an alliance that can build a common platform of the democratic forces that fight for social justice, brotherhood and the freedom of the people.
The Coordinating Committee of the Left against the Euro
Rome, Italy, 4th April 2014
http://sinistracontroleuro.blogspot.it/
Programme:
Wednesday, August 20th
THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE MULTIPOLAR WORLD
Tent A 15:00
INAUGURATION OF THE EUROPEAN FORUM and greetings to all guests
Forum 1 (Tent A) 15:30
THE REAL REASONS FOR THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE
By: Viktor Shapinov and Said Gafurov
Forum 2 (Tent A) 17:30
SUNSET OR ECLIPSE OF THE NATION-STATES?
By: Manolo Monereo and Nello De Bellis
Forum 3 (Tent B) 17:30
RETURN FROM DONBASS: REPORTAGE
By: Thomas Zmrzly
Round Table (Tent A) - 21:30
THE LEFT AND THE TABOO OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY
Speakers: Said Gafurov, Manolo Monereo, Antonio Stacchiotti, Willi Langthaler, Viktor Shapinov Diego Fusaro (by video link)
Chair: Rodolfo Monacelli
Thursday, August 21
EURO: ANATOMY OF A FAILURE
Forum 4 (Tent A) 10:15
GREECE: HOW TROIKA HAS DESTROYED A COUNTRY
By: Antonis Ragkousis and Kostas Kostopoulos
Forum 5 (Tent A) 15:30
SPAIN: IN THE “STATE OF EXCEPTION”
By: Alberto Montero and Manolo Monereo
Forum 6 (Tent A) 17:30
GERMANY: WHICH EUROPE WANTS MERKEL?
By: Albert Reiterer and Willi Langthaler
Forum 7 (Tent B) 17:30
HUNGARY: THE AUTHORITARIAN CAPITALISM OF VIKTOR Orban
By: Mihaly Kholtay
Round Table (A tent) - 21:30
CAPITALISM AND THE FUNCTION OF MONEY
Speakers: Sergio Cesaratto, Ernesto Screpanti, Moreno Pasquinelli, Antonis Ragkousis, Giacomo Bracci
Chair: Shirin Chehayed
Friday, August 22
MARKET WITHOUT DEMOCRACY
Forum 8 (Tent A) 10:15
LEAVE THE EURO FOR A DIFFERENT EUROPE
By: Andrea Ricci and Alberto Montero
Forum 9 (Tent A) 15:30
WHO DETAIN THE SOVEREIGNTY IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
With: Luciano Barra Caracciolo and Manolo Monereo
Forum 10 (Tent B) 15:30
DEFENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY: GET OUT FROM N.A.T.O. SPACE
By: Javier Couso
Forum 11 (Tent A) 17:30
WHAT AND WHERE IS THE MOVEMENT 5 STARS
By: John Favia and Norberto Fragiacomo
Forum 12 (Tent B) 17:30
THE RESISIBLE RISE OF MATTEO RENZI
With: Leonardo Mazzei and Giorgio Cremaschi
Roundtable (Tent A) - 21:30
EUROPEAN UNION CAN BE REFORMED?
Speakers: Beppe De Santis, Giorgio Cremaschi, Andrea Ricci, Roberta Fantozzi, Pablo Erlantz, Enrico Grazzini (by video link)
Chair: Giuseppe Amini
Documentary Screening (Tent C)
THE GREATEST SUCCESS OF THE EURO
Movie edited by “101 Dalmata” and LIRE Association
Saturday, August 23
BEYOND THE EURO THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE
Forum 13 (Tent A) 10:15
A MASS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE FISCAL COMPACT
By: Franco Russo and Leonardo Mazzei
Forum 14 (Tent A) 15:30
IN THIS WAY WE CAN LEAVE THE EURO
With Nino Galloni and Toni Manigrasso
Forum 15 (Tent A) 15:30
WHAT IS AND WHAT IT MEANS THE TREATY OF FREE TRADE (TTIP)
With: Monica Di Sisto
Forum 16 (Tent A) 17:30
WHAT PROPOSES THE MODERN MONEY THEORY
By: Daniele Della Bona and Riccardo Tomassetti
Forum 17 (b Tent) 17:30
HOW TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION DISINTEGRATES THE SPANISH STATE
By Santiago and Pablo Armesilla Erlantz Jaen
Roundtable (Tent A) - 21:30
WHICH ALLIANCES FOR THE LIBERATION?
Speakers: Fabio Frati, Alessandro Leoni, Marco Passarella, Franco Russo, Kostas Kostopoulos, Norberto Fragiacomo, Francisco Manna, Emiliano Brancaccio (by video link)
Chair: Luigi Nanni
Sunday, August 24
Roundtable (Tent A) - 10:15
MARX, KEYNES AND THE FUTURE OF CAPITALISM
Speakers: Marco Passarella, Ernesto Screpanti, Giacomo Bracci, Valerio Colombo, Nino Galloni.
Chair: Moreno Pasquinelli