File spoon-archives/marxism-general.archive/marxism-general_1997/marxism-general.9711, message 31


Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 14:13:42 -0500
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-G: Cockroach! Extra ("Radiotime France!)


This is the first draft of the radio program on French Truckers Strike for 
Straightfacts radio.

France

French Truckers shut down European Continent!

Good Evening. This is Bob Malecki reporting for Straight Facts somewhere in 
northern Scandinavia quite near the Polar Circle!

The French Truckers and their union, through massive mobile blocades have 
effectively shutdown not only most of the highways in France but have 
effectively stopped most goods that go over the highways of the entire 
European continent.

Already after the second day of the strike their are coming reports of that 
30% of all the bensin stations in France are shutdown. And industries from 
many countries on the European continent to the British Isles and up to the 
Scandinavian countries are becoming short on vital parts needed on the 
assembly lines. Already Mercedes Benz in Germany has to fly in parts to the 
assembly lines by special chartered jets.. Like Volvo in Sweden will soon 
have to do if the strike continues a few more days.

The ruling classes, bougeosies, governments and the common market parliament's
inner circle are all united in their howling rage and are openly calling on 
the newly elected "Socialist" popular front government of Juspin to smash 
the French Truckers blocade and their union...

In fact Helmut Kohl is calling for a meeting as soon as possible with the 
Juspin government and "monetary union" and "Maastrich" allie to discuss the 
situation. As the crys from the once oh so united ruling classes in Europe 
become higher demanding the strike be smashed and  the French truckers 
continue their blocade of all the major highways leading in and out of the 
country. And France with its geographical place on the European map is in 
fact the hub of the tranportation network on this continent. The truckers 
with their determined militancy can quickly bring to a halt almost the 
entire European industries that depend on the roads to tranports goods..

And on the roads everywhere is fresh produce (vegatables, meat, milk 
products) and tons of vital parts to industries from and too many different 
European countries sitting in the middle of the blocade rotting away..

Once again the militant French truckers have gone into the breech against
the French ruling class and  the European bougeoisies, who have since the 
destruction of the former Soviet Union and the East European deformed 
workers states, been attacking all of the post war reforms that have been 
won in pitched battles and on the picket lines of this continent..

Now the European ruling classes rage is directed at the "Socialist" Juspin 
government and higher and louder screams are being heard from all corners of 
Europe for Juspin to "do something" with and underlying tone or open tone of 
calling for the smashing of the truckers strike and blocade..

The capitalist owned industries have become extremely vulnerable with the 
enormous downsizing and new order introduced in the form of "just in time 
delivery". This system introduced by the capitalist run industries caused 
the lay off of tens of thousands of workers in order to cut down on storage 
space, of spare parts in order to drive up the profits and the now over 
inflated International Stockmarket!

Class concious workers and Communists must have only one answer to this strike!

Victory to the French truckers Strike.

Shut down Europe till their demands are met.

Juspin and his "Socialist" government now under the pressure of almost and 
entire united French ruling class and the bougeoisies and capitalist 
governments of the whole European continent including Tony Blairs "New" 
Social Democratic government will be forced to act in one way or another. As 
this report is being written the Jospin government has been using both the 
stick and the carrot in trying to stop the Frenck truckers strike. The stick 
has been in the form of the French police, the armed fist of the capitalist 
state trying to remove some of the trucks and truckers blocading key 
highways to and from France and arresting people. However to this date 
rather unsucessfully. The carrot is the Juspin government trying to find a 
"compromise" between the bosses and the truckers union. In fact attempts to 
make a last minute compromise by the government was thrown back in their faces
by the truckers who are determined to get more!

So in reality we have a situation where a militant and well organized core 
of key workers has brought the entire continent to a standstill! All workers 
in all industries must support this strike of the french Truckers. A victory 
here can be the beginning of a counter-offensive against years of capitalist 
austerity and anti-immigrant racism that has been racking the entire 
continent... 

Think if the British TUC had had the guts to stop England in support of the 
Liverpool dockworkers who have heroically and against almost the entire 
trade union bureacracy and the anti-union and racist "New" Social Democratic 
government of Tony Blair continued their struggle. But no the TUC bureaucray 
elected to betray the Liverpool dockworkers and jump on the anti-worker, 
anti-union bandwagon of Tony Blair's "new" Social Democracy..

The newly elected Juspin government is now faced with its most serious 
crisis since its election. In fact the whole project of the Germam/French 
monetary union and austerity economic policies of "Maastrich" is at stake 
and a victory of the French Truckers strike could set the scene for a wave 
of strikes throughout Europe. And almost united European ruling class 
realizes this and will do everything in their power to force Juspin and his 
pro-capitalist popular front government to doing something to end this strike..

The Juspin government with its record so far of remaining committed to the 
Maastrich project have synically tried to capitalize on the strong 
anti-Maastrich sentiment of the working class. Aiming to dampen the labor 
unrest which has rocked France, Juspin's Socialist party mouths empty 
liberal platitudes about a "reorientation of European construction" around 
policies which would be "placed at the service of man."

However the French Truckers strike proves that the Juspin government in 
reality wants to use the French cops and army if neccessary to end the 
srtike. If the truckers do not agree with a "compromise" that the government 
is desperately is trying to work out..

This connected to the government of Jospin and Chirac and including the 
Stalinist French Communit Party (PCF) who will continue the brutal attacks 
on the working class and poor, police terror against racial minorities at 
home and imperialist plunder in Africa and other French colonies and neo 
colonies demands the desperate need of a Bolshevik Leninist Party in France 
which can split the base from the reformist and Stalinist popular front 
traitors at the top..

The Social Democrats and ex-Stalinists and their fake "left" supporters try 
to present themselves as the "lesser evil", as advocates of a lesser degree 
of unemployment, cutbacks in social programs and overall economic hardship.

Trotskyists, Bolshevik Leninists stand for a fundamentally different program 
and perspective: the smashing of the capitalist state, the expropriation of 
the means of production and the establishment of a planned, collectivized 
economy under a workers government. We seek new October Revolutions 
thoughout Europe and the rest of the world.

This is Bob Malecki reporting for Stright facts in Sweden.
-------------------------------------------------------
Check Out My HomePage where you can,

Read or download the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara,
Vietnam-My Bellybutton is my Crystalball!

And Now the International Communist League Page!
Just push on the "Spartacist" Button.

Or Get The Latest Issue of,

COCKROACH, a zine for poor and working-class people.

NEW! "RADIO TIME"  In cooperation with Straitfacts, Bob
Malecki will be giving occasional reports to Straitfacts
Radio audiences in the United States. Text for these
reports now on line. 

http://www.algonet.se/~malecki

-------------------------------------------------------









     --- from list marxism-general-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005