Capitalist plague and the need for socialism
By Alejandro Bodart – @lis-isl.org
We are witnessing phenomena of incommensurable magnitudes. Half of humanity is in quarantine, affected by a virus that threatens collected millions of victims. The economic crisis that has been unleashed can become the worst in 90 years. Nothing will be as before. Revolutionary socialists must prepare for what is to come.
Al 31 March-infected COVID-19 amounted to 900.000 and the dead 50 thousand. They are partial data, because due to insufficient testing and the policy of several governments not count deaths in private homes and nursing homes, the most conservative estimates are that infections can exceed up 10 Sometimes those deaths be reported and many more.
Only in Italy a study by the Imperial College of London reports actually already exist 6 million people are infected, he 10% population, and not 100 thousand as reported by the authorities.
Countries and cities that have for decades been symbols of the "first world" and imperialist superiority as New York, Roma, Madrid or Paris are filled with sick and dead bodies. With their health systems collapsed and terrified citizens. With no possibility of early detection of infected, Staffed, not enough beds and respirators, choosing who attend and who to let die.
In Iran the virus progresses unchecked, while the imperialist blockade prevents the entry of essential inputs to attack the disease. In India millions of workers who have become unemployed and live in subhuman conditions fleeing on foot from the cities to their villages to try to prevent infection. already exist 186 affected countries and in a few days will not be any without sick and fatalities.
Later in the century, lack of health resources globally has led the hygiene and mandatory quarantines in homes are transformed into the only tool to slow the spread of the disease. Although compliance is practically impossible among the poorest populations in each country living in crowded shanties, no sewers or running water. Frank Snowden, expert on the history of epidemics, in an interview for the newspaper La Nacion wonders: "How they can wash their hands or isolated in a favela in Rio de Janeiro or in the slums of Mexico City or Bombay, or South Africa?"The same might wonder about the villages and slums of Argentina or underdeveloped country. Not to mention how they will not starve millions working in the informal sector or have lost their jobs and now can not move freely through the streets.
Pandemic and economic crisis
From the spheres of power try to attribute the outbreak of the economic crisis and recession on a global scale has begun the appearance of the coronavirus, when in fact the pandemic has been the trigger, but not the cause of the debacle that was announced quite some time. The low price of oil is nothing more gasoline to a fire with the pandemic and it has become unmanageable. We are at the beginning of a process that may end in a depression similar or superior to that of 1929.
As in the 2008, He attended the bursting of a financial bubble spectacular this time combined with the most contemporary health crisis that humanity has suffered. Economic recipes to this crisis European and US imperialism resemble ago 12 years, but the magnitude of what happened has forced him to invest sums never seen in history. Again to save the banks and corporations and cynically using the excuse of the virus, They have begun implementing state bailouts billionaires. Knowing that it is most likely that the bailouts like the 2008, at the prospect of fewer gains in the productive circuit, again these funds are shifted to speculation and nurture a new crisis in the near future.
We are currently witnessing the paralyzation of various productive branches, industries and services such as tourism and a sharp decline in international trade. Why they have begun layoffs, leave without pay, salary reductions and the complete loss of income from informal and temporary workers. but this is only the beginning. When quarantines are completed they will try, as they have done since the 90 and they deepened since 2008, bailouts and the crisis pay the workers and poor of the world with more job losses, wages soil, greater degrees of flexibility and new adjustments in public budgets to repay debts.
No government gives priority to the health and economy of workers
Acting late to address the pandemic in countries like Italy and Spain and the existence of right-wing governments such as Trump and Bolsonaro or center-Lopez Obrador, which initially downplayed the pandemic and refused to use quarantines to avoid paralyzing the economy, They have been used by other bourgeois governments to differentiate and be sensitive to people and not capitalist profits.
Actually, the similarities between the two are more than the differences. The health of most of the world's population is compromised by structural reforms carried forward in the last decade of the last century and the new constant adjustments and privatizations from the 2008 They intensified. The health collapse we are witnessing is the result of the systematic reduction in health budgets, disinvestment in science and technology, of staff shortages and lack of basic infrastructure and inputs with which countries have to face this catastrophe. The same is true of the economy of the popular sectors, which for years they supported attack after attack against their living standards and their rights. And now they are being hit hardest. The only economy that worry the rulers is benefiting from the 1% to the detriment of the 99% remaining.
This reality the various capitalist governments and political parties that have taken turns in power for decades are responsible. Everyone, without exception, They have prioritized the profits of a handful shrinking of superexploiters over life and nature.
A twist repressive overall
With the excuse of the health crisis and the need to ensure mandatory quarantines, there was an authoritative rotation repressive global scope. States of siege, Curfews, ban on meetings, manifested, circular and militarization by various repressive forces advance in more countries. All this has encouraged institutional violence and violations of human rights against the popular sectors.
The aim of these measures is the social discipline of the workers and especially youth, which it has been the forefront in the struggles taking place around the world. They have a preventive character to the confrontations that the current crisis of the capitalist system sooner rather than later will develop and possibly try to keep them even after overcoming the pandemic.
We must denounce every outrage and call the workers and the youth not be intimidated. Far from delegate to governments and business decisions of our destiny, the participation of all is needed to respond appropriately and effectively to protect so our lives and our families.
Why should we prepare
The events that are taking are leaving evidence, as you did not happen decades, the magnitude of the decline of the imperialist capitalist system. The first great manifestation of the fragility of the system took place in the 2008 and impact on the class struggle, triggering important social and political phenomena. Everything indicates that the catastrophe we are experiencing changes will produce much larger dimensions.
The weakness of US imperialism has hit a new leap, which encourage disputes with China, which it has also suffered the effects of a crisis that had as its central protagonist. The G7 and G20 absent. a Europe, epicenter of the tragedy, the crisis of the Union has prevented them to act in a unified manner. In many countries the provincial and local governments take measures that contradict national governments. This every man for himself is an expression of the times in which we live.
Revolutionary socialists have to prepare for general strike, rebellions and revolutions few months ago they moved to the world, when the pandemic begins to recede, They are generalized and extended to new countries and regions. And that the new situation that these processes opened, motorized by new events, you can get to evolve into a pre-revolutionary situation worldwide.
The shock that is developing in the consciousness of millions seeing the consequences of a system in its phase of putrefaction, It is making it commences to move and the coming months may be decisive for sticking a huge leap forward. We are already seeing how it begins to husking the prevailing discourse in recent decades are the advantages of the private over the public, of the market over the state and growing hatred of big business quickly unload on the workers the burden of the crisis.
We come from various events that have raised awareness about the need to defend nature on corporate profits and now the defense of public health and life adds. The struggle of women has evolved to swaths toward anti-capitalist positions. And they have begun to grow among young socialist ideas, as we see in the US. and the United Kingdom.
All these phenomena will increase in the coming period. Social and political polarization will deepen, trends toward being a turn left and rebellion the most likely and dynamic. This does not mean ignoring the contradictions and dangers, as well as counteracting elements, who will join us from here to eternity and confuse almost always skeptics and petty bourgeois.
Model, party and international
The pandemic and the economic downturn are putting order on fundamental aspects of our revolutionary socialist program and this forces us to deploy a set of proposals to address the main needs of the moment: massive test; more beds, respirators staff; safety equipment for all workers; prohibition of layoffs and wage cuts; paid leave and social assistance to cuentapropistas and precarious. Along with this it takes great importance to lift the nationalization of laboratories, private clinics and hospitals to integrate them into a single public health system. And to solve this, non-payment of foreign debts and the nationalization of banks and foreign trade.
But at the same time agitate and explain these slogans is imperative that propagandicemos that today more than ever we need an end to capitalism before it becomes irreversible barbarism and fight for a socialist model of society, where are the workers who govern democratically organized.
A service of these fights is that we promote the construction of revolutionary socialist parties in all countries where we operate and a global organization, the International Socialist League. They are all invited to join and all.
