Some photos from, and a short report of the European Network of Ecosocialist Action meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. A mixed bag really. The meeting some very positive aspects. It showed there was a huge amount of common ground across Europe, with the same attacks on working people and the poor, and similar problems in organising resistance. Also, that there is a great deal of willingness on the part of many on the political Left across Europe to work together, and to develop a common Ecosocialist response to both the huge social and environmental problems we are all facing. However, I also left the meeting hugely disappointed at the lack of progress made, and about the inability of most of those attending, including myself, to have any meaningful input into the entire proceedings, including in particular, during the afternoon session which took place at the European Parliament. There we ALL did little other than provide the audience for a number of speakers including Michael Löwy, and the Parti de Gauche leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, all of whom, sadly, I found uninspiring, and who none of us, even had the opportunity to ask questions. There were about 50 people there, representing about a dozen European organisations: Mouvement de Gauche (Left Movement) - Belgium Rood (Red) - Belgium Vega (Green Left) - Belgium Alliance for Green Socialism - Britain Green Left - Britain Left Unity - Britain Parti de Gauche (Left Party) - France Parti Vert (Green Party) - Poland Inicitiva per Catalunya Verds (Initiative by Catalonia Greens) - Spain Parti Ecosocialiste de Murcia / Izquierda Unida (Ecosocialist Party of Murcia / United Left) - Spain Construyendo la Izquierda / Alternativa Socialista (Building the Left / Socialist Alternative) - Spain Los Verdes (The Greens) - Spain Syriza (Coalition) - Greece, and the Parti de Gauche Monde Juste (Left Just World Party) - Belarus are also involved in the project but neither where represented at the meeting. There is at this stage however, no definite involvement from Germany or Italy, and very little from eastern Europe. Typically, each person got to speak once or maybe twice, However, there were far too many contributions from Parti de Gauche members, of whom there were a large number present compare to the rest. I got to speak once, the AGS representative twice. There was no real sense of debate or discussion, just a lot of statements. The AGS representative Mike Davies proposed a Europe-wide day of action against TOTAL, and myself an ongoing boycott in opposition to the French companys investment in fracking in Britain, however no concrete actions were agreed. In the end there was a rather vague agreement to organise something against the big energy companies in Europe sometime soon, before the European elections. The practicalties were referred to a Technical Planning Group, the make-up of which I do not know, but which Left Unity would not look to be represented on. I only got to read the English translation of the proposed Declaration of Intent on my way to the event, having been busy with other stuff up to only a few hours before my flight to Brussels. While I had a gist of what it was wanting to say I found it to be virtually incomprehensible. My comments to that effect during my only opportunity to contribute to the proceedings did not go down well with the organisers, but people should take a look at it themselves if they think I may have been harsh. I said later to quite a few people, that in so far it was only a network we were wanting to establish, rather than some kind of pan-European Ecosocialist party, there was no need for such a detailed platform or programme at this stage, or for anyone to get upset about our not having agreed one. Also, that a few lines would be sufficient right now in my view, for us all to move forwards together. I said something which merely stated our willingness to work together across Europe in order to oppose the environmentally and socially destructive consequences of Capitalism, and towards a more socially just and environmentally sustainable future for the overwhelming majority, combined with an agreement on a few agreed common actions in keeping with that, would do for now. However, what happened was nothing concrete at all was agreed, other that we will all meet up again in London, over two days, around 27/28/29 June. I am hopeful by then, that someone in Left Unity (I can think of quite a few members who could do an excellent job of it), will be able to put together a much better draft declaration of intent, and along with it, maybe proposals for at least half a dozen or more concrete actions we might all agree on, and move forward together in undertaking. I think we might also propose extending the invitation list for London to include some of the many other organisations who already describe themselves as Ecosocialists and I believe would be sympathetic to the establishment of a such a European wide network, but who were notable by their absence in Brussels, in some cases, simply because they had not been invited.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 02:16:50 +0000
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