IRSP - Ireland's Presidency of the European Union

international | eu | press release Thursday January 29, 2004 22:47 by IRSP - Irish Republican Socialist Party INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT irsp at netwiz dot net

Comment on Ireland's Presidency to EU

The International Department of the Irish Republican Socialist Party issued a lengthy statement today on the Irish government's rotation to the Presidency of the European Union on the first of January 2004.

IRISH REPUBLICAN SOCIALIST PARTY INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT
28 January 2004

PRESS RELEASE--PRESS RELEASE--PRESS RELEASE

IRSP Comment on Ireland's Presidency of the European Union

The International Department of the Irish Republican Socialist Party issued a lengthy statement today on the Irish government's rotation to the Presidency of the European Union on the first of January 2004. The statement was highly critical of the agenda identified by the Irish government, saying:

"It is ironic that Ireland, whose economy benefited so dramatically from the consolidation of the European Union several years ago and the establishment of the Eurozone, will be occupying the European Presidency during the admission of ten new member states, expanding the EU into eastern Europe. The benefits that Ireland gained from the consolidation rested chiefly on Ireland's having among the lowest wages within Europe at the time and its overwhelmingly English-speaking workforce, both of which combined to ensure that Ireland became a very desirable entry point for North American multi-national corporations into the European market.

"With the admission of the eastern European states, with their shattered economies and even lower wages, the 'Celtic Tiger' is likely to be replaced by the 'Czech Cheetah', the 'Polish Panther', the 'Latvian Lion', and the 'Lithuanian Leopard'. While North American corporations prefer the comfort of an English-speaking workforce, nothing is more attrractive to these capitalists than a poorly paid worker. While Ireland was comfortably nestled with Spain and Portugal in paying some of the lowest wages in Europe, they simply can't begin to approach the sweat-shop standards of eastern Europe.

"But, the Irish ruling class are old hands at the art and science of working in earnest against the interests of their own nation in deference to the interests of their more powerful capitalist brethren. After all, didn't they demonstrate this ability in the tremendous effort they made to get their own citizens to overturn their constitutions historic claim to the entire 32 counties of the island of Ireland? If they were capable of waging such a successful battle to gain acceptance for the idea of reducing their national territory by roughly 20 percent, how hard can it be for them to provide the means for North American multinationals to stuff the profits expropriated from the surplus labour of Irish working people into their pockets, abandon their heavily subsidised and under-taxed industrial operations in Ireland, and relocate to eastern Europe, where virtual starvation wages can be found, the like of which have been rarely seen in modern times, in nations peopled by Europeans.

"With this economic threat looming over their European Presidency, the Irish government didn't miss an opportunity to play the role of backward buffoon for the eyes of the world. Yes, the Irish government celebrated their assumption of the Euro Presidency by . . . sending greetings to the Pope! Of course, the Vatican isn't among the nations comprising the European Union, but what the hell, the Pope is Catholic, you know.

"The Irish government didn't stop with kneeling to kiss the papal ring, however, the first overseas trip by the Taoiseach
since Ireland assumed the Presidency of the European Union was to . . . Israel. After all, if one is going to be a good 'European', it wouldn't be right to only embrace a Catholic theocracy like the Vatican. It is a good idea to demonstrate a sense of even-handedness by also paying homage to the theocratic sectarianism of the Zionists as well. Ahern made a point to "acknowledge the deep, historic roots which bind Europe and Israel", by which we assume he meant the French and British attempt to shore up their control over the Suez Canal by planting a sizable European populace in the middle of the Arab Nation. Ahern went on to denounce a recently martyred Palestinian who had launched a suicide attack on the Zionists as a 'terrorist' and to decry the idea of anyone using armed force in pursuit of liberation from colonialism and imperialism. Some might have been surprised by that, but we in the IRSP have seen the Free State government attack those engaged in armed national liberation struggles many, many times.

"So, what will the Irish government be pursuing during their Presidency of the EU? For one thing, the launching of the European Security Strategy and the enshrining of this alternative to NATO in the new constitution which the EU is to adopt this year. The Irish government assured the people of Ireland that this would not conflict with Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality, but then, one might not want to rely to heavily on the view of the same government who saw no threat to their 'neutrality' in making Shannon Airport available to the US military, to use as a staging local for their offensive war against Iraq. The European Security Strategy represents the development of a 'European Defence Agency'--the military wing for the EU, "for use outside its borders". That is, Ireland will be supporting the creation of an entity which catapults Europe back into being an imperialist contender once again; no longer simply providing aid and support directly to the USA's rule of terror around the globe. While any check on the present US monopoly on global power is welcome, to some degree, the tone of the Irish Euro Presidency towards American imperialism leaves the distinct impression that one shouldn't anticipate the USA having to deal with any major challenge to their hegemony. Irish politicians have commented recently on the close political and economic relationship between the United States and Ireland, but what they haven't said is that this commonplace reality is primarily based in Ireland becoming the leading voice for but lest some romantics try to attribute this to the 'Great Hunger' bringing hundreds of thousands of Irish women and men to the shores of America, the reality is that Ireland has gone out of its way to reassure the US--especially through their emphasis on EU 'competitiveness', which translates to mean: 'Hold Down Wages!'

"On the question of US aggression being a threat to world peace, as seen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia, the Sudan, and elsewhere in recent years, the Irish government commented: "The Irish Presidency considers that the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy will be more effective when conducted in good harmony with the United States policy." More effective at what? Certainly not securing world peace. The government went on to assert: "At the level of political cooperation the EU will work closely with both the US and Canada on issues such as addressing global terrorism." The IRSP wonder, does that include the recent harassment and deportation of former INLA and IRA volunteers by the United States?

"The deterioration in public finances over recent months, the stagnation of the Gross National Product (.1 percent), and the rise of unemployment in Ireland demonstrate that the 'Celtic Tiger' is going the way of the giant elk of Irish prehistory--that is, it is becoming extinct. In contrast with the GNP, Ireland's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 6.9 percent in 2002, which demonstrates the Irish economy's far too great a reliance on its large multinational sector, which operates under the low corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent. So, while foreign corporations realised huge profits from the exploitation of the labour power of Irish workers, most of which was repatriated to the US, or wherever their corporate headquarters lay, the Irish government has projected a 500 million Euro shortfall between tax revenues and government spending during 2003. As a result, cutbacks in essential areas of the infrastructure remain worrisome. It is this which has caused the Irish government to champion a relaxing of Eurozone rules regarding the calculation of official deficits. Also on the Irish government's agenda during the Euro Presidency is far more flexibility in regard to present European regulations on industry

"A change in the social security systems during 2004 is envisaged and the Irish government has summed up how it would like to see this change unfold with their slogan, "Make Work Pay". The exact meaning of the campaign's name is anyone's guess, but you may rest assured that the phrase 'make workers pay' would make a worthy substitute. During the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Labour and Social Affairs in Galway in mid-January, the session on 'Making Work Pay' dealt with: "The modernization of social security system, the need to provide productive, longer-lasting and better paid jobs...the importance of providing training and lifelong learning and referred to specific areas: to combat illiteracy, measures to increase female employment, to provide opportunities of work for persons with a disability and older workers and the need to tackle disincentives to work, such as the narrow gap between the minimum wage and unemployment assistance."

"Anyone requiring a translation of that statement should see in it an assertion that the Irish government is not unaware that statistics indicating gains by women workers in parity with men's wages in the United States over the past twenty years have been almost solely as a result of a decline in men's wages, not a rise in those of women, and that increased employment for the disabled and older workers has chiefly represented the discovery of a pool of inexpensive domestic labour by US capitalists.

"The Irish government also dedicated itself publicly to "the promotion of Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity", but if you are expecting that to translate into the Irish government defending the Irish language's ability to receive equity and parity of esteem from the EU, then you need to really do something about your drinking problem. Because in the real world, that isn't likely to happen. Ultimately, the answer to challenges to workers' standard of living, defense of Irish neutrality, bolstering of national sovereignty, protection of Irish workers from exploitation by foreign imperialists, and the promotion of unique aspects of national culture and language no longer can be found in the agenda of the capitalist ruling class of Ireland, if ever they were found there. Only the overturning of the system of capitalism and of the capitalist regimes which maintain that system, and their replacement by a 32-county Irish workers' republic provides the means to address such concerns of Irish working people.

"The Irish Republican Socialist Party recognizes that Irish working people have nothing to gain from the Irish Presidency of the European Union, nor from that EU itself. The EU represents nothing more than an attempt by European capitalists to more efficiently compete with US imperialism and the rising capitalist challenge from Asia. As internationalists, we continue to embrace genuine efforts by working people of the world to develop better means of cooperation and mutual assistance, but we reject the 'bosses Europe' represented by the EU."

ENDS