European Young Socialists Back Coke Boycott
international |
worker & community struggles and protests |
news report 
Tuesday March 22, 2005 19:30
by Cian - Labour
An umbrella of 33 organisations in 25 countries has joined the call for a boycott of Coca Cola goods as the boycott continues to spread internationally. The resolution was put forward by Labour Youth and comes after the recent news that the third University of Rome has kicked Coke off campus. The international campaign in defence of workers rights in Colombia and farming communities in India is growing fast.
The ECOSY (European Young Socialists) bi-annual conference concluded on Sunday March 20th in Cascais near Lisbon after 4 days of motions, amendments, and - resolutions significantly the Labour Youth resolution on the Killer Coke campaign was passed with a large majority.
ECOSY is an umbrella organisation of 33 Socialist, Labour and Social Democratic youth parties in 25 European countries. It also has 8 associate member organisations and 17 observer organisations stretching as far as Russia and Israel. Several of the member organisations have memberships well into the hundreds of thousands making ECSOY one of the largest organisations in the world to back the boycott to date.
The resolution that was passed calls on ECOSY to promote and support the call of Sinaltrainal to campaign for the boycott of Coca Cola and all its products.
For more information see www.killercoke.org and www.indiaresource.org
Comments (14 of 14)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14Yes they on paper show solidarity with colombian trade unionists but in practice they are an anti worker organisation for example this organisation support disgusting anti worker governments like Schroeder and Blairs government.
Will European Young 'Socialists' condemn Agenda 2010 - the right wing neo liberal attacks on the German welfare state being waged by german social democrats?
Will Euroean Young 'socialists' condemn the right wing policies of Tony Blair who put firefighters and civil servants out on strike, privitises the health service, cuts welfare and plays the race card at any oppurtunity?
anti-worker is much too strong, going overboard
Are you suggesting that the EYS (or whoever they are) should _not_ support the Killer Coke boycott?
Do you condemn SIPTUs lack of support for the Coke Boycott.?
A first for indymedia Ireland, we can have an online ceremonial exchange of condemnations. Reverend Badman is in residence to bestow his blessings on this happy occasion.
Father Badman: Do you, European Young Socialists, condemn, vituperate and villify with all your heart, the the right wing neo liberal attacks on the German welfare state being waged by german social democrats?
EYS, whispering shyly: We do.
Father Badman: And do you Siptu Member John Paul pledge to boycott all your cans and bottles of Coke whether you have them or hold them and to do so ceaselessly and without let from this day forth?
SIPTU, blushing furiously and reaching for EYS's placard: We do.
Father Badman: I now pronounce you socialists. You may picket together.
Presumably LY are also celebrating the ECOSY position on the constitution some choice quotes
"ECOSY,the Young European Socialists,reaffirm,their commitment in favour of federal, political
and social Europe"
"-We have been calling for long time for the European Union to speak with one voice on the
international level,we know that this does not t ke only leg l provisions but mainly political
will;
-However,we consider the cre tion of minister for Foreign ff irs s going in the right
direction;"
"ECOSY calls for the young European socialists and social democr ts to take part in the campaigns in
all EU member States,in the framework of deb tes on Europe n issues,and will be at their side in
the promotion of a socialist and soci l-democratic YES to the Europe n Constitution."
"Our main criticisms as far as the treaty establishing Constitution for Europe is concerned are the lack of perspectives for the future development of the European integration:
-Unanimity remains the voting rule within the Council of ministers for too many topics;"
Of course I condemn the lack of a solidarity with Colombian trade unionists by the SIPTU leaders. Not all SIPTU members are reactionaries but the leadership are. By the way Chris what party are the rotten anti worker leaders of SIPTU in? The Labour Party!
I don't think describing the PES as anti worker is harsh in any way. It is an accurate description of what is happening. Just take one PES government - Germany. In Germany the SPD are getting rid of the welfare state by abolishing the dole and other disability benefits, how can you call this anything but anti worker.
Take Blairs PES government, how can you call the sacking of thousands of civil servants, the assault on the Firefighters, introduction of house arrest and the war in Iraq as pro worker!?
Yep I thought this was newsworthy precisely because ECOSY (European Young Socialists) is such a broad organisation not known for taking radical stands. All the more significant for the boycott campaign to receive the backing of umbrella organisations that inlcude the likes of Young Labour in the UK.
ECOSY in terms of the left is about as broad as they come including many that are centrist in their politics.
So it is good news for the boycott that support is not just confined to the activist left. Its when boycott campaigns spread beyong the usual suspects ( you know the people who do most of the work on the left) that they get closer to victory.
John i have no time for Tony Blair`s administration either. As Cian Mentioned ECOSY is broad Church of youth sections of socialist and social democratic parties accross europe, encompassing centrist, centre left and hard left persuasions. Whatever polices implemented by Shroeder or Blair domestically or Internationally has nothing to do with the Pros and Cons of ECOSY, if you want to Judge US then do so purely on what WE do. With regard to your sensationalist claims about SIPTU leaders Not all SIPTU leaders are in the Labour party and they`re not all 'anti worker either' which includes the ones that are in the Labour Party . May i ask you what you have done to further the Coca Cola Boycott in your union.
They are not socialists, but half baked wanna-be-something-or-other!!
Just out of intrest Chris, which members of ECOSY would you classify as 'hard left' and on what basis would you justify that classification? My own, admittedly limited, knowledge of the youth organisations of the social democratic parties leads me to believe that while there are many radical members in these groups and some are critical of the leaderships of their 'mother' parties, few if any make a sustained critique of social democracy i.e. entry into bourgeois governments, various forms of social partnership etc.
First of all Michael on what basis are you making the assumption that ECOSY people aren`t socialist? have you actually talked to the diverse groups of people under the ECOSY umberella or are you just another one of those psuedo hard left layabouts that prejudices people and groups due to their political affilaition without even looking at their track record?. I think its the latter.
David i am a democratic socialist, i believe that the time of social democracy has come and gone, it has done well to raise the standards of living of people in the past, but it is being rendered ineffective due to an overdeveloped system of market economics. I oppose social partnership and believe that unions should return to their old grassroots structures.
The reason behind the lateness of my reply is that ive been busy the past 2 months and quite frankly have had better things to be doin than arguing on indymedia.
How can you call the party's of Schroeder and Blair socialsits?!
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