The following is extracted from
Ainriail - the
Irish Anarchist list. The
elections are coming within two days and there are quite plenty of syndicalist
posters spreaded around
Belfast. As a
proof that
syndicalists are
on the right track, here's
polls by
The Observer (
3.6.2001):
Do you think you and your family would be better off under Labour, or better off under the Conservatives or would it make no difference?
No Difference 45%
It won't make much difference to my daily life who wins the coming election.
Agree: 57%
And now let the syndicalists speak themselves:
DON'T VOTE - ORGANISE!
The State Cannot Represent Us
The state is a top down institution which has
always rested on domination and exploitation, it
is an inherently repressive institution and as
such is beyond reform. No matter who is elected
to local or national government the permanent
structures of the state, the courts and prisons,
army and police, secret services, the upper
echelons of the Home and Foreign Offices, the
high ranking Mandarin's in the civil service,
and other state institutions will ensure that
the interests of the rich and powerful are
protected at our expense. It is the role of the
state to protect property and the economic
status quo. And we must not forget that this is
a status quo which sees the vast majority of
people, the working class, produce the wealth of
the world for the immense, and to us
unimaginable benefit of a tiny controlling
elite.
Against Global Capitalism
Capitalist interests, with the pursuance of a
'neo-liberal' economic agenda world wide, have
unleashed a ruthless and unrelenting class war
against working people across the globe. Rolling
back the benefits achieved through years of
struggle in the west and imposing crushing
conditions to IMF and World Bank loans in the
east and south. Whole multinational sweatshop
economies, reducing workers to conditions of
indentured slavery, have grown up while local
industries have been decimated. These powerful
capitalist interests constitute an undemocratic,
unaccountable, de facto world government.
Politicians are mere puppets to these interests
only direct action can take them on. Nothing
will change unless you act for yourself, take
back the power and fight the system directly.
Only direct action breaks down apathy and gets
results and it is the first step towards real
freedom, towards a free and just society.
It Is Time To Fight Back
Only by organising, fighting back and practising
solidarity where we live and work can we really
change things. That is where our power lies,
that is where we can create a real alternative.
By creating an economic and political union in
the workplace and community we can impose by
direct action that which the politicians can
never give us from parliament. And only such a
movement can stop the attacks upon us by whoever
gets into office. Remember all the major
political parties support Tory initiatives such
as Public Private Partnership and Private
Finance Initiative. These policies are open
invitations to big business to come in and try
and squeeze profits out of our already
beleaguered and underfunded public services. A
look at the recent Health and Safety record
since the creation of Railtrack provides us with
a deadly example of the benefits of our 'profit
before people' society. Local Ministers since
the establishment of the Assembly have quite
happily carried out the cuts imposed by the New
Labours government. Direct action is any form of
struggle under the control of those involved,
without reliance on intermediaries or middlemen.
It includes every method of immediate warfare by
the working class against their economic and
political oppressors, such as, occupations, rent
strikes, sabotage, work to rule, sit in strikes,
the boycott, blocking roads and ultimately the
social general strike.
Politics Is Too Important
Political and social issues are far too
important to be left to the politicians and
'experts'. We need discussion and change to
begin on the streets and in the workplaces.
Ultimately we seek to replace the oppressive and
exploitative state and capitalist system with a
society where people are involved in and take
responsibility for reaching their own decisions
on the way we run society.
For Workers Control
This demands workers control of industry and of
our communities. Jettisoning once and for all
the parasites, our would be leaders at Stormont,
whose first action we remember was to give
themselves more gravy on the gravy train with a
30% pay rise, or Westminster, along with the yet
bigger capitalist parasites who want to continue
to rake in the wealth we create.
"Instead of taking part in these sectarian
headcount's the Syndicalist Solidarity Network
urges working class people to take direct
action, On polling day we are asking working
people to demonstrate their opposition to the
current party political system and the system of
'representative democracy' by going out and
spoiling their ballots. What is often referred
to, by standing and would be politicians, as
'voter apathy' is a reflection that many working
class people already know the system has nothing
to offer them. We are asking people to do
something a little more positive during this
election, that is to go to the Polling Station
and to spoil their ballots. Every spoilt ballot
is counted and gives a clear message of
opposition to our would be leaders. Spoiling
your ballot also ensures that your vote cannot
be stolen by electoral fraudsters. Simply not
voting is not enough. Voting creates apathy, it
is the act of getting someone else to take
responsibility. People need to take
responsibility for themselves. To secure a
decent future for our selves our families our
fellow workers and the world we need to take
matters into our own hands."