European Union: Bosses’ Club Agrees A Constitution

What we think

Bosses’ Club Agrees A Constitution

"LIKE BARGAINING in a bazaar" was how the new Spanish
prime minister, Zapatero, referred to the recent European Union (EU)
summit to agree a new EU constitution. While downing expensive wines and
luxury foods, Europe’s leaders were rudely squabbling and throwing
vitriolic insults at each other.

After this haggling, a constitution treaty was agreed
at the eleventh hour. But fighting continues, with ‘power blocs’ forming
over who will be awarded the top political post of European Commission
President.

Despite their new treaty, the new constitution for the
enlarged 25-state EU may never be implemented, as up to ten countries may
have a referendum on it. A ‘no’ vote in just one of them could well be
enough to stop it.

If it does see the light of day, more inroads towards
a ‘two tier’ EU are enshrined in it. This is because the price of Tony
Blair’s insistence on British vetoes on some issues has been to allow
France and Germany to press ahead with integration on those issues, in a
smaller group.

Eurosceptics

Contrary to the views of the strongest Eurosceptics,
the constitution will not bring in a European ‘superstate’. The EU would
still be a collection of 25 capitalist nation states who are transferring
some issues to EU institutions – which they can withdraw from in the
future. It would, however, aid the neo-liberal agenda of all these states,
as it says that member states must act in accordance with the principle of
an open market economy and free competition.

Recent British polls showing that most people don’t
know what is in the constitution are hardly surprising. Far from being
accessible to Europe’s school students, as originally planned, the
constitution is 330 pages of legal complexity. Many of the detailed
consequences of it will only be clear over time when tested out in
courtrooms.

Ambivalence or hostility regarding Europe is rife
among ordinary people. Whereas the potential benefits of economic and
social collaboration across borders are generally understood, their
experience of this on the basis of capitalism has been one of increased
cuts and other attacks on living standards. The EU is also well known as
being ingrained with corruption and fraud. These views were reflected in
an unprecedented rate of abstention in the EU as a whole in the
Euro-elections three weeks ago.

Opposition

In Britain, Blair puts present overwhelming opposition
to the new constitution down to ‘ignorance’. But it has more to do with
the fact that it is he himself who is promoting it, coming fresh from his
lies over Iraq and years of anti-working class measures.

A layer of pro-EU politicians and some trade unionists
oppose Blair over the constitution because of his negotiated ‘opt out’
clauses, especially on employment rights. They seize on the divisions
between European capitalist governments over how fast to proceed with a
neo-liberal agenda, placing their eggs in the basket of those they view as
more ‘worker friendly’ such as France and Germany.

However, all the capitalist classes of Europe are
after deregulation, privatisation and cuts in the interests of their
profits, so it’s necessary to oppose their European aspirations in any
guise.

The French and German governments are in fact trying
to follow in Blair’s footsteps by rolling back previous gains of the
working class, with the pace of this being determined by the force of mass
opposition and certainly not by any innate goodwill towards workers.

The socialist, while fully supporting increased links
between workers throughout Europe and internationally, opposes the whole
capitalist enterprise of the EU and its treaties. We also oppose a ‘social
Europe’, as any kind of capitalist Europe will in reality be anti-social,
with cuts and privatisation.

Only on the basis of socialism, through a socialist
confederation of Europe, can European economic and other links be
developed in a way that will universally benefit working and middle class
people, raising living standards instead of undermining them.