International

At least 6500 people took part yesterday in the demonstration in Den Bosch, where we drew the government’s attention to the fact that poverty exists in the Netherlands and that the fight against it should be taking priority. The government of Mark Rutte must be taken on, and the other European heads of government too show time and again that they don’t find combatting poverty all that important. They are fixated exclusively on getting rid of their budget deficits. What that means for people who already have things tough doesn’t seem to interest them. It’s high time that we subjected all of the proposals with which these heads of government pepper one another to a poverty test.

It’s not attracted all that much attention, but a few weeks ago the United Nations published its annual report on organised crime internationally. It is estimated that in 2009 criminals earned some €1.5 trillion, almost 4% of the world economy. For Italy the sum was €116 billion. This is money that will not be counted in the formal economy, on which no tax will be paid, and that will not benefit the people who really need it. Organised crime in Italy accounts for 7.7% of the national income, whereas the comparable figure for Germany is 1.3% and for the US 2.3%. I hope then that Super Mario (Monti) in Rome isn’t looking only at spending cuts, but transforms himself into Superman to take on organised crime. That would be a lot fairer as well as being necessary if Italy is to tackle its structural problems and get back on its feet.

Last week, we saw two meetings of European heads of government. During these European Council summits a crucial role was once again granted to the financial institutions’ leading lobbyist, Deutsche Bank Chairman Josef Ackermann. The government leaders had no choice about this, as their goal was to conclude a deal on the writing off of 50% of the Greek debt, and on a ‘voluntary’ basis.

Tents on Amsterdam’s Beursplein, riots in Rome, Wall Street occupied. We have seen nothing like this for a long time. The protests are attracting all kinds of people, but they all have one thing in common: they loath the way that politicians bow down before the speculators. That’s why the actions are directed against the grasping as much as against the politicians that repeatedly let them off the leash. As emerged yesterday during an SP day school, many branches are finding it difficult to get through to people who have turned their backs on politics for just this reason, and just when the SP could be making a difference, as the only party to have an action plan against speculators and the only party to defend people who need it most. On the Beursplein in Amsterdam, the Malieveld in The Hague, and in Brussels too, we must make it clear that the SP has always had the same line: against the grasping, and for the ordinary man and woman. We must help the unrest to find its way: only a common protest can lead to the fall of the Rutte government and drive the speculators back down their holes. So it’s 1 for all!