Western European News Digest
Blair Congratulates Bush Before Final Results
In his fawning statement congratulating President Bush on his reelection, British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that the U.S. elections were "of particular significance to Britain, not least because America and the United Kingdom have a unique bond" through "shared history and ... values." Blair said he looks forward to continuing his "strong relationship" with Bush.
Blair then unleashed a rant against global terrorism, which needs not just "military might" but also "freedom and democracy." Blair then emphasized the need for peace between Israel and Palestine. This last is a fraught issue: Blair has to emphasize Israel and Palestine to satisfy his Labour Party, but George Bush betrayed him by openly supporting Israel's West Bank settlements. Now, Blair has to try to reverse the damage for his own internal political situation.
Blair continued: "In particular, I have long argued that the need to revitalize the Middle East peace process is the single most pressing political challenge in our world today. Therefore, we must be relentless in our war against terrorism, and in resolving the conditions and causes on which the terrorists prey. We should work with President Bush on this agenda.... In particular, Europe and America must build anew their alliance. All of us in positions of leadershipnot just President Bushhave a responsibility to rise to this challenge. It is urgent that we do so."
German President Koehler Warns Against VW Strike
It seems that the accumulated impact of the Monday rallies against Germany's Hartz IV austerity program, the Opel Bochum wildcat strike, and the ongoing warning strikes by Volkswagen workers (12,000 took part Nov. 1), have begun to create a certain nervousness among the monetarist elite: President Horst Koehler, the former IMF managing director, called on VW workers to "do everything to avoid a big strike," which he said "would be damaging for our country." He added that "all of us agree that reaching an agreement as early as possible, is in the interest of all sides." Koehler's remarks, made during an event in Hanover, are the latest example of psywar on the auto workers.
More Strikes Shake Germany
Fifteen thousand VW workers joined in warning strikes Nov. 1, and almost 40,000 on Nov. 2. The metal workers union had Volkswagen workers stage warning strikes lasting for two-three hours, at the plants in Emden, Hanover, Braunschweig, and Kassel.
About 6,000 workers stopped work for two hours at the plant in Hanover, and 32,000 workers in Wolfsburg joined them Nov. 2.
Whereas the mainstream media fell victim to their own psychological warfare against the VW workers, and reported the night of Nov. 1 that an agreement was near between management and labor, the next day the news wires were forced to report that an agreement was "still far away."
At GM-Opel, the decision by the management to fire two leaders of the recent seven-day wildcat strike in Bochum backfired, as the factory council opposes it and a signature-gathering campaign has begun in support of the two unionists.
German Railway Workers Consider Protests and Strikes
The agreement on a management-labor board that discusses all matters of employment, expires by the end of this year, and Deutschebahn (DB) management has so far not shown much interest in extending the agreement. Much more interest has been shown, however, in entering the last phase of privatization, preparing to offer DB stock on the stock market.
Therefore, recent announcements by DB chairman Hartmut Mehdorn that labor expenses will have to be cut by 10%, via salary cuts or layoffs, are certain to increase the likelihood of a big strike by the 160,000 railway workers and employees.
Norbert Hansen, chairman of the railway union Transnet, hinted on Nov. 1 that warning strikes and other forms of protest are being considered, maybe even before the end of this year, to defend the interests of labor. One may assume that the most recent strike developments at Opel and Volkswagen are being studied closely among railway workers.
Deutsche Bank Chief Economist Warns of More Strikes
"Expect more strikes and increased social conflicts," warned Deutsche Bank Chief Economist Norbert Walter. Reviewing recent developments at Opel and Volkswagen, Walter forecast in Frankfurt Nov. 1 that more labor strikes, protests, and increased social conflicts are to be expected, if the managements of numerous industrial branches go ahead with their designs for more outsourcing. Walter mentioned especially the information technology sector, a pioneer in this approach in the past years.
Walter (a neo-liberal) also said that, whereas the management-labor co-determination system deserved criticism, in his view, ongoing attacks to abandon the system altogether were not helpful, but would provoke more social friction.
Blair's 'Super-Casino' Bill Passes House of Commons
The "super-casino" bill backed by Prime Minister Tony Blair, passed the House of Commons Nov. 1; however, Blair had only a 74-vote majority, even though the Labour Party majority has 159 votes. The Labour "reforms" would allow "unlimited" jackpots in the super casinos, round-the-clock operation, including on Christmas Day, and immediate access to the casinos rather than the current one-day waiting period. There were many abstentions: Only 286 Labour MPs out of the total of 407 in Parliament supported it in this second reading. In addition to the Tory and Liberal Democratic opposition, 29 Labour "rebels" voted against, giving an opposition vote of 212.
They lost this many votes, although the government indicated it would set a limit on the number of new super casinos allowed in Britain. Many of the new super casinos will be financed from the U.S. "gambling industry."
The bill still has to go through committee, and there should be a lot of opposition during the "line-by-line" discussion of the bill.
Former Labour Health Secretary Frank Dobson questioned why a Labour government would let American gambling interestsassociated in everyone's mind with organized crime, money laundering, drugs, and prostitutionset up casinos in Britain.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who is promoting the bill, had to admit her surprise at the "level of fury" over the proposal, admitting that there had been a "massive backlash" against it.
'More Gradual Approach' to Super Casinos Offered
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, who is responsible for the super-casino plan, said in a radio interview that she would be willing to take a "more gradual approach" to introducing the casinos, because of dissent in Parliament, including among backbench Labour Party MPs.
These MPs have said that, when the bill goes through committees, they will try to either limit the number of "super casinos" or allow only a "pilot project" of a very few such casinos. Some 20-40 new super casinos are planned under Blair's gambling "reforms."
John Whittingdale, the Tory shadow culture secretary, said that, "It would be much more sensible to limit the number of these large casinos, place them out of towns and then see whether it does cause an increasenot just open the door to putting them all over Britain in our towns."
Labour opponents, Tories, and Liberal Democrats all want a set limit on the number of new casinos, which Jowett opposes.
Queen Promotes UN 'Global Warming' Conference
Queen Elizabeth II lent support to a UN conference on "global warning" during her visit to Germany the week of Nov. 1. The conference opened Nov. 3 in Berlin, and was chaired by Klaus Topfer, Germany's former environment minister who now runs the UN's environment program. The Queen attended a reception for the conference. She was also expected to speak with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, at a forum for young people to voice their concerns about global warming.
The British press also reports that the Queen pressured Tony Blair to urge George W. Bush to sign the Kyoto Protocol. Also, on Oct. 31 it was reported that the Queen's Windsor Castle will install environment-friendly hydro-electric turbines on the Thames River.
Ledeen Pushes for Italian Neo-Con Political Party
On Oct. 25, self-described "universal fascist" Michael Ledeen was in Rome to present the Italian translation of his book on Niccolo Machiavelli Il 'Principe' dei Neo-Cons (The Prince of the Neo-Cons), published by the right-wing Pagine. The event was sponsored by the Rome black oligarchical family of Sforza Ruspoli and hosted at their Rome palace, along with 70-80 guests from Roman noble families and right-wing intellectuals, journalists, and publishers of so-called "revolutionary fascism," i.e., followers of the Marinetti and D'Annunzio ideas. Ledeen was saluted by all as the "adviser of George Bush," and the man who, in 1975, opened up the discussion on Mussolini and Fascism in his "Interview on Fascism" with the Italian historian Renzo De Felice. The invitation to the Oct. 25 event was titled "The Italian Neo-Con Party Is Born."
The director of Pagine, Luciano Lucarini, announced that their intention is to print a number of neo-con books and other right-wing authors, to win intellectual hegemony in Italy, "like the Einaudi publishing house did in the postwar period on behalf of the left."
They published, for example, a book by the Russian Alexander Dughin on Eurasia. The director of Imperi magazine, Aldo de Lello, emphasized that neo-con doctrine has destroyed, once and for all, the notion of "international stability," which he said, was a cause of the terrorist actions against the West. Significantly, two institutional personalities were present: Deputy Ferdinando Adornato, of Forza Italia, Chairman of the Cultural Commission of the Chamber of Deputies; and Maurizio Gasparri (Alleanza Nazionale), Minister of Communications in the Berlusconi government. James Nicholson, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See was scheduled to intervene, but he did not.
Adornato, a close friend of Ledeen's, presented his differences with the neo-cons, even expressing his sympathy for the American Revolution versus that of France, but concluded by supporting Bush and preemptive war, which "is also supported by UNO Charter," he asserted. Gasparri did not fully endorse neo-con ideas, but concluded that "the use of force sometimes is needed to export rights."
Ledeen summed up the event, and warned the "Europe of Zapatero" (the moderate Spanish President) to stay away from the American decision to wage war. He presented Machiavelli as the father of the idea of "temporary, virtuous, libertarian dictatorship"which of course he fully endorses.
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