This congress recognises that the current economic crisis gripping the capitalist world is a crisis of overproduction due to contradictions inherent in the capitalist system itself. It is this crisis of overproduction that causes the bourgeoisie, as owners of the means of production, to close down much of their operations ,thus giving rise to a huge increase in unemployment worldwide.
This congress further recognises that the crisis of overproduction expresses itself as a financial crisis principally because, with glutted markets, the bourgeoisie is unable to sell all its products and therefore defaults on loans on a massive scale. Rescued by the bourgeois state, the banks recover their solvency on the backs of the taxpayers, who are required to pay higher taxes in return for diminished public services for years into the future, while the bourgeoisies of the various capitalist countries continue exponentially to increase their wealth.
This congress notes that the bourgeois media in this country are offering up two Aunt Sallies to bear the blame for the distress its system is causing to the masses of the working class, including the privileged sections of it – the labour aristocracy and intelligentsia. These are (a) the European Union, and (b) immigration.
This congress asserts that our party is resolutely opposed to the European Union as an imperialist project, but that we are nevertheless aware that the European Union is in no way responsible for the economic crisis.
Congress notes, however, that the single currency has had the effect up to now of concentrating the worst effects of that crisis on Greece, Portugal, Spain and Ireland. This inequality has created pressures within the European Union which threaten to tear it asunder – a result that we would welcome. However, whether the European Union survives or not will not affect the economic crisis which will progress relentlessly to the end of its cycle.
This congress notes that, because full employment is extremely rare under the conditions of capitalism, the capitalist system puts workers in competition with each other to secure whatever employment opportunities exist.
Congress further notes that, to safeguard its iniquitous system, the bourgeoisie encourages workers to blame each other for the lack of jobs – exploiting differences of nationality, race, religion, gender, or any other which is to hand.
This congres believes that workers need to understand that we can only confront the real cause of our misery – the capitalist economic system – if we unite for the purpose, overcoming all forms of racism and xenophobia, which only harm the proletarian movement.
This congress further believes that the recent successes of the UK Independence Party in local elections, in which it fought on a platform of opposition to the European Union and to immigration, bears testimony to the seductive appeal of such wrong ideas among those who are worst affected by the bourgeoisie’s onslaught on workers’ livelihoods and living standards.
Congress therefore resolves that our party must redouble its efforts to spread among the broadest sections of the working class the understanding that the real cause of the present austerity is the capitalist system; that the only solution is socialism, and that there is an absolute need for unity of workers regardless of nationality, race, religion, sex, etc in the fight to overthrow capitalism and establish and build socialism.
