April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal
April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal
proportion of graduated young people are filling the ranks of the unemployed once their studies end. The future for young Algerians is often seen as a choice between prison and exile, and suicides rate among this category of the population reaches sky-high proportions. The building of “fortress Europe” and the increasing repressive measures being taken against the numerous candidates for emigration to Europe mean that in practice, there is no other way out for these young people than to take the road of struggle and collective action. Although generalised, the present movement mainly involves those deprived youths from poor neighbourhoods, and has not yet gathered around it the active mobilisation of the mass of the population. The entering into action of the working class will be necessary to give this movement a more organised and mass character, and avoid it being transformed into futile and disorganised acts of despair that could be more easily crushed by the state forces. While in Tunisia, the trade union federation, the UGTT (General Union of Tunisian Workers) has expressed its solidarity with the youth and assisted their struggle through calling for action, the Algerian workers can hardly rely on such initiatives from the UGTA (General Union of Algerian Workers), which has reached an incredible level of corruption, betrayal and subservience to the Bouteflika regime. The only public statement made by the UGTA leadership until now has disgustingly defended the government’s version of the situation. Over the last few years, this submission to the government has cut it off from entire sectors of trade unionists, who left the UGTA to join more combative, independent trade unions. The battle to vitalise, unify and democratise these independent trade unions are some of the important tasks facing the working class at the present. The setting up of local committees of resistance in the neighbourhoods and in the workplaces could be a very useful tool in order to assist the struggle of the youth, to involve the rest of the population in mass actions, and to coordinate, along with independent trade unions, work stoppages on a national level. Already, some sectors, such as the dockers of Algiers’ port or workers from the healthcare sector, are talking about engaging in strike action. This is of a huge importance. Generalising such steps could transform the situation. An appeal for a national strike in support of the youth rebellion would enjoy a mass response and would contribute to transform the huge anger and frustration that exists into a much more powerful movement, that could potentially bring this rotten regime down, and open the way for really democratic, and socialist change. www.socialistworld.net Climate capitalism’ won at Cancun - everyone else loses
Patrick Bond 13 December 2010 CANCUN, MEXICO. The December 11 closure of the 16th Conference of the Parties – the global climate summit - in balmy Cancun was portrayed by most participants and mainstream journalists as a victory, a ‘step forward’. Bragged US State Department lead negotiator Todd Stern, “Ideas that were first of all, skeletal last year, and not approved, are now approved and elaborated.” After elite despondency when the Copenhagen Accord was signed last December 18 by five countries behind the scenes, resulting in universal criticism, there is now a modicum of optimism for the next meeting of heads of state and ministers, in steamy Durban in the dogdays of a South African summer a year from now. But this hope relies upon a revival of market-based climate strategies which, in reality, are failing everywhere they have been tried. The elites’ positive spin is based on reaching an international consensus (though Bolivia formally dissented) and establishing instruments to manage the climate crisis using capitalist techniques. Cancun’s defenders argue that the last hours’ agreements include acknowledgements that emissions cuts must keep world temperature increases below 2°C, with consideration to be given to lowering the target to 1.5°C. Negotiators also endorsed greater transparency about emissions, a Green Climate Fund led by the World Bank, introduction of forest-related investments, transfers of technology for renewable energy, capacitybuilding and a strategy for reaching legally-binding protocols in future. According to UN climate official Christiana Figueres, formerly a leading carbon trader, “Cancun has done its job. Nations have shown they can work together under a common roof, to reach consensus on a common cause.” Status quo or step back? But look soberly at what was needed to reverse current warming and what was actually delivered. Negotiators in Cancun’s luxury Moon Palace hotel complex failed by any reasonable measure. As Bolivian President Evo Morales complained, “It’s easy for people in an air-conditioned room to continue with the policies of destruction of Mother Earth. We need instead to put ourselves in the shoes of families in Bolivia and worldwide that lack water and food and suffer misery and hunger. People here in Cancun have no idea what it is like to be a victim of climate change.”
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Patrick Bond 13 December 2010<br />
CANCUN, MEXICO. The December 11 closure <strong>of</strong> the 16th Conference <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Parties – the global climate summit - in balmy Cancun was portrayed by<br />
most participants and mainstream journalists as a victory, a ‘step<br />
<strong>for</strong>ward’. Bragged US State Department lead negotiator Todd Stern, “Ideas<br />
that were first <strong>of</strong> all, skeletal last year, and not approved, are now<br />
approved and elaborated.”<br />
After elite despondency when the Copenhagen Accord was signed last<br />
December 18 by five countries behind the scenes, resulting in universal<br />
criticism, there is now a modicum <strong>of</strong> optimism <strong>for</strong> the next meeting <strong>of</strong><br />
heads <strong>of</strong> state and ministers, in steamy Durban in the dogdays <strong>of</strong> a South<br />
African summer a year from now. But this hope relies upon a revival <strong>of</strong><br />
market-based climate strategies which, in reality, are failing everywhere<br />
they have been tried.<br />
The elites’ positive spin is based on reaching an international consensus<br />
(though Bolivia <strong>for</strong>mally dissented) and establishing instruments to manage<br />
the climate crisis using capitalist techniques. Cancun’s defenders argue<br />
that the last hours’ agreements include acknowledgements that emissions<br />
cuts must keep world temperature increases below 2°C, with consideration<br />
to be given to lowering the target to 1.5°C.<br />
Negotiators also endorsed greater transparency about emissions, a Green<br />
Climate Fund led by the World Bank, introduction <strong>of</strong> <strong>for</strong>est-related<br />
investments, transfers <strong>of</strong> technology <strong>for</strong> renewable energy, capacitybuilding<br />
and a strategy <strong>for</strong> reaching legally-binding protocols in future.<br />
According to UN climate <strong>of</strong>ficial Christiana Figueres, <strong>for</strong>merly a leading<br />
carbon trader, “Cancun has done its job. Nations have shown they can<br />
work together under a common ro<strong>of</strong>, to reach consensus on a common<br />
cause.”<br />
Status quo or step back?<br />
But look soberly at what was needed to reverse current warming and what<br />
was actually delivered. Negotiators in Cancun’s luxury Moon Palace hotel<br />
complex failed by any reasonable measure. As Bolivian President Evo<br />
Morales complained, “It’s easy <strong>for</strong> people in an air-conditioned room to<br />
continue with the policies <strong>of</strong> destruction <strong>of</strong> Mother Earth. We need instead<br />
to put ourselves in the shoes <strong>of</strong> families in Bolivia and worldwide that lack<br />
water and food and suffer misery and hunger. People here in Cancun have<br />
no idea what it is like to be a victim <strong>of</strong> climate change.”
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