Today the Hellenic Parliament is voting whether or not to adopt the final stage of their austerity measures. People are watching with either joy or fear, but are certainly anticipating something momentous today. If it is adopted, the world will be safe from economic collapse, and many countries and Banks will be happy they did it. The ones who will not be happy are those who needed the benefits from welfare and labor unions. Without it, they will be helpless against the rising tide of privatization that will occur should the law be passed today. Obviously that would want us to help the Greek people, right.
Comrades, I would like you to pay attention to exactly what they are trying to accomplish. Their goal is to keep the welfare system alive, so that they can live with relative prosperity. My problem is not that the welfare system is going to bring down the economy, but rather that the welfare system is something the revolutionary left should avoid supporting.
I’ll start out with a trivia question. Who created the first welfare state? Otto Von Bismark. Yes, you heard me right. A monarchist responsible for creating a militaristic empire created the first welfare state. Why would he do something so contrary to his beliefs? He didn’t. He believed that the welfare state will accomplish a goal he needed to secure power. The welfare system will sedate the workers with benefits that keep them from revolting against the state. This weakens the position of the left parties, and keeps the conservative parties in power, thus preventing any socialist control of the government. And so Bismarck achieves both control over the populace and prevents the socialist Revolution from occurring. What is Welfare doing today? the very same thing.
The people of Greece others also suffering from a straining welfare system shouldn’t fight to keep it, but instead to replace it. As Socialists, Welfare is a tool of oppression, another opiate for the masses, but with the State as the god. But we must not side with those corporate pigs trying increase their control over the workers under the guise of “financial aid.” Greece must revolt not to save the system, but to replace it. But what should replace welfare? The Dictatorship of the Proletariat, cooperatives, Labor unions, Worker Councils, anything that provides mutual, not welfare aid. Help from our neighbors, not help from the capitalist state. And if the revolts have anything to show, it is that the Greek people are united against the Capitalist, but they need to know that welfare is also capitalist. Only then can we socialists truly support the Greeks.
Written by DeathlessLegends13
Red Star Vanguard 