No Capitalism Without Crisis
May Day statement

On May Day, we put forward our alternative. It is libertarian communism, a society without governments or bosses. A society of peace and freedom, of justice and equality. We can build a new world. It is the only way out of the irrational, unjust and unsustainable one we live in today.

Origins

In Chicago in 1886, anarchist union organisers were framed for the death of police killed by a bomb which exploded at a workers’ rally on 4 May. Convicted in a farce of a trial, four were executed and one committed suicide the day before to avoid sharing that fate. Years later, all were exonerated. The campaign for justice for the Haymarket Martyrs grew into an international movement for commemorating May Day as building the unity of workers around the world.

The Recovery We Had to Have

120 years later, world capitalism fell into a crisis bigger than any since the Depression. Starting in the U.S. real estate market, then spreading to financial markets there and in Europe, and finally choking off trade and investment patterns worldwide, fear of bad debts laid low great corporations and whole nations. Governments around the world responded with massive stimulus packages, racking up huge debts to do so. Weak recoveries are now underway in the U.S. and Europe, while Asia and Australia are returning to what appears like normality. Here in Australia, though, “normal” means housing being priced out of workers’ reach by landlords, racist scapegoating of refugees, junking of action on climate change, and grave warnings against workers’ wage rises.

You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet

The current recovery, however, merely sets the scene for a new crisis. The public finances of the U.S. and Europe are ruined. Greece has already reached the limit of its credit and several other countries are close behind. Meanwhile the boom in China, now the workshop of the world, has unsustainable imbalances. When the insane real estate bubble pops and the badly-planned infrastructure has to be written off, China will drag the world economy to a shivering halt. And the capitalist governments will not have the ability to finance another round of stimulus. The next crisis, when it eventually arrives, promises to be worse.

Workers of the World, Unite!

Around the world, workers have the same enemies. Everywhere, bosses exploit and oppress us. Everywhere, we live in societies vulnerable to irrational crises. The bosses want us to believe we have to make sacrifices to “save” the economy of whatever country we are in. Whether it is in Australia, China, Greece or the United States, this is a lie. The bosses’ recipe is just a race to the bottom. Around the world, workers are on the same side. We can unite to fight back against exploitation, unemployment, environmental destruction and all forms of oppression. On May Day, we put forward our alternative. It is libertarian communism, a society without governments or bosses. A society of peace and freedom, of justice and equality. We can build a new world. It is the only way out of the irrational, unjust and unsustainable one we live in today.