[Individual-members-EL] A few questions / informations
Francis King
francis at socialisthistorysociety.co.uk
Tue Sep 2 00:31:08 CEST 2008
Hi all
Here in Britain the "Private Finance Initiative" has been the "Labour"
government's favourite vehicle for privatising public services.
Basically, it gets the private sector to pay upfront for new state
hospitals etc. by offering extremely favourable terms over the full term
of the investment. In the short term, we get new facilities, in the
medium and longer term, we pay much more for them than we would have
done if the state had paid for them directly. Worse still, in many cases
the state never gets to own the facility, so our new local hospitals or
schools are leased from private companies in perpetuity. The profits are
pocketed by the government's business friends. Many of the PFI companies
involved are major donors to our main political parties. There is a foul
smell of corruption about the whole business.
The trade union UNISON has published several reports into the whole PFI
system; you can read them on the UNISON website here:
http://www.unison.org.uk/pfi/index.asp
Cheers
Francis
Nina Sankari wrote:
> Dear Friends,
> I will participate in ESF Malmo, representing European Feministe
> Initiative. I agree with all you are telling and share your feelings,
> could speak about my sad personnal experience with a company formally
> located in a tax heaven (British Virgin Island).
> Best regards from Poland
> NIna
> On Sun, Aug 31, 2008 at 7:12 PM, Georges SOSSOIS
> <georgecamille.sossois at compaqnet.be
> <mailto:georgecamille.sossois at compaqnet.be>> wrote:
>
> Have you considered the case of Belgium where transnational firms
>
> enjoy royal privileges which have provoked President Bush's
> admiration? Some pay 1.25% company tax instead of the 40% in the
> rest of the country. (notional interests they call that)
>
> It must be very social since the tax laws have been voted by a
> _socialist_-liberal majority!
>
> Say some socialist M.P.'s :" We did not know it would go so far !"
>
>
>
> The present chairman of the Socialist Party, when he was Minister
> of Public Companies, had presented the new shareholding policy
> about Belgacom if I remember (Telephone Company).
>
> An M.P. recounted the diverse elements and reached 49.9% for the
> State participation instead of the announced 50.1%.
>
> The Minister answered "It does not interest people".
>
> No comment!
>
>
>
> Another thing. People were complaining about the poor results in
> Peking. A socialist Minister proposed to suppress the
> "philosophical courses" ( religions + non confessional "morale")
> and replace that by gymnastic. A brilliant (!)"Socialist"
> predecessor preferred healthy bodies to full heads: guess who?
> Adolf Hitler himself!!
>
> I do not invent it: it is written in "Mein Kampf". Cautiously the
> Minister of Education, another socialist, said it was impossible
> to change that as the "philosophical courses" are guaranteed by
> the Constitution.
>
> But no condemnation of that stupidity. It is not gymnastics they
> should give but History, shouldn't they?
>
>
>
> As for schools the situation is different in Belgium: we have very
> few private schools but we have "free" schools ( teachers are paid
> by the State but the rest is provided by the parents. There we
> have a free private management). 70% of the schools are "free"
> (mostly catholic) schools in the Flanders and 55% in the French
> speaking part of Belgium. There the Community pays (except for
> books).
>
> In the schools depending on the local authorities, more and more
> things are given to the private sector (school -kitchen,
> maintenance, etc). They have been cautious enough to go
> progressively in order not to shock, nationally, the trade-unions.
>
>
>
> Since 1958, there is a competition amongst free schools and
> between the free school sector and the public one.
>
> More than once I have heard Centrists saying that public schools
> should be subsidised like the free ones.
>
> Now that we have lower means in our public schools, headmasters
> have more liberty to run the system.
>
> There are conflicts with the handworkers' union because my
> headmaster is giving the sack to hand workers in order to dispose
> of more money. For the rest he is playing with unemployed people
> set to work, so he can pay less. Therefore we have more and more
> hand workers who are not statutory and more obedient. Before all
> this was decided in Brussels but the bad job of giving the sack is
> given to the headmasters.
>
> That is what is happening after 20 years of "socialist" power.
> Needless to say that they have reduced the money in the school system.
>
>
>
> The conditions being better in the private sector, there is a lack
> of teachers so 1/3 are employed without the guarantees of a normal
> statute (chemists who teach mathematics, e.g.).As a shop steward,
> I can't motivate them to resist. Some tell me "Why should I take
> care? I'll find a better job in the private sector. It's just a
> matter of time and opportunities....... ".
>
> And some do. Some take part-time: they are self-dependent and it
> is just to earn money before the
>
> business develops itself.
>
> Some say "I adapt myself ".
>
> There were in the past many trade-union militants amongst the
> teacher. In my school, I am almost alone
>
> to speak about trade-unionism and actions. Who is going to teach
> about solidarity in such a context?
>
> The situation is much more difficult for my colleagues in the
> "catholic" schools.
>
>
>
> It will take me time to read the very interesting documentation
> sent by Mike. Sometimes I wonder "Where is all this going to stop?
> » Are we going back to Jurassic Park ?
>
>
>
> Georges
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Nagler" <mnel at gmx.net <mailto:mnel at gmx.net>>
> To: <individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de
> <mailto:individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de>>
> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 7:36 PM
> Subject: [Individual-members-EL] A few questions / informations
>
> Dear friends,
>
> i am at the moment a little bit busy with things at our local
> level - thats
> why i didnt took part on discussions on that list after the 3rd
> european
> left summer universitiy..
>
> I have a few things that i want to tell you - and i looking
> forward if you
> can give me some help or informations on that:
>
>
> 1. At the moment our local parlament in our communitiy in Leipzig
> (east of
> germany) is going to make some contracts in (part-)privatisation
> in form of
> public-private-partnership. That concerns schools and perhaps also
> daycare
> facility for children. Its planned to make a decicion on that in
> the local
> parlament end of the year. At the moment we try to initiate a
> public debate
> on that - to stop that plans on privatisation. We have some
> experiences in
> other german cities with PPP and know also a bit about the big
> deals on that
> in other countries.
> Do you have any experiences with Public-Private-Partnerships in your
> country/region/city? It would help us very much to know about your
> experiences.
>
>
> 2. Few months ago i wrote that we are planning activities at the
> European
> Social Forum in Malmoe that will take part from 17.-21. september
> 2008.
> ("We" means in that sense different groups that work against
> privatisation
> in different european countries - individual members of the EL
> initiated
> that activity.)
> That preparations nearly finished and during the merging process
> on the ESF
> now there will be a meeting that is supported by different groups
> that do
> active work against privatization of public goods or even on
> remuncipalisation or socialization.
>
> For more informations on that see the enclosed document.
>
> Will anyone on that list take part at the ESF this year? If yes -
> it would
> be a nice idea to have a small meeting on individual members there.
>
>
> 3. As member in Attac and the Taxjustic-Network i am involved at
> the moment
> in preparations on a campaign against tax havens. That campaign
> will start
> in spring 2009 - of course also because next year will be
> elections for the
> european parlament - and we want to place that topic in the election
> campaign. (2009 we will have elections in my region at the local, the
> regional, the national and the european level.)
>
> I address this to you in the name of the working group on
> financial markets
> and taxes from Attac Germany because we are preparing an
> exhibition on tax
> havens. We want to show photos from real tax havens and Offshore
> Centers and
> inform people on tax evasion. The exhibition has already stations
> in 10
> cities in Austria and Germany, and the TJN UK, Attac Norway and
> France are
> also interested.
>
> We would be glad if we could get some photos from tax-havens and
> would like
> to asked you whether you could spread the call for photos among
> people that
> live in tax-havens.
>
> There is more information in english on the planned exhibition and
> the photo
> competition in the Newsletter of the TaxJusticeNetwork (page. 17):
> http://www.taxjustice.net/cms/upload/pdf/TJF_4-2_AABA_-_Research.pdf
>
> On our homepage there are some photos from the tax haven
> Kleinwalsertal (but
> the text is in German):
> http://www.attac-netzwerk.de/ag-finanzmarkt-steuern/themen/steuern/steueroasen-ausstellung/#c4785
>
> Biggest tax havens in europe: Guernsey, Jersey, Malta, Cyprus,
> Isle of Man,
> Liechtenstein, Gibraltar, Swizerland, Grenada, Ireland, Luxemburg,
> Monaco,
> Andorra, Great Britain, Madeira
>
> The biggest offshore centres in europe are: Belgium, City of London,
> Frankfurt, Netherlands, Swizerland
>
> It would be help us very much if you can spread that information.
> Also if
> you also interested in having that exhibition in your city next
> year - tell
> us.
>
>
> 4. Here an short up to date news from a big trade union demonstration
> initiated by NSZZ "Solidarnosc in Warszaw, poland, on the 29.08.
> with the
> slogan "Decent Work - Decent Life" ("Godna Praca - Godne Zycie").
> . Its a
> slogan in co-ordination from WSF Nairobi 2007. And protest against
> the
> economic policy neoliberal government. 50.000 people took part on
> that
> demonstration.
>
> Photo and video from media:
>
> http://www.tvn24.pl/12690,1562878,0,1,petardy-w-kancelarie-premiera,wiadomosc.html
>
> http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80273,5640578,Zwiazkowcy_pod_kancelaria_premiera__Zlodzieje.html
>
> http://www.wiadomosci24.pl/artykul/manifestacja_solidarnosci_w_warszawie_74832.html
>
> http://www.wiadomosci24.pl/artykul/mms_godna_praca_godna_emerytura_74814.html
>
>
> Best regards from germany,
>
> Mike
>
>
> Mike Nagler
> Körnerplatz 8
> 04107 Leipzig
>
> Mob: +49 (0) 179 - 96 19 584
> @ : mnel at gmx.net <mailto:mnel at gmx.net>
>
> www.april-netzwerk.de <http://www.april-netzwerk.de/>
> www.taxjustice.net <http://www.taxjustice.net/>
> www.attac.de <http://www.attac.de/>
> www.european-left.org <http://www.european-left.org/>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stephen Spence
> To: individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de
> <mailto:individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de>
> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 2:45 PM
> Subject: [Individual-members-EL] New Members of the List
>
>
> Deasr All,
>
> Mike Nagler was adding new members to this list but it still seems
> dead. Is
> there anybody out there?
>
> Best
>
> Stephen Spence
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Individual-members-EL Mailingliste
> JPBerlin - Politischer Provider
> Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de
> <mailto:Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de>
> https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/individual-members-el
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > _______________________________________________
> > Individual-members-EL Mailingliste
> > JPBerlin - Politischer Provider
> > Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de
> <mailto:Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de>
> > https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/individual-members-el
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> Individual-members-EL Mailingliste
> JPBerlin - Politischer Provider
> Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de
> <mailto:Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de>
> https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/individual-members-el
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Individual-members-EL Mailingliste
> JPBerlin - Politischer Provider
> Individual-members-EL at listi.jpberlin.de
> https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/individual-members-el
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/private/individual-members-el/attachments/20080901/1c6da5d2/attachment.htm
More information about the Individual-members-EL
mailing list