N° 29 novembre 2022 Italy: Fratelli of Italy as a loyal servant of capitalism! The government chaired by G. Meloni who with his Fratelli d'Italia party (far right) won the legislative elections in Italy (1) has just taken office.
In the Hebdo N°788 , we headlined: "What is Fratelli d'Italia for!" to conclude: "In Italy, as in many EU countries, the ruling classes need to base their anti-social policy on a minimum of consensus. They seek it in class collaboration by liquidating the revolutionary forces, but at the same time they must find receptacles for discontent and control its eventual explosion. their role in social setbacks". It didn't take long for this analysis to be verified. Today, in view of this new Italian government, commentators insist on the idea that it is there to: "reassure Brussels and the markets". Mrs von der Leyen who chairs the European Commission and who before the elections threatened to sanction Italy if the coalition around Fratelli d'Italia won is now reassured! For his part, E. Macron, traveling to Italy, rushed to an appointment with the new Prime Minister G. Meloni. In short, in this role-playing game aimed at fooling Italian workers with the aim of creating the best conditions for employers to exploit them, everyone has fulfilled their mission. Among the main ministers and they have been put in this place for that, it is many supporters of a pro-NATO and pro-European Union line who make up the backbone of this government. Let us judge: The first vice-president, A. Tajani, was president of the European parliament from 2017 to 2019; Finance Minister G.(2) and that of Mr. Draghi (3) , an investment banker who became president of the European Central Bank after having been president of the Bank of Italy. As for the Minister of the Interior, he is a former prefect. The coalition around Fratelli d'Italia is therefore there as a faithful servant of capitalism in Italy!
(1) https://www.sitecommunistes.org/index.php/monde/monde/2008-rubrique-internationale-iran-sommet-de-l-organisation-de-cooperation-de-shanghai
(2) G. Conte Prime Minister from 2018-2021, he chaired the 5 Star Movement
(3) Vice-President for Europe of Goldman Sachs from 2002 to 2005, he was Governor of the Bank of Italy from 2006 to 2011, then President of the Central Bank European from 2011 to 2019. He was Prime Minister of the previous government
USA: the benefits of capitalism: never has life expectancy dropped so much and so quickly!
Recent data provided by the US Census Bureau shows a historic drop in life expectancy in this country. It fell from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 years in 2021. Such a drop in such a short period of time is unprecedented and very significant. If the Covid 19 epidemic has weighed heavily with, since the start of the pandemic, 1,023,802 deaths(*), this is largely due to the absence of a mass vaccination policy, but this is not enough to explain such a rapid decline in life expectancy. The causes of this historic decline are much deeper and relate to the general health status of the population and its living conditions. Due to the absence of a general social protection system based on the production of wealth, access to care, even the most basic, is non-existent for many American workers and especially for the categories of the population living in insecurity. Access to healthcare is a luxury that millions of employees cannot afford. In reality, what is at issue are the ravages of capitalism in the United States and that
Communist Party of China (CCP) Congress: Some Early Lessons
The 20th Congress of the CPC has just ended. it was opened by an intervention by Xi Jinping giving an overview of the economic, social and political situation of the country since the 19th Congress and of China in a world in turmoil. While the speech largely highlighted what the party's general secretary considers major advances in achieving what he calls a moderately prosperous society and projected action towards building a socialist society with Chinese and recalled the unwavering desire to bring Taiwan back into the bosom of the mother country, he was careful not to underline the serious difficulties that the Chinese economy is going through with a marked economic slowdown due, among other things, to a policy of managing the pandemic of covid19. This policy marked by extremely harsh confinement, immobilizing millions of workers has weighed and continues to weigh on the Chinese economy. In addition, the situation of the real estate sector marked by business defaults and bankruptcies, results of intense speculative activity of public and private entrepreneurs, also have an impact on growth. Remember that the real estate sector represents 1//4 of China's GDP. The ruthless economic war that the United States is waging against China to stem its commercial power obviously plays a role in the difficulties the country faces today. From the inaugural speech, it is very difficult to draw clear lessons on the inflections and/or changes that the country's management intends to carry out in the years to come. This of "China will open its door more widely to the rest of the world." "We will be steadfast in deepening reform and opening up in all areas, as well as pursuing high-quality development ," he said. Adding during a meeting with the press at the Great Hall of the People: "that a prosperous China would create many more opportunities for the world".
According to Xi Jinping, thanks to more than 40 years of unremitting reform and opening up: "China has created the two miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability".
These statements clearly indicate the continuation of the policy of integrating China's development into capitalist globalization. What may be new is that the state plays an even more active role in the process of developing a powerful monopoly capitalism capable of placing itself in global competition, even of dominating it in certain sectors. Such an orientation results in a simultaneous development of a military force able to match or surpass that of the United States capitalist power today.
To achieve such objectives and cope with a complex economic situation, the path chosen was that of an unprecedented strengthening of central power and particularly that of the Secretary General.
Xi Jinping who, like his predecessors, combines the functions of President of the Republic, General Secretary of the CPC and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, broke a taboo in 2018 by amending the Constitution to be able to serve more than two presidential terms. and therefore stay in power as long as he wishes.
The Party is centered on the person of Xi Jingpin to the point that the statutes of the CCP modified at the 20th Congress formalize :"[the] incorporation [in the party statutes] of the development of Xi Jinping Thought" . He revived the personality cult condemned by Deng Xiaoping. Today, no official speech in China begins without a reference to Xi Jinping. Officials are strongly encouraged to study speeches and “Xi Jinping Thought” . The CCP's resolution on the Party Statutes is caricatural. It refers 20 times to Xi Jingping, including 4 times in the expression "Party gathered around Xi Jingping" , 3 times in the expression "the central position of Xi Jingping" and 7 times in ... "the thought of Xi Jingping" . It is further written:"Resolutely safeguarding the central position of Comrade Xi Jingping in the central committee and the Party and the authority of the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the duty that Party members must impose on themselves . "
What dominates, therefore, is a hyper-hierarchical vision of the Party where obedience to the Management and its Secretary General is the common thread. Everything stems from Xi Jinping's thinking that needs to be applied throughout society. It is obvious that the light coming from above doubt is not allowed. The Party falls back into the ways of Maoism, of an impoverished Marxist thought schematized under the term of sinicization. Whereas Marxism is in essence universal!
The election of the leadership of the CCP, that of the Central Committee as well as that of the permanent committee confirms that the power is concentrated, as never before, in the hands of the general secretary and a close-knit team around him.
In provisional conclusion, our assessment of China's place in the imperialist system remains (*) .
(2) https://www.sitecommunistes.org/index.php/publications/documents/2007-a-propos-de-l-imperialisme- Aujourd-hui