2. SPRING SOCIAL CONFERENCE
Reclaim Democracy!
Towards Common Actions at a European Level
Thursday 29 and Friday 30 March 2012
The « Joint Social Conference » (JSC) was launched two years ago by a group of 30 trade unions and social movements, precedently involved in the European Social Forum and/or members of ETUC. The JSC is held, in March of each year, as a social alternative to the EU “Spring Summits”.
All relevant information on the JSC objectives, member organizations, press releases can be found on the JSC Website : www.jointsocialconference.eu.
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The 2012 edition of the JSC is of particular importance.
Since 2011, we are witnessing a turning point in Europe. Economic turn : most European countries are now experiencing recession; social turn: unprecedented austerity plans are implemented, generating broad social mobilization by social movements and unions (Indignados, demonstrations, general strikes …); political turn: Neoliberalism has never been so obvious and democracy so threatened in the EU.
All this happens against a background of serious ecological imbalances, the current orientations will only aggravate.
Faced with the indifference of leaders vis-à-vis social mobilization, it is urgent to intensify the struggle, and in particular to develop coordinated action at European level. This will be the JSC’s priority this year.
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Save the dates!
The second spring social conference will be held in Brussels,
at the ITUH (International Trade Union House – building ETUC),
(Boulevard Albert II, 5 – 1000 Brussels)
On Thursday 29 and Friday 30 March, 2012
(From Thursday 10:00 a.m. until Friday 1:00 p.m.)
Followed by a great Inter-networks Conference on Friday 30 March, from 14:00 to 17:00.
(same place)
Download the invitation: Invitation – eng
Download the application form: FORMULAIRE D’inscription – eng
Download the Appeal for European Alter Summit: 2012-02-10 Appel Altersummit ENG Final
Thanx for this, Orsan, and I would like to hope you and other critically-minded activists will attend.
Unfortunately, this ‘alternative’ is self-confined within a past-utopia that never existed. Read this:
‘We want to improve the European social model and defend the people, not banks, corporations, and their main shareholders.
This requires other policies, which means also to review the institutions and treaties; not in the sense of a hardening of punitive neoliberalism, but rather for reclaiming democracy. Alternatives exist. What is lacking today is a balance of power to implement these alternatives and devise political processes in order to bring back the European project on the track of democracy, social and ecological progress’.
‘Improve’, ‘bring back’!
This is a long way away from ‘Another Europe is Possible!’.
And…umm…from recognising that the crisis is due not to the bankers but to capitalism – a word that does not appear in this pathetic search for a non-existing EuroCapitalism.
Reminds me of what the radical feminists said to the liberal feminists in the 1970s, when the latter demanded equality with me. The radical feminists said: ‘This idea lacks ambition’.
Pw
Peter,
Thanks for your valuable and encouraging comments.
Social Europe, even only as an idea is at the moment disappearing among the mist of smoke rising from Athens, I can’t be more agree with you, that it is the highest time to move a step further and claim “Another Europe, Now!”.
On the other hand it is a fact that even the never existed Social Europe is the image of ‘another Europe’ for some of,us, and for the others involving in this process, obviously the vision goes wider and further.
Gladfully there are now many flowers blossoming in Europe and beyond that are trying to formulate feasible and realistic alternatives for global change; like the Arap uprising, 15M, and the Occupy movements; among others like Free Culture and Information movements, Free and Open Source Software and Hardware movements etc,
All these flowers can and should be to talking to and learning from each other in order to bring about a larger ‘counter hegemonic bloc’ may be, without one trying to control the other. (Specially older and stronger brother unions). For that informal and semi-informal netw-org spaces are crucial -for such dialogue and trust to be build on, Mutual recognition and limited commitments are prerequisite for at least laying down these channels of communication and to build possibilities of transnational and trans-forces solidarity, if it can be developed at all.
The ambition of this process actually lies exactly in its trial of solving this high level differential equation of communication towards solidarity, overcoming practical, organisational, traditional and political difficulties that are standing before the success of linking as many progressive and democratic forces as possible around the intersecting issues, [and if it works than bring about a synergy that can contribute to shift the balance of power].
This kind of efforts have been made in the past, yet we have today different capacities in terms of networking and organising, for networks and organisations. Like for instance using the new tool-kit in order to bring best parts of networks and orgnisations together. This is a new possibility we need to embed in these kinds of experiments, the JSC process and similar spaces provides valuable chance for this.
Would be great to hear your and others’ opinions online and in Brussels.