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John Vidal
The Guardian
11.11.2002
On top
of the list, they sought a demilitarised Europe at peace with itself and
the world, an ethical continent that takes a high moral stance against
US imperialism. High on the list too was a radical rethink, or complete
rejection, of the predatory capitalism the continent now knows. They
imagined a Europe that rejected crude market ideology, made institutions
fully accountable, put people before profit, and where big business was
not allowed to dominate the political or consumer agendas. There were
specifics: Europe, they said, should have open borders, and all people
within it should have the right to work and to have a home; it should
have a Tobin tax on financial markets and regulation of corporations;
there should be no GM foods or pollution; no privati sation of public
services; the media should be in the hands of the many not the few; and
racism should be driven out. There was almost complete consensus on
three issues: that "neo-liberalism" - the free-market ideas espoused by
the IMF and G7 - is a violent political and economic doctrine; that
trade with poor countries should be fair; and that one vote every four
years given to political parties run by self-serving elites is no way to
run modern, complex democracies in a globalised economy. |
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