’I went to the World Social Forum at the request of our international movement – the Committee for Workers’ International – to assist in raising the need for a socialist alternative on a world basis among workers and youth who had gathered from around the globe.
’Although I was on a very tight schedule, due to the pressure of work at home and the forthcoming General Election, it was worth making the effort to go. Listening to the contributions from the platforms by the leading members of the groups which called the Forum, it was very clear that the alternative of socialism has to be introduced into the debates.
’The fact that 100,000 people gathered in Porto Alegre is a real indication of the mood across Latin America for a fight back and the search for an alternative to this bankrupt system.
’The idea put forward that multinationals could be reformed so as not to exploit workers and abuse the environment is fatally flawed. Establishment political parties and dictatorships both, are bought and sold by these corporations. Profit will continue to be the driving force and workers and the environment treated as commodities.
’All over Latin America, massive battles are being waged against the IMF-led agenda of privatisation. It was interesting to exchange experiences with people who are engaged in battles to defend their services and indeed their livelihood in countries like Argentina.
’The situation in Argentina cries out for a coherent programme and leadership to spearhead a movement for the ending of the capitalist system and the socialist transformation of society. The Committee for a WorkersÕ International has a vital role in the debates that are raging on these issues.
’I got an excellent response to the ideas I raised, especially amongst the youth, who had their own counter-summit organised. The Brazilian section of International Socialist Resistance (ISR), the internataional youth movement to which Socialist Youth is affiliated, attracted a lot of interest. Dozens of youth from all over Brazil have agreed to join, and on the basis of the contacts made at the Forum, ISR has now a network covering eight federal states in Brazil.’
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