UNITYblog EDITORIAL: When will the revolt erupting in Europe surface in NZ?

Eventually the revolt that's beginning to spread in Europe (see below) will surface in NZ. The left needs to prepare. We need to be organised to give leadership to any anger that erupts here in the next year or so. To give effective leadership we will need to establish a relationship of trust with a large numbers of New Zealanders. To reach people we still desperately need to come together in organised ways so as to achieve a certain critical mass that will have any hope of changing this countries political landscape. We need a small army of activists spreading a "protect our people" message through various methods of mass outreach (leaflets, emails, texts, meetings, demos, etc). If we come together in a larger enough numbers we can also expect to have more of an impact in the mainstream media. And we can be a more realistic force in democratic elections. Regarding the latter, leftists throughout the country need to be looking ahead to the 2010 local body elections and weighing up whether there's the possibility in different cities of broad left coalitions forming to contest those elections. Matt McCarten and others are looking at this possibility in Auckland. To connect with people fearful of the deepening recession and impact it will have on them, RAM - Residents Action Movement is a issuing a series of leaflets that explain the economic crisis and raise concrete demands that would protect grassroots people. To get copies of these leaflets email RAM chair Grant Brookes grant_brookes@paradise.net.nz

From Edinburgh to Paris to Kiev, Europe is revolting by Paola Totaro from Sydney Morning Herald 28 March 2009 The signs are everywhere, from smashed windows in the mansion of a British banker to the thousands who took to the streets of Kiev to decry pay cuts: Europe is rebelling. As world leaders strut the stages of Washington, New York and soon, London, in a bid to forge a united response to the global financial crisis, the rising cost of living, mortgages heading skywards, job losses and a tide of home repossessions have sparked a chilling fear of the future and propelled the citizens of Europe into open uprising.

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