ECM 2012, Contribution of the Hungarian Communist and Workers' Party [En.]

Contribution of Gyula Thürmer,

president of the Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party

(Brussels, 1-2 October 2012.)

Dear Comrades,

On behalf of the Hungarian Communist Workers’ Party I would like to thank the Communist Party of Greece for initiating and organising our meeting today.

We are grateful for the evaluation given by comrade Papariga about the events in Greece. We confirm our solidarity with Greek communists. The KKE has fresh combat experience of class struggle. It is important for our fight. We have included the study of the recent experience of the Greek communists into the agenda of Political Academy of the HCWP.

Comrades,

There is no revolutionary situation in Hungary but the question of revolution objectively rises on the agenda.

It is clear that capitalist forces are unable to solve the crisis and it will continue for years. If the European affairs worsen, the situation in Hungary could change dramatically.

We see it as our task to prepare the party and the working masses for this course of events.

We can say on the basis of concrete facts that the crisis of European and Hungarian capitalism has changed the conduct of the working people and their attitude towards our party.

● The number of people hurt, annoyed by capitalism, is rising. High inflation, high unemployment, the bank credits which people cannot pay are hanging over working masses like a sword of Damocles. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.

● More and more people realise that there are no definite individual solutions. You can go to work to Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Scandinavia but it is not the real solution.

● People begin to understand that they should do something to change their life. Unfortunately, in this respect we are still behind Greece, Spain, and Portugal..

● As far as more and more people lose confidence in the parliamentary parties the communist alternative is becoming for many of them a possible alternative. No doubt it is one of the alternatives, but not the single one yet.

● Civic organisations, which some time ago used to share the most anti-communist positions, want to cooperate with us. I am speaking about civic organisations representing people who lost their flats or their car because they are not able to repay their loans to the banks, or organisations fighting against poverty or against the new electoral law limitation the citizens’ right to vote.

● The moral authority of communists, the public respect to us, communists has been raising. There is not an earthquake movement towards us yet but if things are going to be worse - and they are going to be - , our influence can rise rapidly.

The actual conservative government of Mr. Orban swore to save Hungary from the Greek disease. They are full of fear. If the EU cannot solve the crisis, it will immediately lead to worsening of the situation in Hungary. The Greek disease will come inevitably.

The conservative government tries to prevent it by new counterattacks. They buy a part of the workers. The railway transit of goods was privatised and the government gave 5% of the income to the railway workers. Now the government promised to sell some of the shares of the state owned companies to the employees themselves.

The government uses anti-communism, nationalism and Catholicism to frighten people and to change the moral basis of the society. Now they want to change electoral law with the aim to prevent working people to participate in the elections.

What are we doing in this situation?

● First, we explain people that the capitalist system is responsible for their problems, and the system should be changed.

● Second, we go on the streets to hold as much as possible meetings to talk to the people.

● Third, we pay serious attention to the political education of our leading cadres.

● Fourth, we study the experience of other communist parties.

● Fifth, we declared to build up an alliance of workers’ and all working people suffering from capitalism. We are far from being satisfied but we have started this work.

Comrades,

We think that our evaluation of the crisis accepted more than a year ago is correct also today. We said: „The historical limits of capitalism are being demonstrated objectively, as it cannot solve the basic problems of the peoples.” It is correct.

It does not mean that there is a revolutionary situation in Europe today. But it means that our duty is to demonstrate to the working people that only socialism can solve their problems. It means that we should fight against ideologies and policies telling the people that they need nothing more than partial reforms, modernisation, a social Europe etc. It means that we should teach our parties to fight on the streets and to prepare them for radical changes. It means that we should seek allies among workers and other working groups of the society suffering from capitalism.

We agree that capitalism threatens peace. We condemn the aggression against Syria and we support the actual system headed by president Assad. We must not repeat always the same mistakes. We supported Yugoslavia, but we did not support Milosevic. The imperialists have problems not with Syria, but with the anti-imperialist Syria.

The threat of war in Europe is becoming a reality. No matter whether there will be a new European Union subordinated to Germany, or there will be a Europe of two speeds, both of them are wrong for working masses. If capitalism does not see other possibilities they will use war to oppress masses.

The United States would try to regain its lost positions and to re-divide the word. They would attack China and the Islamic world.

The process of the so-called democratic transition in Eastern Europe has stopped. Belarus is alive despite the sanctions. Ukraine turned away from NATO and EU. In Serbia a more national line triumphed on the elections. The EU seems to come to an end of its political possibilities. A war in Europe would be a disaster but capitalism will risk it if it does not see other chances.

Comrades,

Our parties are different. Some of us are in the bourgeois parliament, or even in the bourgeois government. But all of us are communists. To be communist is not just a word. It means that we hate the existing system, we want to overthrow it. This is the word what Marx and Engels used in 19^th century. And we should do it in the 21^st. And we shall do it.