Translated "Avante!" article by Pedro Guerreiro, Member of the Secretariat of the CC

As the PCP highlighted, the British decision on leaving the European Union, expressed in the referendum outcome, on June 23rd, is a serious disturbance within the European capitalist integration process, moreover the United Kingdom, is up to now, one of the great EU powers – a deep disturbance, with multiple replicates, that carry on to be divulged.

A political disturbance – as it hits the European Union core and is feared – representing a courageous sovereignty affirmation before the enormous pressure, mystifying and blackmail campaign. A ferocious campaign that carries on, currently pointing out all kinds of negative epithets towards the “ungrateful” workers and the British people, making them responsible for all the wrong in the world, including, amazingly (!), for the economic crisis aggravation.
The European Union and all its fervent bellmen, from the right-wing unto the “ left-wing” Europeans – each with their point of view, but all with the same purpose -, therefore seeking, ignoring the essential, in other words, that the referendum outcome ought to signify, above all, exploitation, precariousness, impoverishment, attack to labour and social rights ,economic destruction, national sovereignty disrespect rejection, and that the European Union performs, promotes and represents.

Before, as now, in seeking to reduce the British people’s vote to a xenophobia expression, the purpose is to deny responsibility and safeguard its exploitation and oppression policies, by using and promoting the right-wing and by attacking and silencing all those who ought to perform a real alternative to a more and more federalist, neo-liberal and militarist European Union. In other words, by attacking and silencing all those who, although not offering the far right-wing the national legitimate feelings’ instrumentalization, before national oppression, raise the banner in the defence of national sovereignty, justice and social progress, peace. In this regard, one ought to observe how the great capital performs in the United Kingdom, in order to avoid the opening of a political space concerning the reaffirming and widening of the desire of political change , expressed in the referendum outcome.

Great is the lack of focus, before an unthinkable outcome. One finds everything, from the revanchist appeal in order to avoid other peoples to follow the same direction, unto the attempt of contradicting the referendum’s result, and even the denial state. Meetings of two, three, six and even 27 ( excluding the United Kingdom), are announced. As usual, the immediate reflex is the federalist vertigo, the run ahead. Disillusion for those that despair as a result of a “shock” and “turnover”, within the EU. It is enough to read the German and France ministers of Foreign Affairs recent conjoint “statement” or the European Counsel’s decisions, concluded yesterday, to understand that, within the EU, the Euro, has but one only purpose.

However, even among the heralds, there are voices within the EU that alert for the consequences of new federalist reveries, with the conscience that contradiction is exposed and is more and more felt. The incurable contradiction of an integration process, with the objective of imposing supranational institutions and rules, in order to, behind the political domain – jeopardizing national sovereignty – reach a greater economic domain for the great powers and economic and financial groups, in open conflict with the workers and peoples of the different countries’ interests and needs.
As Álvaro Cunhal highlighted “ experience makes each people’s struggle indispensable in order to insure their national interests’ defence, its right to define its own policy, national independence and sovereignty”.