FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Left Unity has issued a statement on the situation in Ukraine, saying that there should be “no foreign intervention in Ukraine – whether political, economic or military”.
The acting officers of the new left wing party are calling for “democracy and equality for all the people of Ukraine”, condemning the different forms of nationalism, corrupti...on and neoliberalism, and the drive to war.
The full statement is below.
Speakers from Left Unity are available for interview. For more information contact
press@leftunity.org or Tom on 07817 024364
Notes to editors
Left Unity is the new party of the left in Britain. Founded in November 2013, it already has over 1,400 members and 40 branches across the country.
FULL STATEMENT FOLLOWS
Against nationalism, corruption, privatisation and war
The continuing political and economic crisis in Ukraine is taking a dangerous military turn.
Left Unity takes the position that there can only be a political solution to this crisis and that neither foreign military intervention nor foreign political and economic intervention provide the answers to Ukraine’s complex problems.
Whether under the flag of US, NATO, Russia or the European Union, military intervention only ever makes the situation many times worse. So it is in Ukraine. The West’s hypocrisy in condemning Russia for breaking international law is breathtaking: nevertheless, Russian troops hold no solution to the crisis.
As Ukraine experiences a deep economic crisis, it also has to be clear that neo-liberal economic policies - with the swingeing privatisation and austerity that will accompany them - will only exacerbate tensions and conflicts within the country, which will find a nationalist expression rather than confronting the real problems facing all Ukrainian citizens.
For decades, internationally, neo-liberal economic policies have contributed to inter-community conflict and social division and Ukraine will be no exception. The Ukrainian people had some success fighting privatisation in the 1990s and this can happen again. Economic policies which will meet the needs of all communities within Ukraine must be supported as a matter of urgency.
The only beneficiaries of neo-liberal policies will be capitalist interests outside of Ukraine and far right and fascist forces which are resurgent within Ukraine. Already these reactionary movements have used the crisis to increase their political weight even at a governmental level.
Political corruption has been rife at the top of political life in Ukraine, rightly provoking an outpouring of popular revulsion but this cannot be used as the justification for attacks and scape-goating of any community. There are oligarchs in all parts of the political elite controlling the overwhelming majority of the country’s wealth.
The demands of the Ukrainian people for transparency and democracy in Ukrainian political life must be respected and implemented. All peoples of Ukraine must have their full human rights guaranteed including freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate together with equality of citizenship and language rights and respect for the autonomy of communities under the constitution. There can be no second class citizens in any country.
- No foreign intervention in Ukraine – whether political, economic or military
- Democracy and equality for all the people of Ukraine.
