Capitalism is the problem

The oil slick caused by the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker is an environmental,
economic and social disaster.
An environmental disaster because its effects on marine life are extremely serious and
will last for many years. An economic and social disaster because fishing and shellfish
farming are the main activities for thousands of people, either directly (fishermen and
shellfish farmers) or indirectly (food transformation industries, transport, etc), who are
now suddenly deprived of their source of income.
But oil slicks are not natural accidents. Convenience flags, old tankers in a state of
disrepair, the illegal washing up of tankers in open sea, the flouting of existing law, etc
are all the result of the greediness of capitalists, always searching for higher returns. The
interests of the oil companies and the pirates who transport their goods are considered
more important than the interests of the majority of society.It is the same search for
economic profitability which drives all aspects of the Popular Party policies, both in the
Spanish government and in the regional Xunta government, from their policies on
education, to health care, labour policies, housing, etc. Workers and youth cannot expect
anything else from the right wing politicians other than their open defence of the interests
of Capital. The facts speak for themselves: there is a scandalous lack of resources to fight
against the oil slick (there are just a few kilometres of anti-pollution barriers, and other
means are just not there). But this is not by chance. The regional fisheries minister, Lopez
Veiga, already made it very clear that Galicia would not buy an anti-pollution ship since
there is only one accident every ten years. So, since this is not a profitable investment, it
is not worth making. If the PP takes this line of argument to its last consequences we will
not be surprised if they propose the closing down of the fire service! The PP is shedding
crocodile tears.
But on top of the complete inefficiency of the Spanish and Galician governments, there
are also serious political responsibilities. The PP is lying and manipulating information in
the same way we were used to under the Franco dictatorship, something we already
witnessed during the June 20 general strike. One must have a lot of nerve to deny the
very existence of the oil slick! The PP government is also increasingly using more
repressive measures: in the last few days it has banned a demonstration against the
Education "Quality" Law and got the police to charge against a demonstration of
agricultural labourers in Malaga.
The Marxists of El Militante make an appeal to all workers and youth to participate in the
demonstration in Santiago on Sunday December 1. We must demand the necessary
subsidies and this should last in time for as long as they are needed for all those affected
by the oil slick. At the same time demand the adoption of prevention measures regarding
maritime transport and the establishment in a Galician harbour of an anti-pollution union
equipped with the most modern materials in order to guarantee a quick and effective
intervention when faced with this kind of situation.
But we must also put a stop to the dictatorship of the market which is based only in
profits and condemns hundreds of millions of human beings to squalor. Oil slicks like
this, the climate change, the misery, illnesses and suffering of millions are caused in the

last instance by the private property of the means of production and the unfair distribution
of wealth which the working class has created with its labour. They are caused by
capitalism. A clear example of this is Argentina, a country which is one of the worlds
largest exporter of food, and where at the same time there are children dying of hunger.
Thus, the only real way of preventing a repetition of disasters like the one created by the
sinking of the Prestige is to transform society, to put an end to this barbaric and unfair
system, because the main threat to the welfare and health of human beings and the
environment all over the world is precisely the existence of capitalism.