[fse-esf] Re: : Unity of action for Health in Hungary

Tue Apr 24 19:30:40 CEST 2007

Dear Judith,

I did not receive answers to my questions I posed in my message sent to you before. 

I do not understand why you have interest in deforming ourlineof large democratic unity of action for the defense of rigts for Health!? Who is co-operating with the far right, Judith?Who is co-operating with antidemocratic forces? Certainly not us. Wheredo you seethe "political alliance" with the extreme right you are writing about?Why do you have interest in misinterpretateour unity of action with other demoöcratic forces, telling that it isa political alliance with theextreme right?(That is exactly the method of insinuation ofsome hungarian socialists, liberals and the far left against our line of democratic joining of forces for the right to health.) Why do you deny our right to a large unity of action in order to defend the public service of Health against the liberaisation? Why do you pretend to know the social-political reality of my country better than the social forces chosing this unity of action? You tell us, that we mixt the fight for rights of health with the political alliance! No, Judith, we do not do so. Our goal is the defense of the solidarity security system and we build a unity of action with all those who are interested in its preservation. The large majority of the hungarians are refusing the privatisation of the healthcare system, and we are part of this large majority. It is not a propagandistic goal for us, but a goal to achieve concretely. We cannot accept the position of the hungarian far left not to do nothing against the ruling coalition of socialists and free democrats, because the "danger of fascism". There is no danger of fascism in Hungary, but there is danger of the desmanteling of the welfare! So we are exercising social pression on the government, and this pression became stronger because our capacity to co-operate with others for the same goal. So my Friend, we cannotagree withyour ideological indication to stop our work ,suspend the fight and reduce our activity to the pure propaganda. No, we realy want to hinder the privatisation itselfbythe joining of forces I have presented in my first information about our job, launched in this network on 19th April, after our common Press Conference. I hope, the difference of our opinions does not conduce you to split relations with others nor in the ESF nor outside of it. That's the reason I have accepted your invitation to participate at your conference on Health, but I did not receive any answer from you.Let me invite you to avoid the historical illness of the "left" communism: not accepting, but his own views and opinions. Also in the case when these different opinions have origin in the same left. I mean, following this way, you can risk to confuse your friendswith your ennemies. Take care, please, and choose the dialogue for the understanding of others. Nobody has the justice in his hand, but all of us we have different experiences, values that can enreach each others.

Waiting for the confirmation or the refusal of your invitation.

 Kisses, Endre

Judith Dellheim írta:

Dear Endre, dear Friends,

I promise that this mail is the last in this matter. A political debate as a ping pong between two persons is not useful.

Endre, you mix the question about a human right with the question about political alliances. Health as ahuman right is not any reason for a political alliance with all who now say: "Health is a human right". Because "who" is very concrete. And the enemy of my enemy is not my friend in all cases. 

When the neoliberals destroy the healthcare system and/or discriminate social and/or ethnic groups in health care I have to organise protest and to say "Health is a human right". But I don't do that in a political alliance with political forces who don't respect human rights. And of course, ifthese right political forcescry "health is a human right", I cannotwait for something explaining "they cry my slogan". I must fight for human rights because I'm left and whenI wouldn't doanything I wouldn't be really left but increase the influence of the right wing. But I repeat: Icannot fight for human rights together with an enemy of human rights. 

Excuse me, but yoursentences"Correct principles cannot impede the concrete action for the defense of the Social Rights .... We are fighting against the liberalisation of the public services since the very beginning of the ESF process, and nobody has never denied the necessity of our fight with the pretext of 'populism'. Populism is not alimented by our fight for the Right for Health!" aredogmaticbecause the question is: "CanI act together with myextreme right enemy against myneoliberal enemy?". No, I cannot and I don't do it and I'm active in fighting for health as a human right.

I regreat your position andifyou wouldact inan alliance with my extreme right enemywe won'tgo along a common way.

Judith Dellheim

Von: esfeast at yahoogroups.com
Gesendet: 24.04.07 08:40:15
An: esfeast at yahoogroups.com
Betreff: [esfeast] Re: Unity of action for Health in Hungary

Dear Judith,

Correct principles cannot impede the concrete action for the defense of the Social Rights. If they are doing so, there is something wrong with the principles, not with the necessary defense of the rights for Health. We are fighting against the liberalisation of the public services since the very beginning of the ESF process, and nobody has never denied the necessity of our fight with the pretext of "populism". Populism is not alimented by our fight for the Right for Health! Bringing grist on the mills of the right and far right is the ultra liberal policy of the hungarian ruling coalition of Socialists and Free Democrats, not the fight against this policy. (What kind of ideology is allowing this confusion?) The unity of action we have developed with other democratic forcesis oriented to preserve the solidarity security system against the liberalisation of the public service of Health. If you refuse this unity, you accept the philosophy of "nothing to do", and by this you risk to justify the privatisation of the healthcare system itself. Our goal is not that, but the contrary of that. Why should we renounce to the joining of forces for defending the solidarity system? Why should we think that only left has the legitimacy to defend the right for health? Why should we think that many many working people following centrist and rightist political forces are not be interested
in the defense of their existing rights? Why should we think, that the "ideological pureness" is more important than the defense of such an elementary human right?

 Endre Simó

Judith Dellheim írta:

Dear Endre, dear Friends,

I think that also the hungarian situation doesn't allow any cooperation with the right wing political forces. Of course, the right populists and the extreme right use real social problems of many people - even or especially of the poor - to strengthen their political influence. I can see it very near to my concrete living and working places and every day. 

Of course, this additionally increases the great challenge for the left to organise social resistance, political protest and fights for alternatives. When we organise demonstrations and actions against the ruling policy the fascists and their helpers try to participate. We don't tolerate this. In this case less participants are more. And in some parliaments where the neofascists couldget seats theybring our rejected motions into the parliaments. Our fractions don't vote for their own motions.

This is not a question about tactical steps, but about a principle. And this principle is important not only in Estern Germany.

All peoplenot at least thesocial excluded mustbe able to see that the left wing are ready to help them butthey do it in a consequent rejectionof all right populisms, nationalismand neofascist policy.

Best regards

Judith Dellheim

Von: esfeast at yahoogroups.com
Gesendet: 22.04.07 20:39:28
An: esfeast at yahoogroups.com
Betreff: [esfeast] Fwd: Re: [fse-esf] RLS-workshop

---------- Eredeti üzenet ----------

Dátum: 2007. ápr. 22. Vasárnap 10:18:29Feladó: Simó Endre <drsimoendre at freemail.hu>Címzett: Judith Dellheim <judith.dellheim at web.de>Másolat: fse-esf at lists.fse-esf.orgTárgy: Re: [fse-esf] RLS-workshop Melléklet:

Dear Judith,

Your opinionis based on the misunderstanding of the hungarian situation:the liberalisation of the Solidarityprincipled Social Security System in Hungary is wanted by the left:by the Socialists and their allied at the government and outside the government. Those defending the Solidarity Security System against the privatisation, and wanting the suppression of the actually exsting law on Health, are ourcivic organisations, trade unions,centrist and rigthwing democratic groups and forces in opposition. This is thespecificity of the hungarian situation. Of course, leftist can proudly refuse the unity of action withother democrats in the name of the "ideology", but the result of this refusal will be the liberalisation of the health system and the exclusion from the healthcare of about half a million of people in Hungary. You can choose between ideology and life. We are choosing the defense of the life and the rights related with.

 Endre

Judith Dellheim írta:

Dear Friends,

Of course, "Health is ... a question of human right to life. Health is health for all people, independently from their political affiliations." But it is impossible fighting together with right wing political forces for a human right what they don't respect.The right wing would be the only winners fromthe dangerous attempt fighting for a human right together with an enemy of human rights. Such an attemt would only increase their political influense and play their danger down.

I want to invite to an international workshop about health policy of the RosaLuxemburg Foundationin Berlin on 12 and 13 May.The conference languages are Englisch and German. Interested people are pleased to answer immediatly. We have only very limited possibilities for reimbursing.

Best regards

Judith Dellheim

“Capitalism is unhealthy - even for capitalists" is the guiding principle behind the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation’s educational activities on “public health”. Ernst Bloch’s perceptive remark makes clear that the issue here is changing society, because many people in today's society do not feel well. A prerequisite for individual well-being is not to be unhealthy. This leads to the question of how to help the sick and what needs to be done to actively combat the causes of illness.

This also involves exploring issues of social policy hegemony; here change is inextricably linked with individual learning processes. Autonomous change, which should bring social coexistence and well-being for all, is part of political struggle and social processes. Well thought-out strategies are required for success in this struggle and, in particular, social policy strategies to change society.

How can a European health movement supported at a local, communal, regional and country level come about and be politically effective, when health policy is predominantly a national (and only partially an EU/ European) responsibility? Creating, networking and supporting health policy movement(s) would boost the organisation of the health system and social policy along democratic lines. It’s a matter of providing different solutions for how resources are used, by whom, with what goals, and with what consequences for sustainable social and environmental development.

This is why progress for the European health movement is all the more urgent and beneficial since, as well as shared problems locally, in communes, regions, EU Member States and European countries, there are also current EU/European projects and views on the problems which affect everyone and require joint action. Particularly relevant common problems at a communal, regional and national level are:

- the official neo-liberal reorganisation of the health system justified by limited resources, the challenges of demographic change and globalisation, and sustainable public finances - a reorganisation in which responsibility is mainly delegated to individuals, communes and regions, without creating the corresponding conditions to make this work;

- individuals and expanding social groups without health insurance, the correlation between poverty and social exclusion, as well as health problems which are highly concentrated in ethnic groups;

- health problems related to unemployment, more flexible and insecure working conditions, environmental damage, individual lifestyles - i.e. related to the neo-liberal transformation of society. 

European governments and EU institutions have certainly also noticed these problems, but have mainly dealt with them in terms of rising costs and of quality of human resources, harming their ability to overcome the “challenges of globalisation and demographic change”. 

Practical plans for 2007 on the agenda for governments and the EU are directly connected, to a greater or lesser extent, such as: 

- the European Commission’s communication “A strategy for social services of general interest”;

- the legislative proposal to introduce a joint area for reliable and effective health services; 

- the social policy strategy white paper.

Health ministers are also increasingly recognising that a very wide range of policies affect human health, in addition to actual health policies. Ministers have paid particular attention to the experiences of France in this area and agreed on the concept of "Health in all policy areas". They see contradictions between the short-term maximum use of capital, human resources, social cohesion and keeping society in good shape, as well as the costs resulting from neglected social and environmental demands. 

However, these contradictions can only benefit the population if citizens stand up in solidarity for their interests - for their healthcare. Only if they become involved in issues which affect the health of their children and the socially vulnerable - and thus their own lives and social coexistence. Only if the health system, social policy and health policy are organised along democratic lines.

Please see theproposal for the workshop. Please pay attention to the figures in the brackets and to the discussion paper below.

12th May 2007

10.00 am: Welcome and opening of the workshop

10.10 am: Sharing information, relevant “grass-roots” health policy activities 

 since December 2005 and projects currently underway (1)

12.30 pm: Lunch

1.30 pm: Important health policy projects in the EU and GUE/NL activities

 in the European Parliament

2.00 pm: Questions and debate

2.30 pm: Main areas of REDS/PHM work (2)

3.00 pm: Questions and debate

3.30 pm: Coffee break

4.00 pm: Discussion of the 11 points set out below (3)

6.00 pm: End of the 1st day of discussion 

13th May 2007

 9.30 am: Continuation of discussions from the previous day

10.00 am: Conclusions from the 1st day of discussion

11.30 am: Coffee break

 Midday: Plans for social forums, especially the ESF 2008 (4) 

1.30 pm: End of the workshop

Please look at the figures in the brackets 

(1) About which more concrete matter do you want to speak?

(2) Who wants to speak about what?

(3) Would you like to tell me which point is especially interesting for you? About which problem do you want to speak more concrete?

(4) In this connection I want to attract your attention to the formulation in the present “Project for a Charter of Principles for Another Europe”

“Health is a right

- The health-care system must be public, free and available to all. It must respect the

physical and psychological integrity of citizens and the health-care personnel.

- All medical personnel and citizens must be involved in the institutions that manage the health system. The institutions must in particular give priority to the active participation of citizens in managing the health-care system.”

Is it enough or what should we do develop some more concrete positions?

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