Paolo Ferrero, Secretary-General of the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), was the host of the Seminar for a European Debt Conference, organized by his party together with the European Left. After coordinating the debates of the session, he closed the presentations and round tables with a call to deconstruct the debt narrative and clearing the mind of the speeches saying there is no money “because if we allow to be brainwashed with those theories we cannot win the battle”.

One of the ways to deconstruct the neoliberal speech is to take advantage from the contradictions of neoliberalism to open the debate and propose alternatives. He left on the table some provocations like if there is no money, why for the rich there is; and if there is money for the banks why there is no money for healthcare, issues where the European Central Bank itself shows contradictions.

The leader of the PRC spoke on the use of the debt as an excuse for cuts in social services and dismantle the welfare state, and also on how it is being tried to impose neoliberalism without austerity and how Renzi, in Italy, is applying totally neoliberal policies destroying public education, healthcare and son on, acting like a company.

Ferrero spoke on the alternatives: “What we can do in each country is to act putting common objectives such as vindicating an employment fund, avoiding contradictions between countries”. Today, he added, struggles are happening in different countries and different times. This is about how we act together, said Ferrero, adding as an example: “Our goal today is not a general European strike but to support other countries who are fighting to create another attitude between workers”.

The leader of the Italian communists started his intervention by remembering how the inflation and the hyperinflation took the Germans to vote in favour of Hitler and for the abolition of Parliament and adverted for the problems we are facing today with the rise of nationalism, fascism and the far-right in Europe.