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Ukraine: 'Glory to the Miners'News Article by Dave Crouch, December 2004 When Yanukovych bussed thousands of his supporters into the city, all fired up for a fight, the Yushchenko-supporting orange crowd began winning them over with flowers, kind words and kisses. 'Glory to the miners!', 'Lugansk, Donbass, come and join us!' were the chants. Yanukovych supporters began seeing through the lies they had been told and joining the revolution.
The movement also began splitting the state. Police and soldiers have come forward to pledge their support. On the main TV channels a revolt by journalists smashed through the censorship regime last week, enabling many Ukrainians to see a very different picture of what is going on.
Yushchenko and Yanukovych are both ready to do a deal that will leave things essentially unchanged. In the meantime separatist moods are being whipped up by bosses and politicians in east and south Ukraine. Russia, the US and the European Union are looking to step in, a move fraught with a 'Yugoslav scenario' for Ukraine.
The key to the situation is on the streets. The revolution mustn't drop its demands: Kuchma and his cronies must go. But it must also add to them. It must reach out to the miners and other workers of the industrial east and south.
That means offering a programme of social change that will radically redistribute wealth, reverse the privatisation of industry and services, bring back Ukrainian troops from Iraq and unify the country on a class basis - the working class. Comments? Email letters@socialistreview.org.uk Contents | Donate Access to this website is free - help us keep it that way. Please make a donation. |
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