The political scientist Susan George (Ohio, USA; 1934) does not take prisoners: the multinationals, the pressure groups, the governments or a left that she accuses of having been orphaned of her progressive values ​​suffer her rush. George, president of the Attac anti-globalization association, is the author of the Lugano Report , a fierce critic of the capitalist system.

Based in France since the 50s and with dual nationality since the 90s, George responds to THE WORLD about the situation in his native country , in which he sees Bernie Sanders as the only salvation, but also on how he sees the fragile balance of forces in Spain. "One of the problems on the left is the narcissism of strengthening their small differences," he says of the lack of agreement between PSOE and Podemos to form a government. He has been visiting Spain to give a lecture within the cycle In the context of the Menéndez Pelayo International University of Santander.

Why does it have such a critical position with the socialist parties in Europe? Because they have committed suicide by ceasing to be socialists, by leaving the left to simply be a copy of the right. The socialists in France have been reduced to 6% of the intention to vote and in Germany they have also lost a large number of voters. Why did they move away from the ideals of the left? I don't know. In France he started with Miterrand and has only got worse in the last thirty years in a game that was so important in the twentieth century. Now, in France the beneficiaries have been the greens, which is fantastic. He also has sympathy for Podemos. I feel sympathy for the left in general. I did a couple of talks for Podemos two or three years ago and I like them. I appreciate the left forces and I hope there is a government agreement in Spain to be able to complete measures such as raising wages. It is the only European country that is struggling to raise them. Does your idea that neoliberalism has been done with cultural hegemony explains that parties like We can be labeled as radicals by society? I think most society wants the unity of the left and are not interested in their fights, in what Freud called the narcissism of small differences, which has become somewhat widespread and not only in Spain. It's a shame because it's the best way to lose. Is this narcissism typical of the left? Yes. Perhaps the right is more docile, perhaps on the left there are people who defend their opinions more strongly and do not listen to what is going on around them. Should the left resemble the right in the sense of not accentuating their differences? look for the common among them, see what they can talk about and from there maybe progress. But you have to start with the coincidences. Do we agree that public services must be maintained at any cost? Well, let's talk about that, who is chasing our public services, who wants to privatize everything. What else is in that common ground? They are public services, but also climate change, about which governments are doing nothing. I am not interested in the details about Podemos and the PSOE, they are irrelevant with the present environmental circumstances, which are very dangerous for humans. What should be the struggle of these leftist parties? Climate change. We have let the world be molded by a few companies that increasingly spit CO2 into the atmosphere. These companies, especially the oil companies, are not even worried about ending the human race. The economic benefit is its reason for being. They don't worry about what's going to happen in 10 years. What are the most powerful multinationals? The health industry is the biggest lobby in the United States, it spends more than oil companies. But in Europe, that of fossil fuels is the most powerful. They can even defeat small governments, thanks to the arbitration clause of investment-state differences that include virtually all trade agreements. For it, if a company believes that a law enacted by a government will harm its interests, it can sue and ask for billions in compensation. If you are a government and you think they will denounce you for passing a law, you think twice before doing so. Thus, the company has all the power because it has weapons against the executive, legislative and judicial powers. Is it possible to decrease the power of these corporations and reverse global warming? It is possible with other governments, but the left is not in a position to do so now. Besides, I fear that Donald Trump will be re-elected and everything will remain the same. Remember that it is someone who says that climate change is a hoax and nothing needs to be done to combat it. You mean that only the left can solve it? Only a united left can. But I think in the United States, the candidate will be Biden, such a boring character. For me, Bernie Sanders has changed the language in the United States. He was the only one who spoke a few years ago about the health system and now everyone does it. Why did he decide to leave his native country? I made the decision 60 years ago. I really liked France, I was impressed how the intellectuals were received there. I studied for a year, returned to the United States to finish the race and returned to France, where I got married. It was a great decision for me. There I graduated again, this time in Philosophy, and also got a PhD. The cost of the studies, or even my husband's hospital bills [passed away in 2002], would have forced us to sell to our house if everything had happened in the United States. I use my husband's story often because I want people to understand that a public system is good for everyone.

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