The Common Man Party

[alanjjohnstone]

I have sometimes on these posts alluded to what i see as a new  development in politics…unity, new parties… old ideas resurrected…which i think reflect a growing dissatisfaction with the staus quo. I have suggsted that we have not fully tapped into this. It is a world-wide 'evolution' of political expression. I came across mention of a new party in India that have taken power in the captial, Delhi. I am surprised that it had not raised its presence on my horizon previously , although i was aware of  the Anna anti-corruption movement from where this party sprung forth from. Its party symbol is the new broom. 

Aam Aadmi Party or Common Man Party is an anti-corruptiion party and has fashioned a party structure for itself to be an alternative to the dynastic Gandhi family  Congress Party and India's endemic party-corruption

http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/page/how-are-we-different

"Politics itself is not a dirty word – it is our current breed of politicians who have made it dirty. Aam Aadmi Party wants to make politics a noble calling once again. We want to create a system where the political leaders we elect and place in the Parliament are directly responsible to the voters who elected them."

 

Sadly and to be expected, i suppose, the election promises they came to power on was to half the electricity bill and provide a certain amount of free water. They are explicitly a pro-capitalist party supporting entrepreneurship – most likely representing the rising professional meritocracy who lack the family connections or money to advance themselves, although i need to investigate further. Their policies are the run of the mill wish list of reforms.

https://app.box.com/s/k6zzgdgv0tepbzkfo3bd

 

But my real point is that i do see them and all the others as a systematic search of the working class for some sort of alternative to the present. It is manifesting itself in all sorts of ways – both positive and negative. In India there is also an armed insurrection going on with the Maoist Naxalites.  I just feel that we should be more ambitious in using liberatory language and start focussing on the issues that people seek to be addressed – something  i am admittedly vague about. In India for instance the question of women's in society is prominent. Caste too is still an important issue. Perhaps we should try to liaise with our Indian comrades more for clearer insight although they are more based in Kolkata and Bengali speaking rather than Hindhi. 

 

 

[ALB]

alanjjohnstone wrote:

Caste too is still an important issue. Perhaps we should try to liaise with our Indian comrades more for clearer insight although they are more based in Kolkata and Bengali speaking rather than Hindhi.

These are the two parts of India which have had "Communist" Party governments and where there is a political tradition of discussing Marx's ideas. Not surprising then that there are socialists in our sense there, at least in West Bengal.Besides the World Socialist Party (India) which had its differences with us but now wants to come back, there was also a World Socialist Group (India) advertised in the Socialist Standard as our contact is India. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to exist any more, mainly due to one of its most active members becoming an "Ambedkarist", as those on facebook can see by looking at his page: https://www.facebook.com/tarak.bouriHe could have chosen a worse way to go off the socialist rails as Ambedkarism is a movement aimed at ending caste discrimination against the so-called "untouchables" or dalits, which will have to disappear before socialism can be established and opposition to which will be part of the growing socialist movement.For  a Trotskyist criticism of Ambedkarism, in which they argue that it is a movement of the dalit bourgeoisie" (probably true in some respects) see:http://www.marxist.com/india-ambedkarism-dalit-party161007.htm.

[alanjjohnstone]

Certainly compared with the usual iconic figure, Gandhi, Ambedkar, is an improvement and of course his politics is determined by the material conditions found in India, choosing as his religion Buddhism rather than Hinduism . We do have a Dalit capitalist and ruling class in many states of India eg Uttar Pradesh. By no means do i consider myself any sort or authority on caste hence the scarcity of articles on my blogs – it is a subject  that pervades the whole of Indian culture but one westerners are simply unaware of as it is the great unmentionable, even for liberal minded Indians, i have found, and although Hindu, it crosses over into the muslim and christian religions where conversion is supposed to end caste discrimination too, as do the other curses of India, arranged marriages and the dowry system. I made an attempt at a short blog here.http://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2012/05/sacred-cows.htmlhttp://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2008/05/class-war-not-caste-war.htmlEven the Maoist Naxalite uprising is accused of being predominantly led by non-Dalits. In relation with population numbers, Trotskyism is as much ineffectual presence as our own. I did learn that there is a Zeitgeist group in Banglalore which shouldn't be too much of a surprise as it is the IT capital of India. Politically many have joined the secular humanist groups combatting guruism. One of my closest Indian friends brother was active in this field…and the death threats he received were to be treated seriously as another anti-god-men spokesperson was indeed assassinated.For those who still hankar for the old soviet stalin days i recommend a visit to the other 'communist' state Kerala.  Never saw so many hammer and sickles, red flags and che guevara pictures but don't expect any serious political duiscussions. I met the local town's CPI(ML) candidate for equivalent of mayor. It was no secret that it was a political struggle for control of the state-licensed alcohol outlets, particular important in a tourist resort. Lenin much less Marx never ever featured in the local punch-ups at election times.It is in the back of my mind to return to live in India so perhaps i might join the WSPI and contribute a bit more on their website, something they didn't have when i previously resided there. 

[alanjjohnstone]

A satirical piece on the Indian Communist Party, funny, imho,  even if it is defending reformism and promoting the Common Man Party's free water policyhttp://www.countercurrents.org/sagar140114.htm

[ALB]

Actually, it's the classic reformist case that could easily be adapted to criticise us, even though we are not vanguardists. As they've left an email address I've sent them this classic article on water by Harry Young:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1980s/1989/no-1023-november-1989/why-water-commodity

[alanjjohnstone]

I'm no way endorsing their politics but highlighting as i have done in other posts on other threads that i do detect a growing movement for alternative solutions, most are superficial, some are deeper. Some are progressive , some are reactionary. We cannot just put isolated time-lines on such things as the Arab Spring, Occupy, the colour coded 'revolutions' or counter-pose right and left themes. I just get a feeling that there is 'something in the air' right now which is world-wide. I am not sure socialists will succeed in tapping into it, we are still too ineffectual but we should be busy observing and commentating on it. As you often say , issues and people  have brought back the public space for socialism to be raised once more.As an aside , my interest in religion was how one man and twelve followers develop into such a universal movement. Was it all down to Paul's revisionism and the state co-opting it? Christianity met a need and when these needs changed , Christianity evolved with it too. ….Why and also how ideas spread socially interests me. i always wondered how the populism of Strasserite brownshirt 'leftism' was so easily overthrown by a Hitlerite coup without any repercussions…no opposition such as the case against Stalin with Trotskyism. It simply melted away and vanished as a current, not existing even underground. The rise of AAP is not something that is getting too much column inches or air-time in the UK, particularly how they love to depict India as the worlds largest democracy. Al Jazeera seems to be giving publicity to it. Another article here on it being still constrained by being an urban Delhi political force.http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/01/india-anarchy-simple-living-201411211118725180.html

[alanjjohnstone]

Things hottening up in Delhi with the AAP now conducting local government in the street…literally open government but also a bit of xenophobic racism entering the local politics with anti-African sentiment.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25822581

[alanjjohnstone]

A BBC overview of the Indian political scene. Athird of elected officials are accused of corruption. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26064485

[alanjjohnstone]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-26192983 After 49 days in charge of Delhi, the AAP has resigned when its anti-corruption legislation was blocked. Delhi's chief minister Kejriwal is said by the BBC to describe himself as an anarchist which i never heard before. From all accounts the AAP attempt to enter national politics will not have an immediate impact but may be the first step in a long journey.

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