THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE AUTUMN SCHOOL & MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF THE WSP(I) OCT 11-12

[Socialist Party Head Office]

 

REPORT OF THE PROCEEDING OF THE AUTUMN SCHOOL & MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF THE WORLD SOCIALIST PARTY (INDIA) HELD AT HEAD OFFICE, OCTOBER 11-12, 2014:

 

• AUTUMN MEMBERSHIP MEETING 2014: Saturday, October 11, 2 PM to 8 PM (with a tea break):

(called to order at 3:45 PM)

 

– Participants: Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya, Binay Sarkar, Hari Sadhan Ghosh, Sumitra Mondal, Pradip Kumar Singha, Biswarup Chaudhuri, Dipanker Roy, Raghu Narayan Chaudhuri

 

Chairperson: Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya

 

General Secretary welcomed comrades.

 

[Note: For obvious reasons – Pradip Singha’s motorbike accident (not very severe) and Biswarup Chaudhuri’s unexpected job pressure – we decided to reverse our AMM programme as announced before. So we had to start with the Membership Meeting first and defer the School programme to October 12.]

 

• The draft on the TENETS and RULES of the World Socialist Party (India)_Discussion Forum was taken up, edited and approved for posting.

• Then came up point wise reading and discussion on a draft regarding a postulated framework of the World Socialist Movement for consideration by the Companion Parties of the Movement. This continued till adjournment. The finalized draft is as follows:

 

World Socialist Movement

 

That the World Socialist Party (India) proposes for consideration by all concerned the following preliminary draft towards a democratic framework of cooperation among Socialists – parties, groups and individuals – operating from different countries:

 

1. Companionship

That the global revolutionary movement – the WORLD SOCIALIST MOVEMENT (WSM) comprises Companion Parties (CPs) adhering to the same OBJECT and DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES as originally adopted by the Socialist Party of Great Britain in 1904 as basic. This movement also includes all groups and individuals who generally accept the WSM as their organizational reference point while working towards establishment of companion parties in their respective countries.

 

2. The purpose

• To cooperate in founding Companion Parties in countries where none exists;

• To sanction and accept new CPs in liaison with the existing CPs;

• To deal with disputes between CPs (with the possibility of expulsion from the WSM);

• To assist cooperative activities among CPs;

• To build up a financial pool to assist CPs in need. The reserve to be drawn from contributions by CPs, transfer of idle funds from CPs , donations from groups and individuals supporting the cause.

 

3. The framework

A revocable World Socialist Council of at least two delegates from each CP for liaison with each other – having internet access for quick communication and decision mainly on global issues. Under normal circumstances the procedure may be as follows: The World Socialist Council shall initiate discussions on specific questions circulating all available information within and among the CPs. The CPs in their turn shall involve their membership in the process in order to bring out concrete suggestion / proposal to be sent along with their voting break-up, if any, back to the initiator, whose endeavour would be to get at a consensus, failing which, to decide through division.

A Conference / Delegate Meeting – based on proportional representation of membership strength of respective CPs and subject to a minimum and a maximum number of delegates – once every 4 years to be held at a venue to be decided in consultation with the CP offering to host.

A Secretariat, possibly circulating annually around the CPs to deal with correspondence, provided the CP assuming the assignment shall have a body of experienced members capable of dealing with respective languages having necessary facility of translation into English and also a system of video-conferencing as well.

Formal decisions, especially on regional and local issues, to be taken by the respective CPs in consultation with entire membership where appropriate; but the World Socialist Council could come to some decisions following different democratic procedures for different issues.

Any expenses to be borne, if feasible, by the respective CPs; otherwise with help from the WSM common pool.

Amendment to the WSM framework is to be agreed on by the CPs.

Initially publication of a half yearly theoretical organ in English be taken up. Let the previously published WORLD SOCIALIST to be revived.

Translation and publication of leaflets, articles and other literary works of universal appeal and applicability in languages current in the regions we exist and mainly spoken by sections of our fellow workers involved in organizing for revolution.

 

Adjournment: 6:45 PM

 

• AUTUMN SCHOOL: Sunday, October 12, 2014 (with a tea break)

(called to order at 2:40 PM)

 

– Present: Sumitra Mondal, Hari Sadhan Ghosh, Binay Sarkar, Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya, Dipankar Roy, Biswarup Chaudhuri, Raghu Narayan Chaudhuri

 

Chairperson: Biswarup Chaudhuri

 

Discussion:

Binay Sarkar initiated the discussion on Rosa Luxemburg’s life and work, her definitive contributions to the socialist theory and practice besides her mistakes. He dwelled for a while on his fond reminiscence of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebnecht. He narrated his dreadful experience, having held his own life at stake, with the conspiratorial Leninist party – the CPI (M) when he had been breaking away from them in 1981 to work towards a genuine Marxist tendency. His international opening commenced with the publication of the monthly journal LAL PATAKA on and from 15 January 1983 and dedicated to the memory of Rosa and Liebnecht.

 

Other comrades went through the scripts, and the elaborate discourse went on until adjournment:

 

Rosa Luxemburg

Born on March 5, 1871 in Zanosc and brought up in Warsaw in Poland, Rosa Luxemburg was murdered on January 15, 1919 in Germany during a hopeless Spartakist rising against the Social Democratic government. Our "Red Rosa" was an undaunted socialist revolutionary. She was opposed to Bolshevism, opportunism and reformism. She was against the difference between "leaders" and "the led" – “leaders” and “followers” – "leaders" and the "majority trotting along behind". She stood for the self-conscious action of the mass. She always sided with the working class’ cause both in theory and in practice. As a genuine internationalist she made a significant contribution to socialist theory by refuting Marx’s approving stand point on Polish independence question as “obsolete and mistaken”. Her definitive opposition to social democratic and Leninist dogma – “right of nations to self-determination” and “national liberation” was remarkable. Her indomitable courage made her to oppose war in the run of the war.

However, she made some grave mistakes in assessing capitalism to be destined to “collapse” and the-then situation of working class consciousness and organization whereby she staked her life.

 

Adjourned at 7:20 PM

 

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[alanjjohnstone]

The discussion on the future development of the WSM is a positive that the other Companion Parties are yet to take up. However, i do have some reservations concerning the proposed structure.The very first is going to have an immediate effect of the SPGB…the deployment of "idle" funds. We already had a debate on the party finances and investment of "idle" funds appeared to be agreed for sustained support of the party and its premises. But these decisions are not irreversible. I would prefer a much more participatory democracy using the means of internet rather than a world council, secretariat, and 4 year conferences. I'm sure we are capable of each respective EC engaging directly with one another via Skype (or equivalent), that an annual WSM conference is possible also via the web with many more participants registered to take part that specified quotas. I have suggested that the World Socialist become also an e-zine and i see no problem having it as a quarterly issue rather than twice a year.But i am vocing only my personal opinions and many will disagree. But once again WSP(India) is to be congratulated on bring this issue to the table for us to comment upon.   

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