jondwhite
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Pham Binh (ex-ISO) gives his verdict here, very interesting read this onehttp://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=4691"Its watchwords must be horizontalism, plurality, transparency, and results, not centralism, uniformity, discipline, and vanguardism. It must be experimental, a work in progress, rather than a set of fixed answers and structures."
Why not? The content of Junge Linke is occasionally published in an English-language periodical called Kittens with appropriate pictures.http://junge-linke.org/en/tag/kittensI seem to recall there's some good stuff in it and I could be wrong but I think they're libertarian Marxists.
Richard Seymour has launched a blogInternational SocialismIn the SWP this looks like going for broke (or a expulsion/split). Simon Wells was expelled from the SWP (then publicly wrestled to the ground at Marxism by guess who) for running a blog in 2007.
From the What is Kasama pagehttp://kasamaproject.org/so-what-is-kasama Above all: Let’s consciously go for the whole thing. The change we want is about taking the accumulated wealth, technology, hard work, science, and connections of a complex global civilization — and finally (finally!) putting it into the service of us all, including the very least and previously powerless among us. It is about the voiceless suddenly speaking, and the wealthy suddenly becoming silent.From “Five minutes to dawn and the wind smells like freedom”In a world of profound economic crisis and war without end, the times cry out for a revolutionary new politics and direction.Millions are realizing that radical solutions are needed.For too long the Tea Party crackpots and militia racists were virtually the only audible voices that spoke to radical sentiments and needs.Large parts of the previous Left felt trapped — repelled by the ugly Right, pressured to chase “lesser evils,” unable to speak their deepest desires and dreams.We need to forge an alternative to all of that.This system is unfixable. It was founded in slavery and genocide. It is not possible for oppressed people to “take America back” — we never had it.This system thrives day-to-day only through the exploitation in sweatshops, mines, agribusiness plantations and shantytowns all around the world. We don’t want a way back in.We don’t want a seat at that table.The end of this world is the beginning of the new. Everything will change. How it changes is up to us.We don’t support Obama, the president from Goldman Sachs. We don’t want to whisper in his ear. Or be trapped by the politics of petty reform and repulsive business-as-usual — defined by drones, wars, unemployment lines, the corrupt rule of money, and deepening serfdom to corporations.We don’t want tactical advice from liberal pundits on “how to appeal to Middle Americans.” We intend reach the people ourselves (especially the youth of ghettos, barrios, campuses and high schools — including in “Middle America”) with a potent subversive message that won’t compute in the calculators of this system.A serious, creative political break is needed. To throw our hearts into that, we have formed Kasama over the last three years.Kasama is first of all a communist project. By that we mean: The problems of humanity require communism – a global change that passes through the radical overthrow of a society of rich and poor, the development of a socialist sustainability to save the biosphere, the liberation of women from ancient subordination, the final overthrow of racist oppressions in the U.S., the vicious demonization of same-sex relationships, an abrupt end to this militarized empire (its global networks of mercenary forces, its torture camps and endless wars), the social takeover of monster banks and corporations — all of which requires radically new forms of democratic control by previously powerless people.Humanity is now able to free itself from from the restless, soulless rule of capitalist profit making. If we succeed, we face the possibility of a new historical epoch of mutual flourishing.We are seeking to contribute to this. Join us in this work.For that reason, we are actively trying to put communism onto center stage — as a necessary goal, as a fresh idea, as something that defines what is done now and at each stage. And (needless to say) that is unacceptable (!) to those bankers and empire builders who insist they are “too big to fail” (or who insist that their own enrichment is the necessary prerequisite for any economic motion.) And it is also often startling for the millions of people awakening to political life — and whose discontent and anger still not yet found a name or a goal to be its focus. We want to speak the words that need to be spoken.We think this is especially important because it is insisted (on many levels) that no alternative to capitalism is possible — that any attempt leads to chaos, despair, disillusionment or a worsening of human conditions. This is fundamentally wrong and a lie: Without a radical departure from capitalism — toward a radical egalitarianism on a world scale, toward a destruction of oppressive empires and parasitic corporations — the future of humanity will be dark and bitter.We believe like the famous closing words of the Communist Manifesto: The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the overthrow of all existing oppressive social conditions.We are building Kasama to serve as a catalyst. We seek to build a clear communist and internationalist pole within a larger revolutionary movement.For that Kasama has to be refreshingly new and shockingly revolutionary — in how we organize ourselves, in how we speak among the people, in how we understand the goals and means of revolution, and in how we engage the ideas of others.Organizationally we are organized in collectives in several cities, and a number of non-geographic work groups (our theoretical projects, common work on South Asia’s revolutions, investigative/reporting work teams, and our moderator teams).Our network is young. The road stretches out before us all. Join in.Learning, listening, creating revolutionary strategyAt this point, there are two painful absences facing oppressed and discontent people in the U.S.: the absence of a clear revolutionary strategy for this moment and this society, and the absence of a creative determined revolutionary organization that can learn and lead. The whole point of forming our Kasama Project is to make a contribution to filling those voids — by engaging in the deep waters of political action and revolutionary theory.The project has expanded into a network of revolutionaries and collectives in many cities across the U.S.Kasama intends to identify those fault lines where radical thought and action can emerge. We want to go deeply among the people to prepare minds and organize forces for revolution.At the same time, much remains to be fleshed out.Any real-life revolution is a many-to-many engagement among diverse currents and interests, not a one-to-many assertion of authority and conformity.. It requires a deep engagement with the people and problems of this moment and a profound creative process involving those just awakening to political life.An emerging revolutionary movement in the U.S. can’t be envisioned out of thin air or dictated by old formulas. It has to arise from that generation of serious young revolutionaries now emerging — stamped by their experiences and invention.Put another way: One old socialist movement was famous for saying “the movement is everything the final goal is nothing.” Kasama says (by contrast) “the final goal is our start, the ways of moving there are still emerging for us.”Help expand our new organizing and theoretical projects. Let’s reconceive as we regroup in the intensifying storm.A politics that can learn and createThis is a moment that demands some non-messianic humility from revolutionaries. We need a movement that can listen, as well as speak. Kasama strains to make real contributions. And there may be contributions that only we can make. But we expect much from many other people. And we expect to do much together with others.We urge those eager to walk the road of revolution, to join us in igniting a fearless, open-eyed debate, discussion and engagement — and seek to build that into a creative frisson of new politics. We offer a space for this — our Kasama website. — and are eager to participate in the spaces (online and in the streets) that emerge.We are seeking to actively investigate and understand key revolutionary experiences around our world today. We have set aside time and effort to promote new theoretical explorations and thinking — within a left that is too often on autopilot. And we are trying to bring that with us as we dive into the deep waters of today’s emerging movements against mistreatment and capitalism in the U.S.
The Swedish section of the IMT split recentlyhttp://foreningensocialisten.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/founding-statement-and-constitution-of-the-socialist-network/#more-489Like "the commune" in britain and others they seem to leap straight from democratic centralism to pure autonomism.To make the case for pure democracy against autonomism, I think a generalised critique of democratic centralism will make us look like autonomists. Whereas saying "voluntarism is not autonomism" and a comparative reference to rules will be more effective.
A rival defence of democratic centralismhttp://socialistresistance.org/4552/whose-democratic-centralismDon't agree with it of course, but posting to show that rivals are making criticism of the SWP part and parcel of a defence of democratic centralism or even a defence of the IS tradition in the case of counterfire.
A journalist is singled out because he was a full-time journalist for Socialist Worker and the most high-profile resignation – perhaps this should be specified?If references to rules are kept (not always an easy task to relate one rulebook to another), an appendix of rules will be attached.Autonomism is the main slur the Central Committee are now regularly using against members arguing for greater democracy. It falsely counterposes the characterisation of "do what you want" (autonomism) with "an interventionist party" (democratic centralism). The statement is principally aimed at SWP members or recent resignees.The statement is intended to be concise (five minute read) and not structured like an article.The Central Committee are also trying to quell dissent externally by villifying the critics, impugning some sort of malign intentions accusing the Democratic Opposition of being operated by secret external groups. AlsoResponding to attacks on the partyA series of attacks on the party have appeared over the last few days – many in newspapers which are the sworn enemies of women’s liberation and workers’ rights. For this reason, I think it will be more effective for us to put things in a statement in a measured way – specific to whats happened recently, to members with doubts and carefully reassessing their politics. If we're more dismissive in tone than specific then readers may feel the right to be equally dismissive in return.
6. Open letter from Damon Skinner, Middlesbrough branchDear Comrades,As an active SWP member, I’ve collected my thoughts enough in order to write a statement of sorts regarding the Central Committee’s recent expulsion of 4 long-standing party members and the forming of the Democratic Opposition faction. I’ve registered my support for the faction and urge others to do the same, especially those attending national Conference in a position to affect the outcome of matters.The CC states that four comrades were expelled for forming a “secret faction”. I think this is outrageous for a number of reasons and hope that, for the sake of the health of democracy within our party; the expulsions are repealed at national conference.Expulsion should be reserved for only the most serious misdemeanours. I don’t think party members going about forming a temporary faction (as is their right around the time of conference), however ‘secret’ or clumsily, justifies such a serious punishment. It sends entirely the wrong message to the wider membership and, in practice, means a less accountable central committee if members don’t feel they can challenge things. We don’t need a climate of fear, but free and open discussion.The CC’s response to the whole affair has been, in my opinion, quite ridiculous. Consider the following paragraph from their formal statement on the matter:"…the CC found that at least some of those involved in the FB group organised secret meetings to discuss internal party matters and had encouraged comrades to keep their views quiet in order to boost their chances of becoming conference delegates. Some were prepared to involve non-members in their discussions."Now, to be even handed, the comrades involved in factional discussions probably deserve some criticism here. Ideally, factions should be established in an open (not secret) way. But that is all they deserve – criticism, not expulsion. I must stress the use of the word “ideally”, because no situation is ever ideal, and perhaps the comrades were afraid to speak openly about what they were doing, at least initially. Certainly their fears have now being confirmed by the draconian punishment meted out by the CC.The last sentence from the above CC quote is quite frankly ridiculous. "Some were prepared to involve non-members in their discussions." It reads like this was the final straw for them; that perhaps if non-members weren’t privy to some of the conversations, there might still have been hope left for the comrades! Evidently not, though, as involving non-members in party related discussion is a heinous crime. Or is it? Is the CC really that paranoid that it believes everybody outside of party ranks secretly want to undermine it and bring it down? If we’re going to be honest, let us call a spade a spade. This is sectarian and cultist nonsense of the highest order. I can’t think of any other way to describe this. Why couldn’t a non-member – a comrade from a different organisation on the left – contribute something useful to the debate? If any leadership in any organisation insisted that discussion should be held exclusively within its own ranks and that members should be distrustful of outsiders, we would in my mind label it a cult.We – rank-and-file SWP members – have the right to form temporary factions. We should militantly defend this right, and also remind the CC that they exist to serve us, not the other way round. I’m no hardened party theorist, but in my mind the leadership within a democratic centralist organisation must surely exist to a) enforce the principles of democratic centralism and b) be responsive to its membership. Factions are necessary to ensure the "freedom of debate" aspect of that fundamental principle "freedom of debate; unity in action", and when the CC bans people from the organisation for attempting to exercise their democratic right, democracy within the party is undermined.Factions can be treated in two ways – as a dangerous distraction to be repressed, or a legitimate process to work through. I’ve seen too much of the former within our party and feel we do a disservice to the ideal of democratic centralism when we suffocate dissent in such a way as the CC has just done.This is a statement in support of the Democratic Opposition faction. Re-instate the expelled comrades, and let us discuss what democracy and role of the CC within our party should look like.Yours comradely,Damon Skinner – Middlesbrough branch.http://www.cpgb.org.uk/home/weekly-worker/online-only/socialist-workers-party-faction-declared
Yes, the party is bound to act according to conference decisions. However, if no-one could ever talk about disagreeing with conference decisions, conference decisions would never be changed at future conferences and exist in perpetuity. Minority positions could never become majority positions.Incidentally, do those opposing use of photos for our candidates, think that Liberal, Labour or Tory candidates should use candidates photos or win support exclusively on their ideas? Are we really against personality politics, or is it utopian exceptionalism for our little section of the working-class?
Any official SPGB pamphlets should be free from this official website and in mobipocket format (which works on kindle but also on others) and epub.
