Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2002 16:59:55 +1100
Subject: Re: AUT: Porto Alegre - sectarianism and the left
From: Thiago Oppermann <topp8564-AT-mail.usyd.edu.au>


On 3/9/02 1:56 PM, "Scott Hamilton" <s_h_hamilton-AT-yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
>> In fact, one of the eight main organising bodies
>> issued just about the
>> sternest critique of "civil society"
> 
> Wsn't this written by some of their rank and file and
> illegally added to their official website?

Erm...no. It was not ever added to their website; but it was undersigned by
almost the entire leadership of CGT. The only person who didn't sign, as far
as I can tell, was the guy in charge of organising the WSF.

As for the FAG, etc... It's not cut-and-dried The FAG participated in the
first forum, and I was under the impression that they were participating in
the second. They said as much themselves; I wasn't aware they had pulled
out. 

Let's also be careful with the hasty siding here; the anarchists that tried
to break up the main march of the WSF then complained that there was a bad
vibe when they eventually did join the march are clearly in the wrong, at
least in the second instance.

What "Populat Front"? This is nuts. Naomi Klein is a nobody in Brazil, her
anti-consumerism ideas wash down about as well as environmentalism does in
Roraima (ie. not very well). I agree with a lot of what Klein has to say,
and I like her style, but it is stuff that appeals to predominantly middle
class audience; it is virtually unknown in Brazil.

How about Michael Albert? People over in Brazil look at this Chomsky and
Albert stuff and scratch their heads. Their didactic criticisms of the media
could be from another planet.

The ATTAC thing, in my opinion, is an exercise designed for a French
audience, as is the presence of junior French socialist party people. I
doubt that they were there to push any line very strongly.

Scott says that he is against the WSF ever taking place; then he says that
it is ok because people go there to subvert it from within; then he says
that it's not ok because of the Popular Front charcter.... ahhh...this is a
bit tiresome: the basic issue is that the organisations that put the forum
together, PT , MST, CGT, CUT, etc... represent millions and millions of
working class people. Contrast the WSF to a Labour party meeting. Notice any
difference? Oh yes, it could be that people actually care and are reasonably
represented at the WSF. The process is largely transparent and open;
enormous amounts of criticism floated around inside the very forum. I say
this is good. I may not agree with the all politics of the PT or the CGT  or
the liberation theology radicalism of the MST, but I say: the more the
merrier. 

I also cannot see what alternative you are proposing. Let's see Scott and
Andy organise a forum for 60,000 people and not have someone say they were
left out - this is not to say that the FAG or whoever it is that is
complaining should put up and shut up, I just want to point out the colossal
logistic and political realities involved.

I think a sceptical attitude to the WSF is more than warranted, but let's
not be lazy and actually look at what they discussed, what decisions they
came up with, what people said - then maybe, we won't be wasting each
other's time relaying "my anarchist pen-pal told me that his uncle wasn't
allowed to see Noam Chomsky eat lunch" stories...

Lastly, I have to say I find your whole line of argument extremely unfair to
the PT and MST and the trade unions. They do suck, but you certainly should
not equate them with Oxfam or something like that. The PT is nothing like
the Labour party or even the Socialists in France. I think that their track
record is fairly good; specially when you consider the (IMF-enforced)
Federal restrictions on state expenses. The MST, is also viciously opposed
to any sort of NGO concilliation; there is a James Petras article somewhere
in Monthly Review about this (as I recall it, the example was a pretty
sexist, but it made the point...) PT, aside from the stunts and double
dealing, do accomplish a lot of good things. For instance, they do not ally
themselves with the death squads, the fund health vigorously, lord, they
even appointed an anthropologist to be minister of police and the guy is a
fierce critic of the War on Drugs.

Thiago




 













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