Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 11:55:40 +0100 (MET)
Subject: M-G: Re: M-I: French Lorry Drivers Strike


Adam wrote very correctly;

>Well, since the seminar is on the revolutionary capability
>of the working class, I suggest sceptics take a look at
>the French lorry drivers strike.

Yes! And how it has spread to the Danish truckers which in turn has led to 
the Swedish truckers taking up these questions.

Just as the demonstration yesterday in Sweden was a very powerful 
manifestation against the reformists and their bougeois partners in the 
Center party. Thousands upon thousands of trade unionists demonstrated their 
rage against the anti trade union laws, unemployment  and the cuts.

The powerful miners union in Kiruna has gone out with the call for a 
political general strike on the 12 of December thus posing the question of 
who rules the parliment with its present majority or the power of the 
working class.

Although this movement is just in its beginning and there are a lot of 
illusions both in the Social Democracy, and going back to the good old 
times, it is beginning to shake the very foundation of bougeois democratic 
society! The question becomes almost immediately posed--Who Rules? The 
miners in Kiruna or the bougeois parliment...

So I do not think that Adam has to worry about the people on this list who 
have given up on the working class as being the only revolutionary force in 
society who has the *real* social power to change things! As the crisis 
deepens and the class begins to move our skeptics will go from their present 
anti working class stance to some kind of opportunist stance represented in 
political platforms and conclusions!

I would also like to say that the unemployed at least in Sweden appear to be 
playing a very important role in these mobilisations. Some say being outside 
of production makes their role very difficult to play. But in the late 
ninties it has been quite clear that familes have been forced to have both 
adults in the family working in order to live if not in some cases just to 
survive. (Where in the old days it was only usually one bread winner in the 
family) So we have the incredible situation of many unemployed having spouse 
or relatives who do have jobs. Thus there is a clear link of solidarity 
between those on the inside and those on the outside.

The left was also present at the demonstration. Both the so called far left 
(various "trotskyist" formations, maoists and the Euro-Communists.) The 
Euro-Communists are the worst of these opportunist trends. There parlimentry 
group was waiting outside the parliment with coffee for the demonstraters! 
While the last to years they have been the loyal supporters of Social 
Democratic cuts! And even voted for the Social Democrats in a recent dispute 
over the prime minister and his statements about China. Although this vote 
was brought on by and anti-Communist and anti-China right wing in the 
parliment a real Communist group in the parliment would have used this issue 
to expose the Social Democrats.

Instead of voting for them against the right wing anti-Communist attacks 
they could have brought up the issue of the Social democracy and its 
anti-working class legislation saying that we Communists have NO confidence 
in this government. Not because of the statements the prime minister made in 
China but because of its anti-worker right wing politics which is 
responsible for massive unemployment,impovershisment, and anti-trade union 
laws. Unfortunately these neo-Stalinists are trying to become traditional 
reformists and back to the good old days of the traditionalists.

More later on the "trotskyists" groups and what they were doing. I did see 
the militant group with a banner of "Save Sweden".

Bob Malecki




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