Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 13:16:57 +0100 (MET)
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-G: Open Letter to the WRP!


NOBODY GETS A FREE TICKET!

The WRP sent me Cliff Slaughters book "A New Party For Socialism" and this 
years issues of a trade union paper and organisation that i assume they are 
responsible for as and iniative for "trotskyist" forces to break out of 
their historical isolation. Thank you by the way for sending this material! 
And by all means feel free to keep me informed about your activities.

Well, naturally as a worker and all the twists and turns that all of those 
who claim to be "Trotskyists" I was extremely curious to see what these 
people stood for. Naturally I did not realize that they are or were a 
segment of the "Healyites" who historically with their deal with Ghaddaffi 
and a fairly long history of violence against other "Trotskyist" groups had 
taken a course that had broken with anything that Trotsky represented. 
However, I was willing to read Cliff's book and take a look at their press 
because I wanted to see what these people are saying today.

One of the interesting things that I liked about Slaughters book was that he 
was saying that the "Trotskyists" must in the next period break out of their 
historical isolation and in the process build a new revolutionary 
International. Naturally nobody can be against that because this has been 
the task of the Fourth International since its creation and even more so 
with the destruction of the Fourth International by Pabloism and the demise 
of the Socialist Workers Party in America who during the Vietnam era turned 
into an outspoken reformist party who's main task was trying to block with 
the Democratic Party liberals who were against the war. And we all know that 
the SWP today has turned its attentions towards the Cuban CP thus trying to 
outdo the Pabloites of the United Secretariat who at one time worshiped the 
tactics of Guerrilla warfare. And the United Secretariat has turned towards 
the broad movement is everything and are trying to build a 9 and 1/2 
International along with the left wing Social Democrats, neo Stalinists and 
Stalinists where the movement is everything the goal nothing. A complete 
liquidation as always of building a revolutionary Party and a Revolutionary 
International. In fact if we look closely in the closet all of the so called 
"Trotskyists" have some skeletons in the closet. 

But back to Slaughters book! Basically he is saying something and tring to 
take and iniative to move things along: That is good! But the point is where 
is he going? And why is he moving. I say this not to be synical but because 
Nobody gets a free ticket especially those claiming to be Trotskyists. 
Because their are a lot of people claiming the name but have done some 
pretty incredible things in order to help in the destruction of the Fourth 
International.  

However, if i remember correctly Healy did belong to the anti-Pabloite 
tendency later on breaking off and heading into what one could say a 
direction which certainly did not move towards the reconstruction of the 
Fourth International on a principled basis and program but into the arms of 
none other them Khaddaffi.

However what the leadership did in Healy's organisation yesterday should not 
be and excuse to ignore them nor those who have split from this 
organisation. Or is it that they threw the Healites out! Because if we were 
to judge all of the so called "Trotskyist" organisations by what they did 
instead of what they are going to do, then it is not just the Healyites that 
should be condemned!

So, what is the WRP saying;

We have to construct a revolutionary party and a revolutionary 
International. OK, I am for that! Then they say that this party must be 
build not from the outside, nor by conciousness raising sessions, nor small 
vanguard groups from the outside. Well this is both right and wrong!

In fact Lenin's thesis on "trade union conciousness" or the "economical" 
struggle as being the best that the working class can raise themselves to is 
true! In other words "revolutionary" conciousness must be introduced by a 
Vanguard  party and leadership. So my first question to the WRP. Is this 
true or not? My personal position is that it is true! That a vanguard party 
will be the tool that will be the transmission belt to the entire class. 
Naturally I agree that the party must be build in both the defensive 
struggles and united front struggles of the whole class and its mass 
organisations like the trade unions. But the key must be the party and not 
the otherway around. Or is it I missed something and things have changed on 
the very basis ABC of Trotskyism. The present crisis is a crisis of leadership!

And i think that it is true that with the downfall of Stalinism and the 
desertion of the Social Democrats to the bougeois camp has certainly left 
the workers movement in a shambles. And I also believe that Trotskyist 
Parties not "Socialist Parties" must be built in the course of this vacum 
created and that this is the first time in a very long time that the 
"Trotskyists" have and opportunity to become mass parties of revolution and 
if not that the chance to be heard as never before!  Thus a small group can 
influence millions in the coming struggles.

But how do we get there! Is it by building front organisations like your 
trade union iniative! Yes! possibly! But not the only way nor can it replace 
the elementry struggle to reforge the Fourth International which was 
destroyed by people who in the final analisis liquidated Trotskyism in one 
way or another under the pressure of the Stalinist and Social Democratic 
hegomy in the workers movement after the second world war. So what I think 
has to come is not building a trade union International and solidarity 
movement as a condition of building the party but exactly the opposite! A 
party that gets back to the very foundations of Trotsky! 

This unfortunately is very difficult for me to say! Because as a poor and 
working class guy i have a tendency to want to get where the action is! 
However, action there is plenty of now and always has been. And in the 
future this activity will certainly grow and Trotskyist cadre will have to 
intervene on a daily basis. In fact your iniative could be one way of doing 
things. But all the action in the world can not replace the vital task of 
recruiting cadre to a vanguard party both through the daily struggles, but 
also in splitting other organisations into those who want to make a 
revolution and those who don,t!

But if you people want workers to believe you it has to be by fighting to 
build a *real* Trotskyist organisation which fundementally breaks with all 
or most of the trends that came out of the second world war and who 
recognises their mistakes! Only by going back to the fundementals. The 
Bolshevik Party under Lenin and Trotsky, The first Four Congresses of the 
Third International, The history of the Left Opposition, and the founding 
documents of the Fourth International, not excluding Cannon and his struggle 
to build the American Party.

Finally what we have today unfortunately is a huge crisis of all those who 
claim to be Trotskyist! What is needed is clarity,clarity, clarity! Against 
Pabloite liquidationism which the USec represents because they are heading 
down the road of programatically compromising with the reformists and 
neo-Stalinists politics.But also all of those organisations who claim to be 
against Pabloite liquidationism and in fact have also done some pretty 
incredible hat tricks since the second World war. 

I sent the following which I think is a basis for discussing perhaps not 
trade union unity in order to build a party. But a principled position that 
all of those claiming to be Trotskyist must take seriously i believe. 
Because this is one class concious worker who certainly will not work with 
anybody who can not defend the politics of Trotskyism. And see that those 
politics are fundementally correct today as a basis for building the future 
Communist International.

THE TRANSTIONAL PROGRAM..

After Hugh's post on the transitional program i felt almost forced to do 
a close reading of it once again. it has been awhile since the last time. 
What is so incredible is how relative it is to today,s situation. As a 
working class kid it was the Transitional program which first attracted 
me to the Trotskyists. It was the answer i needed after being raised in 
a ghetto with working class parents. I was raised on picket lines and 
the McCarthy era. Later on used a a piece of meat in imperialist colonial 
warfare both in Cuba and Vietnam. When I first began to wake up it was 
hardly the Trotskyists i turned too, but direct action, some very adventurist 
action, directed at taking on imperialism single handidly! Well, it did not 
work and i wound up in exile first in Europe and later Scandinavia. Here I 
came into contact with the Transitional Program. A little book (60 pages) 
which for the first time showed me a way out of the dead end.

Only to find out through futher studies the Stalinists had sabotaged any 
kind of Bolshevik politics in the workers movement over a whole historical 
period leading up to today. But i knew that if there was a way out this 
was it. Unfortunately at this time there were very few workers at least 
in Europe who adhered to any kind of Trotskyism. In fact it was mostly 
students and intellectualls in the post war revival around Vietnam and 
May of 68. Naturally this unbalance has caused a lot of problems and 
splits in the Trotskist movement. It is much easier for a student to 
theorize and split here and then there then for a working class kid. 
In fact it has been very difficult trying to find a way through the maze 
of intellectuals claiming the banner. But what kept me hanging on was 
that little book the Transitional Program and Trotskys and Lenins writtings..

In fact if all of those who claim the Trotskyist mantel were to take 
this document (The transitional Program) as a starting point for and 
International regroupment it would be a great leap forward in preparation 
for come what must!

The post war Trotskyists groups have also been effected by much of what 
has happened. There has been some pretty horrible opportunism, out right 
betrayal, splits and all the rest. One of the main reasons I believe is 
the tremendous pressure put on these groups both by events, but also the 
domination of the Social Democrats and the Stalinists in the Labor 
movement. And not in the least the physical liqidation of Trotskyist 
cadre during this historical period. 

Many still are sitting in their trenches, others who make the claim of 
being Trotskyist and who are opportunist to the core and even others 
who have become old and inbittered or just given up.No group or 
individual has been left unscarred by all of this.

Therefore i claim that no group or tendency can claim the mantel without 
a serious International conference taking place for a discussion of the very 
basics.


In the Trotskyist world there is also a tendency of not seeing what the 
enormous events in the past years really mean. A tendency of despair, a 
tendency of trying to find new slick formulas and a tendency to completely 
disregard events that open up a real opportunity for the future.  The 
most vital is the complete disintegration of the Stalinists and the 
jump by the Social Democracy in to the camp of the bourgeoisie!


Naturally we have left overs from the Stalinist parties, not in the 
least the maoists of the ultra left period, but also of the right period. 
However without state power and Moscow or Peking to hold them up they 
are dead in the workers movement. There ideas stem from many of the 
dead end tactics of the now dead Stalinism.

All the various groups and tendencies of Stalinism are in a shambles. 
The Euro-Communists are becoming Social Democrats. The State Capitalists 
are trying to reorientate their fundemental counter revolutionary 
betrayal of any kind of Bolshevik politics. The Anarchists are in a 
shambles. The Social Democrats are leaping into the arms of the bourgeois.

Today more then ever in the Transitional program and the basic documents 
of the of the Trotskyist left opposition up until its founding lie the 
seed of a revolutionary regroupment Internationally under the banner of 
a reforged Communist International.

All of the present tendencies and groups who do not take this opportunity 
to go back to the very basics and founding documents of the Fourth 
International, but continue on their merry way as if nothing has 
happened the last few years in regards to the Stalinist and Social 
Democratic traitors of the International Proletariat and do not 
realize that The transitional program (in its entirety) makes a good 
ground for an International regroupment of forces claiming the 
Trotskyist banner would be criminal. In fact more than criminal, a 
direct betrayal of those in back of us who fought and died for these 
documents in one of the blackist periods of history.But also a direct 
betrayal of the International Proletariat that has been beheaded of 
its Social Democratic and Stalinists leadership in later years and a 
Revolutionary leadership far longer!

The International Proletariat has no leadership today! Into this space 
that has opened up would be a good place for a reforged International 
leadership of Trotskist forces based on the fundemental documents of 
the movement we derived from!

But it should be based on those documents in their entirety and a 
leadership and a cadre who are prepared to fight for that program in 
forming a mass revolutionary vanguard. It can not be a halfway house 
for those who advocate just parts of the Transitional Program, nor ultra 
leftists who deny that the program does not go far enough! But a cadre 
who are prepared to move forward on the concrete basics and the 
Transitional program in its ENTIRETY. That i,m afraid is the only 
road forward! That i  am prepared to work for. All else is just bullshit!

For the first time since the consolidation of the Stalinists as a 
counter revolutionary force in the Labor movement, their power is 
broken! Smashed and disintegrated by its own rotten politics and 
imperialist pressure. The Social Democrats after this Spectacular 
event have taken gigantic leaps into the arms of the bougeoisie both 
on the National level and International level. 

For the first time the path is layed wide open for the intervention 
of the basic politics of the Fourth International. If we miss this 
chance we are heading for a new and unpresidented period of barbary! 
But this time we can not blame the Stalinists and the Social Democrats. 
The blame must be put squarely on the shoulders of those who claim the 
mantel of Trotskyism!

Finally without a serious International Conference an attempt of 
regroupment by all parties and groups on the basic fundementals and 
Transitional Program of Trotsky and the Left Opposition the Proletariat 
should turn their backs to all of those claiming the mantle, because 
none of you deserve the right of their history. Besides it is only 
these documents that can lay a basis for real unity and possibility 
of moving  Forward to the reforging of the Fourth International.

Bob Malecki

PS: Naturally I would like you to keep me informed about you work!

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Read the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara,
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http://www.kmf.org/malecki/

Read the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara,
Vietnam-My Bellybutton is my Crystalball!

COCKROACH, a zine for poor and workingclass people
NOW ON LINE
--------------------------------------------------------





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