Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 21:40:41 +0100
Subject: Re: M-G: Sweden--Moral and political dilemma!


Bob M's reply is concrete enough for me. Particularly the following paragraphs:

>This is not true! Everything that somebody does up here publicly is both
>seen and discussed. And in my  case everything I do is both seen and
>discussed. This is because I have a history as and outspoken militant. So it
>is fairly important to wheigh carefully things in a bowl before taking and
>action. Because the opposition certainly wioll use any arguement like "union
>busting" to go after your ass..

and :

>The problem above is not just the teachers! But the general fear and
>conservatism in the working population that do have jobs. Especially in the
>public sector where everyone appears to be looking over their shoulder and
>saying who's next to get the axe at present. What is needed is a mass
>mobilisation to bring down the present anti-working class Social Democratic
>government.  A good start towards that goal would be not letting the
>government and bosses pick us off in a isolated situation. Like the stuff
>going on in Arboga now. Or putting those who have work and those that are
>unemployed in seperate little corners. This kind of stuff should be met with
>a massive mobilisation by the working class. However it appears that it will
>be neccessary for a lot more to happen before the workers break out of their
>lethargy and fears but also old loyalties to the reformists that always
>fixed everything for them in 60 years. And the teachers could either be the
>first or the last.

and:

>Finally this is all really a storm in a water class.I think that the major
>issue to be confronted is ALU, mass unemployment, the new poor connected to
>the dismantling of the welfare state and the anti-union legislation. And the
>Bougainville stuff should be linked to the miners unions up here in the
>north and the Australian companies who are prospecting here. Besides the
>Bougainvilleans control the island and got the guns and are doing fine at
>present.

This present discussion is the sort of thing that a regular party meeting
is just the right place for. Problems of individual (or group) action are
raised -- and the uncertainties are real -- and thrashed out in relation to
principles and possibilities. Comrades disagree but no one gets their nose
out of joint, and the upshot is a better understood and better rooted
position than would have emerged from an individual effort. A course of
action is agreed, then carried out, and a balance sheet is drawn up when
it's been done, to see what could have been better, what needs developing
further and what worked just fine.

The Net and the lists are no substitute for a party, but when this kind of
discussion becomes a lot more common, they'll be a lot more help in the
struggle.

Cheers,

Hugh




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