Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 07:56:21 +0100 (MET) From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki) Subject: M-G: COCKROACH! #37 (part 2) 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 initiative 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 realise 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 worshipped 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 trying to take and initiative 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 cynical 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 consciousness raising sessions, nor small vanguard groups from the outside. Well this is both right and wrong! In fact Lenin's thesis on "trade union consciousness" or the "economical" struggle as being the best that the working class can raise themselves to is true! In other words "revolutionary" consciousness 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 vacuum 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 initiative! Yes! possibly! But not the only way nor can it replace the elementary struggle to reforge the Fourth International which was destroyed by people who in the final analysis liquidated Trotskyism in one way or another under the pressure of the Stalinist and Social Democratic hegemony 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 initiative 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 fundamentally 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 fundamentals. 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 conscious worker who certainly will not work with anybody who can not defend the politics of Trotskyism. And see that those politics are fundamentally correct today as a basis for building the future Communist International. THE TRANSITIONAL 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 handily! 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 intellectuals 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 theorise 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 Lenin's writings.. 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 Labour movement. And not in the least the physical liquidation 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 fundamental 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 realise 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 blackest 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 fundamental 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 Labour 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 bourgeoisie both on the National level and International level. For the first time the path is laid 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 unprecedented 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 fundamentals 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! ------------------------------------------------------- --- from list marxism-general-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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