Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 02:03:59 -0400
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-G: COCKROACH! EXTRA ! (WRP/WI in Tumoil!) 


COCKROACH! (WRP/WI in Tumoil!)

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WRP/WI in Tumoil!

Reply from Bob Malecki and Cockroach..

I have recently had the priviledge to read three very long documents leading
up to both tumoil and a split in the South African  Workers Revolutionary
Party (WRP) affiliate to the Workers International (WI). It has been
extremely interesting reading and I would like to give my over all
impression of the fight that is wripping the WRP International apart at the
seems..based on these documents.

I would first like to thank the WRP people who sent me these documents and
especially the South Africans which could be some of precious cadre needed
in the process of reforging a Bolshevik Leninist Party in this part of the
world connected to reforging a revolutionary Trotskyist International
destroyed by Pabloism..

As has been show on the lists, USEnet and left press, none of the so called
"Trotskyists" organisations internationally have not been effected by the
enormous historical defeat that the disintegration of the former Soviet
Union and the counter-revolutionary restoration of capitalism in these
countries has meant for the International Proletariat.

In a certain sense even the ICL----IG/LQB struggle is linked to this stuff
abeit much of the polemics are around Brazil at present and not what
happened in Germany, which in a sense is far more important in regards to
Norden and the IG..However back to the WRP.

The three documents are fundementally centered around (International
regroupment) connected to questions like Jugoslavia and the former Soviet
Union, Afrika, albeit Poland and Solidarnosc is mentioned.Where it appears
from the documents that the present turmoil and split can be characterized
not so much by its Revolutionary Marxist clarity, but more of what currents
in the WRP/WI after Yugoslavia and the demise of the Soviet Union and what
the various wings of the WRP want to tail after! Connected to a very big
dose of worker romantism, bureaucratic purges, and unprincipled
combinations..However, perhaps in this present turmoil there are people
around the WRP that are beginning to think about the politics of the WRP/WI
in regards to this because the documents appear to show that both wings in
this struggle are fundementally wrong on some of the key questions facing
poor and working class people today and should begin looking for another
party which can show them the way forward out of the morass that the WRP/IT
has put themselves in!

The first document appears to be two documents!  The first being a
description of the various methods used by the "leaders" in order to beat on
the head of the opposition, unfortunately this document is more for internal
consumption about various characters and personalities and how they act
rather then any kind of political differences. However the second document
is a classic in centrist manuvreing against what it appears to be the
totally rotten line of the WRP International on Yugoslavia among other
things. However the document in a sense reflects a left opposition to what
appears to be the complete bankruptcy of the WRP leadership being unable to
condemn the NATO bombings of the Serbs, whom the WRP think are "Facists"
only to twist and turn in another wrong direction and capitulate to the
leadership who is also attacking  attacking the opposition for wanting to
"peacefully co-exist" with Stalinism!

Which quite clearly shows the WRP's Stalinphobia driving them into the Arms
of NATO bayonettes and the powerful array of technical equipment gathered in
order to devide occupy and destroy the former Jugoslavian deformed workers
state of Tito by the imperialist powers. It reminds me of Trotsky's fight
with the Schactminites. However this stuff is ten times worse then
Schactman's revision of Communist politics on this question of the Soviet Union.

The real diffence, at bottom line however,  appears to be that the
opposition can no longer stomach the pro NATO, anti Serb,  anti Communist
line of the WRP leadership. Thats good! But what is bad is that the
opposition only concrete purposal in the document is;

"we criticise the fact that support for Bosnia
did not go beyond the convoys.  On their own the convoys are an act of
philanthropism.  The support and perspective provided by
the convoys were undeniably important,  but could only be a
trickle in the ocean of human needs.  After the first one or two
convoys,  the focus should have been on a political campaign."

But just what (?) kind of political campaign was needed the document says
nothing about.

Communists in this fracticidal communal bloodbath took NO side in the
revival of Nationalism on all sides in this conflict in order to devide up
the ex-deformed workers state of Tito and get the biggest piece of pie as
possible. This is also linked to the National Question where the opposition
appears to have a position of unconditional support to a Bosnian state. But
the problem here is that there are three distinct groups of people's
fighting over the same bit of territory and want to build that state by
exterminating the other two sides. So the national question can not be
solved by one sidely claiming that just the Bosnians have the right to build
a state. In fact only a socialist revolution in the Balkand can garantee the
national rights of the various different groupings occupying the same territory!

The next part of this document appears to be the diffences that the
opposition has to the leadership on the question of their characterization
of the Unita and MPLA. For the leadership it appears that the UNITA and MPLA
were Siamese twins and the opposition correctly disagrees point out that ;

"If there was no difference  =A9  why the civil
war,  why the destruction of Angola?  "

going on to critize rightfully the incredible line of the WRP who appear to
support anything that is against the Stalinists by saying;

"We are here referring to the WRP's
electoral alliance with the pro=A9imperialist  UDF.  The basis of
this popular frontist alliance was a common opposition to
Stalinism  (SWAPO). "

which the opposition quite rightfully connects to the leadership's
capitulation to NATO and imperialism with their Serbs = Fascism line..

Unfortunately it appears that the opposition albeit correctly critizing the
leadership for its counter-revolutionary Stalinphobic line which leads to
the incredible positions they wind up with. I get the sense that the
opposition's answer is tailing the other side rather then putting forward a
Trotskyist program ,tactics and party perspective in these countries. So on
the one side we have the leadership with there Stalinphobia blocking with
pro-imperialist African Nationalists and the opposition tailing at best
nationalist movements with traditional Stalinist popular front politcs...on
the other side.

What is needed today in Angola is a Trotskyist Party that can fight
politically to win the workers and toilers to their organisation by
splitting the MPLA and politically destroying the Unita by winning its base
to a prosective of a Socialist federation of African States through
Proletarian revolution.. Not picking one horse or the other and tailing it..

The final part of this first document appears to be a great description of
all kinds of organizational antics and manuvring to hijack the South african
organistion now in the hands of the opposition and sending in the
International leadership to destroy and isolate the opposition who more and
more are beginning to understand the bizaar Stalinphobia that determines the
WRP line and fundementally Betrays Poor and working class people..

The second Document appears to be a International regroupment document which
gives their description of splits and fusions connected to the demise of the
USec in its leap to the right going on and connected to that it is just
these people that know the real way forward to the rebirth of the Fourth
International. Giving the following four points as the essential way forward.

"1. Expounding the theoretical and philosophical bases of the
Fourth International, and applying these to the unfolding
world situation.
2. The building of genuine revolutionary parties (not petty
bourgeois sectarian groups), that will have as one of its most
important tasks the rebuilding of the Fourth International.
3. The Fourth International will be rebuilt in concrete,
revolutionary class action.
4. Politically defeating the centrist Trotskyist
organisations, exposing their petty bourgeois credentials, as
well as politically defeating all other groups that the
working class has illusions in that are obstacles to the
socialist revolution."

Well, I would like to comment on these points. The first would be fine, but
unfortunately in looking at the discussions and positions so far coming out
of the WRP/WI from the left on for example the former Yugoslavia, I
find it hard to believe that these people have a full understanding of
Trotskyism, program and tactics. The second point is and expression of deep
worker romantism and phraseology rather then any kind of Leninist position.
Which I believe is incompensated in and organizaton of professional
revolutionaries. A party of declassed intellectuals and workers fighting on
a program and tactics etc. and so on.The third is also romantic blustering.
However a clear orientation towards class struggle, connected to political
splitting the class from its misleaders is not entirely wrong. The last I am
certainly for 100%..

The rest of this document is devoted to a historical description of the
"Trotskyist" movement after the second world war. And what these people
think of the various organisations claiming to be "Trotskist" today are and
how they want to tackle the problem. But the central element lacking is a
program, tactics and political clarity in regards to these political
formations. More of a name calling and classiufication without any concrete
political critism's of program. tactics etc. This is vital if one is going
to destroy those that one think is and obstacle to the creation of a
Trotskyist International. So most of the document is meerly fart blowing
without any political context other then making a list of organisations and
deviding them up in three different groups. Basically a complete waste of
time and energy.. So I will go on to the third docuement..

The Third Docuement..

The third and final document is also and Internationalist document on
regroupment and the way forward. It starts off in a sense with a lot of
authodox lines and formulations which are classical for left of center main
line Pabloism which pays lip service to authodox Trotskyism, the left
opposition, the transitional program etc.. But when looking at all three
documents as a whole one quickly find out that these people are just all
over the map on many of the fundemental questions.

Going on for a few paragraphs of all kinds of formulations to discover that
the post war boom is over and that class struggle, inter-imperialist rivilry
is growing and on the order of the day bla bla bla..Taking up how all the
historical reforms fought for over the years are under attack OK..Going on
to list all kinds of serious oppositional forces in the former Soviet Union.
Unfortunately in connection with there earlier documents appear to be and
appetite to chase the oppositions rather then split them ..and win them to
Trotskyist politics.

They take up Poland mentioning the "Catholic Church" as the instrument of
counter revolution. Mentioning by the way that it was Solidarnosc that was
the instrument used by the Catholic Church. Wonders never cease. To think
that the Spartacist/ICL had that position when this shit was going down,
Where were you people then? I'll bet you were the best cheerleaders of
Solidarnosc along like the USec and the rest of the left. It was so funny
back then I think we were two people here and a general strike whick on our
leaflett one side was devoted to the strike and the other side of the
leaflet devoted to Sopladarnosc in the service of the pope andcapitalist
counter-revolution. While the entire left howled there support to
Solidarnosc as they do the Bosnian Muslims today and who will it be tomorrow?

I should also mention here that these people like the Morenoites claim that
it was romantic illusion of the workers rising up against Stalinism in both
the former deformed workers states and the degenerated Soviet Union that was
the key to the situation rather then who was leading what where. They
honestly believe, I get the impression, that the workers no matter what they
do or who they follow are revolutionary. Connected to all kinds of short
cuts and combinations with all kinds of political formations who's program
and tactics and history are highly difuse. Rather then a firm programatric
commitment, a tendency to liquidate Trotskyist politics in order to get rich
quick by tailoring Trotskyism to pass to certain given situations and
political formations..Time and again..

However they do make the correct characterizations that these countries are
now capitalist. Only to vaguely go on to say that parties will have to be
built with mostly general left pabolite half orthodox kind of formulations,
which remind me very much of the 60ties and early seventies.

They continue on to the National quesion...Claiming that they are on the
side of just about everybody. However their earlier and present positions
show that this is hardly the case. In listing up the various number of
peoples it is noticible that they are on the side of the "Bosnians" without
mentioning the croats or Serbs. They are on the side of the Palestineans
without mentioning the jews. They are on the side of the Chechnyans without
mentioning etc. ectc. etc.

It is the fundemental mistake of left centrists Pabloite revisionism which
leans toward capitulating to what they believe to be progressive third world
nationalism and the anti-Imperialist united front. However they are very
unclear what this will mean. Other then and attempt to find a shortcut by
linking into a new round of anti-imperialist radicalisation of the latter
days. It is almost as if they want to have a political cover for all
eventualities to tail after if something were to develop..

They go on to draw all the specifically WRONG conclusions using "Bosnia" as
the example of there opportunism to tail after whatever is popular rather
then any kind of serious analisis of events and a Marxist position on this
particular issue. They condem the WRP/IW Stalinphobia, but capitulate to
Bosnian Muslim nationalism and its right to build a state..In reality only
Socialist revolution in the Balkans can solve the National question--not by
one sidely declaring that the Bosnians have a right to a state..

The document goes on and on in this left Pabloite fashion. Taking up
opposition to popular fronts, a workers government interlinked with
classical left wing pabloite rhetoric and ending up condeming the present
political leadership of the WRP!WI from a left centrist position that
reminds me of the old version of the IMT and its Swedish section.

Maybe we should be talking about a "IMT" -- "Healy" backlash in some bizaar
way.  But these people have a lomg way to go in order to become communist
Bolshevik/Leninists Trotskyist Revolutionaries..If Stalinism was the cancer
of the International workers movement. Then Pabolism/Healyism in all of its
variants is cerainly a cancer in the struggle to reforge the Fourth
International.

This new opposition much like the Lcmcri that are being thrown out of
various groups of fake "Trotskyist" organisations who's fundemendal
existence is based on a big dos of worker romantism and Stalin phobia like
the Healyites and all of its offspring shows that the rightward motion
internationally which has pushed organisations like the USec and Healyites
and their clones far to the right. One by liqidating into the
Euro-Communist/Traditional Social democracy and broad organisational
solutions like the USec and the other side of the coin the worker romantic
Stalinphobic Healyite family exploding through its rightward shift like the
Schamanites into the camp of the imperialist bougeoisie is throwing up
leftist and confused centrist conclomerations of varying degree. THe recent
splits here in the USec is one aspect of this new development. Where as the
Lcmcri and now the WRP/WI throwing up confused left centrists
conglomerations like these that the three documents represent..represent
another...

A few years ago it was the then International Spartacist Tendency (IST) now
the Internationalist Communist League, who were the only ones talking about
"revolutionary regroupment". The shift to the right in a sense is the fact
that those Mandelite and Healyite organisations who fundementally liquidated
Trotskyism for different reasons now find themselves in a period of
disintegration and all kinds of groups popping up who at present want to go
no futher then the good old days of left wing pabloite revisionisn despite
all the retoric. They have no organic connection what so ever going back to
the Trotskyist movement before the war and the once healthy Cannon led SWP.

What we are seeing is a clone version of Pabloism perhaps of the second
generation. And like the monarchy who historically gave birth to there
overspring in the family lets say--are much more unhealthy and sick as far
as program,politics,tactics and organisational forms then their parents who
already after leaving the Trotskytist road were dead. 

It is the duty of the Communists to win the best of these militants to the
program of Trotskyism which I must say is represented in the historical
documents of the opposition which developed around people like Jim Robinson,
which lead to the Spartacists--to the IST and now the ICL. And today
histrorically appear to be the only serious historical link to Trotsky and
Trotskyism. The ICL and its politics can draw a straight line straight back
to Cannon's SWP. These new grouping evolving to the left of the
Mandelite/Healy Internationals are trying to find thei historical link. But
in order to do so have to hop over either the Mandelites or Healyites which
they were born out of and deny their own history. Must be pretty difficult
for these groups and militants of the clone generation to find any real
Trotskyist roots or practices..One sees it in evbery split that develops the
enormous amount of bureucratic intrigue and back stabbing which is the norm
in these organisations.

Finally I suggest that all of the people now being thrown up from the
bankrupt politics of the WRP/WI investigate very  closely the historical
fights that took place connected to the concrete positions around
these earlier struggles both in regards to the Mandelites and the Healyites.
Because they are linked to the incredibly horrible positions that you now in
opposition are trying to distance youselves from. Connected to heading
towards just another version of Pabloite liquidationism and opportunist
shortcuts.. THe centrist swamp is getting bigger and growing by the day with
new splits and fractures all over the place in the once all powerful
Mandelite/Healy Internationals.

The Spartacists/ICL do have a record which has documented this struggle and
in fact has been and organic living part of that struggle. If you really
want to head in a direction of Trotskyism then sooner or later you will be
forced to face the full force of the politics and program of the once
insignificant little group of smart asses called the Sparts and who now has
become the ICL..Because all the central components of any serious
regroupment exist around these programatic and historical points..

Anyone wanting copies of the WRP/IW oppositional documents can write me.

Towards the Rebirth of the Fourth International..

Warm Regards
Bob Malecki
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