Date: Sat, 21 Jun 1997 16:45:06 +0200 From: Jorn Andersen <jorn.andersen-AT-vip.cybercity.dk> Subject: Re: M-I: Jospin's compromise Thanks for summing up, Rob ;-) A disagreement + a couple of comments. At 17:52 21-06-97 +1000, Rob Schaap wrote: >Thanks for this Jorn. You're very right about something very important. > >The lessons I take from this are: (1) Take seriously what people want in >the here and now; (2) Support for direct government-sponsored job creation >should be complete; Agreed on those first two points. >(3) Social Democrats represent a powerful voice for >class politics at a time when the very notion of class has been at risk of >disappearing; Well, let's see how *powerful* they are ... We should not forget what social democracy is about. However: >(4) While revolutionary purists point to inevitable >back-downs by socdems they fail to notice that, hitherto, just about >everybody else has failed to notice them; I think your're wrong on this one. On the contrary, I think disillusion with the way socdems in most European countries tried to manage capitalism in the 70's when the present crisis took off is crucial to understand where we are today. This was one very important factor in the right turn of the 80's (Thatcher, Kohl etc.). But also take a look at France, which has another history. In France bourgeois governments had ruled since WW2. When Mitterrand got elected as president in 1981 people were partying in the streets. When he left 14 years later people could look back at one, long history of austerity politics. The result was not only that the right got a landslide victory at parliamentary elections, but also that it was exactly the Mitterand years which allowed fascism to gain a foothold in Franch politics. Before Mitterand they were nothing - now they seem to have a stable 15-20 percent share of the electorate on a national scale. I think this shows very clearly that 'just about everybody else' *has* noticed a whole succession of back-downs by socdems. The absence of a visible revolutionary alternative has meant in France that workers swing back and forth between the left and the right. What is important is that what we are a facing is a situation unseen in W Europe since the 70's: A socdem government coming to power more or less on the back of an emerging mass movement. The december 1995 strikes were clearly a turning point which allowed years of anger and frustration to begin to turn into rising self-confidence. One effect of this is also a rising confidence when it comes to fighting le Pen. This year has seen huge demonstrations against not only racism coming from the state, but also a 70.000 demo in Strassbourg at the Front National congress. Since then there have been many local demonstrations confronting the NF, and during the election campaign the Socialist Party had a very anti-NF attitude. People are aware of their history of betrayal, but when looking for an alternative nothing seems to be in sight. This means that since we can expect more betrayals, we may also see a swing-back to the right - or worse: to the fascist Front National. And it means for revolutionaries that we *should* warn against such betrayals. >(5) Revolutionaries who visibly >and actively struggle, as separate entity but in absolute solidarity, with >parliamentary socdems for explicit reforms will get noticed; Agreed. I think one should note, however, that France is almost unique in this. Everywhere else socdems *don't* promise anything. It was the mass movement and the resulting 'general mood', which made Jospin make a left turn. >(6) Socialists have some reason to believe their cause is healthier today >than it was a decade ago (not that it could have got much sicker). No doubt about this. But it is also a situation where stakes are higher. If we don't succeed in actually relating to this 'mood for chance' (which exists not only in France, but in most European countries) and build sizeable organizations from it before the next crisis, we may loose it. It is easy to get confused when social democracy makes a tactical turn to the left. These turns can feed illusions about social democracy, but they can also feed into growing confidence of workers. Which will be the case this time has yet to be fought out. >Good stuff! Thanks. PS: My first reply was maybe a little unbalanced, because I just got so sick of middle class 'greens' who totally reject any real movement in the base of society. My point was not to let socdems off the hook. On the contrary: Only if we relate to the hopes and desires which was expressed by Jospins victory can we put ourselves in a position, where our warnings can be heard. Jorn -- Jorn Andersen Internationale Socialister Copenhagen, Denmark IS-WWW: http://www2.dk-online.dk/users/is-dk/ --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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