Date: Mon,  2 Sep 96 23:30:24 PDT
From: PO <global-AT-uk.pi.net>
Subject: Britsih SLP, Labour and c. Malecki


 Date:          Mon,  2 Sep 96 21:09:52 PDT
A reply to robert malecki from the CWG (New Zealand) 

> Hi LCMRCI,
> 
> I think i understand your position on the SLP and Workers Power people. 
But
> I would like you to explain the below position for me.
> 
> >LCMRCI: Yes! We are in favour of be inside the Labour Party and for a
> >critical vote for Labour in next election. This is our position:
> 
> Because from a distance it appears that the Labour Party is much futher to
> the right that the SLP. However i must honestly say that i do not know if
> this is true. However i do know that Blaire's Labor Party has taken the 
path
> of the right wing of the Swedish Social democracy and upholds it as a 
model
> for the future. Thus leaving the door open for more cuts and coalitions 
and
> governments with bougeois forces and parties.
> 
> And because of this can not be given and ounce of "critical" support from
> Trotskyists! Because we demand first and foremost that the reformists take
> power in their own name and govern.
> 
> bob malecki
> 
> PS; Denounce the bureaucratic policies of Stalinist exclusion by spoon and
> the moderaters on the new unity list! Defend Workers Democracy from these
> enemies of the working class..This should be done here and all over 
Usenet.
> Sectarianism in practice must be smashed where ever it raises its head!
>

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--
 
Labour is right-wing but it has not formed popular fronts yet. It is 
unlikely to form a popular front coalition before the election. This 
is because the Westminster electoral system forces parties to try and 
get the most votes before forming a government. Only if minority 
government could not govern would it enter into a coalition.Therefore 
it is not necessary to withddraw critical support until such time as 
Labour forms a popular front and refuses to break with its bourgeois 
partner(s). This is unlike the European Proportional Representation systems 
which often 
sees parties form blocs before elections so that voters can support 
more than one party. For example the German system [which NZ has 
adopted] invites parties to bloc so that electors can vote for two 
parties in a coalition. That is why we are calling on the labour 
movement to put up a workers list so that workers can split their 
vote , vote once for the same candidate and once for the same party 
in each electorate, to prevent votes for Labour and the Alliance 
being wasted.   Under PR systems we would give critical support only 
for the Bourgeois Worker partner in order to break it from the bourgeois 
partner 
up until it took responsibility for a popular front government. If it 
had a common list we could not do this. But this situation does not 
arise in Britain.
Dave.





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