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European conference of the anti-capitalist left

Last weekend in Paris there was a meeting called by the Ligue communiste révolutionnaire of European anti capitalist parties. This is my translation of an article by François Sabado about it. There were about a hundred representatives of about thirty organisations from sixteen countries present. Among them were the principal organisations of the revolutionary left…

Liam
4–5 minutes

Last weekend in Paris there was a meeting called by the Ligue communiste révolutionnaire of European anti capitalist parties. This is my translation of an article by François Sabado about it.

There were about a hundred representatives of about thirty organisations from sixteen countries present. Among them were the principal organisations of the revolutionary left in Europe which represent thousands of activists and sympathisers.

Also present was an observer from the ISO ((International Socialist Organisation) in the United States .

This international conference of the radical, anti-capitalist and revolutionary European left was undoubtedly a big success. For the first time since May 68 nearly all the anti-capitalist left was brought together.
It was remarkable that this first meeting took place. The fact that it decided to continue and meet for a second conference in 2009 shows that something new is happening for Europe’s radical left.

This success is first of all connected with both the support for and the curiosity about the LCR’s initiative and the new anti-capitalist party. But there is something else.


It is a change in the historic period which has unsettled the workers’ movement and organisations for several years, a process which is perhaps coming to maturity in a number of countries. The combination, in the framework of capitalist globalisation, of the current financial, banking and food crises of capitalism – of the redoubling of attacks against social and democratic rights, and the social-liberal evolution of the traditional left opens a space for the radical left.

These questions were dealt with in a first discussion introduced by François Sabado, a member of the LCR’s leadership. He indicated a series of points of convergence on the nature of the capitalist offensive on the evolution of the social-democratic and communist parties on the dynamic of the class struggle. This debate also confirmed the points of agreement about the principal anti-capitalist measures in the face of neo-liberal capitalism and the need for a clear independence from social democracy. All the organisations present reaffirmed the necessity of rejecting the politics of parliamentary or governmental coalitions with the social liberalism of social democracy or the centre left.

These main reference points for rebuilding a new workers’ movement and an anti-capitalist alternative don’t exhaust all the indispensable debates for rebuilding a socialist project, debates which we must have on the different experiences in Europe , questions such as the formulation of an European anti-capitalist programme, the war, an ecosocialist response to the ecological crisis and of course about the content and forms of socialism in the 21st century.

So we have to work and debate. The next conference in 200 will be focused on the struggle against the war, NATO and military politics in Europe .

There was something else positive about this conference. It is not only a questions of debating but also of acting. There were three discussions after the main discussion. The first, which was introduced by LCR leadership member Yvan Lemaitre, about the war, in which returning to the warmongering policies of the ruling classes and the role of NATO to organise a large international demonstration in Strasbourg and Kiel next spring.

For the first time a conference of this type looked at the question of global warming. It was introduced by Laurent Menghini. This second debate showed that all the anti capitalist organisations are developing an ecological dimension.

There was a third debate, introduced by Emmanuel Siegelman, on the importance of the struggle against racism and xenophobia. Following the example of the Lega Nord in Italy, which is waging a real campaign against foreigners, the attacks against immigrants are a central element of the attack of reactionary governments against social and democratic rights. Anticapitalists must make this a central axis of their activity in Europe .

After a short summary of the proceeding by Galia Trépère all the participants have decided to have a joint intervention at the next social forum in Malmo in Sweden, and especially to consider common activities at the time of the next European elections in 2009. What is at stake when the far right, the socialist and communist parties have European structures is to begin to build a European anti capitalist pole of attraction. This is one of the most difficult questions for each organisation has a different history, there are specific relationships of forces in each country. Some organisations have already responded positively. Others are going to discuss it, and some, without taking part in a European campaign, are open to common initiatives.

In short – the new anti-capitalist party is getting things moving in Europe !

The organisations represented were:

Denmark : Red Green alliance
Switzerland : Solidarités, Gauche anticapitaliste, Mouvement pour le socialisme
Germany : ISL, RSB, BASG, Marx21, Interventionist Lef, Anticapitalist Left
Austria : SOAL
Sweden : Socialist Party
Poland : Polish Labour Party
Belgium: LCR-SAP
Norway : Socialist Unity
British state : Respect, Socialist Resistance, Socialist Party, Socialist Workers Party
Spanish state- : Espacio Alternativo
Turkey : ODP
Portugal : Left Bloc
Italy : Sinistra Critica
Netherlands : SAP
United States : ISO
Greece : ARAS, Kokkhino, Syriza, KOE, Synapismos, New Left Current (NAR), Left Recompostion, DEA, OKDE, Ecologist Alternative, SEK, AKOA
France : LCR

 

 

13 responses to “European conference of the anti-capitalist left”

  1. Irish Mark P Avatar
    Irish Mark P

    This seems a bit bizarre. The statement opens with a bit of boasting about having 30 organisations from 16 countries present and about allegedly having the principle revolutionary organisations in Europe present. And then you look at the list of groups involved and it quickly becomes clear that the LCR are over egging the pudding more than a little.

    For some reason this conference now seems to include a long list of entirely inconsequential USFI grouplets. These include the Greek OKDE, the Dutch SAP, Espacio Alternativo, Socialist Resistance, the near moribund LCR-SAP, SOAL in Austria and both the ISL and RSB in Germany. I suspect that on close inspection that Socialist Unity in Norway will turn out to be another USFI linked grouplet, and the three Swiss organisations appear to be tiny organisations coming out of the disintegration of the USFI there. None of these groups have any great significance even within the far left of their respect countries.

    Then there are the 12 (!) groups from Greece, the bulk of which are also trivial. And even some of the groups that do have a bit of substance to them, like the ODP, or Swedish Socialist Party, are smaller than other, absent, groups on the left in those countries. Many of the major revolutionary organisations in Europe are missing from the list of course, contrary to the claim that the “principal organisations of the revolutionary left” were there.

    A more accurate statement might say that the LCR held a meeting with six or seven small revolutionary groups or broad left electoral parties. Adding a whole load of USFI grouplets to the count doesn’t change the significance or otherwise of the event. I can only assume that they were invited to give the event a slightly misleading impression of broadness and depth. Their presence also puts a slightly different spin on this part:

    “What is at stake when the far right, the socialist and communist parties have European structures is to begin to build a European anti capitalist pole of attraction. This is one of the most difficult questions for each organisation has a different history, there are specific relationships of forces in each country. Some organisations have already responded positively. “

    The statement doesn’t say which “organisations have already responded positively” and in particular it doesn’t say how many of them are organisations that actually matter.

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  2. anticapitalista Avatar
    anticapitalista

    About the Greek representation.
    Firstly you missed one, ARAN, which is part of the ENANTIA anti-capitalist electoral front.
    The bulk may be trivial to Irish Mark P, but fortunately not to workers and students currently engaged in battles against the Greek “Tory” government.
    There has been a very marked shift to the left here, despite the electoral victory of New Democracy about a year ago and that is one of the reasons why so many organisations of the Greek Left were represented in Paris. (The Greek Left has also been very active in all the anti-capitalist demonstrations from Prague 2000 to present, as well as organising huge anti-war demos, and large demos in solidarity with the Palestinians). In general terms the Greek Left is growing in numbers and influence, and the anti-capitalist element has put huge pressure on SYN and SYRIZA to shift them leftwards, despite the inclinations of their leadership.

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  3. Irish Mark P Avatar
    Irish Mark P

    Don’t be so silly anti-capitalist.

    Of the 12 Greek groups mentioned, all but a few have from a few dozen to a few hundred activists, including your own one. That doesn’t mean that these groups are wrong or even that the work that they do is useless. But they are not politically significant, despite whatever delusions you entertain.

    In fact four of the groups mentioned, OKDE, SEK, Left Recomposition and ARAN manged to get a grand total of 0.15% of the vote in last year’s elections despite running nationally. Yes, yes, electoral politics aren’t everything, but we are talking about small groups any way you want to measure them.

    The fact that a bunch of such groups came to the LCR’s conference does not add anything to the much to the weight or significance of the conference, although to be fair to these Greek groups, at least most of them are bigger and more significant than the various European USFI grouplets that were proudly trotted out to bulk up the numbers.

    For all intents and purposes this conference involved the same handful of slightly significant revolutionary groups and broad left electoral parties as all of the previous ACL meetings, minus Rifondazione. The small groups were just there as padding and their enthusiasm or otherwise for whatever international project the USFI is proposing is irrelevant.

    I wouldn’t have bothered posting about this except for the triumphalist and misleading tone of the original report concerning the breadth and depth of this conference. It may or may not have been a worthwhile meeting, but it certainly didn’t represent all of the significant far left forces in Europe and it certainly doesn’t contain organisations of any note from 16 countries.

    As an unrelated aside, one thing that’s of interest about these meetings is that none of the Maoist/Anti-Revisionist remnants from around Europe are ever present. This may well be a good thing – I’m no fan of any form of Stalinist politics – but it’s unclear to me if they are invited and don’t come or if they are deliberately excluded. I’m talking here about groups like Red in Norway (the chief far left organisation there), the CP in Sweden (which like the CWI-aligned RS is bigger than the Swedish SP), or the PT in Belgium. Does anyone know what the story is?

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  4. Liam Avatar
    Liam

    Mark – as I understand it – and this is by no means authoritative – the guest list was mostly groups with whom the LCR has some sort of working relationship and I don’t think this stretches to the ex Maoist currents. (Off the record the purpose of the event was not immediately clear to some of those on the guest list.)

    As for the tone, I don’t suppose anyone ever writes something along the lines of “we organised it and it was a bit crap”.

    Still it’s better to jaw jaw…

    And can we all stop using words like “silly” to describe people with whom we disagree?

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  5. Ray Avatar
    Ray

    I say good luck to them! Does it matter how big these groups are when at least these European socialists, some of whom I may have political disagreements with, are attempting to build links based on their tradition?

    Is not getting the left together what we keep banging on about doing in this country (UK)? I accept that the tone of the article may not quite represent the significance of their meeting but, let’s be honest, the socialist left as a whole is not exactly huge so criticism about the significance of the event, however valid, is a bit like tilting at windmills.

    While the left needs to be realistic about our capabilities and influence ( the recent election is a good example of learning this lesson) perhaps we need to refrain from belittling the achievements of others and concentrate on how the left can grow despite being fragmented and small.

    Eventually, if the left is going to grow, I hope we’re all going to drop the competitiveness and insular way’s we sometimes operate and bite the bullet when it comes to working with other socialists we view as rivals or of a different tradition.

    I’m starting to sound like John Lennon’s, “Imagine”, so I’ll stop there…

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  6. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    That Norwegian group sounds dodgy from their name.

    It seems a bit odd to me that:

    This debate also confirmed the points of agreement about the principal anti-capitalist measures in the face of neo-liberal capitalism and the need for a clear independence from social democracy. All the organisations present reaffirmed the necessity of rejecting the politics of parliamentary or governmental coalitions with the social liberalism of social democracy or the centre left.

    Given that Respect was represented there. There is certainly no “clear independence from social democracy” within Respect. Indeed Galloway is a left social democrat, and so is perhaps a majority of the membership.

    I am also surprised to learn that all the organisations present – including Respect – voted to rejest unconditionally the politics of coalition.

    Firstly Respect has no policy on this; secondly there is an element of code in here surely, what it means is that the LCR are laying down a pre-condition that the PCF cannot meet – that si the LCR are playing the old game we expect from them, of taliing about unity, but only in terms of unity with themsleves and people who already agree with them.

    I am also suprised that marx21 voted to never accept coalitions, given that their actual position in the merger of WASG and die Linke PDS was the opposite, wth reagr to no preconditions to the rot-rot coalistions in the East between die Linke PDS and the SPD

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  7. Andy Newman Avatar
    Andy Newman

    Should read re LCR

    of talking about unity, but only in terms of unity with themselves and people who already agree with them.

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  8. Ray Avatar
    Ray

    It seems to me Andy that when you’re not using victimised SWP union activists to make a snide attack on the SWP on SU you’re on here criticising a initiative by European socialists to develop links and build unity.

    It’s quite obvious that forming coalitions with the centre left who have taken up the politics of neo-liberalism is completely out of the question. While we will work with the left who still remain in those parties we do not form coalitions with neo-liberals. The left must not be used as a fig leaf for the social democratic parties to hide their bankrupt neo-liberal policies behind. Respect certainly does have a policy about this. It’s the part of our constiution that rejects war mongering and privatisation of our services among other neo-liberal pursuits.

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  9. Liam Avatar
    Liam

    Ray – in broader formations which do have the potential to be part of a governmental coalition the European experience is that there is big pressure to go into government. It’s a huge discussion (one we will be talking about at the SR dayschool) because while the far left may have firm views on the matter the point has to be won politically inside these parties.

    On this point Andy is right. The PCF is willing to make such a coalition, as are many other reformist parties and this is a line of division between it and the LCR.

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  10. Chris Brooks Avatar
    Chris Brooks

    Hi Liam,

    Thanks for this. We have corrected your translation and posted it at http://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1478

    Please note the article is by Sabado, and not a statement from the conference.

    The opening address, on the international situation, is also online.

    Chris.

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  11. Ray Avatar
    Ray

    There’s always going to be the pressure to form electoral coalitions with centre left parties but this should be argued against in the present political climate where social democracy is pursuing neo-liberal policies. As far as Respect is concerned this is a matter of upholding our anti-war policy and is non-negotiable. This doesn’t mean that we can’t work with social-democrats who reject the neo-liberal politics of the centre left.

    While the conditions obviously aren’t the same as in 1915 because of the neo-liberal politics of the centre left I think the left needs to follow Lenin when he argued at the Zimmerwald Conference that, “The Manifesto actually indicates a step toward the ideological and practical break with opportunism and social chauvinism”.

    It’s an important debate for the left and I’m sure the SR dayschool will contribute to it.

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  12. maeve66 Avatar
    maeve66

    I thought that the “new anticapitalist party” that the LCR were interested in establishing involved other French left groups and/or currents? Where were they at this meeting? Seems odd. I mean, never mind the other European FI groups, fine, but… what about LO and other groups in France?

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  13. Pete Shield Avatar
    Pete Shield

    Maeve,
    The problem for the LCR’s anti-capitalist alliance is that they can’t actually interest anyone else, Les Alternatives, the small group of anarchists who were the last of the grouplettes have backing out.

    It is difficult to form an anti-capitalist alliance when the terms of your conditions and ways of alliance building are such as to alienate the potential partners, either through pre-determined ‘conditions’ set by the LCR and not discussed in advance with potential partners, or through organisation style.

    A cynic might say it was a typical raiding exercise to try and pull individuals out of other organisations.

    The other key problem the LCR would have would be that should any other meaningful organisation such as the LO or even one sizable federation of the PCF actually show interest then the LCR would be totally swamped.

    But as I said that is somewhat cynical point of view..

    I am sure that the LCR really meant that all sections of the anti-capitalist left are invited in an open and democratic, one member on vote, forum without any institution veto, that the LCR would really liquidate their structure as they expect others to do, that they would be absolutely no attempt to impose an agenda on the wider body through ‘informal networks of like minded individuals’ strangely previous all members of the LCR, and that any alternative ‘informal networks of like minded individuals’ would not be denounced as factionalists and manipulators etc etc.

    The sad thing for me is that I actually have a lot of time for the LCR but this call for left unity came at exactly the moment that the LCR declared their Presidential candidate, while still be involved in the left unity discussions to, erm, choose a united left candidate.

    Any we all know how that all ended – see earlier discussions to see my opinion of my own crew’s abysmal strategy.

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