Saturday, October 31, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Against bureaucratic conception of the unity of the Communists
"A party is the vanguard of a class and its duty is to lead the masses, not reflect the average mind of the masses." (V.I. Lenin, 1917)
Read the interesting article of PCE (m-l) in Spanish here: Contra la concepción burocrática de la unidad de los comunistas
We condemn the coup d’état and support the struggle of the workers and people of Honduras
The member organizations of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations repudiate the coup d’état carried out by militarism and the Honduran oligarchy against the government of José Manuel Zelaya. This action, which was known by and had the support of the U.S. government, is not only an attempt to put a brake on the democratic process that had begun in that Central American country; it is also a test and a warning of what the reactionary forces are willing to do to halt and reverse the victories won by the peoples of Latin America, which have resulted in the formation of progressive and democratic governments in various countries in the region.
The development in that continent of a democratic, progressive and left-wing trend, which has blocked the way and in some cases pushed aside the neoliberal forces, worries imperialism and the local bourgeoisies which are conspiring against the political process underway. In April of 2002 they tried unsuccessfully to put an end to the government of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela; in 2007 a first coup attempt by the Bolivian oligarchy against the Government of Evo Morales was denounced. In both cases, the direct involvement of the United States Embassy was condemned.
U.S. imperialism, which has looked at the Americas as its back yard, now has great difficulties in developing its policy in the region. The formation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) was prevented by the struggle of the workers and the people; the proposal for integration and solidarity through the Bolivarian Alternative for the America (ALBA) is receiving the sympathy of the peoples. The resolution adopted at the 39th session of the Organization of American States (OAS), which returned to Cuba its place in that Organization, shows the changes that have taken place in the relation of forces in the American subcontinent.
The developments in Honduras show that social and national liberation can only move forward under the leadership of the workers and are only achieved by the overthrow of the power of the capitalists and the domination of imperialism by the revolution and socialism. As revolutionaries we support any struggle and any democratic and progressive process, but we warn that it is wrong to feed illusions that change is possible by way of reforms.
The ICMLPO expresses its solidarity with the workers and people of Honduras, who have taken to the streets and countryside to repudiate this coup d’état, demanding the return to office of President Manuel Zelaya. The Honduran workers will understand along the way the need to link the struggle for democracy with the objective of the revolutionary transformation of society. In that fight they have our full support.
International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Concerted Action by the Right Wing
Editorial of the weekly En Marcha
No. 1457, September 12 2009
We said previously that the coup d'état in Honduras was a trial balloon. The right wing and imperialism hoped that after an initial condemnation of the coup, things would return to normal, however they ran into heavier resistance by the Honduran people than they expected and continental solidarity of the peoples and inter-state agencies such as the OAS [Organization of American States], UNO [United Nations Organization], ALBA [Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas], UNASUR [Union of South American Nations] and others.
Now they are trying to form a mass movement that meets specific political aims in each country. In Colombia – where the initiative “arose” – they are trying to strengthen the social base of the pro-Uribe right wing that supports his counter-insurgency policy and his subjection to U.S. imperialism; in other countries such as ours, under the banner of condemning the supposed interventionism of Chavez, it is seeking to organize a movement of opposition to local governments. That has happened here, where known exponents of the right wing, direct opponents of the Rafael Correa government, spearheaded the paltry protest.
In this international strategy of the right wing and imperialism, the media plays a fundamental role; it fulfills the role of active promoters and disseminators of the “international protest”. An example of this is how they exaggerated the actions of that day.
The workers and peoples must block the actions of the right wing, and the best way to do this is by raising the levels of their own organizations. But in the country this is somewhat difficult because while the popular movement is ready to confront the onslaught of the right and of imperialism, it must also take care to confront the government’s action launched against the popular movement. Rafael Correa is mistaken here.
No. 1457, September 12 2009
Concerted Action by the Right Wing
A concerted action is underway by the forces of the right wing at the international level; the call several days ago for a “global protest” against the Venezuelan Government is an expression of this. Although on this occasion the target was Hugh Chavez, the aim is to create a mass movement to confront the democratic, progressive and left-wing current that is taking shape in Latin America. After a period of relative tolerance by oligarchic sectors and U.S. imperialism itself towards some of the democratic governments in the region, there is a change in their political behavior: the big bourgeoisie which has lost space in several countries is trying to get out of the political corner and the United States government wants to put its “back yard” in order.We said previously that the coup d'état in Honduras was a trial balloon. The right wing and imperialism hoped that after an initial condemnation of the coup, things would return to normal, however they ran into heavier resistance by the Honduran people than they expected and continental solidarity of the peoples and inter-state agencies such as the OAS [Organization of American States], UNO [United Nations Organization], ALBA [Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas], UNASUR [Union of South American Nations] and others.
Now they are trying to form a mass movement that meets specific political aims in each country. In Colombia – where the initiative “arose” – they are trying to strengthen the social base of the pro-Uribe right wing that supports his counter-insurgency policy and his subjection to U.S. imperialism; in other countries such as ours, under the banner of condemning the supposed interventionism of Chavez, it is seeking to organize a movement of opposition to local governments. That has happened here, where known exponents of the right wing, direct opponents of the Rafael Correa government, spearheaded the paltry protest.
In this international strategy of the right wing and imperialism, the media plays a fundamental role; it fulfills the role of active promoters and disseminators of the “international protest”. An example of this is how they exaggerated the actions of that day.
The workers and peoples must block the actions of the right wing, and the best way to do this is by raising the levels of their own organizations. But in the country this is somewhat difficult because while the popular movement is ready to confront the onslaught of the right and of imperialism, it must also take care to confront the government’s action launched against the popular movement. Rafael Correa is mistaken here.
Electoral Process in the Ivory Coast: What Must the Ivorian People Do to Exercise Sovereignty?
Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast (PCRCI)
The same Constitution does not prescribe representative mandate for life; in particular, the presidential term is limited. Indeed, paragraph 1 of article 35 of the same Constitution provides: "the President of the Republic is elected for five years by direct universal suffrage. He may be re-elected only once."
Despite all these beautiful statements, the upper bourgeoisie is waging a policy that prevents the people from exercising their sovereignty. At the present time the Ivorian people find themselves in a situation where they are facing a destiny in which their sovereign right is scorned. Indeed, the presidential term and the parliamentary terms were over nearly 5 years ago. All the representatives whose terms have expired, starting with the President of the Republic, do not feel any embarrassment and show no willingness to give up to the people the seats that they still occupy in an illegitimate and illegal way. Despite the great suffering of the people, despite the cries of pain of the people, these ladies and gentlemen, so-called representatives of the people, closed their ears and shut their eyes in order to hear nothing and see nothing.
Faced with this shameful situation, one thing is certain; the people will sooner or later take up their responsibilities despite the manoeuvres of certain political forces to keep them in a state of apathy and illusion. Above all, the Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast (PCRCI) will help them every day to diagnose the evil and identify the best remedies.
The most effective remedy recommended by the PCRCI is organization. Indeed, a people organized in committees of wage workers, of peasants, of artisans, of merchants, women’s committees, youth committees, committees of high school and university students, etc., becomes an invincible people able to confront any swindler.
The Ivorian people know well those who do not wish to organize elections and who therefore want to prolong their suffering. They have taken the measure of the latter and are preparing to take up their responsibilities to deal with them. The appearance of any "saviour" can only be a diversion. In the current situation, the danger of a diversion can come from more than one side. The diversion that is most dangerous is a military coup d’état. Ivorian history has shown that, faced with the threat of seizure of power in 1999 with the establishment of a constitution and an anti-democratic electoral law as well as the spreading of the reactionary theory of Ivoirian ethnicity, plotters of a coup appeared on the political scene and made the people believe that they could solve the problems that assailed the Ivoirian people. To get rid of this military regime, the Ivorian people had to make great sacrifices. The civilian regime resulting from the referendum and the presidential election organized by the military was never intended to, and never could dismantle military rule. Less than two years after its establishment, the civilian rule called the "Refoundation" began to show its inability to govern. Before the people had time to find a solution to the bankruptcy proclaimed by the Refoundation, a new group of "saviours" arose in September 2002, in the form of a coup-rebellion. We see today how the attempts to "make the people happy" have failed.
After these experiences of military power (the National Committee Public Safety) and the military-civilian power called Refoundation associated with the "former rebels," which proved to be calamitous, the Ivorian people should be on guard against these types of solutions that do not resolve any problems but rather create many others. As an example: the economic crisis has not been solved. The Ivorian people continue to live in greater and greater difficulties; it is increasingly hard to get health treatment, to educate ones children, just as before the coup; in addition, the country has been plunged into a reactionary civil war which has become the pretext for the increased exploitation of the people. If you think about the incompetence of the existing power, you will always find some corrupt supporters to answer that it is because of the war that the government cannot solve any of the problems; a war that has already created many large fortunes whose ostentatious signs are clear to everyone.
The history of the Ivory Coast is repeating itself since September 2009 has many similarities with September 1999. The risk of seizure of power is the same. The same causes produce the same effects; it is not impossible that new peddlers of illusions will try to deceive to the people again. It is important to warn the people against the putchist tendencies from all sides showing that the actions of these latter are no different from those of their predecessors, with the following goal: overtake the people to prevent them from properly resolving their problems by the revolution.
The Ivorian people are in no way disarmed faced with the current situation; on the contrary. Universal history teaches that the people can exercise their sovereignty in one of the following two ways:
1) To launch an insurrection against the institutions that have become illegal and illegitimate, but that use of reactionary violence to hold on to power; this insurrection lets the people tear down the obsolete institutions and establish new institutions reflecting their will; besides resolving many other important problems, the insurrection creates the conditions for sovereign elections.
2) To exercise political pressure on the existing institutions (Presidency, Government, CEI [Independent Electoral Commission – translator’s note) to hold sovereign elections in which the people express themselves without being hindered by reactionary violence or the manipulation of the institutions. Today, this pressure is taking place; the operation of identification [for electoral rolls – translator’s note] has been closed since the end of June 2009 against the will of those who demanded that this process not come to an end; the fight is now to get a definitive electoral list that does not exclude any citizen of the Ivory Coast, obtaining identity cards and voter cards for all Ivoirians, the organization of general elections without any laws and states of exception prohibiting public demonstrations.
The true solution to the current problems can only be found by a conscious people, relying on their own committees of struggle forcing the holders of power to organize sovereign elections, or otherwise, rising up against the institutions which have become illegal and illegitimate and replacing them with new institutions (a Provisional Revolutionary Government, a new constitution as a base for any elections that allow the people to express themselves).
Abidjan, September 16, 2009
The Committee Central
Electoral Process in the Ivory Coast: What Must the Ivorian People Do to Exercise Sovereignty?
The upper bourgeois of the Ivory Coast has constantly written and repeated that democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people. This is written in black on white in Article 30 of the Ivorian constitution. Article 31 of the same Constitution states, more precisely, that sovereignty belongs to the people.The same Constitution does not prescribe representative mandate for life; in particular, the presidential term is limited. Indeed, paragraph 1 of article 35 of the same Constitution provides: "the President of the Republic is elected for five years by direct universal suffrage. He may be re-elected only once."
Despite all these beautiful statements, the upper bourgeoisie is waging a policy that prevents the people from exercising their sovereignty. At the present time the Ivorian people find themselves in a situation where they are facing a destiny in which their sovereign right is scorned. Indeed, the presidential term and the parliamentary terms were over nearly 5 years ago. All the representatives whose terms have expired, starting with the President of the Republic, do not feel any embarrassment and show no willingness to give up to the people the seats that they still occupy in an illegitimate and illegal way. Despite the great suffering of the people, despite the cries of pain of the people, these ladies and gentlemen, so-called representatives of the people, closed their ears and shut their eyes in order to hear nothing and see nothing.
Faced with this shameful situation, one thing is certain; the people will sooner or later take up their responsibilities despite the manoeuvres of certain political forces to keep them in a state of apathy and illusion. Above all, the Revolutionary Communist Party of the Ivory Coast (PCRCI) will help them every day to diagnose the evil and identify the best remedies.
The most effective remedy recommended by the PCRCI is organization. Indeed, a people organized in committees of wage workers, of peasants, of artisans, of merchants, women’s committees, youth committees, committees of high school and university students, etc., becomes an invincible people able to confront any swindler.
The Ivorian people know well those who do not wish to organize elections and who therefore want to prolong their suffering. They have taken the measure of the latter and are preparing to take up their responsibilities to deal with them. The appearance of any "saviour" can only be a diversion. In the current situation, the danger of a diversion can come from more than one side. The diversion that is most dangerous is a military coup d’état. Ivorian history has shown that, faced with the threat of seizure of power in 1999 with the establishment of a constitution and an anti-democratic electoral law as well as the spreading of the reactionary theory of Ivoirian ethnicity, plotters of a coup appeared on the political scene and made the people believe that they could solve the problems that assailed the Ivoirian people. To get rid of this military regime, the Ivorian people had to make great sacrifices. The civilian regime resulting from the referendum and the presidential election organized by the military was never intended to, and never could dismantle military rule. Less than two years after its establishment, the civilian rule called the "Refoundation" began to show its inability to govern. Before the people had time to find a solution to the bankruptcy proclaimed by the Refoundation, a new group of "saviours" arose in September 2002, in the form of a coup-rebellion. We see today how the attempts to "make the people happy" have failed.
After these experiences of military power (the National Committee Public Safety) and the military-civilian power called Refoundation associated with the "former rebels," which proved to be calamitous, the Ivorian people should be on guard against these types of solutions that do not resolve any problems but rather create many others. As an example: the economic crisis has not been solved. The Ivorian people continue to live in greater and greater difficulties; it is increasingly hard to get health treatment, to educate ones children, just as before the coup; in addition, the country has been plunged into a reactionary civil war which has become the pretext for the increased exploitation of the people. If you think about the incompetence of the existing power, you will always find some corrupt supporters to answer that it is because of the war that the government cannot solve any of the problems; a war that has already created many large fortunes whose ostentatious signs are clear to everyone.
The history of the Ivory Coast is repeating itself since September 2009 has many similarities with September 1999. The risk of seizure of power is the same. The same causes produce the same effects; it is not impossible that new peddlers of illusions will try to deceive to the people again. It is important to warn the people against the putchist tendencies from all sides showing that the actions of these latter are no different from those of their predecessors, with the following goal: overtake the people to prevent them from properly resolving their problems by the revolution.
The Ivorian people are in no way disarmed faced with the current situation; on the contrary. Universal history teaches that the people can exercise their sovereignty in one of the following two ways:
1) To launch an insurrection against the institutions that have become illegal and illegitimate, but that use of reactionary violence to hold on to power; this insurrection lets the people tear down the obsolete institutions and establish new institutions reflecting their will; besides resolving many other important problems, the insurrection creates the conditions for sovereign elections.
2) To exercise political pressure on the existing institutions (Presidency, Government, CEI [Independent Electoral Commission – translator’s note) to hold sovereign elections in which the people express themselves without being hindered by reactionary violence or the manipulation of the institutions. Today, this pressure is taking place; the operation of identification [for electoral rolls – translator’s note] has been closed since the end of June 2009 against the will of those who demanded that this process not come to an end; the fight is now to get a definitive electoral list that does not exclude any citizen of the Ivory Coast, obtaining identity cards and voter cards for all Ivoirians, the organization of general elections without any laws and states of exception prohibiting public demonstrations.
The true solution to the current problems can only be found by a conscious people, relying on their own committees of struggle forcing the holders of power to organize sovereign elections, or otherwise, rising up against the institutions which have become illegal and illegitimate and replacing them with new institutions (a Provisional Revolutionary Government, a new constitution as a base for any elections that allow the people to express themselves).
Abidjan, September 16, 2009
The Committee Central
Down with the coup of the Bongo clan supported by French imperialism
Down with the coup of the Bongo clan supported by French imperialism
Solidarity with the people of Gabon
The Bongo clan, which took control of the country and ruled for 42 years, is once again imposing itself on the Gabonese people. This has been decided by the members of the clan, the military hierarchy, the business owners, not to forget Total, Bolloré, Rougier, Eramet, Bouygues as well as Veolia, BNP, Credit Lyonnais and Axa. In total, these are some of the 150 French companies that control the key sectors of oil, wood, trade, etc.The elections were marred by many irregularities. Ali Bongo had the financial means and the State apparatus to "wage a campaign". The three days before the announcement of the results served to settle differences within the clan, to allocate juicy posts and to prepare themselves to deal with the demonstrations that would take place proclamation in case Ali Bongo was proclaimed the winner, so great is the anger against this regime and so deep is the desire for change. The fact that most opponents who campaigned did not represent a real rupture does not at all change this desire.
If the demonstrators attacked "French interests", it is because nothing can be decided without the endorsement of the French economic and political leaders.
Several hundred French soldiers equipped with air and land transport have been deployed to defend the right to loot and to protect the regime of Ali Bongo. In 1990, it was the French military that suppressed in blood the revolt of the Gabonese youth, who believed that the time had come for more democracy. French troops are ready to shoot, as they did in November 2004 in Abidjan.
We join with the protests and denunciations that have taken place in France against these rigged elections intended to maintain in power the Bongo clan, the pillar of "French Africa". We denounce the cynicism of the Sarkozy government which claimed to be “neutral" but which, through the statements of Kouchner and Joyandet, gives the political and military support of French imperialism to this coup.
We denounce Bolloré, Bouygues, Total and company, which want to continue to enrich themselves on the backs of the Gabonese people, as well as the peoples of the other French neo-colonies.
We express our solidarity with the Gabonese people, the youth, the workers of the towns and countryside, who are standing up against arbitrariness and reaction.
We call for broadening the denunciation in France and internationally of this coup, supported by French imperialism.
Paris, September 4, 2009
Communist Party of the Workers of France
Email: pcof@pcof.net
Site: www.pcof.net
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A provocation against the peoples of the world: NObama, NObel, NOway!
English – Articles / Skrevet av Redaksjonen
Friday, October 9 2009 23:17
Giving this year's peace prize to President Barack Obama made a whole world speechless, even the Americans shake their heads. The President himself agrees that he feels unworthy, but that has not prevented him from accepting.
Even the most enthusiastic USA-supporters, who have no objection whatsoever on the United States' "war on terror", ask what Obama indeed has done to promote peace. After only nine months in office, there has been much visionary rhetoric, but little action apart from the modification of the missile shield plans in Europe as well as airy wishful thinking about a world without nuclear weapons. Drive and forcefulness will, by contrast, be very obvious when the president shortly signs the order to send an additional 40,000 occupation troops to Afghanistan, as required by his military commander Stanley McChrystal. When Barack Obama ceremoniously receives the award in the heavily guarded city of Oslo, the United States consequently will have 113 000 solidiers on Afghan soil on assignment from the US president. In addition to these come 35 000 soldiers from other states, including Norway. Everything is set for a bizarre performance in Oslo City Hall.
Obama is in fact continuing the occupation politics of his predecessor Bush. Any President of the United States is under the thumb of the monopolies and the military-industrial complex. Giving an American President a peace prize is like spitting every single Iraqi, every Palestinian and every single Afghan in the face. No, it is even worse. It is as though the Nobel committee has engraved their death message on every bullet intended to penetrate the head or chest of any Afghan child, woman or man, who might come within firing range of the imperialists.
A less tail-wagging USA-poodle than the parliamentary Norwegian Nobel committee would at least have awaited what Obama actually might have achieved when his period expires in 2012. But in its eagerness to abuse the will of Nobel in order to underpin American foreign policy, this clique of cleared MPs have no inhibitions. Among the scandals on its record we could mention when the committee handed the prize to mass murderer Henry Kissinger in 1973, while the bombs still were falling over Viet Nam – only weeks after the same Kissinger had orchestrated the fascist putsch in Chile, or when the killer of Palestinians and terrorist Menachem Begin was awarded the prize in 1978. […]
[The Swedish industrialist] Alfred Nobel wanted the Parliament in Norway – which at the time was a young and progressive democracy preparing to liberate itself from union with Sweden – to handle the awardment of the peace prize, because he considered that this would mean less danger of political corruption. At the time of his death, in 1896, he probably was right in thinking so. But since then, Norway has grown to become a greedy imperialist power willing to bargain with and jeopardize its own sovereignty as well as that of other nations, a warmongering state and the world's largest exporter of arms, measured by population. Today, Mr. Nobel would probably rather have chosen for example the Faroe Islands or Åland, with the same justification. If the prize shall avoid complete defaming, it from now on ought to be handed out in Torshavn or Mariehamn.
Barack Obama is an intelligent man who perceives the way of thinking of his Norwegian bootlickers. As he put it in his first press statement: «I do not view it (the Peace Prize) as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership».
Our remark would be: You've got it right, Mr. President. In the least as far as the Norwegian bourgeois class is concerned.
But significant portions of the Norwegian people are prepared to defy barbed wires and police repression as well as US leadership and «supremacy» when you arrive in Oslo on 10 December.
Slightly abbreviated. First published in Norwegian on Nettmagasinet Revolusjon on October 9th 2009.
NObama, NObel, NOway! av Nettmagasinet Revolusjon, Jan R. Steinholt er lisensiert under en Creative Commons Navngivelse-Ikkekommersiell-Ingen Bearbeidelse 3.0 Norge Lisens.
Based on original article on www.revolusjon.no.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Enver Hoxha: The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism / JUST RELEASED!
Athens, October 2009
Pages: 38
Photos: 8
Size: A5
Language: Greek
3 euros
The Movement for the Reorganisation of the Communist Party of Greece 1918-55 released the work of cde Enver Hoxha “The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism” that was written in 1979.
The printed edition additionally contains an article for Hoxha’s 100th birthday that was published in our newspaper and an article of essayist Nils Andresson “Enver Hoxha and his time”, that it’s published in Greek for the first time.
See also: Enver Hoxha: The Marxist-Leninist Movement and the World Crisis of Capitalism
Friday, October 02, 2009
Social Democracy strengthens its grip
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on September 14th. The government since 2005 has been a so-called red and green coalition between the traditional, Social Democratic Norwegian Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) and its junior partners; the Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti; petty bourgeois, reformist left) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet; rural petty bourgeois). The following article was published by Communist platform the day after the election.
As no true alternative to the bourgeois parliamentary 'blocks' was to be found, and since a central task was to keep Fremskrittspartiet (Party of progress) 1) out of government, common sense resulted in an electoral breeze in favour of Arbeiderpartiet (the Labour party). This is entirely logical: Why vote for minor Social Democratic parties like SV (Socialist Left Party) 2) and Rødt (Red) 3) when there is a large one already?
The election conceals a growing public frustration: Despite a media offensive focusing on that every single vote would be crucial in a breathtaking battle between the two 'blocks', one out of four chose not to visit a polling station; this is the lowest turnout since 1927. Moreover, an as yet unknown number of abstainers made use of the opportunity to submit a blank vote at the polling place.
As expected, Fremskrittspartiet did well, collecting 23 percent of the votes. Playing up to xenophobia hand in hand with appeals to popular and understandable contempt of politicians (i.e. the bourgeois political system – translators note), was profitable. From a progressive perpective the outcome could have been worse, considering the opinion polls during the summer months. Nevertheless, the two open right-wing parties (Fremskrittspartiet and Høyre) are able to muster 40 percent support.
Although we are lacking available background figures that show the spread of votes between different classes and social strata, there is sufficient basis to say that a large proportion of the working class has rallied behind The Labour Party (AP) to keep Fremskrittspartiet out of office. AP have increased their votage on the whole. This is due to Aps vast campaign-machinery with support from the trade unions and their apparatus - as well as a skilled election campaign strategy where [the Prime Minister] Stoltenberg has been profiled as the unifying red and green architect, and not so much as head of the Norwegian Labour Party. With more than 35 percent of the vote DNA can be very satisfied. It is an impressive achievement by a party that has disbanded and neglected a wide range of the promises presented in the Soria Moria declaration (platform of the government) in 2005.
The bill for the success of the main Social Democratic party has been paid for by SV in particular. In some counties SV is almost halved. This is not solely the result of tactical voting, but clearly also a popular protest against this party's complete betrayal on the issue of NATO, on the Norwegian warfare in Afghanistan and when it comes to protection of the environment. Both of these two major questions – the imperialist NATO-warfare against the Afghan people and the struggle for the environment – drowned in debates between the contesting candidates for the post of prime minister and the question of alternative government coalitions. It served all the dominating parties well: the Labour Party, the Conservatives and FrP.
Parties that more or less attempted to put on the agenda the fight against poverty, the struggle against racist immigration policy and the fight for the environment, were severely punished. This is just as true for the (liberal) Left and Christian parties as it is for the Socialist Left and Red party. Venstre (bourgeois liberal left party) has been reduced to a tiny party and Lars Sponheim (the head of Venstre) lost his seat in parliament. Normally, we would have absolutely nothing positive to say about this anti-trade union liberal party. However, in the fight against racism and xenophobia Sponheim stood out firm and clear (especially confronting Fremskrittspartiet), and he issued loud warnings against the 'brown' (quote Sponheim) turn in Norwegian politics that is advocated by both the major 'blocks'. Concerning the firm attitude Sponheim displayed on this issue, leaving SV or Red in the rear, he and the Liberal party must be credited. A more mirky question is whether it was this outspokenness that inflicted the loss of votes, or whether the reason lies elsewhere.
The Rødt (Red) party has in this election is definitely placed itself as a new Socialist Left (as of the 70'ies), only in a more reformist and unfortunate manner. As a logical extension of this party's transition to reformism, Red vowed to support a so-called 'red and green' government, and thereby made themselves hostages to Social Democracy. Red put forward one single 'ultimatum' for supporting Stoltenberg, namely defending the existing pension for the worn-down and disabled (which the bourgeoisie plans to cut down on, as has been the case with other social pensions and benefits – translator's note). Someone must have believed that this 'tactical genius' would hand Red great appeal with the backing from the Confederation of trade unions, LO. Naturally, this didn't happen. Moreover, if one should accept the premise that Red should limit itself to one single ultimate demand to give backing to the government, this single obvious demand would of course have had to be the immediate withdrawal of the (around 650) Norwegian mercenaries from Afghanistan.
In a situation where SV has lost face completely after four years in government and might have been slaughtered by a truly revolutionary alternative in the elections, Red has been eager to achieve parliamentary 'weight' and mark distance to unspeakable socialist and communist ideals. In this manner, the Red party with a vengeance achieved to place itself on the sidewalk.
In the process of licking the wounds after this 'historic opportunity' evaporated, in spite of the fact that they carefully avoided to use naughty “no-words“ like class struggle, socialism or revolution during the election campaign, the time now has come for internal head-banging. Revolutionaries who have stayed put within Red, hoping that a success in the elections might give the left wing of the party a boost and make it possible to correct the rightist course, should now realize the realities: The Red vessel's hull is pervaded by the termites of Social Democracy, its rudder is locked in starboard position and the sails are torn to shreds by 'red and green' hurricanes.
Notes
- This party is anything but 'progressive', it is a neo-liberalist, very US-inspired and zionist party which often has been compared to European parties like Front National in France and Dansk folkeparti in Denmark. It is a populist and extremely opportunistic party, even making use of former slogans from the 'old' Social Democracy. The racist card has been played slightly down in recent years in order to make the party more palatable for possible conservative coalition partners. At present Fremskrittspartiet (abbr.: FrP) is 'bribing the electorate' by arguing for much more public state spending – although primarily to the benefit of 'ethnic Norwegians'.
- SV is result of an offspring from the old Labour party around 1960, based on the opposition to NATO and nuclear armament. Since 2005, the Party has (for the first time) been in a coalition government with the Labour party and the Centre party (with its main social basis among the petty bourgeoisie and in the rural areas). The chairwoman of SV, Kristin Halvorsen, has since 2005 been Minister of finance.
- Rødt (Red) is a merger of the former Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist party (AKP), after the latter liquidated itself in 2007. It has consistently deteriorated towards reformism in the two past years.
Translated from kpml.no by Revolusjon. Intro and notes added by Revolusjon.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Cowardly police attack on Comrade Hamma Hammami
Draft. Translation from a text found in http://www.albadil.org/spip.php?article2420
September 29
Exposure Comrade Hamma Hammami, the spokesman for the Tunisian Communist Workers Party, upon his return from the French capital this afternoon to a barbaric attack by the political police agents of the Tunis-Carthage Airport. The beat immediately after passing a large number of Customs agents in civilian clothes were beaten and kicked over the whole body and uttered to all kinds of insults and verbal abuse, causing him bruises and several broken glasses and tearing his clothes. It was the attack on Comrade Hamma Hammami bunk, where dozens of agents deliberately police who were mobilized to evacuate the lobby of the airport and prevent many people from going to him so that they can commit their crime dirty free from sight. (...) In fact, Comrade Hamma Hammami pay the price for his bold channels on "the island direct" and "France 24" and called for a boycott of the electoral farce Ben Ali regime is preparing to organize, to struggle for a democratic alternative for the benefit of a real grass-roots groups and ordinary people in our country.
The escalation of terrorism by the authorities against dissidents and human rights activists and Aljmaoyen in the recent period is aimed at silencing every voice free dared to expose the fictitious nature of the next election a farce and assumes his duties in the face of the individual and the ruling party continues to dominate political life in our country.
The Workers Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT), the Tunisian people, as is promising to continue the struggle whatever the price dearly, he calls him back to the farce County October 25 as a step towards getting rid of dictatorship, as called for all opposition parties and civil society components to further unite in the face of terrorism.
September 29
Exposure Comrade Hamma Hammami, the spokesman for the Tunisian Communist Workers Party, upon his return from the French capital this afternoon to a barbaric attack by the political police agents of the Tunis-Carthage Airport. The beat immediately after passing a large number of Customs agents in civilian clothes were beaten and kicked over the whole body and uttered to all kinds of insults and verbal abuse, causing him bruises and several broken glasses and tearing his clothes. It was the attack on Comrade Hamma Hammami bunk, where dozens of agents deliberately police who were mobilized to evacuate the lobby of the airport and prevent many people from going to him so that they can commit their crime dirty free from sight. (...) In fact, Comrade Hamma Hammami pay the price for his bold channels on "the island direct" and "France 24" and called for a boycott of the electoral farce Ben Ali regime is preparing to organize, to struggle for a democratic alternative for the benefit of a real grass-roots groups and ordinary people in our country. The escalation of terrorism by the authorities against dissidents and human rights activists and Aljmaoyen in the recent period is aimed at silencing every voice free dared to expose the fictitious nature of the next election a farce and assumes his duties in the face of the individual and the ruling party continues to dominate political life in our country.
The Workers Communist Party of Tunisia (PCOT), the Tunisian people, as is promising to continue the struggle whatever the price dearly, he calls him back to the farce County October 25 as a step towards getting rid of dictatorship, as called for all opposition parties and civil society components to further unite in the face of terrorism.