Split in Russian section of the CWI

[BOZG]

I thought I'd take some heat off the SWP comrades and I hadn't noticed anything posted about this.

Statement from the CWI in Russia (http://socialistworld.net/eng/2009/11/2703.html)

[Revy]

Why does the CWI here claim it is an centralized international organization? It clearly is not. Which I am not saying is necessarily a good thing. I have no idea why the CWI has not apparently addressed the constant support that their US section Socialist Alternative gives to Ralph Nader.

Because if Socialist Alternative is just the US section of the CWI, the centralized CWI, I guess you could say this (http://socialistworld.net/z/bin/kw.cgi/show?id=3127) is how the CWI felt on the 2008 US elections.

In the utmost exaggerated self-importance they seem to feel as if their "critical support" to Nader will somehow make him not have shitty politics, as if it was some magic wand that could just turn him into a competent leftist leader of some kind. He's not only pro-capitalist, never has entertained even a social democratic conception of the word socialism, opposes an open immigration policy and has appealed to what the CWI rightly refers to as "right-populism".

Never mind that the Nader movement has abandoned party politics so any hope of advancing a reformist "mass party of the left" alternative is certainly not found there. All there is, is personality politics. When Nader dies, so will Naderism.


The former opposition grouping has chosen to put itself outside the CWI and to join the marsh of opportunism and reformism in Russia. For our part, we are confident to continue our task of building and developing the ideas of genuine socialism, of the CWI, in Russia.This made me lol

I can't help but feel there is strong hypocrisy and standards will never be applied especially to SPEW.

Sorry, but fighting opportunism and reformism?:lol: That is what SPEW has been happily going along with! If not opportunism and reformism (as well as nationalism), what the hell was No2EU? It was the SPEW leadership that supported it (despite No2EU's rhetoric about how foreign workers take jobs, the worst part of it all, sorry, but saying they are exploited does not somehow make your rhetoric about them less xenophobic). But didn't SPEW modify No2EU leaflets in order to reflect a different, more radical and leftist politics? Maybe it was their rank-and-file who were embarrassed of having to support such a joke of a campaign? I don't know.

There was little that was leftist about No2EU, or really, not much to impress anyone here. Between supporting No2EU, and supporting the Green Party, the obvious choice would have been the Green Party. Which is not to say the Green Party was revolutionary, but that it certainly represented leftism more competently, and that a vote for it would have actually prevented the BNP from getting as many seats as it did. This would have been a clearly intelligent anti-fascist stand, at least in the areas where the BNP was a real threat.

The Russian CWI is clearly not the only one to have "issues" to deal with. All these questions, nationalism, opportunism, reformism, they go down to the CWI's core. And if it is to repudiate that, it must embrace the idea of revolutionary politics. No more talk of a party of the reformist left, no more hope for a pre-New Labour, Labour Party. It must be a party that opposes capitalism from the beginning, and that takes clear and principled stands.

[KC]

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[Q]

What I understand from the CWI's IS side is that the straw was the point that the opposition used "maneuvering" (whatever that is) in order to get rid of the elected EC in June in September and secondly that two weeks or so ago that the CWI Faction inside the Russian section got a "goodbye letter" from the oppositionists, making it clear that they were going to be expelled. This letter hasn't been published though.

From the oppositionists' side there is talk that they didn't weren't heard (while the IS claims that they were invited on several occasions - European Bureau in April, Summerschool and no less than three invitations for the upcoming IEC) and they still regard themselves as members of the CWI. They said they'll translate the relevant documents, so I'm still waiting for that.

I'm holding several reservations about this as I don't feel I have enough insight in both sides of the divide.

[KC]

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[Q]

Aren't you still in Offensief?

What does that have to do with anything?

In my opinion expelling a majority of a section is a very serious issue and it should better be backed up solidly. The fact that I know so little on the issue is what triggers some red flags with me instinctively and so would I expect from every CWI member. So if you were referring to loyalty that I shouldn't question this, I very much disagree.

[KC]

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[h0m0revolutionary]

That's so very interesting.

Thank you for posting :)