All things SYRIZA: where is it?

[Die Neue Zeit]

While the KKE and its union front PAME are doing all the dirty work of organizing opposition to the Greek government, nothing seems to have come out of SYRIZA. They haven't even attempted to pull off a KKE in the Parthenon by showing a better banner (calling workers / working people(s) of all countries / the world to unite / "unite in action").

Where are they?

[FSL]

They're busy splitting.


Synaspismos started having their congress on Thursday, ending today. Its right wing is "blackmailing" the party, as it wants it out of Syriza and in an alliance with our Green Party (and presumably with Pasok). Its members have decided to leave the congress to show they're not joking and are threatening to leave the party altogether if their demands are not met.

At the same time, the party's previous leader didn't show up at the congress and instead send a letter to "wish luck". In that letter he signs as a member of the so-called "Solidarity front" that includes KOE and some other minor Syriza forces.

At this point no one can tell if this "experiment on unity" will be torn in 2 or 3 pieces or if it will carry on as if nothing happened.


Their congress has ended now. The larger part of its right wing is saying it does not consider itself part of Syriza but only of Synaspismos and 4 out of its 11 MPs are going independent. One more is likely to follow them unless Synaspismos leaves Syriza entirely. After they get 5 MPs they can have their own grouping in parliament and probably a new center-left party that will aim in "correcting" Pasok. An alliance with the Green Party is also discussed.

What's more is that, despite what one would expect, the up until now dominant "Left Current" also split in two. Some of its prominent members proposed a relatively radical platform of nationalizing the banking sector and leaving eurozone while they even talked about (but never actually proposed) adding "marxism" to the party's identity. This current gained less than 30% of the votes.

Many of its members created a tendency called "Left Unity" that supports the party's president without many questions, supports eurozone and is only demanding progressive taxation, use of the banks at the government's disposal to lighten the burden on the consumers and so on. This gained 50% of the votes.

Lastly, some of the right wing people decided they wanted to stay and are also supporting the president while voicing "concerns" on continued interaction with the other Syriza parties they view as "too leftist". They got about 20%.

And that's all.

[Honggweilo]

oh the fruits of eurocommunism...

I'm still amased at the ranting about the "revisionist" KKE from the KOE, and how they somehow justify SYRIZA. The only (former) eurocommunist projects who are seeming to survive in Europe, are the ones gradually breaking with it, like the Rifonderazione. The Bloqo Esquerda in Portugal may be more to the left in portugal, but is doing the same thing (spouting keynesian slogans), the NPA in France is turning into some post-trotskyist form of eurocommunism, the PCF has been degenerating since 2000, Izquerda Unida in Spain is falling apart and the PCE is seriously reconcidering its stances, the fruits of eurocommunism in the Netherlands have led GroenLinks to be a outright anti-workingclass neo-liberal party.. When will people realize that eurocommunism has nothing to do with "anti-stalinism" but with a internal breaking down of leninism and coherent party structure, and eventually marxism goes into the dustbin too. Its seem to be driven by unpatient strive for short term gain in parlementary politics , keeping in line with the dominant cultural hegemony not to be confronted with radical or controvertial stances. Name one eurocommunist coalition where the radical left actually had a majority.

[Ravachol]

Their congress has ended now. The larger part of its right wing is saying it does not consider itself part of Syriza but only of Synaspismos and 4 out of its 11 MPs are going independent. One more is likely to follow them unless Synaspismos leaves Syriza entirely. After they get 5 MPs they can have their own grouping in parliament and probably a new center-left party that will aim in "correcting" Pasok. An alliance with the Green Party is also discussed.


And this is why I'm opposed to any form of "Broad-Frontism" with social-democracy.



What's more is that, despite what one would expect, the up until now dominant "Left Current" also split in two. Some of its prominent members proposed a relatively radical platform of nationalizing the banking sector and leaving eurozone while they even talked about (but never actually proposed) adding "marxism" to the party's identity. This current gained less than 30% of the votes.

Many of its members created a tendency called "Left Unity" that supports the party's president without many questions, supports eurozone and is only demanding progressive taxation, use of the banks at the government's disposal to lighten the burden on the consumers and so on. This gained 50% of the votes.

Lastly, some of the right wing people decided they wanted to stay and are also supporting the president while voicing "concerns" on continued interaction with the other Syriza parties they view as "too leftist". They got about 20%.

And that's all.

What do any of these positions have to offer the working class? What do any of these positions have to do with Communism of whatever variety? I honestly can't see what people see in Syriza :blink:



When will people realize that eurocommunism has nothing to do with "anti-stalinism" but with a internal breaking down of leninism and coherent party structure, and eventually marxism goes into the dustbin too. Its seem to be driven by unpatient strive for short term gain in parlementary politics


It has nothing to do with class-politics at all, it's "leftist" politics in a very vanguardist nature that does nothing to emancipate the masses. It's like they reinvented social-democracy and rebranded it as Euro-'communism'. Not surprisingly many traditional Marxist-Leninists joined forces with the Ultra-Left in countries where the dominant ML party went Eurocommunist (PCF,PCI).

[Honggweilo]

It has nothing to do with class-politics at all, it's "leftist" politics in a very vanguardist nature that does nothing to emancipate the masses. It's like they reinvented social-democracy and rebranded it as Euro-'communism'. Not surprisingly many traditional Marxist-Leninists joined forces with the Ultra-Left in countries where the dominant ML party went Eurocommunist (PCF,PCI).

That was the 70's and 80's, and also still the case in some countries. But in Greece the "Ultra-left" like the KOE, their hatred of what their narrow vision perceives as revisionism causes them to ally with balant social-democracy. It seems they are taking China's late/post GPCR realpolitik in a national perspective, like some maoists also did in the 70's here in the Netherlands with the conservatie liberals.

[Proletarian Ultra]

oh the fruits of eurocommunism...

I'm still amased at the ranting about the "revisionist" KKE from the KOE, and how they somehow justify SYRIZA. The only (former) eurocommunist projects who are seeming to survive in Europe, are the ones gradually breaking with it, like the Rifonderazione.

Yeah, what's Rifondazione up to these days? Last I heard they had a broad left front on and didn't win a single seat in parliament.

Oh yeah, and NPA sucks.

[Crux]

New situation for left after split on Synaspismos conference

www.socialistworld.net, 10/06/2010
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI
Below we publish a statement (translated and slightly edited) by Xekinima (CWI Greece) regarding a split that took place last weekend in the Synaspismos (SYN) party congress (4-5-6 June).
Statement of Xekinima (CWI Greece)
http://www.socialistworld.net/img/20100609Grafik5163126545097539341.jpg
SYN is the main party inside Syriza, a left alliance, in which Xekinima (CWI Greece) also participates.
A percentage close to 20% of the 1,350 delegates to the SYN extraordinary party congress called for SYN to leave the left wing alliance, Syriza, which they criticised as having ‘too much left radicalism’. This minority in an atmosphere of extreme polarization refused to take part in the congress elections and in the leading bodies of the party and then left the congress.
This represents a right wing split from SYN. The ‘modernisers’ (as they call themselves) who departed want to move closer to Pasok, the government party, and a former workers’ party calling itself “socialist”, which is overseeing enormous social cuts and attacks on the living standards of working people and their families.
Socialistworld.net
Synaspismos conference: Right wing split in Synaspismos creates a new situation for the left in Greece

Xekinima Statement
The splitting off of the largest section of the “Renewal Wing” at last week’s (4-5-6th June) Synaspismos conference constitutes the most important development of the Synaspismos emergency conference.
This development was foreseeable. Xekinima has argued for years that the existing differences within Synaspismos would, sooner or later, lead to a split. It is no coincidence that this split comes at a moment of heightened class struggle, as a result of the deep crisis that is shaking up Greek society. In such conditions the ground for generalizations and compromises between the rightwing and the left of the party vanishes.
The main criticism that Xekinima waged against the left majority that dominated the Synaspismos leadership in the whole of the past period was the fact that they watered down their programme in the name of unity, ie compromise with the “Renewal Wing”. This turned out to be –as Xekinima always predicted- a huge obstacle in the development of Syriza. The compromising within Synaspismos was reflected in the positions taken by Syriza and as a result Syriza was not able to respond to the demands for a radical left programme that is so desperately needed in the conditions of the crisis-ridden capitalist system.
Synaspismos now, free from the constraints of the past, has a historic opportunity to move decisively to the left. It needs to respond to the demands of the time and to play an important role in the workers’ movements, providing a perspective of resistance and struggle not only within Greece but also on a European level (as with the planned week of action between 21 and 26th of June). This way it can revitalise Syriza.
However the split-off of the “Renewal Wing” does not automatically mean that Synaspismos will be transformed into a more radical left party. It is a matter of the political will of the current leadership, the new majority that won the party’s conference. Syriza supporters will be watching the latest developments with regained hope and new expectations and will wait and follow the next steps to be taken by the Synaspismos leadership.
It would be, in our opinion, counterproductive, not to say completely catastrophic if the creation of the ‘Platform 2010’ (the new name for the leftovers of the Renewal Wing inside the party) was to become an excuse by the Synaspismos leadership to continue along the path of compromise, which would offer the movement nothing more than a hazy and vague programme.
This would be the recipe for the continuation of the crisis within Syriza. And it would lead in the end to a split and the collapse of the most important uniting initiative the Greek left has seen in its recent history.
Syriza now has a very important opportunity in front of it. It can leave behind its past apolitical and personal clashes for the leadership and adopt a new, clearly left wing programme that will allow it to become, once again, a magnet for the movement and for the left, as a whole.
Xekinima, 8 June 2010
Translated by Alex Gounelas, Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales)

[Honggweilo]

Yeah, what's Rifondazione up to these days? Last I heard they had a broad left front on and didn't win a single seat in parliament.

Oh yeah, and NPA sucks.

The MLíst faction's (esere comunisti, l'ernesto) together with the class-struggle based mostly ML'ist bloc won against the reformist factions around Bennotti. The current party president is a former "proletarian democracy" member, and refuses any more blocks with the right wing social democrats around prodi. This also caused alot of reformists (and some minor factions) to leave the party, but also increased relationships with the other CP's as a united block.

[Dimentio]

oh the fruits of eurocommunism...

I'm still amased at the ranting about the "revisionist" KKE from the KOE, and how they somehow justify SYRIZA. The only (former) eurocommunist projects who are seeming to survive in Europe, are the ones gradually breaking with it, like the Rifonderazione. The Bloqo Esquerda in Portugal may be more to the left in portugal, but is doing the same thing (spouting keynesian slogans), the NPA in France is turning into some post-trotskyist form of eurocommunism, the PCF has been degenerating since 2000, Izquerda Unida in Spain is falling apart and the PCE is seriously reconcidering its stances, the fruits of eurocommunism in the Netherlands have led GroenLinks to be a outright anti-workingclass neo-liberal party.. When will people realize that eurocommunism has nothing to do with "anti-stalinism" but with a internal breaking down of leninism and coherent party structure, and eventually marxism goes into the dustbin too. Its seem to be driven by unpatient strive for short term gain in parlementary politics , keeping in line with the dominant cultural hegemony not to be confronted with radical or controvertial stances. Name one eurocommunist coalition where the radical left actually had a majority.

The "eurocommunist" parties, for all their theoretical flaws, have at least managed to secure 5-10% of the electorate, while "genuine" communist parties have more like 0,002% of the support of the electorate. When social democratic parties in Europe are either moving to the left or painted as moving to the left, they are punished by the electorate. It seems like to be politically successful today, you must pretend to be centrist.

The only exceptions to that rule are Lukashenko during his first term and Slovakia's Fico, but they are operating in a different political scenery than that of western Europe.

[Ravachol]

That was the 70's and 80's, and also still the case in some countries. But in Greece the "Ultra-left" like the KOE, their hatred of what their narrow vision perceives as revisionism causes them to ally with balant social-democracy. It seems they are taking China's late/post GPCR realpolitik in a national perspective, like some maoists also did in the 70's here in the Netherlands with the conservatie liberals.

I personally don't consider Maoist groups like the KOE "Ultra-left" though. The "Ultra-left", to me, means tendencies like Autonomism, Operaism, Left-Communism, Council Communism, Situationism, Nihilist Communism and groups around the french "Ultra-Gauche" (Tiqqun). Many 'orthodox' Marxist-Leninists joined forces with Operaism in '70s Italy under the banner of groups like Potere Operaio, Lotta Continua and later Autonomia. None of the "Ultra-leftists" however considered collaboration with "social-democracy" however, like KOE does (as you say, I'm not really up-to-date with regard to KOE's positions).



The "eurocommunist" parties, for all their theoretical flaws, have at least managed to secure 5-10% of the electorate, while "genuine" communist parties have more like 0,002% of the support of the electorate. When social democratic parties in Europe are either moving to the left or painted as moving to the left, they are punished by the electorate. It seems like to be politically successful today, you must pretend to be centrist.

Who gives a shit about parliamentary politics anyway, 'the electorate' isn't some homogenous mass that acts as a rational agent in a perfectly saturated information position. Parliamentary politics often fail for a number of reasons: Cultural Hegemony, Idealist policies with no real connection to working-class struggle, Opportunism and Carreerism and mind-numbing legalism to name a few.

[Honggweilo]

I personally don't consider Maoist groups like the KOE "Ultra-left" though. The "Ultra-left", to me, means tendencies like Autonomism, Operaism, Left-Communism, Council Communism, Situationism, Nihilist Communism and groups around the french "Ultra-Gauche" (Tiqqun). Many 'orthodox' Marxist-Leninists joined forces with Operaism in '70s Italy under the banner of groups like Potere Operaio, Lotta Continua and later Autonomia. None of the "Ultra-leftists" however considered collaboration with "social-democracy" however, like KOE does (as you say, I'm not really up-to-date with regard to KOE's positions).

Hence the quotation marks :p


The "eurocommunist" parties, for all their theoretical flaws, have at least managed to secure 5-10% of the electorate, while "genuine" communist parties have more like 0,002% of the support of the electorate. When social democratic parties in Europe are either moving to the left or painted as moving to the left, they are punished by the electorate. It seems like to be politically successful today, you must pretend to be centrist. There is a difference between tactical campaigning in watching your slogans and being absolved into capitalist cultural hegemony and totally disarmed into neo-liberalism (see GreenLeft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GreenLeft)as the prime example of that)

The only exceptions to that rule are Lukashenko during his first term and Slovakia's Fico, but they are operating in a different political scenery than that of western Europe.

Are you talking about sweden or are forgetting the tremendously strong KKE, PCP, and KSCM? Not even begining about the recovering Euro CP's and their factions, or that most CP's in europe gain well above 1%. Also again, as Ravachol pointed out, real CP's have their real base in the streets, unions and mass movements, not in bourgeois parlementairy politics.

And whats that about Lukashenko an the SMER? What does he have to do with CP's in europe? Lukashenko is nationalist bourgeoise hellbend to keep up soviet nostalgia by who initially tried to preserve some social benefits (which are mostly down the drain atm), and the SMER in Slovakia was for a period almost an outright fascist movement posing a social-democratic! (they're we're coalition with the ultra-right SNS ffs) It seems to me that just have no clue about the dynamics of the communist movement in europe, or what even who belongs to it.

[vyborg]

It is off topic but I heard a lot of funny thing about the PCI and Rifondazione here...like the PCI a ML party...or Rifondazione a Euro-communist party...

anyway the serious thing is what is happening in the SYN...it is the most striking counsequence of the crisis for now...we will see

[Honggweilo]

It is off topic but I heard a lot of funny thing about the PCI and Rifondazione here...like the PCI a ML party...or Rifondazione a Euro-communist party..I never said the Party of Italian Communists was a ML party (i guess you mean them since the original PCI is dead and was crap since the 70's) , they are as, or even more Eurocommunist then some ellements of the Rifonderazione, Though both are increasingly moving to the left and trying to abandon former reformist positions.

[vyborg]

I never said the Party of Italian Communists was a ML party (i guess you mean them since the original PCI is dead and was crap since the 70's) ,
the PCI was an antiworkers party at least since 1945 as the biggest and most faithfull ally of Moscow....

[Honggweilo]

the PCI was an antiworkers party at least since 1945 as the biggest and most faithfull ally of Moscow....

I beg to differ, since they practically founded eurocommunism (Enrico Berlinguer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Berlinguer)) and called for distancing themselves from the SU and resort only to critical support, in the late 70's and 80's they even withdrew that (except the praise of gorbachev as the "great reformer" ). The only critically pro-moscow parties in europe until gorbachev where the PCP, the CPGB, the CPN (to some extend), the KPO, the DKP, and the SED in the GDR. Even in its good period of the PCI under Gramsci and early Togliatti the PCI was critical towards the homogenus nature of the communist movement and the soviet union. I support the PCI to 56' and critically until leading up to the great comprimise.

[Die Neue Zeit]

The "eurocommunist" parties, for all their theoretical flaws, have at least managed to secure 5-10% of the electorate, while "genuine" communist parties have more like 0,002% of the support of the electorate. When social democratic parties in Europe are either moving to the left or painted as moving to the left, they are punished by the electorate. It seems like to be politically successful today, you must pretend to be centrist.

Is Die Linke a Eurocommunist party, then, despite its formal adherence to "democratic socialism of the 21st century"?

[vyborg]

I beg to differ, since they practically founded eurocommunism (Enrico Berlinguer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Berlinguer)) and called for distancing themselves from the SU and resort only to critical support, in the late 70's and 80's they even withdrew that (except the praise of gorbachev as the "great reformer" ). The only critically pro-moscow parties in europe until gorbachev where the PCP, the CPGB, the CPN (to some extend), the KPO, the DKP, and the SED in the GDR. Even in its good period of the PCI under Gramsci and early Togliatti the PCI was critical towards the homogenus nature of the communist movement and the soviet union. I support the PCI to 56' and critically until leading up to the great comprimise.

I was a bit too sinthetic...
The PCI had a problem. it was a very stalinist party but as it was in a western imperialist nation, practically it was a reformist party.

the internal regime was stalinist, the ideology was stalinist, but the programme and the concrete politics was reformist.

eurocommunism was the way to try and solve this contradiction.

[FSL]

They're busy splitting.


From the looks of it, another split might be on the way.
There are local elections this November and there was indecision and quarrels between parties and tendencies over who to support (mainly to run for the region of Attiki that includes Athens).

The coalitions' previous leader decided to run in an independent ticket without having left the party. He is openly supported by some of the minor parties in Syriza (KOE for example). The majority of Synaspismos decided to back a candidate from the governing Pasok party -who disagrees with the IMF policies- in an effort to manufacture its own Lafontain. It isn't working all that well as he's said he still supports Pasok and just wants to show the government there is "another way".

Something to wonder about -if you still give a damn- is in whose side will the Left Current in Synaspismos end up.

In any case, a split that might bring the end of Syriza seems quite likely.

[BeerShaman]

I'd a give a shit for KKE and SYRIZA... Half split for each of them...
(Gonna get banned!:rolleyes:)

[Black Sheep]

In any case, a split that might bring the end of Syriza seems quite likely.
good riddance :thumbup1:

[BeerShaman]

good riddance :thumbup1:
The problem would be if new parties rose up and people put their trust on them...