Rjevan
8th January 2011, 16:47
Some days ago Gesine Lötzsch, co-chair of Die Linke, made the unforgivable mistake to actually portray communism as a possible way for Germany's future. The media triumphed, e.g. Spiegel (http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,737780,00.html, German) states that we finally get "plain-talking", rants about Lötzsch mentioning communism without immediatley condemning it for its "trail of blood", for "communism's victims in the Soviet Union, China and North Korea". Full of indignation Spiegel reminds us that "some sort of plea of confession", containing the term "communist despotism", was always an integral part of even PDS Party Congresses. Now of course the question arises: "does Lötzsch want to open the party for sectarians"? And more important "for the voters": "Where the hell is Die Linke drifting to? And who actually wants communism in our country?"
Well, thank god we now know that at least Herr Gysi doesn't!
Parliamentary group leader Gregor Gysi criticised the statements about communism by Gesine Lötzsch with strong words. "Misleading" he called the wording of the party leader. He would have been be "more careful", Gysi said about the participation of Lötzsch in the planned discussion.
Berlin – the words Gregor Gysi uses about Gesine Lötzsch in the dispute over her communist statements are anything but solidary. "We cannot use the term communism to explain our goals" said the parliamentary group leader of Die Linke to the Tagesspiegel. The formulations of the party leader were "misleading." Some think about "Stalin, Mao and the Wall" when they hear communism. Not everybody understands it as a vision of a just society in every respect, so thus this term cannot be used.
In the forefront of a planned discussion this Saturday in Berlin with the topic "Ways to Communism", Lötzsch published an article in the Marxist newspaper "Junge Welt". Die Linke could search for "ways to communism", she said. Gysi assured that Die Linke does not want to establish communism in Germany. "The concept of communism will neither be found in our political practice nor in our program." Nothing changed about the character of the party. "We are not a communist party and we will never be."
Gysi criticised Lötzsch also for only participating in a discussion entitled "Ways to Communism". Former RAF terrorist Inge Viett and DKP chairwoman Bettina Jürgensen will also attend the event. "You can discuss with many people, of course. In this case, however, I would have been more careful", said Gysi.
Lötzsch defended her participation at the Rosa Luxemburg Conference in Berlin. She sees the event as a great opportunity to win people over for the positions of Die Linke, Lötzsch told Deutschlandradio. At the same time she explicitly stressed that Die Linke wants to change society by "peaceful democratic means." "I reject any kind of terrorism and underground activity," she said.
Translated from: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,738384,00.html
"Win people over for the positions of Die Linke" in this context means winning communists over for reformism, as the topic of the discussion is already "What is the way to communism? Leftist reformism or revolutionary strategy - ways out of capitalism". Spiegel informs us that "Viett and Jürgensen will also attend the event" but forgets to mention that they won't have a jolly commie reunion party with Lötzsch but that the latter will discuss this topic with them and its kinda hard to imagine her arguing against "leftist reformism".
On the contrary, Lötzsch stresses that communism can only be achieved through reformism, in fact she said thoughout her article (http://www.jungewelt.de/2011/01-03/001.php, German) that "democractic actions" and reforms are the only way to lead the current society peacefully to "democratic socialism" and communism and praises Rosa Luxemburg for "wanting a merger of communism and liberalism while rejecting both Soviet party-communism and bourgeois liberalism" and thus urging for "participation in the election to the National Assembly ... while desperately appealing to those ultra-leftists" who called for revolution. Her "different ways to communism" refer to the question "whether through opposition or participation in government", a question which is part of heated discussions in Die Linke and which she tries to answer by pointing out that it's no use to stand at the "parting of ways" and discuss for all eternity instead of going by trial and error.
But obviously even that, even reformism aiming at communism, as utopic as it is, is far too much. Not only for the media and "the voters" but also for Gysi and friends.
Well, thank god we now know that at least Herr Gysi doesn't!
Parliamentary group leader Gregor Gysi criticised the statements about communism by Gesine Lötzsch with strong words. "Misleading" he called the wording of the party leader. He would have been be "more careful", Gysi said about the participation of Lötzsch in the planned discussion.
Berlin – the words Gregor Gysi uses about Gesine Lötzsch in the dispute over her communist statements are anything but solidary. "We cannot use the term communism to explain our goals" said the parliamentary group leader of Die Linke to the Tagesspiegel. The formulations of the party leader were "misleading." Some think about "Stalin, Mao and the Wall" when they hear communism. Not everybody understands it as a vision of a just society in every respect, so thus this term cannot be used.
In the forefront of a planned discussion this Saturday in Berlin with the topic "Ways to Communism", Lötzsch published an article in the Marxist newspaper "Junge Welt". Die Linke could search for "ways to communism", she said. Gysi assured that Die Linke does not want to establish communism in Germany. "The concept of communism will neither be found in our political practice nor in our program." Nothing changed about the character of the party. "We are not a communist party and we will never be."
Gysi criticised Lötzsch also for only participating in a discussion entitled "Ways to Communism". Former RAF terrorist Inge Viett and DKP chairwoman Bettina Jürgensen will also attend the event. "You can discuss with many people, of course. In this case, however, I would have been more careful", said Gysi.
Lötzsch defended her participation at the Rosa Luxemburg Conference in Berlin. She sees the event as a great opportunity to win people over for the positions of Die Linke, Lötzsch told Deutschlandradio. At the same time she explicitly stressed that Die Linke wants to change society by "peaceful democratic means." "I reject any kind of terrorism and underground activity," she said.
Translated from: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,738384,00.html
"Win people over for the positions of Die Linke" in this context means winning communists over for reformism, as the topic of the discussion is already "What is the way to communism? Leftist reformism or revolutionary strategy - ways out of capitalism". Spiegel informs us that "Viett and Jürgensen will also attend the event" but forgets to mention that they won't have a jolly commie reunion party with Lötzsch but that the latter will discuss this topic with them and its kinda hard to imagine her arguing against "leftist reformism".
On the contrary, Lötzsch stresses that communism can only be achieved through reformism, in fact she said thoughout her article (http://www.jungewelt.de/2011/01-03/001.php, German) that "democractic actions" and reforms are the only way to lead the current society peacefully to "democratic socialism" and communism and praises Rosa Luxemburg for "wanting a merger of communism and liberalism while rejecting both Soviet party-communism and bourgeois liberalism" and thus urging for "participation in the election to the National Assembly ... while desperately appealing to those ultra-leftists" who called for revolution. Her "different ways to communism" refer to the question "whether through opposition or participation in government", a question which is part of heated discussions in Die Linke and which she tries to answer by pointing out that it's no use to stand at the "parting of ways" and discuss for all eternity instead of going by trial and error.
But obviously even that, even reformism aiming at communism, as utopic as it is, is far too much. Not only for the media and "the voters" but also for Gysi and friends.