Decline of the Left Bloc in Portugal

[North Star]

Does anyone know the reasons for the decline of the Left Bloc in the last Portuguese elections? Did they get too close the the Socialist Party and were rejected for this reason?

[Die Neue Zeit]

That's bad news to hear.

[PhoenixAsh]

There are several reasons why the Left Bloc failed miserably.

1). They have made a shift to parliamentarism
2). They do not oppose pay back of the IMF loans
3). Shift of focus to the intelectual middle class and away from the workers and unions
4). Social Democratic (reformist) tendencies seem to be winning ground inside the Left Bloc

Edit: as I understand it the unions are dominated by the communist party and traditionally are weary of the Left Bloc which seems to have an ongoing tendency battle between socialists and reformists. Their position in the 2011 elections was more reformist accepting the validity of the "necessity" to repay the IMF loans, but on a longer schedule than proposed by the social democrats and the conservatives. This coupled to their increasing parliamentary instead of revolutionary approach was met with a lot of distrust and failed to win over voters. As I understand it both the Communist party and Maoist party won votes in the june elections...but not enough to gain seats. There was also a record low in voter turn out...but seeing as it is down and absolute 1.4% from 2009 I do not think this explains the decimation.

Currently the Left Bloc is repositioning itself to regain voter trust. But since I do not follow the debates or that party in particular I have no idea what this means for its policies and positions. I do hope they have learned a lesson and shy away from reformism and parliamentarism.

[DaringMehring]

I agree with what you say hindsight, but you have to be careful to explain what you mean by "staying away from parliamentarianism" while running for bourgeois parliament.

[Tommy4ever]

I don't live in Portugal, but during the recent elections there I picked up a bit of information that might provide some explanation:

Before the election the Left Bloc made themselves a bit of a laughing stock with some really stupid political manouveres. In an attempt to look radical and basically in little more than an act of bravado they called upon the Socrates government to resign - not expecting their proposal to get anyway. But then the right wing parties decided to jump on this proposal and support it. The Bloc then went into a panic as it didn't want to be seen as the party that brought down a centre-left government and allowed the neo-liberals to get in. So, as things descended into farce, they ended up opposing their own proposal and looking like idiots. They pissed off the radicals who weren't happy about them backing down, and the moderates who weren't happy about the fact their actions contributed towards the calling of the elections and the defeat of the Socialist Party by the Social Democrats (neo-liberals).

They are also one of these parties whose support is not necessarily solidly working class (like the CP in Portugal) but rather trendy, young, urban radicals. These people might vote for a radical party when there is little danger of a right wing government, but would move to vote for the centre-lefts when the danger of a right wing government arises. Notice how smaller left wing parties tend to lose a great deal of their support whenever it looks likely that a right wing government (with a damaging cuts agenda) will win an election.

The above mentioned demographics of the voters also means that Left Bloc voters aren't as dogmatically loyal to their party. As one Portuguese said to me ''people who vote Communist will always vote Communist'' a very different sort of culture with the Left Bloc.

They also largely relied upon getting votes from people dissatisfied with the Socialists rather than people who would never be willing to vote for a bourgeios party. So those people obviously had less gripes about shifting back over to the Socialists.

This problem has left the party into a bit of quandry. They can't really win anymore support from Socialist voters, so they seemed to have become very conflicted between different groups within the party (they had Trots, Hoxhaists and Social Democrats in the same room :p) and that never helps.

Those are some of the rough reasons I picked up during the election.

[PhoenixAsh]

Yes...true. What I mean is that the Left Bloc has been compromised by the same affliction so many radical parties have been afflcited with. Rather than using the pariamentary process as a platform they have become part of the system working within it and taking on its characteristics. So rather than using it as a means to an end it has become an end in itself. It happened to the Socialist Party in the Netherlands as well for example.

Its actually the reason why participating in it is so dangerous.

[PhoenixAsh]

Their proposal for measure for a decent economy program was also a gem. Saying it could cut much more than the government and still create jobs. They stated they would presurise the " socialists" into accepting 5 billion cuts on the publis sector and consumers.

[North Star]

Thanks, the stuff mentioned here was the kind of stuff I was suspecting. As for putting Trots and Hoxhaists in the same room, well it has to happen at some point for things to move forward, but yeah using parliament as more than a platform, and accepting IMF plans is a recipe for disaster. the LB's base is obviously problematic as well. The PCP's vote even slightly increased over the last election which is an encouraging sign. There are probably decent radicals in the LB but I think they are hesitant to get too close to the PCP because I bet the PCP still is probably relatively bureaucratic centralist internally, though at least they can still count on working class support.

[Delenda Carthago]

The real question is not why the opportunistic european Left is crushing, but why the only party of that kind that has a rise the last 2 years is SYRIZA!

[João Jerónimo]

Before the election the Left Bloc made themselves a bit of a laughing stock with some really stupid political manouveres. In an attempt to look radical and basically in little more than an act of bravado they called upon the Socrates government to resign - not expecting their proposal to get anyway. But then the right wing parties decided to jump on this proposal and support it. The Bloc then went into a panic as it didn't want to be seen as the party that brought down a centre-left government and allowed the neo-liberals to get in. So, as things descended into farce, they ended up opposing their own proposal and looking like idiots. They pissed off the radicals who weren't happy about them backing down, and the moderates who weren't happy about the fact their actions contributed towards the calling of the elections and the defeat of the Socialist Party by the Social Democrats (neo-liberals).

The story is a bit wrong told...
The Left Block first supported, in January 2011, the "socialist" candidate to the Presidency of the Republic (Manuel Alegre, a fake progressive that takes advantage of being a poet to pose as left). The Maoist MRPP did the same thing. The PCP ran with it's own candidate (Francisco Lopes).
Many people from the Left Block were against this choice, with some of them reclaiming that the "block" should have supported the PCP candidate. I heard this from a comarade of mine.
Alegre poses as leftist, but then helps the right when he can... Criticises the "socialist" party line, but then supports his party in elections and votes for his party's proposals when it is in government.

Some weeks after the presidential election, afaik, the PCP talked about a motion of no-confidence, and the "block" commented that it was "not the right moment".
However, one week later they themselves presented their own motion of no-confidence. In fact, looks like at first they said they would vote against their own motion. However, they eventually renounced their nonsense and actually voted for it.


The above mentioned demographics of the voters also means that Left Bloc voters aren't as dogmatically loyal to their party. As one Portuguese said to me ''people who vote Communist will always vote Communist'' a very different sort of culture with the Left Bloc.Yes, well, the Left Block electorate is really much less loyal than PCP's. However, the PCP has it's share of "flutuating" supporters among it's electorate too. Any party has it.

Post scriptum: I wanted to add some links supporting my claims (in portuguese), but looks like the forum only allows links for senior partners with more than a 25-post share... Very capitalist. :-P I'm affraid.

JJ

[João Jerónimo]

Its actually the reason why participating in it is so dangerous.

But it is the ONLY way to gain the backward masses.

JJ

[João Jerónimo]

but I think they are hesitant to get too close to the PCP because I bet the PCP still is probably relatively bureaucratic centralist internally, though at least they can still count on working class support.

I personally don't trust the LB very much (personal experience has cemented my feelings), and I can tell you that this is a general state of mind inside the PCP. However, this hasn't prevented PCP and LB supporters from rallying together in many occasions, and even to present joint lists to some struggle organizations. They are just unreliable allies (LB, I mean, because the PCP is very reliable).

The KKE has recently criticized the PCP for engaging in some talks with the LB. However, I cannot recover the document in which the criticism was expressed.

JJ

[FSL]

You probably mean this:
http://www2.rizospastis.gr/wwwengine/story.do?id=6205443&textCriteriaClause=%2B%CE%9C%CE%A0%CE%9B%CE%9F%CE% 9A+%2B%CE%A0%CE%9F%CE%A1%CE%A4%CE%9F%CE%93%CE%91%C E%9B%CE%99%CE%91

It's in greek. The main part, translated, is this:


The Communist Party has built a lasting, comradely relationship with the PCP, appreciates its significant contribution to the development of class struggle in Portugal, in the defense of workers and people's interests. It appreciates its contribution in the support of anti-imperialist organizations, in addressing anti-communism and the great difficulties caused by the counter-revolution and the overthrow of socialism.

Our party, as part of the international communist movement, studies carefully the decisions made by CPs and adopts a stance on key issues considering whether one or the other option would facilitate or impede the class struggle, strengthen or weaken the overall struggle against imperialism and monopolies, help or not in freeing of the people from bourgeois and opportunist ideology and politics.
Moreover, the Communist Party systematically informs the CPs for its own action and experience.

From this perspective we look at the meeting between the PCP and the "Left Bloc" and we need to quickly convey the experience gathered by our Party in the attitude of opportunism in Greece, which follows a corrosive, liquidating tactic through unifying formations such as the "United Democratic Left" (ΕΔΑ) in the 50s-60s, the "United Left" in '74, the "Coalition" in the late 80s.
The basic practices that sum up its behaviour is the integration into bourgeois ideology and policy, the cancellation of the principles that characterize the leninist party, the abolition of the independence and the dissolution of the Communist Party.

This experience is very useful for studying the role played by the "Left Bloc" in Portugal.
This is an opportunist party, which was strengthened by officials who left the PCP in previous years. A party with a socialdemocratic strategy, with positions that support the power of monopolies and the capitalist ownership of the means of production, the European Union, a party that for a long time supported the anti-people policies of the socialist government of Socrates.
This party operates within the well-known, EU-made, European Left Party (ΚΕΑ) where it has the role of vice president, it, along with Synaspismos, participates in the anticommunist campaign, in the effort to turn communist parties to socialdemocratic ones, it supports anti-people decisions to overturn labor rights, and recently supported by the vote, the decision of the European Parliament on the EU's participation in the imperialist war against Libya.
It is obvious that its character does not change just because it is in talks with the PCP and maybe laid the foundations for a cooperation. Its social-democratic character remains, its action damages the labor and grassroots movement and regardless of the intentions of the Portuguese communists, the "Left Bloc" will use the partnership to foster confusion, to erode conscience and to attack from proximity communist parties or anti-imperialist forces.

[João Jerónimo]

You probably mean this:
(here lied a link)
It's in greek. The main part, translated, is this:

Yes, you are right. I (re)found the article some minutes later, but forgot to add that to the thread.
inter.kke.gr/News/news2011/2011-04-20-marinos-portu
(note: the above is an URL address)

I personally don't know if the fears of the KKE are that pertinent, but it has expressed it's opinion and I think that it's a good thing to do. Excessive taboo on other's parties' matters in the source of all evil. :-) Btw, I think the PCP should comment on other communist parties too. Very true, it's necessary to find a middle term between passiveness and interference in other parties' matters, but I think it's worth the effort.

As I said, in the PCP we don't trust the "block" very much, and some members of the Central Comitee have even written some articles in the party press criticizing the opportunism of the "block" from an ideological point of view. They were serious critics, not just electoral ramming!

What's your opinion, if I may ask?

JJ

[FSL]

The Left Bloc is part of a european wave of "leftism", which of course goes way back and only changes names to present itself as new. They're clear on what they want. A capitalism that's maybe more moral, fairer, with some state-owned banks here and there. Isn't that so? Is the Left Bloc against private property? Is it in favour of a workers' state? These parties will go to great lengths to badmouth communism. Judging from what I see here some of the nonsense they say rivals only those coming from the far-right. Is it any different in Portugal?

The Left Bloc certainly supported the socialist candidate for the presidency. It supported Sarkozy's invasion in Libya. Are they people who are "difficult to trust"? Are their politics "shaky"? I wasn't surprised to here what they did.

It's not a matter of trusting them a lot or trusting them a little. I think that just as you start wondering how much you trust them, you've taken a step back. The Left Bloc is an "alliance", these groupings always pay great attention to that, sometimes it feels like an aim in itself. But it will never agree on the CP's programme. Ever. Not for the sake of unity, not for anything. It will constantly try to bring the CP closer to its own positions.
Can you tell us what the result was in those talks? Did the Left Bloc say "we'd consider the dictatorship of the proletariat"? Or did the CP say "we'd consider a common platform (for managing capitalism)"? If nothing was said at that point but these talks were to continue, where could you see them go, in which one out of these two directions?

I think the PCP should stop legitimizing the Left Bloc and protect its principles. There is no need to unite with opportunism, there is a need to deal with it. Deal with the opportunistic parties, deal with any signs of opportunism in your own. Not doing that won't end well. You could maybe get one or two good electoral results but beyond that a CP will either dissolve or finally break away having to start from scrap. That's what "left" means.

[lutraphile]

Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but I'm pretty surprised by the lack of the discussion of the upcoming Portuguese election, which polling for is very encouraging.

I am not Portuguese, so all my info is just from online articles. But from what I see the social democratic Socialists have moved well to the left since the last elections, now opposing austerity programs and promising to reverse them, and are on track to win after losing by 25% in the last elections. Meanwhile, the Communist bloc looks like getting into double digits for the first time since the fall of the USSR and the Left Bloc to finish just under where it did last time- all in all giving the far left a pretty impressive 17 or 18%. Why is there so little discussion of this?