Left Unity in Australia

[Yet_Another_Boring_Marxist]

http://marxistleftreview.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84:what-kind-of-organisation-do-socialists-need&catid=42:number-5-summer-2013&Itemid=81

While I was doing research of Socialist organizations in my area I happened to come across this article describing the left unity process in Australia and the steps forward being made. The Socialist Alternative is correct in this article to put forward the need for a coherent socialist programme as opposed to the worthless "broad" based politics of other left unity projects such as Socialist alliance and others abroad. However I am skeptical of their insistence on an "active" membership and their commitment to activism since I don't think these approaches are very productive and only lead to burn out. I also don't think their conception of the party as the "leaders" of the working class through political activism and being "politically advanced" reflects the actual composition of the working class and how leadership naturally emerges from it. Still on relative terms it is a step forward.

I couldn't find any information about the present state of the Australian Socialist Alternative and their merger with the RSP, can anyone update?

[Ned Kelly]

The merger more or less seemed to go through seamlessly, and as before I guess SA are the largest group on the Australian left

[Ned Kelly]

Also to clear up any misconceptions some might have, the aussie socialist alternative are cliffites, not a CWI section.

[renalenin]

Left Unity is an attempt by Socialist Alliance to patch up the fragmented trot scene in Australia, as you will notice from various items in Green Left Weekly. At one point they were even having talks with the CPA leadership, formerly the SPA, although that has collapsed now.

If comrades really want to follow the coming left trend in Australia then they should check out the posts on the Communists of Australia Facebook page. Excellent!!!

:hammersickle::hammersickle::hammersickle:

[Ned Kelly]

Left Unity is an attempt by Socialist Alliance to patch up the fragmented trot scene in Australia, as you will notice from various items in Green Left Weekly. At one point they were even having talks with the CPA leadership, formerly the SPA, although that has collapsed now.

If comrades really want to follow the coming left trend in Australia then they should check out the posts on the Communists of Australia Facebook page. Excellent!!!

:hammersickle::hammersickle::hammersickle:

Have to agree with you there, the Communists of Australia page is churning out some great material, insight, speeches etc. Not too sure who is behind it but I suppose that is immaterial to the fact that the content is great thus far.

[renalenin]

Yes I agree. I believe that page was set up by people from my old party, the CPA, formerly the SPA. Apparently they were Marxist-Leninist and got pissed off when the leadership went revisionist about 2000. The old SPA was not too bad. It is a shame we cannot manage to keep a decent Marxist-Leninist show going here!

:hammersickle::hammersickle::hammersickle:

[Ned Kelly]

Yes I agree. I believe that page was set up by people from my old party, the CPA, formerly the SPA. Apparently they were Marxist-Leninist and got pissed off when the leadership went revisionist about 2000. The old SPA was not too bad. It is a shame we cannot manage to keep a decent Marxist-Leninist show going here!

:hammersickle::hammersickle::hammersickle:

The CPA (ML) do a lot of good work within various unions and some community campaigns and have a fair few members (albeit a lot non public) in Melbourne, not sure what the state of play is around the rest of the country.

[renalenin]

Agreed. The CPGB-ML likewise does some fine work. They have classes and study the ML classics, which is such a good idea because the classics apply very much to our world today.

My only disagreement with the CPA-ML is in their platform where they insist there must be a Republic first then a struggle for the D of the P. This seems a bit like Stages Theory.

[Ned Kelly]

Agreed. The CPGB-ML likewise does some fine work. They have classes and study the ML classics, which is such a good idea because the classics apply very much to our world today.

My only disagreement with the CPA-ML is in their platform where they insist there must be a Republic first then a struggle for the D of the P. This seems a bit like Stages Theory.

The CPA ML does subscribe a theory of revolution by stages, of which the first is an anti-imperialist struggle, I believe.

[renalenin]

Yes I can see that this is very different from the Stages Theory of revisionists like the euro Left Party and their type. And it is certainly true that the struggle against imperialism is vital - look at the NATO problem just now for example. So that seems fine. As long as it does not distract comrades too much from the main game which must obviously be class war.

:hammersickle::hammersickle::hammersickle: