spain

[moncadista]

everyone knows that the socialist party won in spains elections not too long ago, but what does spains socialist party stand for exactly? are they socialist like cuba socialist? or more liberal socialist? im mad curious. i know that the president, zapatero, his grandfather died in the spanish civil war, but i cannot base my hypotheses on the socialist parties politics soley on that basis. any help and info would be much apreciated

Brendan McGrath-Potter

[Louis Pio]

The Socialist Party in Spain is what you might call a social democratic party. The leadership are quite rightwing in the sense that they have been backing cutdowns before.
You can read this article on the elections The lessons of Spain (http://www.marxist.com/Europe/lessons_of_spain0304.html)

[h&s]

Socialism is just a left-wing orientated version of capitalism.

[Louis Pio]

Socialism is just a left-wing orientated version of capitalism.

In Chile before the coup the socialist party was far more revolutionary than the communistparty. You can't use generalisations like that, but should rather try to analyse the party. Who comprise the membership? Can they turn in a revolutionary direction? Will people try to remove the rightwing leadership? Etc.

[cubist]

a guy from spain said its quite ironic they appear more conservative than there predecessors

[fuerzasocialista]

Spain is actually one of the possibilites I had in mind for a future residence.

[h&s]

I meant that in Europe parties that claim to be socialist are just left-wing capitalists.
In other places socialist means communist.
Rmember the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics?

[fuerzasocialista]

The Partido Socialista Obrero Español has many Marxist views I thought?

[h&s]

I wouldn't know, but Spain can be a very Marxist country.
During the civil war when anarchists temporarily took control of Barcelona the city was the most productive it had ever been, and all of the trams were painted in black and red.

[fuerzasocialista]

What about the Socialist International? Many of the people involved in politics that I have met are associated with that organization.

[h&s]

yeah? i don't really know about them

[fuerzasocialista]

http://www.socialistinternational.org/


This is there logo here

[h&s]

Thanks man!
I'm always wanting to find sites like that. :hammer:

[fuerzasocialista]

The PSOE in Spain belongs to that oranganization as well.

The Democratic Socialists of America have a similar logo and also is a member party of the Socialist International.

[Louis Pio]

It seems to contain all the rightwing social democratic parties like the danish one.
Still alot of these parties have good people in their membership, especially the youth in some of the countries. The leadership is generally fucked up though

[h&s]

All of the grassroots of these parties are good, its just the leaders that fuck them up 'cos they think that they have to turn right to get voted in.
This just leads to apathy and people voting further and further right.
In Britain the BNP is a good example of this.

[Louis Pio]

I agree wholeheartedly.
We should not take a secterian attitude to these people, then we get isolated.

[RevolutionNow]

Hey thanks that International socialist site is informative.

[fuerzasocialista]

yeah, there are actually 2 sites...

www.socialistinternational.org
this is the one whose logo I put up.


then there is:
www.internationalsocialist.org
this is an independent website that is also very imformative...