The Progressive Parties Of The World

[Palmares]

I have just a random question: why are there so many communist/socialist parties in the US (these are the ones I have actually noticed)? Undoubtedly it is similar in many other countries (input from non-US people would be greatly appreciated). Why such sectarianism? I perhaps mainly find this hard to understand because (besides my own personal beliefs of unity of the left) the main communist/socialist body in Australia is the Socialist Alliance, which is (like it's name sake of which it is based in the UK) is an alliance of almost all the communist/socialist-type parties in Australia. There are only like 3 or 4 other such progressive parties that have not joined.

Has any effort along these lines been made? If so, what happened?

What are your own opinions on the matter?

[Lossenelin]

They&#39;re are probably a few dozen parties you haven&#39;t noticed, heres a list (http://www.broadleft.org/us.htm)of all the leftist parties in the US</a> (also includes groups of anarchists, Native and African American nationalist parties and green parties)

Just think what they could do if they joined together.

By the way, are you in Socialist Alliance over in Australia? I&#39;m in the Anti-Capitalist Alliance in New Zealand

[Palmares]

I think my membership has run out. But I&#39;m heavily involved in Socialist Alliance and the Greens party.

What is the Anti-Capitalist Alliance like?

[Severian]

I think there&#39;s more in the U.S. than in a lot of countries. (Except maybe Britain?) One reason, I think, is that when a far-left group is mostly isolated from the working class and from any kind of mass struggle, it tends to stew in its own juices and becomes more prone to splitting.

One conclusion from this: just getting more left groups together doesn&#39;t solve the underlying problem. Really, it&#39;s part of the same syndrome, of looking to this isolated little world of "the left" rather than to the broader masses.

Really, there&#39;s only political reason for two or three parties....reformist and revolutionary, basically. There used to be reason for social democrat, Stalinist, and revolutionary....the two kinds of reformist not being fundamentally different, but being different in their social base. But since the Stalinists have been forcibly divorced from their social base in Moscow or Peking, there&#39;s no reason they shouldn&#39;t join the social democrats now....

[Palmares]

In case people were confused, I&#39;m not asking why the left is/can be sectarian, but rather whether there has at least been any effort to unite.

I swear the Us have more such parties than the UK (though I may be wrong) simply based on the fact they have a Socialist Alliance (like here in Australia).

[YKTMX]

I agree that unity is desirable, but that shouldn&#39;t mean that people compromise or discard their principles for the sake of it. There are some on the "left" that I wouldn&#39;t want to be associated with, and not because of some need for an abstract "revolutionary purity" but because we have fundamental diffirences about what society we want to create and how to get there.

History is also the root of alot of modern day secterianism.

[Lossenelin]

What is the Anti-Capitalist Alliance like?

Its something I&#39;m proud to be a part of, I&#39;m pretty sure we&#39;re the fasted growing far-left party in New Zealand. Its made up mainly of workers with a few student radicals. The philosophy is Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
I can tell you more if your interested.

[Mute]

Communist Party of Australia, Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist), Marxist Inititive, Progressive Labor Party, Socialist Alternative, Socialist Appeal, Socialist Equality Party, Socialist Party and World Socialist Party are just a few of the Non-Socialist Alliance progressive Alliance.

And that&#39;s just the socialist/communist parties. There are numerous anarchist parties plus the Greens, HEMP and Nuclear Disarment Party. Australia is pretty sectarian.

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Lossenelin, I&#39;m interested in knowing more. :)

[Hiero]

Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) Has anyone ever meet them. I know they still sell books.

[choekiewoekie]

I believe almost every country had got a number of progressive / left winged groups. And i must say, sometimes it is a shame that they are not working together. Last week i was in a meeting between three left winged (political) groups, and it took some time to make clear that this was a meeting to establesh that we could work together in the future, instead of discussing our opinions. The right winged groups are not that into there own ideology, and so it is more easy for them to work together. I think ideology is a great thing, and the left winged groups should keep it high, but sometimes you can achieve more if you be a little more pragmatic.
So... i think all these little groups are so into there own ideology, that they find it hard to compromise a little. Thats why every single idea has a group of its own.

[Pawn Power]

I think the division of communists is a problem, like it was in the early 1900&#39;s. Our main goal should be first to abolish capitalism and then we can argue about the specificts. Splitting up and deviding parties thins out our influence. And there does not seem to be a wide movment to unit communist parties these days, each seem content with there own affairs.

All workers of the world Unit :hammer:

[apathy maybe]

I agree, once we have abolished capitalism, then we can argue specifics. The only trouble is, how we go about it.

Then we have the problem of who has power in this post capitalist society. I know that I don't want the Marxist-Leninist to have any power in a revolutionary environment.

(As to the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist) apparently they are really Maoist. They sell a paper called Vangaurd which is basically shit. They support China all the way in it. )

[Palmares]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2004, 12:56 PM
Communist Party of Australia, Communist Party of Australia (Marxist-Leninist), Marxist Inititive, Progressive Labor Party, Socialist Alternative, Socialist Appeal, Socialist Equality Party, Socialist Party and World Socialist Party are just a few of the Non-Socialist Alliance progressive Alliance.

And that&#39;s just the socialist/communist parties. There are numerous anarchist parties plus the Greens, HEMP and Nuclear Disarment Party. Australia is pretty sectarian.

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Lossenelin, I&#39;m interested in knowing more. :)
I thought Ian had told me about all such groups in Australia. :unsure: Most of these are just in Melbourne and Sydney right?

Wait... how about the Sparts?