Question

[Omri Evron]

I would like to know how the radical left is doing in the rest of the world in terms of size and power- are communist parties on the rise in your country, is there more radical activities in the left, are there more left governments?

I live in Israel, where in the last few years all of the left (even the so called Zionist left) had been completaly beaten up. The last ellections had the most right-wing results in Israeli history- and the Communist Party had the lowest turnout ever. Yet, I see that among youths, atleast where I live (Tel-Aviv and the center of Israel) the radical left is growing, atleast in the last year or two.
So I would like to know how the situation is in other countries and regions in the world. Do tuo think that the radical left in the world is growing or deminishing?

[RedAnarchist]

Latin America is quire revolutionary at the moment, especially in Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico.

I'm from the UK myself though -unfortunately, our government is led by a party which used to be somwhere near Socialism, but its abandoned all that could be considerd socialist and is now more right-wing than our Conservative party in some respects. The UK is still fairly right-wing and is becoming more Americanised, which wont help matters.

[viva le revolution]

I am from Pakistan. The communist movement is growing steadily and gradually. although the political sphere is still dominated by a right-wing dictatorship and religious-fundamentalists that oppose it. No real left-wing mainstream party although the communist underground is growing steadily.

[anonymous red]

Originally posted by viva le [email protected] 22 2005, 09:50 AM
I am from Pakistan. The communist movement is growing steadily and gradually. although the political sphere is still dominated by a right-wing dictatorship and religious-fundamentalists that oppose it. No real left-wing mainstream party although the communist underground is growing steadily.
that is good news viva. a third way must be developed to give the people of central asia somewhere else to turn. islamist-fundamentalism certainly won't solve any of their problems.

[anonymous red]

i guess i should also say that, for me personally, i do not know anyone who is as interested in rev. left politics the way i am. the u.s. does not seem very hopeful at the moment.

[Man of the Century]

It is my opinion that, world wide, it is growing. But, at the same time, and more importantly, the "OFFICIAL, INSTITUTIONALIZED RADICAL LEFT" is becoming more capitalist. China, Vietnam, Russian officialdome is all about what any capitalist nation is about. And the majority of people in their nations are all about those freedoms also.

Ultimately, the people of these nations will demand democratic government because freedom is a snowball that builds up steam and can't be stopped.

Generally, an idealisitc revolution will either not evolve or will sell out or, more likely, betry its principles and have its leaders exploit the people it says it protects.

[bolshevik butcher]

In edinburgh we seem pretty steady to be honest, I suppose i might see at g8.

[bur372]

In the uk more and more people are becoming more libetarian (look at the latest election the lib dems are polling hgher than every before) and loads of them now where the armstrong band. My generation could not imagine not allowing homosexuals to marry.

The economics are going right perhaps although seattle quebec genoa and (soon) glengals are making them rethink.

The people are going more to the left, the parties are going more to the right

[bolshevik butcher]

Actually i think the new labor roject looks over. people are fed up of blair, maybe the laboru party will be reclaimed soon...

[SocialismIsCentrist]

Originally posted by [email protected] 22 2005, 12:06 PM
Latin America is quire revolutionary at the moment, especially in Bolivia, Venezuela and Mexico.

I'm from the UK myself though -unfortunately, our government is led by a party which used to be somwhere near Socialism, but its abandoned all that could be considerd socialist and is now more right-wing than our Conservative party in some respects. The UK is still fairly right-wing and is becoming more Americanised, which wont help matters.
have faith in the people :)

labour executive moved to the right to appeal to the tory voter. this is because due to a perversion of democracy- first past the post -the conservative voter is more important. this drags british politics inexorably rightwards and downwards into the gutter.

Overall i think the main strategic goal of the left should be to campain to get rid of first past the post for general elections. this will free politics of the rightward pull since the vast majority of labour suppoters are infact, workers who believe in labours core principles..

..and the party which gained the most, which received the largest swing was the Liberal Democratic, which is positioned on the progressive side of british politics.

without some form of PR, i favour STV, labour returning to its true values could be dangerous for britain.

the labour party at the moment is a competent tory party - quite pragmatic and has done things the tory scum would never have done - NMW, etc. the picture isnt good, but it is nowhere near as bad as it could have been under continued tory economic terrorism.


edit:
in some ways, the ultra-nationalist BNP which is growing quite quick, with a lot of policies, apart from the racist ones, there is policies that appeal to the working class who support the party - for example, nationalisation and other stuff.

So on many fronts the sucess area is the area of leftist progressive thinking. The BNP perhaps uses Leftist good ideas, and then tags on an unnessarily vigorous anti-ethnic set of ideas.

with regards to the whole race-immigration issue, I am in favour of the left taking an economically more isolationist, self sufficient approach. the left really ought to fight capitalism in all areas, and that includes the area of immigration, where rightists want to devide and conquer the workforce. I speak of it more, here:

http://www.thunder-works.com/stevieland/mo...e=article&sid=6 (http://www.thunder-works.com/stevieland/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6)

[bolshevik butcher]

Yeh, the electoral system should be replaced with a trnasferable vote or regoional or national list system.

[h&s]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 23 2005, 08:10 PM
Actually i think the new labor roject looks over. people are fed up of blair, maybe the laboru party will be reclaimed soon...
Reclaimed by who? Where are the working class activists in Labour? They were all kicked out by Kinnock. Labour may have a base amongst the working class to a certain extent, but people only really vote for them as the best of a bad bunch.
People have completley lost all trust in the Labour party, as shown by Labour starting to lose ground in their Northern Heartlands.
That party is now a complete shell and, with the exception of a very few AWL members, completely devoid of all left wing thouhgt. There is no-one left to reinstate Clause 4.
Don't place any faith in Browites either - although they may seem left, this is just propaganda. Gordon Brown is the main architect behind New Labour.
If we managed to kick the right-wing out of the unions and get them to disaffiliate from Labour we could get a new mass workers' party, and thats what we should be pushing for. Pushing for change within Labour would be a waste of time.


Yeh, the electoral system should be replaced with a trnasferable vote or regoional or national list system.
Or maybe with a working class revolutionary system? ;)

[bolshevik butcher]

H and S that was a reaclistic suggestion. And there are still left wingers within the labour party. An mp near me, gavin strna is an example. He voted against the war and foundation hospitals. He is a real labour mp.

[Djehuti]

My view on the situation here in Sweden is that "the left" is growing, not only quantitatively but (and this is more important) qualitatively. Communist perspectives are spreading...at last.

If "the left" is thousands or billions does not really matter if they lack communist perspectives. I do not care if democratic anti-communist parties like all those communist parties all over the world get one or one million votes. Anti-communist elements (even if they claim to be communists, which they often do) within the left, are our greatest enemies.

[deLoner]

Ofcourse it matters how many votes communist\socialist\socialdemocratic parties gets, for the people in the countries. They will get a better life, isnt that what politics is all about, the best possible life for as many as possible people?

In Norway we have had a terrible right-winged goverment the last years, in four years they have increased poverty from 4,3 to 5,3%.. thats a big accomplishment with their luck with oil-prices(Norway is an exporter of oil), the rent and valuta-value.
I am hoping for a new goverment with the labour party, the senterparty(farmers party mainly) and my party: Socialistic leftparty.. If we get the power we will renationalise, increase funding to schools and hospitals. Rectract the law to allow commercial schools. Be more Usa-critical. More support to industry ect. ect. .. I think these things are worth fighting for, and I think that these things will make life much better for most people and in special the poor(er) people in Norway.

[danny android]

In my area I believe that it is growing. Me and my fellow communist buddy always get into debates with my pesimistic super right wing capitolist cusin. And people who hear our debate tend to side with us, even though they know that we are outwardly spoken communists.

[Clarksist]

Originally posted by Man of the [email protected] 22 2005, 04:07 PM
Generally, an idealisitc revolution will either not evolve or will sell out or, more likely, betry its principles and have its leaders exploit the people it says it protects.
Hence egalitarian revolutions.


As for the question. I'd say it is slowly going up... slowly. Very slowly. In my area (mid-america) it is beginning to catch on in the youth. Most of the people I hang out with consider themselves socialists.

[h&s]

Originally posted by Clenched [email protected] 24 2005, 04:32 PM
H and S that was a reaclistic suggestion. And there are still left wingers within the labour party. An mp near me, gavin strna is an example. He voted against the war and foundation hospitals. He is a real labour mp.
This man is nopt a real left. All the real lefts within Labour were either kicked out or left of their own accord during Kinnock's expulsions.
A real left, like everyone in Labour used to be (or pretended to be), is one who is dedicated to the transfer of power to the working class - that was the underlying principle of the party: Clause 4.
Unless they suport this, and I do not knopw one Labour MP who does, Labour is useless.
Of course there are those who still want this who remain within the Labour party, but they have all been assimilated and follow the party line.
Labour is useless, and the sooner you realise this the better.

[Hunter S. Thompson]

Originally posted by anonymous [email protected] 22 2005, 03:22 PM
i guess i should also say that, for me personally, i do not know anyone who is as interested in rev. left politics the way i am. the u.s. does not seem very hopeful at the moment.
No, no hope at all...Depressingly hoepless, I would say... :(

[Omri Evron]

I heard the Communist Party in India grew consideraly in the last elections, anyone know more about that? And the Communist Party in Cyprus also grew alot and now it's the largest party in the country, with something like 35% of the votes. It also seems that the situation is more promesing in Latin America.

[romanm]

It doesn' t even make sense to tal about "left" and "right".

marxleninmao.proboards43.com

[restin256]

But there's a very large difference between the left and right, romanm..

[Phalanx]

Originally posted by Omri [email protected] 22 2005, 12:02 PM
The last ellections had the most right-wing results in Israeli history- and the Communist Party had the lowest turnout ever. Yet, I see that among youths, atleast where I live (Tel-Aviv and the center of Israel) the radical left is growing, atleast in the last year or two.

You never know. It quite possibly be that the Israeli communists just aren't heading out to the polls. That, but doesn't the Orthodox Jewish community have the highest birthrate in Israel? I would tend to think that they'd vote more to the United Torah Party or Shas (whom, to put it lightly, are very much so right-wing).