Ten Reasons Why We Need a New, Anticapitalist Alternative
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Saturday February 04, 2012 20:42
by Darren C - Workers Power (pc)
Yes, it’s kicking off everywhere.
Over the last 18 months we have seen a sea change in resistance and popular consciousness. The Arab Spring has put revolution back on the agenda of global politics.
In Britain, we’ve seen the occupation of Millbank and student revolt, the huge TUC March and now the massive N30 strike.
I write as an activist who first came into radical politics in the early 2000s during the last wave of radical, anticapitalist mobilisation that put G8 summits under the siege of popular protest.
The anticapitalist and subsequent anti war mobilisations of those times were electrifying. But they did not create a new mass anticapitalist organisation that could challenge the power of the warmongers nor did they stop the wars by mass action.
Whilst the new spirit of revolt is certainly exciting for the possibilities that it opens up for radical shift to the left across Britain, it would be a missed opportunity if we simply participated in the new movements without exploring new avenues for unity, new forms of organisation, that might help us finally overcome years of decline and division.
The fear that many of us have is that without transforming the militancy and energy into a lasting political organisation we won’t realise the promise of the hour.
And the threat posed by this government and the Labour party is very real - within a couple of years the NHS will be privatised, pensions slashed, benefits dramatically reduced, structural unemployment will return to the economy and the clock on civil liberties is being turned generations.
For the radical left the challenge of this moment is enormous.
Here are ten reasons why I believe we need to form a new anticapitalist organisation in Britain
Full Article - http://www.newleftproject.org/index.php/site/article_co...ative
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2One question that needs to be addressed is an honest view on community defense.
For the most part the struggle ahead will be peacefull direct action. strikes. boycotts. occupations. mass rallies
civil disobedience, some electoralism possibly as a parallel proccess but by far the least important.
However if the mass mobilisation of people and many more people become involved in radical action then it will sooner or later come into the path of the full force of the back lash of police judiciary permenant Govt mainstream politicians bankers and other agencies.
These forces will use everything to protect the status quo So as ordinary people win some concessions defeat the Government
on some issues get partly liberated, and gradually come close to winning more leverage on power it will only get worse.
The more progress the more full and draconian will be the backlash. At first censorship and low level intimidation soon escalation to beatings imprisonment and criminalisation. So eventually there will be a point that it will be unavoidable for people to use armed force to defend communities.
I beleive the global economic conditions and especially in Europe will be unstable and shaky for ten to fifteen years. At times there will seem to be recovery and positive economic development for brief periods. Then and only then people will have to be ready to defend themselves if they do not the far right can fill the vacumn. I am not talking about a few fellas in a old sytle phone box forming self appointed conspiratorial army councils or liberation fronts. Totally I would oppose this. But we should be honest now that eventually it will be necessary for people to defend themselves probably not for ten or fifteen but such provisions can not be created overnight . So people need to actively think about contingencies.
Gradually people once they have found community based organisation s that exist on trust can gradually and slowly move towards preparations for such security precautions.The system cannot be overturned by force but gains by ordinary can be defended in the face of provocation. It has to be approached very carefully and reluctantly but we canot for a minute deny that it will be eventually necessary.
That is critical for a left group now. Not putting the cart before the horse but being realistic about the medium term future.
that makes sense. Meantime we have to try to educate ourselves and use every available medium to expand the debate from the established ruts of received 'wisdom'. A good handbook for direct insight is Michael Lewis's 'The Big Short', an isiders account of the Wall Street blinkerdom. Here's a little more info-ammo.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29270
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