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Yes, let’s support Diane, critically

Marie Lynam
19th August 2010 at 11:05
2 comments

Hello all
With the question of who is Diane, I think it is important to remember that we are faced with tactics.
It was correct, for instance, to vote for Livingstone as Mayor, though he supported the bombing of Yugoslavia. I believe a few other criticisms could be made of him. But in my opinion, we should support him next time round. In part, this is because he has the ability and a certain public interest at heart. In part, because this is because he is known and trusted far and wide in the Labour masses. In part also as a means to oppose the right wing of course.
So with Diane, many factors must be taken into account, even though she goes along with 50% cuts. She does this because she does not see beyond the system. She does not analyse Venezuela, although Venezuela is a vivid example showing how to get out of the capitalist system. Hence Diane is trapped within the orthodoxies of capitalism; and within these orthodoxies as she sees them, cuts have to be made, and the books have to be balanced.

This reasoning is rife in the Labour Party. Most of the comrades in the structure of the Party and all in the leadership believe that cuts have to be made, but ‘not so fast’.
On a world scale, people are wondering what to do about those books that they are told must ‘balance’. If capitalism wants to balance its books, let it do it itself! For generations, indeed centuries, it has pocketed the profits from labour-power and sent all the costs in the direction of the State (which educated, trained, transported, housed and cured its workers), and in the direction of the environment (where the capitalists disposed of their poisons and pollutants).
Argentina defaulted, and precious few conclusions were drawn in the Labour left about it. There are occasional articles on this subject showing how the workers occupied the companies that were to be closed, expelled the owners and made cooperatives. The fight for them now - if new owners are not to return and start again - is to strengthen workers control.
The workers of Greece have launched appeals for European Solidarity. Now is the time for us to answer: Hear, Hear!

For we are not going to resolve the international financial crisis in Britain alone ... most obviously!

The PASOK Party, like the Labour Party, needs to sprout a leadership ready to say: We will not pay. We ‘default’. All Hedge Funds and Rating Agencies Go Home.
Of course Diane does not see such things. Where are the Labour schools where these things are discussed? Are comrades supposed to get brainwaves from planet Mars on such complicated issues?

Many comrades in the LRC itself do not see much further than Diane. Otherwise they would not say: ‘let us not modernise Trident’, they would say: ‘Down with Trident, weapon of mass destruction, tool of imperialist domination, to frighten, crush and continue to pillage the countries of the world’.
I would be surprised if all the comrades in the LRC were for the total nuclear disarmament of Britain.

If this is so, it means that not many comrades are opposed to the wealth they enjoy (such as it has become, sorry, it is not much I know) being the fruit of the pillage of the world. With this in mind, they will not build socialism.
If this is so, and comrades only want the costs of Trident down, but not its significance, this must be faced. And one way of facing it is not to demand from Diane more than we are demanding from ourselves.
To be opposed to ALL the cuts, is correct in principle and even as a tactic. But then, the leading comrades in the LRC need to explain what practical and political leadership this sort of demand entails. If not, the comrades are not serious, or they use the apparent radicalism, or they hope that the problem will go away, after some time.

To oppose ALL the cuts means to reinstate the Schools for the Future project, for instance. But the cut is taking place now, not in 5 years time. The LRC needs to become clear whether it proposes to wait 5 years.

If it does not, the opposition to ALL cuts means support to all the anti-cuts campaigns.

I propose therefore that comrades discuss clear how they propose to do this. And create action groups for the purpose, where every volunteer is invited. No individual can replace this organic action of the LRC. If the LRC does not do it, others will, in the future. Although it would be a pity to give capitalism yet another breathing space.
Would be nice to know where my argumentation needs shoring up.
Greetings, Marie Lynam

Tags: build a socialist tendency (1)

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