Wrong lessons from solidarity: it icpresents Sandinista defeat? Will McMahon's article can be sum- marised as saying that the main reasons 1) The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FLN) were out of touch with the emphasis of the article leads analysis, and argues that the In the last issue, an in Depth for the defcat of the Sandinistas were: Nicaraguan election defeat. to losing valuable lessons. challenges aspects of that Outlook's analysis of the article by Will McMahon Here, GARETH MOSTYN summed up Socialist
just because they fit in with our theories. As fects of a tracherous bourgeoisic. I believe that large-scale expropriations would have The question of the economy is difficult We should not listen with a more Tavourable ear to all criticisms of the mixed economy we know, a badly-planned state economy can easily produce worse results than the ef- criticisms. Will is quite wrong to put so much emphasis on the FSEN being out of touch with the people. We should have an ideal of socialist democracy, and see how the Sandinistas" example compared with it: but we must also leam how the Sandinistas maintained such a high level of mass par- ticipation in such difficult conditions: the hands of the bourgeoisie: resources were 2) Lack of direct democracy (recallable workplace elections, a supreme council elected from mass organisations, and 3) Too much of the economy was left in given to them which served to undermine the
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 24, May 1990 term setbacks, Nationalisation was by no What is clear is the need to develop an economy that runs in the interests of the majority of the people - the workers and peasants. This will never be achieved in the long run if the major economic decisions and investments are made with a view lo secur- What we noed is an in-depth coonomic balance sheet of the last ten years. 1 believe that the Sandinistas will Icam the following lesson: that the contradictions between a stable bourgeoisic and a goverment thai serves the interests of the people become grater the longer that government remains in power. If the goverment does not develop a momentum in opposition to the The Sandinistas have many gains of the revolution to defend They have the ability and the mass organisations necessary to do so. They also have an experience of the armed struggle unknown by any previous revolutionary opposition. Let's hope that thicy never give up their arms, and never have to use them. We want to see them back in office with the necessary backing to move had a long-ierm benefit, but brought short- bourgcoisie, it will become weaker. ing the profits of a small minority. means an easy solution. forward once more: It is true that there was a high lovel of The key issue that affected the course of 50 percent of the Gross National Product tion and massive austerity. No other govern- ment could have won 40 percent of the vote after presiding over such an coonomic dis- have voted FSLN if there had been a dif- sign. If you set profound goals and high ces, you will get genuine criticism. Many of of sustained participation of a significant trade blockade. In the last few years the Nicaraguans suffered 36,000 percent infla- ferent type of democratic structure? No, We shap Noor issues, let alone national issues can be difficult. Will's article unfairly sug- worst problems faced were caused by over going to the war, and the effects of the US democratic structures, whether in a union, a Labour Party, or a mass campaign will be familiar with the problems. Geling regular attendance of more than 30 percent even for gests that the FSLN deliberately held hack criticism of the Sandinistas. This was a good standards for democracy with limited resour- us are familiar with this. The tough lesson for us is how can the rest of us win the kind proportion of people - in the way the San- events in Nicaragua was the economy. The Would those people who voted UNO For these sort of criticisms to be useful to the Nicaraguans or the British, they have to solidarity. This means more than a position you adopt or a sentence that you tack on to Inspiration is every bit as important as the contect politics, neither one is much good without the other. A movement like ours needs to be able to capture the feeling of hope and identification with the struggle in Nicaragua, and to express the despair that was felt at the clection decal, while pointing the way forward. We have to be able to do all this and at the same time maintain a I found Will's article very dry, academic and uninspiring: so for those in Britain who are moved by the Nicaraguan struggle I think ments of principle about standing with the oppressed against the oppressor. We also pressed: so who do we offer both our solidarity and our criticisms to? Will Me. Mahon aims his criticisms squarely at the FSLN, while the solidarity is aimed at the We do not want to see a bashful support for Nicaraguan workers and peasants': we be put in the context of international the end of an urticle: it is something you Feel. Solidarity is not just about offering state- believe in the self-organisation of the op its criticisms will have fallen on deaf ears. people. The result is ambiguous. rigorous analysis and critique. and that inspires you. Page 28
myself in preparing this speech. The discussion on the future of the left and to a lesser extent Britain than in countries like Belgium, West Before I start I would like to make a remark ahout the strange situation in which I found on Green politics, is far more developed in It's not only wild life like these otters that die from pollution (International Secretary of the Speech by Joost Lagendejk Dutch Green Left) The Green Western Europe Germany and Holland: Left in which implied that it was a party within a party. After a prolonged internal debate the lions a network linking considerable numher of eco-socialists who are Party nor Greens has The decision of the Green and Socialist both currents with the conference lo found the Socialist Forum, a victory for those who the struggle for eco- socialist politics within Under these condi- in neither the Labour network has won the backing of the Socialist e become more pressing. FEATURES The new name decided on was ASG then held a ballot on its name. the Greens. Association of Socialist The result will ho that those Greens who participate in SERA will be denied ac- In the Green Party the