Jane Kelly. Andrew Kennedy isq-fi.ora.uk/outlook/index vWW tors Ballini Homepage Lavout Claude outlook@on aoc.orc Kelly, Dave Packer, Greg Tucker, Paul Wilco› Email: 7460 300 0208 Editorial Board: Andrew Kennedy. Sam Feeney, Claude Ballini, Jane Teiephone NA Box Outlook. PO Editorial The Quagmire Remains As we analysed in Socialist Outlook 1, the disastrous not existed, on the left of there... Britain this process is repress.... consequences of American Imperialism's so-called coordination, Respect. Thelme in: " cite 'War on Terror" continue in Afghanistan and Iraq. The occupation of the latter creates increasing opposition and there is a current within the tri-s capitalist movements. cynical: violent resistance, with both Iraqis and imperialism's of professional politicians. and he"se forces suffering daily death and injury. A quagmire it remains and the US, seemingly uncomprehending anarchism, that is opposed to porte: of what they have unleashed, have turned to the UN In many European there in try and head off the growing calls for democratic countries. elections in June rather than the handpicked, interim deficit. Social democratic government planned by the occupation forces. able to make reforms are carrying the right. Along with strikes and tate ... Two issucs we highlighted then have continued to against the imposition of neo-liberal polcies plague the Bush/Blair axis. Firstly, no weapons of mass rise to the broad anti-globalisation and anti-peeds destruction have been found and, as David Kay. former movements over the last fifteen years. and has ise? led to the creation of new political parties. to fili the Head of the Iraq Survey Group, revealed after his resignation in late January, 'they may never be found'. vacuum to the left. So, the reason given by the warmongers was, as we all In Britain the anti-globalisation movement swelled argued at the time, a lie. the ranks of the great anti-war coalition. and in the Secondly, it has been revealed by a former aide 1o Bush. process has radicalised a new generation of !ute people, as well as bringing back into political active that plans to change the regime in Iraq went back well those whom the Thatcher, Major and Blair year ind before the events of 9/11. The attempts by Bush to link Saddam Hussein's Iraq with Al Qaeda was also a lie, forced into private life. This movement has new reco it was always about oil. Michacl Meacher. too. in a potentially consolidated into coord.E the Unity Coalition: founded at to crad scaring Guardian article in September 2003. revealed "Respect January by a 1500 strong convention in Lords. Wer the sinister neo-conservative Republican "educational organisation' the Project for a New American Century, George Galloway, expelled from the Labour Per r set up in 1997 and behind the policy aims of the Bush his intransigent stance against the Trag War air :oac. and building on the small but significant cheere* administration. of the Socialist Alliance, this has the ps: In Britain all this has led to a crisis of the Blair becoming a party to the left of Labour. government • not only directly over Iraq and the aims of war, but increasingly over domestic policy, Even il The grouping at the centre of these derelopr**.': Socialist Workers Party, whose turn and tor se:.* the Hutton Inquiry, due to report as we go 1o press. keeps to its narrow remit, it may well claim the scalp party building, leading to their work in the **** coalition and in the Socialist Alliance. has beer: * of Geolt Hoon. But Blair's difficulties over Iraq, and gain for the left as a whole. But as Alan Therer pres especially the huge anti-war demonstrations, have given in his assessment of the debate between Murt confidence to a growing number of Labour backbenchers of the SSP and John Rees of the SWP. Brode Partee to vote against privatising bills in Parliament. There Revolutionary Parties and the United Front c= si?': was a substantial rebellion against so-called foundation misunderstanding of the united front mean as 2 $ 4 hospitals and another large revolt against the attempt to was unable to develop to its full potental. Indicte ine increase tuition fees in universities. Scottish Socialist Party provides a better mode 0*20 to build these new parties. Why Political Parties? Greg Tucker in his article, Building 1o:-Capatalist Socialist Outlook 2 takes as its theme the question of Parties in Europe, points lo other simi: toupines political parties. Why is this so important? Firstly in many in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Denmark. But these nell countries in Europe and in other parts of the world 1o0, formations are inherently unstable. coming under new political parties are being created to the left of social pressure both from ultra-leftism, bur more especially democracy, or, in those cases where social democracy has
from reformism. Rifundazione Communista (PRC) in Italy, for example, has recently rejected proposals to form a common European slate for the elections in June 2004 with these left parties and others such as the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire (LCR) in France, in favour of a Communist Party grouping. This has not only made the initial proposal untenable, as PRC is one of the biggest of these parties, but has revealed that those who joined PRC from the Italian Communist Party have not completely abandoned their Stalinist and reformist roots. For revolutionary Marxists, whose strategic goal is to build a revolutionary party, there is also the question of how to operate in these parties: how to build them in a principled fashion, avoiding both premature division and opportunism. As an example of this process we have included the resolution passed at their recent conference by the LCR, French Section of the Fourth International. This proposal, which includes an 'action programme', combining key demands of the day with transitional demands, forms the basis of a series of debates and discussions with other groups and individuals to try and develop a broad platform to build on the huge far left vote won by the LCR in the last Presidential election in France. Another example of the problem for revolutionaries in broad left parties is discussed in Andrew Kennedy's article on Brazil: 'Where is the Brazilian Workers' Party going? Or Bossa Nova Blairism'. The Brazilian Workers' Party (PT) won the election last year, is in government and its leader, Lula, is President. While this represented an important victory for the working class, after one year in government, Lula and his ministers are actively implementing pro-capitalist policies, and the PT is deeply split. Democracia Socialista (DS), Brazilian section of the Fourth International, is faced with a dilemma. The PT which has both reformists and revolutionaries in it has moved so far to the right that it is difficult for revolutionaries to remain in the government - but how to fight to win the maximum the PT is not wasted. David Packer's article, 'Movements, Broad Parties and Revolutionary Parties: What kind of party do the anti- capitalist and working class movements need?' looks at the question historically, stressing the importance of parties, asking what kind of party the working class needs to win power, whether the Labour Party is a workers' party and comparing different kinds of party, for example, Lenin's conception of a revolutionary party and its relationship to the emergence today of broad anti-capitalist parties. Against those in the anti-capitalist movement who oppose political parties on principle, we say that single- issue campaigns and movements cannot win on their own. Parties are needed to co-ordinate and generalise such campaigns. If we are to defeat capitalism, political parties are needed to work out strategic questions and tactical issues too. Nor is any old party adequate. To overthrow capitalism is not a simple task and without a revolutionary strategy, developed from the experiences of history, defeat is likely. In "The Picklock That Opens All Doors', Karen O'Toole analyses the politics of the anti-capitalist movement, especially the influential Italian autonomist Antonio Negri, whose ideas have the widest influence, exposing their inadequacy in the face of the tasks for socialists. One of the issues taken up by the anti-globalisation movement and by green parties, but generally ignored by the left as a whole, is the environment. In 'No Solution under Capitalism', Jane Kelly and Phil Ward argue that the ecological crisis of the planet has reached a new stage, one which demands urgent solutions without which the lives of millions of people along with many plant and animal species, will be endangered Socialists have to engage with these issues for only socialist answers can overcome the crisis of ecology Finally, we include a resolution passed by the Political Committee of the International Socialist Group on the question of the hijab worn by many Moslem women. In the face of the undemocratic attack by the French Government on the rights of individuals to express their religious and cultural identity, the resolution argues that socialists must defend these democratic rights. We hope you enjoy reading this second issue of Socialist Outlook and we welcome letters on any of the subjects covered Politics Building Anti-Capitalist Parties across Europe Page_04 by Greg lucker Where is the Brazilian Workers' Party going? Page_U8 )R Bossa Nova Blairis Andrew Kennea No Solution Under Capitalism Page_l? by Jane Kelly and Phil Ward The Picklock That Opens All Doors Page_16 by Karen O Toole theory_history Mone mens Broad Parties and Revolutionar: Parties Puge_20 Appeal from the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire Conference Puge_24 for the Regroupment of the Anti-Capitalist Leit reprint from 'Rouge Debate Broad Parlies, Revolutionar; Parties and the United Front: Page. 26 The John Rees: Murray Smith debate hy Alan Thorren Letters to Socialist Outlook Page30