Socialist Outlook 98 • March 2, 1996. Socialist Outlook welcomes readers' letters. Address them to 'Feedback', PO Box 1109, London, N4 2UU. Letters over 300 words are edited for brevity and concision. "We should give critical support to the CPRF to engage in the struggle of the masses"
ICK DAVIES in the previous edition of Socialist Outlook resurrects Tony Cliffs theory of State Capitalism. He treats the stalinist bureaucracy which rules the CIS as a bourgeoisie.
This means he calls for a social revolution within the CIS, instead of the classical trotskyist position of calling for a political revolution to overthrow the bureaucracy.
If the CIS is capitalist how can February Thursday 29 Socialist Outlook meeting on State racism, Adelphi pub, Leeds, 7.30 March Tuesday 5 Brent Campaign Against the Asylum and Immigration Bill. 7.30, Trades and Labour Hali, 375 Willesden High Street. Saturday 9 National Assembly Against Racism discussion on Asylum Bill. I0am-5pm, York Hall, Old Ford Road, London E2 Saturday 18 Socialists in or out of the Labour Party? Debate between Socialist Campaign Group, Militant and SLP, 7.30, Adelphi pub, Leeds. Saturday 23 ARA demo, London. Assemble 12.30 Embankment. Saturday 23 Welfare State Network conferyou explain why there is going to be a 20 per cent increase in investment on education; the miners are getting all their back pay owed to them over many months; that 4.5 billion roubles is being invested in the mining industry; and that the CIS along with China are reasserting themselves against imperialism?
If the CIS was capitalist all these gains of 1917 would already be destroyed with devastating consequences.
He writes off the battle unfolding in the workers' states as already overhe doesn't see why the majority of the working class voted for the CPRF.
It is because they realise that the battle within the bureaucWhat's Happening Blackpool. mittee meeting, Leeds. Ipm April Embankment, London May Councils, Kettering.
July
Tracy over whether capitalism is restored determines dramatically what happens to their whole standard of living. They used them as vehicle to fight for their own interests. Davies' real position would be abstentionist. Instead we should give critical support to the CPRF to engage in the struggle of the masses against the restorationists and at the same time utilise the independent working class mobilisations to move it in the direction of political revolution. The workers moved in a decisive way to defend their social gains which were based on the economic foundations of a planned economy. This shows that the bureaucracy still remains a parasitic caste, which is a parasitic growth on that economy, which still rules politically over the working class. The bureaucracy is not a new ruling class. Understanding this is key in forging a revolutionary leadership in the CIS which will lead the political revolution. If Nick Davies argues that the stalinist bureaucracy is a new bourgeoisie how does his position differ with that of the SWP? He, like them, calls for social revolution instead of Socialist Outlook's position, which is political revolution. Anthony Brain, Birmingham WAS SHOCKED to read 'Argentina's Evita' in the youth supplement to "Socialist Outlook' 97. Evita Peron was not, as you suggested, a feminist and friend of working class self-liberation. Peronism was a system of fascist-like repression which, because of the weakness of the working class, could incorporate parts of the workers movement into the state. Despite her early death Evita Peron's project did not differ from her consort, juan Peron. I wonder if 'Socialist Outlook' will carry an article explaining the Fourth International's opinion on Peronism? Julian Menear,Harringay N4 ence. Mechanics Institute, Manchester. Saturday 23 North West Peoples March against job Seekers Allowance: Assemble 10.30 Cavendish Street, Manchester. Will march to WSN conference. Monday 25 - Thursday 28, NUS Conference, Saturday 30 Socialist Campaign Group Steering ComSaturday 20 CAIAB demo. Assemble |1 am, Friday 10 - Sunday 12 National Conference of Trades 20-27 International Youth Camp, Portugal. UP AGAINST mass unemployment, rampant employers with savage anti-union laws, and a war on hard-won public services, the working class in Britain faces a real crisis - an avoidable crisis created by the historic failure of its official leadership. ship, based on class struggle and revolutionary socialism. by its need to maximise profits at the expense of the workers, has had determined, vanguard leadership by a brutal Tory high comany pretence of being a socialist alternative. Every retreat encouraged the offensive against jobs, wages, conditions and union rights. environment, peace and democracy, can never be achieved under Nor, as we argued long before the collapse of Stalinism, could these demands ever be achieved under the bureaucratically deformed workers states and degenerated USSR, whose regimes survived only by repressing the working class. dies of state marxism, nor on the tame, toothless version of 'marxillusions of peaceful legislative change. topple the corrupt and reactionary rule of capital and establish its sioners, of the black communities, of lesbians and gay men, of students, of youth - and of those fighting imperialism in Ireland and mass revolutionary party can be built simply by proclaiming ourselves to be one. This degenerates into sectarian posturing and abstention from struggles in the labour movement, playing into right fight for policies which can mobilise and politically educate worker: in struggle, must be taken into the unions, the Labour Party and every campaign and struggle in which workers and the oppressed sues such as racism and fascism - in which various left currents can work together for common objectives while remaining free to dewith us in the struggle for socialism, readers' groups meet in cities Contact us now, get organised, and get active! 1O / want to know more about Socialist Outlook. 1P / would like to sell Socialist Outlook.
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Socialist Outlook exists to build a new type of working class leaderThe capitalist class, driven by its own crisis, and politically united The Tory strategy has been to shackle the unions, and to fragment and weaken the resistance, allowing them to pick off isolated sections In response, most TUC and Labour leaders have embraced the defeatist politics of 'new realism', effectively total surrender, while ditching New realism is the latest form of reformism, seeking only improved We reject reformism, not because we are against reforms, but because we know that full employment, decent living standards, a clean We are a marxist current, based not on the brutish totalitarian paroism' beloved by armchair academics, but the revolutionary tradition of Our socialist alternative is not based on parliamentary elections or We fight to mobilise and unleash the power of the working class to We struggle against fragmentation by building solidarity, to unite the various struggles of workers, the unemployed, of women, of penSocialist Outlook is above all an internationalist current, in solidarity with the Trotskyist Fourth International, which organises in over Unlike some other groups on the British left, we do not believe a Nor do we believe that the demands of women, black people, lesbians and gays or the national demands of people in Scotland, Ireland and Wales should be left to await revolution. The oppressed must organise themselves and fight now for their demands, which are a part But propaganda alone, however good, will not bring socialism. The To strengthen this fight we press for united front campaigns on key isIf you agree with what you see in Socialist Outlook, and want to join Get organised! Contact us now!
Socialist 50p • Issue 98 March 3, 1996 Socialist The next issue will be In a fortnight—March 14. We will then take three weeks to prepare number 100. It will be out on April 4.
No to illusions in Evita Peron!