Unity or purity?
Fourth International youth debate
Karen O’Toole and Julia Brandreth
The Fourth International’s summer youth camp, held in Brioude in France at the end of July, was both an uplifting and sobering event to attend as youngish independents in the English Socialist Alliance. Uplifting because of the quality of debate, enthusiasm and belief that the hard left can win every important battle – and sobering because of the lack of similarly strong structures for youth on the British far left.
500 socialists from Fourth International groups all over Europe and beyond came together for a week of discussion, debate and drinking.
LCR presidential candidate, Olivier Besancenot, addressed the opening rally with a rousing and well-balanced speech about the importance of engaging as socialists in united fronts: working with as wide constituencies of groups and individuals as possible, whilst never losing sight of revolutionary goals.
The week was split up into a series of educationals and workshops, on a wide range of subjects, including Trotskyism, autonomism, imperialism, women’s liberation, the economy and Palestine
Participation in united fronts was a central issue in the week’s debates, which focused around the anti-capitalist movement. Delegations from Europe, north Africa and south America gathered to debate the tasks for the left.
A recurring theme was the role that the left should play within the movement: should revolutionaries involve themselves at all and if so in what ways? It was interesting to see the diversity of opinions within the Fourth International.
Whilst the majority position was that revolutionary socialists should have a strong presence in the anti-capitalist movement, some rejected the anti-capitalist movement as not a workers movement and as a distraction from revolutionary struggle.
The diversity was played out in the permanent commissions, which focused on thrashing out more detailed strategies for intervention. We attended the commission on the anti-capitaist movement, where comrades reported from Italy France, Spain and Brazil.
The aim by the end of the week was to plan a united intervention at the European Social Forum in Florence in November.
One concern put was that reformist organisations such as the DS in Italy and ATTAC in France would be influential at the ESF. The strategy of these organisations, and of NGOs, has been for inclusion in committees that determine international policy.
More recent events at the Earth summit in Johannesburg show how problematic even such moderate demands for a place at the table are. We can be sure that the failure of these gatherings to solve basic questions of human survival such as access to clean, safe water will mean the most important feature of the world’s summits – the protests - will continue to grow.
Given the recent success of the LCR amongst young voters in the French Presidential election (13.9% of the vote of 18-24 your olds) and the fact that the camp was in France, it wasn’t surprising that French delegates were out in force: the LCR, JCR and Socialisme Par en Bas were all represented. It was interesting to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of youth self-organisation as seen in the JCR.
There appeared to be differences in policy between the LCR and its youth organisation, comrades from the LCR seemed more immersed within the anticapitalist movement, so what was the role of the youth wing?
Strong women’s and Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender self-organisation was also in evidence. It was impressive that self-organisation of women and gays was right at the heart of the week’s timetable, in a way that was very different from the usual practice of the British left. However, the expression of self-organisation at the camp wasn’t always as clearly politically focussed as it could have been: we spoke to many delegates who didn’t understand the purpose of the women’s and LGBT spaces. Black and ethnic minority self-organisation was not prominent either.
Which brings us to the issue of the anti-war movement, which has been incredibly successful in the UK, but not in France. Members of the LCR did not attend the anti- war workshop, citing as a reason their opposition to the approach of the British antiwar movement, which they felt had adapted to Islamist currents. For some in the LCR Islamic fundamentalism was at its worst akin to fascism.
Arguments also emerged as to the very future of the Trotskyist tradition. Should the FI explicitly identify itself with the term Trotskyism or identify with a broader definition of revolutionary socialism, and if so, what does this mean for the future of revolutionary Marxism?
We think that the left is in a period of flux from which it will only emerge as a strong force through its relationships to anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, social movements and the labour movement.
The Fourth International youth camp was a valuable debating forum for activists wrestling with involvement in united fronts. In the end unity won out over purity: let’s hope this points the way to the future.