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On Nov 29, 2014, at 4:51 PM, Louis Proyect via Marxism <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > On 11/29/14 4:34 PM, Andrew Pollack wrote: >> The fact that one was published in June and the other November is >> significant; that is roughly the time period in which it became clear to >> all (well, almost all) that the Podemos leadership was intending to >> follow the liberal trajectory of Syriza's tops. > > I think we probably have different ideas about what a "liberal trajectory" > means. But beyond the question of its decision, for example, to scale back > some of its more radical proposals, there is another dimension that has to be > considered--namely, the class dynamic of a party that has no links to the > Spanish bourgeoisie and that is open and transparent. Unlike the British > Labour Party or the Democratic Party for that matter, Podemos is much more > like the Greens in the USA. If you keep in mind that Podemos represents the > next stage of the anti-capitalist struggle in Spain rather than the Leninist > party that will ultimately be necessary for total emancipation, then it > begins to make sense. The problem, of course, is that whenever left-wing parties have neared power - and especially once they’ve have formed governments (Labour, European social democrats) or participated in them (Communists, Greens) - these parties quickly become beholden to the bourgeoisie and the international capital markets. Even modest efforts at reform are met by capital flight and sabotage, and the resulting economic difficulties turn the masses against these governments, which are then forced to retreat rather than face certain defeat in an early election. It is easy to condemn these parties for not mobilizing the masses and pushing back against these pressures, but this fails to take into account that the balance of power between the classes and the level of consciousness of the masses in bourgeois democracies have never provided the necessary conditions for such struggles to unfold. It’s only in conditions where democratic rights are absent and the masses don’t have peaceful electoral channels to vent their grievances, or where wars and other catastrophes lead to a breakdown of social order and mass deprivation, that the property and power of the bourgeoisie has been challenged through insurrection. And these insurrections have been more often quashed by the armed forces of the state than have succeeded. I don’t like to sound these notes, but this is the course history has taken to date. As for Podemos and Syriza being on “liberal” or “social democratic” trajectories, the two terms are virtually synonymous today, so Andy and Louis are both right. Here, BTW, is a link to a news article a couple of days ago about Podemos, which corresponds to my remarks above. Spain's poll-topping Podemos tones down radical plans in manifesto Reuters Friday November 28 2014 http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/28/us-spain-podemos-idUSKCN0JC1OC20141128?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
