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Richard Fidler said: This is a recurring discussion on Marxmail and on any number of left web sites at least once every two years in line with the US elections calendar. How do we build a mass left party in the mighty USA? May I modestly suggest you look at some nearby examples in other countries for some ideas on how this might be done. As it is, I think the US left suffers as much as the Anglo-Canadian left from its insularity. I posted this month two articles to this list that just might have some relevance to your dilemma, and as usual when I post such items they met with no comment and to my knowledge no interest. But I think some of you might find it useful to look a little more closely at a phenomenon right on your doorstep, in Quebec. Here, once again, are those articles. A search of the Marxmail archives would reveal much more. Or, for my pieces alone, a search of my blog: http://lifeonleft.blogspot.com/ <http://lifeonleft.blogspot.com/>. Just look for "Québec solidaire." Every national experience is unique, sui generis. But some generalizations are possible, if we probe deeply enough. And there is much to learn from each. Ken Hiebert replies: I read Richard’s reports on Quebec, and in particular Québec solitaire, with great interest. And I expect others do as well, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that while they take heart from his reports they also feel that the situation is so different in their own country, that they can’t see how to apply the lessons of Quebec. I will concede that there is insularity in English Canada. But even if in English Canada we are closer to the experience in Quebec, it also seems somewhat remote from what we confront in our own part of the country. Speaking from a distance, I would still like to contribute to the discussion in the US. If we are to make a break from the Democratic Party, it must start with the limited forces we now have. The first initiatives will be small and have a modest impact. Is there another way to break with the Democrats? Should we wait? What would we be waiting for? Inaction on our part only reinforces the hegemony of the Democratic Party. Québec solidaire can be traced back to small, far left groups. There were years of slogging before they got where they are today. That, I think, is a lesson that can be taken from the Quebec experience. _________________________________________________________ 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
