go fourth and mulitply!

["John O'Neill" <johnfergaloneill@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Leftline-
Newsletter of the
Irish Socialist Network
**********************************************
Editorial
Welcome to the first edition of the Irish Socialist Network's
Newsletter 'Leftline'. Leftline hopes to serve two purposes,
firstly to be a source of information on the activities of the ISN
and, secondly, to develop into a publication committed to
building socialist unity and a credible left alternative in Ireland.

**********************************************
What is the ISN?
The Irish Socialist Network is a radical democratic socialist
organisation, committed to the complete abolition of capitalism
and its replacement by a socialist society, by which we mean:

A transformation of power relationships leading to democratic
control of all aspects of society and an end to elite rule

Collective ownership and democratic control of, and access
to, all economic structures, wealth and resources, by workers
and consumers

Equality of all people and an end to all forms of privilege and
discrimination

Vindication of all human rights; social, political and individual

A sustainable society developing in harmony with the natural
environment

**********************************************

The Irish Socialist Network will work to achieve this society on
 the basis of the following principles:

Change is brought about by the empowerment of ordinary
people not by a revolutionary vanguard or a parliamentary elite

A socialist organisation is characterised by openness,
equality and internal democracy

Non-dogmatic Marxist thought is essential for analysing
society and advancing the struggle for socialism

While acknowledging differences we will work in a
non-sectarian manner with, and promote dialogue among, all
socialist and progressive groups

A key component of socialism is internationalism.  The
struggle for justice, equality and our environment is global

************************************************
ISN~A VISION OF SOCIALISM

The ideal we strive for is the complete abolition of capitalism
and its replacement by a socialist society.  The achievement of
this objective is by no means inevitable, nor in current
conditions probable, but we assert that it is possible.  Since
the term socialism conjures up many images, some very
negative, it is important that we outline what we mean by the
 word.

A socialist society means a society where people have
democratic control over all aspects of their lives.  The existence
of power elite's of any kind is contrary to our vision of socialism.
Socialists wish to extend and deepen democracy and that can
only be done when it is decoupled from capitalism.

 Capitalism is based on production for profit not need.  It benefits
 the few at the expense of the many.  The alternative to
 capitalism is a socially owned economy where the goal of
 production is the benefit of all.  This does not, however, mean
 regulated capitalism or authoritarian state control.  A socialist
 economy is one in which workers and consumers own and
 democratically control all economic structures.  All wealth and
 resources of a country belong to the people as a whole and
 should be used for their collective benefit.

 Equality of all citizens is fundamental to socialism.  All privilege
 and discrimination must be abolished.  Capitalism is a system
 based on the monopoly of power by the wealthy and its demise
 can only be based on the capture of power by the huge majority
 who belong to the working class. But there are other structures
 of inequality which though intrinsically linked to capitalism, will
 not necessarily disappear with its demise.  Patriarchy is such
 a structure and socialists seek to confront the determination of
 a life of privilege or oppression based on an accident of birth.

 In a similar fashion socialists reject the marginalisation of people
 because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability.
 The society we aspire to would value equally the participation of
 very individual and celebrate the differences that enrich human
 life.

 This separates us not only from the intolerance of the
 conservatives but from the mere tolerance of liberals. All human
 rights, without distinction, are inviolable.  None can be sacrificed
 in the interests of others.  Capitalist democracies often ignore
social and economic rights while emphasising political and
 personal rights, though often violating them.  Authoritarian
communism violated peoples personal rights on a massive
 scale but paid lip service to social rights. The protection and
 assertion of all rights is fundamental to socialism.  The limited
 freedoms that people now have would be fully realised, not
 abolished.

 In a socialist system economic development would be
environmentally sustainable. The view that all economic growth
 equals progress must be rejected. Technological and economic
 development must be developed in harmony with our natural
 environment.  A commitment to radical environmentalism must
 be central to our vision, not an added extra. A key component
 of socialist thought is internationalism.  This is based on the
 view that the struggles of the vast majority of the world's people
 who are excluded from power unite us all in a common interest.
 Any victory against injustice and inequality anywhere is a victory
 for all humanity.  With the emergence of a globalised capitalist
 economy such internationalism becomes more important than
 ever.

 But this is not just a vision for the future; it is a set of principles
 for today's actions.  Those actions prefigure the society we
 desire. The means either enhance or distort the ends.
 Organisations whose own internal life are characterised by
 elitism, inequality and lack of real democracy can hardly
 contribute to the creation of an open, democratic and equal
future. This in broad brush strokes is our vision of socialism.

 It is important also to state what socialism is not. Clearly the
 authoritarian communist systems that existed in Eastern Europe
 and still exist in China, North Korea etc. were contrary to almost
 all the principles outlined above.  Despite the social progress
 achieved in some of these countries they were brutally ruled by
 a small elite maintained in power at immense human cost.


 Our immediate goal must be the construction of a broad radical
alliance based on a common programme which would combine
 a long-term vision of socialist society with a short term goal of
 radical reform and a clear view of how these are linked.  Such
 an alliance, comprised of left-political, community and
 single-issue organisations, would have to be non-sectarian,
 democratic, non-violent and committed to both campaigning
 and electoral activity.

 We believe that Marxist political thought is essential to an
 understanding and analysis of how a capitalist society works.
 The continued centrality of the struggle between capital and
 labour amply illustrates this.  Our Marxism is not a dogma but
 a tool in advancing the struggle for socialism.

We recognise that people can be equally inspired to espouse
 and work for socialism by many sources, ranging from humanist
 morals to religious beliefs or simply by their experience of the
 suffering and injustice caused by existing structures.

 The fundamental transformation of society must be carried out
 in all terrain's of struggle simultaneously.  The struggle to
 democratise society occurs everywhere; in the workplace,
 the home, the neighbourhood and is not confined to elections,
 council chambers and the Dáil.  The primary means by which
 a socialist society can be built is through the day-to-day
 struggles of ordinary people.  You can't abolish capitalism
 through an act of parliament any more than through a violent
 revolution.  While every reform that improves peoples lives is
 an advance and should be fought for and supported, such
 reforms are not an end in themselves but steps in the struggle
 to transform society. Achieving governmental power, while
 essential, is only part of a broader democratic struggle to
 transform society and establish a socialist democracy.

 It is through our common action and that of those with whom
 we share this vision that such a society can be achieved.
 As Marx wrote ' Philosophers have only interpreted the world,
 the point, however, is to change it.'
***********************************************

 ISN-Committed to Activism

Recent months have been hectic for members and supporters
 of the ISN. The abortion referendum was a chance for the
 network to cut its teeth on an issue that saw the left challenge
 Fianna Fail and the Catholic hierarchy.

 The ISN was asked by the Alliance for a No Vote to take
 responsibility for Finglas and ensure its literature was
 distributed to every home in the area. We also decided to
 distribute the National Women's Council Leaflet. The
 referendum result was a much-needed boost for all on the
 left particularly after the Government's defeat in the Nice Treaty
 Referendum.
************************************************
 International
 The ISN has organised a number of meetings and attended
 some international gatherings of left progressive groups. In
 September an ISN delegation of five attended a conference in
 Glasgow organised by the International Socialist Movement a
 Marxist platform of the Scottish Socialist Party. The delegation
 was well received and Colm Breathnach was given the
 opportunity to address the meeting on behalf of the Network.
 The SSP are a Political Party made up of a number of socialist
 groups who have come together on a common programme and
 are allowed to retain their political autonomy within the SSP
 by having various platforms inside the Party. The ISM extended
 a warm welcome to all our delegation and we hope to attend
 future events organised by the ISM/SSP.


A delegation of the ISN travelled to Belgium to represent our
 network at the conference of the European anti-capitalist left.
 This meeting coincided with the EU summit in Laeken. There
 were two demonstrations organised to coincide with the summit.
 On the eve of the summit a demonstration organised by the
 ETUC had over 100,000 in attendance. On the following day
 over 25,000 unemployed, workers, socialists, trade unionists,
 anarchists, and non-governmental agencies attended the rally
 to register their objections to the WTO and Capitalism in
 general.

 A large proportion of the ISN membership in Dublin attended
 the Demonstration against police brutality and the right to public
 protest after the Police beat peaceful protesters from the group
 Reclaim the Streets. Over 2,000 rallied to the call to express
 their outrage at the disgraceful behavior

 As part of the Networks ongoing educational seminars, a
 meeting was held to discuss Equality. Kathleen Lynch from
 DCU presented a paper on this topic.

 General Election.
 At the commencement of the campaign the ISN decided to
 get involved and work for a radical left candidate who had a
 serious reputation for campaigning work and advancing the
 interests of the working class in a real and meaningful way.
 On this basis we decided to work for Cllr Clare Daly of the
 Socialist Party.

 Regarding the post-election situation there is no doubt that
 the left face a period of great difficulty but also of great potential.
 The ISN are convinced that the period ahead requires the further
 development of cooperation between those on the radical left,
 as opposed to spurious 'left alliances' with the social democrats
 of Labour/Greens and the populist nationalists of Sinn Fein.

 To further this process we plan to produce a short document
 briefly outlining the ISN analysis of the Election and suggest a
 way forward for the left. We will publish this in our next edition
 of 'Leftline'
ends

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