Forwarded from Derek Seidman (PRC)

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Lou,

I read your critique of Bertinotti's article. Here's a few (quick)
observations I can offer you from my experience at the FI youth camp
last week:

I had a long conversation with one of the main youth leaders of Bandera
Rosa from Turin. BR has been participating in PRC for a little while
now, but he seemed to be echoing the sentiment of the youth of his group
when he expressed his deep skepticism over the direction that it is
going in. While it is having a positive function in that it is bringing
broad sections of the left together in efforts to regroup and rethink
things, it seems overall to be destined towards nothing but radical
sounding social-democracy. The comrade I spoke with told me that *at
most* (and he was being generous) only 20-25 percent of the PRC could be
considered anti-capitalist.

Further, there was a big defeat in a recent referendum over a work law.
A vote failed to pass to maintain job security for workers at work
places that employ 15 or less workers. The leadership of PRC, according
to the guy I spoke with, is using this as an excuse to turn rightwards,
saying that the working class and rest of the population obviously isn't
radical enough, and thus forming a mainstream leftwing social-democratic
bloc should be the main focus.

As I said, the FI youth sounded very disillusioned with the PRC. We'll
see what develops.

Though the camp was extremely inspiring-- at least for an American who
has never seen hundreds of young and militant revolutionary socialists
congregated in one place for so long-- it was filled with many of the
same vague references concerning what the anti-globalization movement
really represents that you critiqued in Bertinotti's article. I
definitely don't disagree with the FI's emphasis on getting into the
fray of this movement and trying to find common ground to work with the
rest of the left, all with the hope that after a good amount of
dialogue, debate, and struggle, a broader and more coherent
anti-capitalist left can emerge. But they are so vague about their
concrete plans and intentions that one can't help but be weary of
opportunism. But then again, it is very difficult to gauge what the
anti-glob movement really represents and what potential it truly has--
if one is trying to dive into and influence the course of this very new
type of movement, then things might seem vague and unsure.

Derek

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