Introducing myself and 'What other world is possible?'

[=?unknown?q?Jo=E3o?= Paulo Monteiro <jpmonteiro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

[ converted from html ]



It's been so long since the time I used to post regularly (more or less)
in this list, I think I might start by introducing myself.
My name is João Paulo Monteiro and I'm from the city of Porto, in
Portugal. I'm a independent marxist essayist and political activist who
has still not lost all hope on the seemingly terminaly ill (of stalinist
sectarianism) Partido Comunista Português (PCP), on which I have
militated for a brief period back in the 80's. I'm 42. For reasons that
have to do with the editorial world of my country I sign my works with
the pseudonym Ângelo Novo. Other informations about me (including my
appearance) can be gathered from my web site at
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6446/ (english, bio notes).
 
For many years now I have been dedicating all my forces (stretched to
the limit) to the task of devising a way to overcome the present world
imperialist order, which is to say - capitalism. Of course, we are all
very encouraged with the post-Seattle mobilizations and the rise of the
movement that was to be corporized in the World Social Forum. In my
view, however, we need something else as a political vehicle and we need
to work for it very hard whithin this movement. We need to create and
demarcate clearly a "Porto Alegre left", so to speak. And this with
absolutely no fraccional intentions and no intent of harming the unity
of the movement, at least at this stage. We need however to demarcate
right now a space for the left, or we risk seeing the whole movement
coopted by a social democratic renaissance (the Soros-Stiglitz-Cassen
axis, with possibly Lula as the wedding rings boy). Only with a clearly
demarcated left within it can we still hope to anchor the whole movement
in reserve for the possibility of a radical anti-capitalist alternative.
Otherwise all could be lost, and pretty soon.
 
So, as a personal contribution to the creation of this Porto Alegre
left, I started working on a program. Exactly: a program to change the
world. That's what I have been investing my time on these days, that is,
until my wife calls me to peel the potatos. So here I have it, in 21
points (pure coincidence, I swear, not any "leninist" numerology). I am
sending this document appart, in a separate post. It is at the near end
of a rather long essay with the title 'What other world is possible?'.
Those who cannot afford the time to read the whole piece can go straight
to the 21 points, near the end. 
 
Of course, this is a work that can only be done properly by a
collective. It would mean months and months of hard work by a
world-class multidisciplinar task force. All I intend here is to
jump-start a much needed discussion. That would already be a most
fortunate result. If anyone would be interested in publishing it, the
piece needs, of course, thourough and relentless editing. Its
translation into english was initialy based in the Alta Vista automatic
translator. The correction has taken me quite some time but I am not
very fluent in the shakespearean language myself. 
 
With comaradely regards to all,
 
 
João Paulo Monteiro
 



~~~~~~~
PLEASE clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.