Re: [Marxism] Germany: Beginning of a rupture between unions and SPD

["Johannes Schneider" <Johannes.Schneider@xxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 05 Jul 2004 23:22:00 +0200, Einde O'Callaghan <einde@xxxxxx> wrote:

> I think you underestimate the profundity of teh economic problems facing
> the German capitalist class unless there is a revival of teh eoconomy

No, exactly because I see these problems, I think reviving the old
reformist project is utopian.

> If teh left doesn't get its act together then there are sinister forces
> waiting to leap into the breach. Here in Chemnitz the Republicans (a
> fascist organisation) were able to gain more than 11% in teh local and
> Euro elections in a campaign based on taking up the social questions
> being raised by more and more people - but with a nasty racist twist. In
> some municipalities the NPD, an even more vicious Nazi party, gained
> over 25%, becoming the second-largest party on some local councils -
> i.e. potentially the "official opposition".

But in the East there is already the PDS. Wahlalternative (Electoral
Alternative, the current name of the SPD dissidents) and PDS are
presenting an identical political approach. Why do you need a second PDS?


> So ntehz mass abstention of traditional SPD voters in the Euro elections
> doesn't impress you. There was also a mass abstention of CDU voters

This shows that large sections of society are fed up with any kind of
electoral politics. You will not reach them with an "Electoral
Alternative".

> So where are we going to gather the forces that will argue for a Marxist
> programme?

In my eyes building a left force inside the unions must be the first step.
The protests of April 3 have shown that the unions are the only force
which have the potential of mass mobilisation. As opposed to this the
mobilisation for actions in the work place on April 2 was more or less a
failure. The radical left which was behind it is much too weak.
Once there is a strong left current inside the unions some sort of
electoral alliance might make sense. But as our esteemed moderator likes
to qoute: "The art of politics is to decide the next step."

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