[Marxism] Socialist Voice, in second year, launches e-mail discussion group

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Socialist Voice Enters Its Second Year Launches email discussion group 

In April 2004, Socialist Voice was launched as ?a forum for discussion
of the principles of Marxism as applied to workers' struggles today.?
Explaining its purpose, we stated: 

?The world capitalist system is headed toward economic, social, and
environmental collapse. Only the program of Marxism offers an
alternative, through a worldwide struggle to overturn capitalism and
replace it by socialism and a planned economy. 

?The Iraq war, like other challenges before the working class today,
pose the need for Marxists and other working class fighters to forge new
links across longstanding organizational barriers and rediscuss their
tasks in a dynamic and changing context. Promoting this discussion is
the purpose of Socialist Voice.? 

The path we chose was unconventional in three ways: 

·       We started not with a political document outlining our analysis,
but by efforts to involve ourselves in ongoing struggles and learn from
them. · ·       Our goal was not to found a new revolutionary current
but to contribute to a convergence of living revolutionary forces into a
common movement. · ·       We approached existing socialist
organizations not as opponents but as allies, trying to lend support to
whatever was positive in their activity. · Since then, we have published
an issue of Socialist Voice about every ten days and have also reprinted
many documents of the Cuban and Venezuelan revolution. SV articles have
been republished in more than a dozen other periodicals in several
different countries. A look at the topics shows our priorities: 

Venezuela, Cuba--9 issues Iraq--8 issues Labor, NDP in Canada--5 issues
Labor history in Canada--5 issues Haiti--3 issues U.S.--3 issues
Quebec--2 issues Russia--1 issue Ecuador--1 issue 


We also accepted invitations to speak at events held by six different
socialist organizations in Canada and Quebec on both historical and
current topics. We joined with others to organize public meetings for
Ian Angus to mark the publication of a second edition of Canadian
Bolsheviks. 

Socialist Voice was founded in response to the Iraq war. The war and its
aftermath remain the foremost issue in world politics. We will continue
to support and follow the course of the resistance to foreign occupation
in that country. The February 2004 coup in Haiti which featured a direct
and criminal role by the Canadian government, has special importance in
the writing and activity of Socialist Voice supporters. And we have
tried to report on other significant trade union, social and political
issues confronting working people in Canada and Quebec. 

Venezuela?s Impact and Example 

The continuing upsurge in Venezuela during the last year and its close
alliance with Cuba is an event of overriding importance for all
revolutionary socialists. The Venezuelan and Cuban leaderships now stand
together in offering a pole of genuine revolutionary leadership to the
world?s toilers. This enormously positive development creates
objectively favorable circumstances for socialist currents long divided
by tradition and orientation to come together with new militant forces
in ?reclaiming socialism,? as Hugo Chávez puts it, and in preparing the
ground for a united revolutionary movement. 

The concept of identifying socialist perspectives in Canada with the
revolutionary example of Cuba and Venezuela is not unique to Socialist
Voice--it is shared by all our friends and collaborators and many
more--but it is unique, at this stage, among Canada?s organized
socialist currents. And this fact has established Socialist Voice?s
reputation among socialist currents in Canada. 

The Venezuelan revolution is still at an early stage, and its future
evolution cannot be predicted. Nonetheless, its course to this point is
a telling confirmation of Marxism, particularly regarding the
revolutionary character of the struggle for socialism and the decisive
importance of working-class leadership. Venezuela demonstrates anew the
importance of building a revolutionary working-class party and has much
to teach us about how this process may be begun. 

In the light of this experience, Socialist Voice reaffirms the historic
task of communism--building a revolutionary movement of the working
class and its exploited allies to lead the fight for a workers and
farmers government that will overthrow the capitalist order in Canada
and join the worldwide struggle for socialism. We look to the example of
the Bolshevik Party in the early years of the Russian Revolution, the
parties allied with it in the Communist International during the time of
its first four congresses, and the 26th of July movement and Communist
Party of Cuba. 

SV-Circle: An Email Discussion Group 

During its first year, Socialist Voice has formed collaborative
relationships with a range of revolutionary activists, including some
who are members of established socialist organizations. Socialist Voice
needs to go further down this road, becoming a project not of its
editors but of a broader range of activists. 

We have formalized this change by regularizing the circulation of
reports, ideas, and suggestions, including for future issues of SV,
among a range of collaborators and friends of SV. The two editors will
share their discussions and decision-making through an email discussion
group, called SV-Circle, inviting comment, criticism, and proposals. 

SV-Circle discussion is open. Any participant is free to forward or post
elsewhere what they have sent to SV-Circle. However, we observe the
movement courtesy of not forwarding and posting the writings of others
without their agreement. 

Anyone who supports Socialist Voice and wishes to take part in SV-Circle
should contact the editors at socialistvoice@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

We maintain the supportive and inclusive approach to other left
organizations outlined above and accept into SV-Circle of other currents
who support Socialist Voice. Socialist Voice aims to embrace contrasting
viewpoints on many vital political questions. 

We make no principle of Socialist Voice?s independence. Over the last
year, we have considered various possibilities for collaboration with
other organizations or individuals. We should continue to seek a broader
organizational framework for our work. 

Socialist Voice does not seek to codify the program and strategy    of
revolutionaries in Canada. This can only be done through work and
collaboration with a broader range of political forces and through
participation in major working-class struggles. 

As events in Venezuela and Cuba continue to move forward, they provide a
stimulus to explain the Marxist program in more and more concrete terms.
Meanwhile, the increasing difficulty for Canada?s rulers in carrying out
their deepening attacks on the working class will provide receptive
ground for Marxist ideas and action. 

We propose, in summary, to continue with the publication program of
Socialist Voice as a web newsletter; to expand the range of those who
collaborate in different ways in its publication and distribution; to
better organize discussion with our friends and collaborators; and to
turn outwards and increase our contact with the new generation of
socialist fighters among youth and in the working class. 

Roger Annis and John Riddell May 15, 2005

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