[Marxism] WASG Berlin will stand independently, membership ballot rejects unprincipled state coalition (pink-pinkish)

[Nobby <nobbytob@xxxxxxxx>]

http://www.socialistworld.net/eng/2006/03/09germany.html

9 March 2006
 Germany WASG Berlin will stand independently Membership ballot confirms 
decision of party conference
 Tanja Niemeier, Berlin, cwi   On February 25, two thirds of the elected WASG 
(Electoral Alternative - Work and Social Justice) delegates voted in favour of 
standing independently in this year´s Berlin regional state elections.
   This decision was taken after an intense period of democratic debate within 
elected bodies and local party branches. The decison was taken against the will 
of the majority of WASG?s national committee as well as against the leadership 
of the national and local LeftParty.PDS. They would have liked to see a joint 
standing and a subsequent merger of the two parties. The Berlin WASG is opposed 
to a joint candidacy with the LeftParty.PDS in Berlin not because they are 
opposed to left unity and a strong and democratic left party on a national 
scale but because of the Left Party.PDS´s involvement in privatisations, social 
cuts and attacks on working class living standards.
   Historic decision   Following the party conference, the 860 strong Berlin 
WASG membership was asked to confirm this decison in a membership ballot. A 
total of 591 (68.7 %) participated in the postal ballot. Mainly due to the very 
complicated voting procedure, 64 votes were not counted as valid. Of the 
remaining 527 votes, 272 voted in favour of standing independently, 245 voted 
against and 10 abstained. This is a close but good and clear result. This is 
especially true since those in favour of a No vote had tried their utmost to 
influence the ballot´s outcome. Oskar Lafontaine, joint leader of the 
parliamentary group had sent a letter to every single WASG member asking them 
to vote No in the ballot. Also, Oskar Lafontaine and memebrs of the WASG 
national committee had organised a press conference arguing that a yes vote 
would not only mean splitting the left but would also damage the process of 
building a new left in Germany.
   The stakes are high in Berlin and attempts to isolate the Berlin WASG on the 
part of the leadership of the national party will increase. It is now important 
to organise solidarity from across the country for the democratic decision 
taken by the WASG membership in Berlin.

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2006/430/index.html?id=pp9.htm

 The         Socialist 9 -15 Mar 2006
Berlin Left reject unprincipled coalitionTHE BERLIN WASG (Election Alternative 
for Work and Social Justice) regional party conference on 25/26 February 
overwhelmingly [70%] reaffirmed its previous decision not to stand jointly with 
the Linkspartei.PDS (former East German Communist Party) in regional elections 
on 17 September. A referendum amongst the Berlin membership is expected to 
confirm this decision. [51,6% of the 860 WASG-Berlin members voted in favour of 
running in the upcoming Berlin state elections in opposition to the 
pink-pinkish government - N.]

Tanja Niemeier, BerlinIn Berlin, the PDS is part of the governing coalition 
with the SPD (the social-democrats) which has carried out a policy of social 
welfare cuts and privatisation.
The majority within the Berlin WASG regional leadership, as well as the 
majority of its activists, supported the idea of standing independently of the 
PDS. Given the specific circumstances in Berlin, they felt that a joint 
candidacy on a principled, left-wing anti-cuts basis is not possible with the 
current Berlin PDS leadership.
This view was confirmed in the joint public meetings with the PDS held prior to 
the conference. "It is not trustworthy to stand together with a party that 
speaks of socialism on Sundays and carries out social cuts throughout the rest 
of the week," argued Lucy Redler, member of the WASG regional executive 
committee and member of SAV (Socialist Alternative - CWI, Germany).
Since the previous Berlin WASG conference last November first agreed this 
position much pressure had been put on the Berlin WASG to change its opinion 
and put forward a joint list with the PDS. The main argument was that this was 
necessary in order to help the proposed national fusion of the two parties.
Effectively, the 142 delegates were asked to decide upon the new party's 
political direction. In the weeks leading up to the conference, the question of 
standing independently or forming a joint list with the PDS had been the focal 
point of the debate.
After another, very lively, debate a large majority of delegates (91 to 39) 
voted in favour of standing independently. This is another, very important 
marker in the process of building a genuine new left force in Germany.
It is thanks to the left of the WASG in Berlin, of which SAV is a prominent 
part, that the debate on the character of a new left party is still ongoing - 
in Berlin as well as on a national level. At the conference a new WASG regional 
executive committee was elected and SAV member Lucy Redler came top of the poll.
The leadership of the Linkspartei.PDS along with the majority of the WASG 
national committee would have preferred to see a fast merger of the two parties 
and a joint list "despite all the differences".
Nobody is opposed to the important process of forming a new left force 
throughout Germany. However, a new force should not be a simple merger of WASG 
and Linkspartei.PDS but needs to involve activists from the trade union and 
social movements. It also needs a clear left-wing programme and policy as its 
political foundation. This means it should reject any government coalitions 
that carry out social cuts and privatisations.
The Berlin WASG, and especially the socialists within it, have made clear that 
they want left unity but with left-wing politics. They have played an important 
role in offering a real alternative for those in Berlin not represented by any 
party in the city government. Even before the election campaign has started, 
the WASG on its own scored 4.7% in the latest Berlin opinion poll.
The Berlin WASG will come under big pressure not to stand independently. The 
main media are not enthusiastic at the prospect of a clear anti-cuts party 
standing in elections and the WASG national leadership want to remove obstacles 
to their plans to merge on any terms with the Linkspartei.PDS.
But the growing opposition to the continuing onslaught against jobs and living 
standards in Germany provides the base upon which the WASG can help build the 
new workers' party that is needed to struggle against cuts and for socialism.

---------------------------------
WASG - a left-wing alternativeWASG IS the new, left-wing political formation 
launched in January 2005 which includes the former SPD minister Oskar 
Lafontaine. It was established in opposition to the neo-liberal attacks of the 
social democratic party (SPD) and the bosses.
It is a broad anti-capitalist electoral alternative which contains a variety of 
left-wing currents. The Socialist Party's counterpart in Germany, Socialist 
Alternative (SAV), actively participates in WASG. It is attempting to build the 
party based on the struggles of the working class and encourages the trade 
unions to break with the capitalist SPD.
Standing on a joint slate with the Left Party (Linkspartei - formerly, the 
ex-communist PDS) WASG won 4 million votes (8.7%) in the September 2005 general 
election (the PDS had won just over 1.9 million votes in 2003), and gained 54 
seats in the federal parliament.

---------------------------------
Mass strike wave continuesPROTESTS AND strikes involving hundreds of thousands 
of public-sector workers in local, regional and federal government is 
continuing in Germany. As part of the 'neo-liberal' offensive the employers are 
attacking workers rights and conditions, including extending working hours from 
38.5 to 40 hours without extra pay - when unemployment is over 5 million. This 
has led to the biggest public sector strikes since 1992. (see last week's the 
socialist).
Although the leadership of the Ver.di union has agreed to 39 hours in Hamburg 
state, indefinite strikes are continuing elsewhere. In Baden-Wuerttemburg state 
strikes may be expanded after union/employers talks broke down.
In the same region more than 8,000 workers at several DaimlerChrysler car 
plants walked out over employers plans to cut paid breaks. Walkouts were also 
staged at auto parts supplier Robert Bosch with the total number of strikers 
amounting to 11,400, according to the IG Metall union.
More reports on the situation in Germany see www.socialistworld.net


                
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
  Never miss an Instant Message - Yahoo! Messenger for SMS
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism