Creating a political platform

["Greg Schofield" <g_schofield@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pick up any socialist program from your favourite sect, the intellectually brave can do this with the program of an organisation they are in or closely associated.

Lay it carefully on  a table and before reading it ask yourself the following questions:

1) What is it saying that should be practically done in the present?
2) At what point will real victories become possible?

It seems simple enough, most programs have a good few examples of the latest problems and what appears to be solutions. Added to this is a class and struggle perspective and topped-off with the "need" for socialist revolution. Simple enough.

However, look more closely and see how each of the practical examples is qualified. This is a near universal, and falls into the following patterns:

1)The specific solutions to actual problems is a simple abstraction, nothing other than an emotional plea.
2) The proposed solution is so absolute it is not by definition practically solvable.
3) The proposed solution is qualified by the prior need to have had a socialist revolution.

Odd, isn't it, that a political platform whould in a sense oppose itself. That is, why should a socialist program pose as a political document when its real and only solution is "socialist revolution" and its only practical advise (sometimes overtly stated but always strongly implied) is  "join our organisation".

Now most organisations worth their salt will quickly point out that this is not really a political program, but a party platform, that is a creed document. Look, they will say, at the anaysis and theory.

And what happens if we do look at the analysis and theory. Which ever way capitalism is characteristied, whatever is painted as the latest tendencies of development, all march down the same path of reason - there is nothing you can do but join our organisation, be active and wait for conditions to be turned towards socialist revolution - it is in the very worst sense an announcement of creed, not reason, nor in any real sense theory and as for analysis, because of its lack of positve practical aims, it is armchair stuff, usually only upbeat cyncism clothed in socialist rhetoric.

Yet creating a fighting political platform is not all that hard, you could begin writing one yourself by engaging in a a simple mind-game.

Consider the possiblity that the working class has already triumphed politically across the globe, take this is a fact. Now introduce a discordant idea. The proletariate is in political power, but conditions remain exactly as they now are. That is the bourgeoisie still exist, international capital still continues, states conduct their business in the same fashion - in short, everything that is at the moment persists in the same fashion, except now we must do something about it.

What is to be done? How can you change one thing without getting an unwanted response? What in fact can be changed and what is the practical method for achieving it?

Beware of course, of non-solutions, that is apparent solutions which are just abstractions, "solutions" which will magically solve the actual problems but where no real connection exists between them and the objective. Do not allow yourself any such easy answers.

Depending on imagination and knowledge doing such a mind game will soon create a modest list of adjustments that will fix some particulars and move things a little towards realising proletarian immediate interests, but heaven on earth will have to be delayed.

Most such solutions will be in themselves dependant on others, for instance it is easy enough to pass a law, but very difficult to have it implemented as intended.  Moreover, it does not take very long to realise that their exists implicit hierachies, that refoms can be grouped together under larger headings and consistitute something-like a strategic move needed to realise some tactical victories. Likewise these broader fronts can also be easily subsumed under grander and more abstract theartres of conflict - democratising the state, directing the national economy, raising international obligations etc.

In essence, while it takes only a small amount of time to realise that such an excerise needs more than a single mind, but as an excerise it does illustrate that there is no great difficulty to linking specific problems to specific objectives and organising them into strategies. In short, it is not too difficult to come up with a political platform which could be placed before the working class as a platform for struggle.

All it takes is ridding ourselves of the notion, that anything worthwhile can onlty be achieved after a socialist revolution.

Does this re-inevent reformism? Well that depends on how well reformism is understood for what it means in class terms, for all that lies above is no more than what generations of real communists have always done - they take the world as they find it and struggle to make it better (it is however, alas, not what "communist" organisations have done - more the pity).

Greg Schofield
Perth Australia