The world has changed
dramatically in the last quarter century. The harsh light of reality has
exposed the shortcomings, the insufficiencies and mistakes in the theories of
revolutionaries. There are those who cling to their dogmas and see no reason to
question anything. But there are also many within the revolutionary
(ultra-left) milieu who see the need to re-examine, to discuss, to confront
ideas in order to achieve a clearer understanding of the challenges facing the
working class and the revolutionary project in this period.
In the French-speaking part
of Europe, this has led to the creation of a discussion network in which people
from different backgrounds within the internationalist revolutionary ultra-left
participate. This network aims to be as open as possible in order to facilitate
maximal discussion. Nevertheless, the debate builds on a number of core common
convictions and requires a commitment to honest discussion. It would serve no
purpose to engage in discussions with stalinists or reformists or even with
those who are within the communist left tradition but whose sectarianism and
dogmatism negates any real debate.
Therefore, the network
adopted a limited number of criteria for participation:
"Criteria for
participating in the network:
1. We are not living the end
of history. Liberal capitalism and its political expression, democracy, is not
the terminus, the finally achieved form of human history. The capitalist mode
of production, like all those that have preceeded it, is not eternal.
2. This world system is not
reformable; it cannot be transformed gradually via trade unionism or bourgeois
democracy. It must be overturned from top to bottom.
3. Internationalism is a
condition sine qua non for belonging to the network. Real communism can only be
envisaged on a planetary scale. Today, as yesterday, "the workers of the
world must unite". They have no country.
4. Denunciation of all false
communisms: USSR, China, Cuba, etc. For a classless, moneyless, wageless,
stateless society.
5. Finally, we must respect
a revolutionary ethic. This implies, without concession, intellectual honesty,
tolerance and the rejection of insults. It outlaws any idea of manipulation in
the name of tactics."
Since it would be impossible
to discuss everything at once, the network selected the following priorities
for analysis and discussion:
The themes around which the
French network wants to work are: (1) Where are we in the evolution of
capitalism? (2) Where are we in the development of revolutionary consciousness
(how does class consciousness change)? (3) Communist society: what is it, how
would it work?
Participants write on those
issues, and react to each other’s texts. For the moment, the first subject
receives the most attention but others also come to the fore, such as some of
the implications of the criteria adopted.
Some of us in the
English-speaking world who applauded this initiative, saw no reason why it
should be limited to francophones. So we have launched the proposal to give the
network an ‘English pole’ and we invite all interested individuals, discussion
circles and groups who agree with the criteria and goal of the network to join
the effort.
An internet usegroup has
been formed, so that a contribution of any participant will go to all. Those
who have no access to the internet can send and receive texts through a
coordinating adress but are encouraged to obtain internet-access. Those who
master both the English and French language are strongly encouraged to follow
both ‘poles’, and to report back on the discussion in the other language, in
order to achieve covergence and cross-fertilization as much as possible.
We hope to be able to foster
a lively collective discussion of those issues which today confront the
revolutionary workers' movement throughout the world. If you share our
concerns, join us.
The web address
of the French network, containing contact information, is: www.egroups.fr/group/reseaudiscussion.
To join the e-mail list on
which comrades are organizing the English-language pole of the network, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/intsdiscnet/. Or,
send a (blank) e-mail to: intsdiscnet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
If you do not have e-mail
access, you can write to:
P.O. Box 47643
939 Lawrence Ave. East
Don Mills, ON
M3C 3S7
CANADA