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May. 15th, 2012 @ 10:45 am The "Right" to National Self-Determination and "Responsibility to Protect
I imagine that everyone here is quite familiar with Luxemburg's criticism of the supposed right of nations to self-determination, the fact that this can more than often become an excuse for reactionary politics, and Lenin's reaction to Luxemburg's criticisms.

I'm not going to elaborate initially on that debate, but rather I wish to contextualise it with the current UN principle of "Responsibility to Protect". This is a policy based on the idea that the State does not have the right to act with impunity within its borders, and specifically the international community should intervene where a State cannot, or will not, act against mass atrocities.

From the outset it must be stated that of course that the RtP is basically a liberal-democratic doctrine which does not engage in a class analysis of what the State is.

Nevertheless, it does seem to concur with some of the trajectories that Luxemburg was making in regard to her criticism of the right to self-determination. Specifically:

a) That "nations" do not have a right to self-determination, but rather people do. Emphasising the right to national self-determination can, and inevitably does, mean that universal human rights (by which we can easily note worker's rights) are suppressed. Advocating for worker's rights must have priority over arguing for national rights.

b) That "nations", the form of the nation-state, may very well be the natural and highest form of liberal capitalism (as Lenin pointed out), but the internationalisation of the world economy and political systems will increase over time, rather than decrease. Again, emphasising national self-determination as transcending these global trajectories is reactionary (this time, economically reactionary, rather than politically).

Thus, whilst the RtP doctrine is being used a tool of the liberal-democratic capitalist class to enforce their political preferences (e.g. Libya), it also seems that this is an inevitable and even progressive policy, especially in the absence of a mass proletarian international alternative.
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May. 8th, 2012 @ 10:04 pm Britain, France, Greece... The Red-Rose Tide?
UK Council Elections

There were elections in 128 English councils, all 32 Scottish councils and 21 Welsh councils on 3 May 2012. Vote is in comparison with the 2008 elections the last time these councils were up for election.

Labour 38% 2159 seats +823 seats
Conservatives 31% 1006 seats -405 seats
Lib Dems 16% 431 seats -330 seats
Others 15%
(inc. Scottish National 424 +57)

French Presidential Elections

François Hollande (Socialist Party) 18,004,656 votes 51.63%
Nicolas Sarkozy (Union for a Popular Movement) 16,865,340 48.37%

An exciting result for the French Socialists, who have not won a Presidential election for more than twenty years. It was lot closer than had been expected in the lead up to the poll, and with a surprisingly strong showing by the National Front in the first round.

Greek Parliamentary Elections

(from left to right)

Communist Party Aleka Papariga 531,293 8.5% +1.0 26
Coalition of the Radical Left Alexis Tsipras 1,051,094 16.8% +12.2 52
Democratic Left Fotis Kouvelis 382,650 6.1% New 19
Panhellenic Socialist Movement Evangelos Venizelos 827,459 13.2% –30.7 41
New Democracy Antonis Samaras 1,183,851 18.9% –14.6 108
Independent Greeks Panos Kammenos 664,737 10.6% New 33
Golden Dawn Nikolaos Michaloliakos 437,005 7.0% +6.7 21

The two coalition partners of the austerity measures, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (centre-left) and the New Democracy party (centre-right) both being soundly punished by voters. Many PASOK voters went to eith the Democratic Left (centre-left to left) or to the Coalition of the Radical Left (far left). Right-wing voters went to Independent Greeks who are a nationalistic, anti-austerity party. Golden Dawn are a Greek fascist party who owe at least some of their support to the collapse of the religious Orthodox party.
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May. 6th, 2012 @ 12:17 am Favourite Marx quotes?
The CSM is listing favourite quotes from Karl Marx.


http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/2012/0504/Karl-Marx-10-great-quotes-on-his-birthday

May 5 marks the birthday of Karl Marx. Best known as the author of "Capital" and, with Freidrich Engels, the "Communist Manifesto," Marx provided the intellectual foundation for an array of regimes that at one time governed nearly half of Earth's population.

These regimes were, for many, a long nightmare of state terror, genocides, deportations, extrajudicial executions, forced labor, and artificial scarcity, crimes that left tens of millions of people dead and deprived many more of basic dignity.

But while Marx's solutions are widely and rightfully condemned, his analysis still resonates among workers and intellectuals alike around the world. As much of the globe struggles to extricate itself from an economic slowdown that many believe was created by the excesses of what Marx called "the bourgeoisie," several Marxist concepts – the anarchic nature of capitalism, the parasitism of the financial class, and the reserve army of the unemployed, to name a few – appear to take on new relevance.

Here are 10 quotations from Marx. Let us know which ones you like best, and add your favorites that didn't make it into the list in the comments below.



Whilst the opening of the third paragraph is pretty ignorant, the quotes themselves are a fair selection. Here's my contributions:



Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living.

(The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, 1852)

Even an entire society, a nation, or all simultaneously existing societies taken together, are not owners of the earth. They are simply its possessors, its beneficiaries, and have to bequeath it in an improved state to succeeding generations.

(Capital Vol III, 1894)
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Apr. 23rd, 2012 @ 11:06 am Mali and Guinea-Bissau
It seems that the military in central-west Africa is getting a little trigger-happy in overthrowing elected social-democratic governments. The following recent statements by Socialist International are indicitive of a distrurbing trend...


The Socialist International condemns unreservedly the subversion of the democratic order by elements of the armed forces in Mali during last night. This attempt to take control of the government by force is totally unacceptable to our movement, to all democrats and to the entire international community.

Africa and Mali have made historic advances in the consolidation and strengthening of democracy at a time when only democratic rule is acceptable in all countries, underlined today by the dramatic struggles for democracy, freedoms and rights by citizens around the world.

The events of the last hours present a grave threat to Mali's hard-won democratic process, at a moment when the country is less than one month away from new presidential elections and deeply touch our movement, as our two member parties in Mali, the Assembly for Mali (RPM) and ADEMA-PASJ, have been fundamental pillars of the democratic development and democratic life of that country.

The Socialist International calls for the respect of the democratically elected government in Mali and next month's scheduled presidential elections. We express our full solidarity with the SI member parties and all democratic forces in that country, and call on regional and international organisations to act decisively in defence of democracy in Mali.

and

The Socialist International expresses its firm condemnation of the subversion of the constitutional order by the military in Guinea-Bissau and denounces unequivocally the reported seizure and detention of presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Junior, leader of the PAIGC, a member party of the Socialist International. The SI is equally concerned over the whereabouts and safety of Interim President Raimundo Pereira and other officials reportedly detained, and demands the immediate release of all those illegally withheld.

These acts, which have unfolded overnight and in the last hours, take place as the country prepares for the second round of the presidential elections scheduled for 29 April, in which Carlos Gomes Junior is the front-runner, having secured a substantial lead in the first round.

The Socialist International calls for the immediate re-establishment of democracy in Guinea-Bissau and urges the international community and regional organisations to act decisively in support of a swift return to the normal functioning of the democratic institutions of the country.

We express our full solidarity with the people of Guinea-Bissau today defending their democracy and with our member party, the PAIGC, a central actor in the democratic life of that nation.
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Mar. 23rd, 2012 @ 10:56 am France To Elect Socialist President?
In just over a month France will hold its Presidential elections. By most accuonts the conservative incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, of the Union for a Popular Movement will lose in a run-off to François Hollande of the Socialist Party. Hollande supports a withdrawl of French troops from Afghanistan, a new Franco-German partnership on protecting public servives, establishing a new top-tier tax rate for those on 150K+ e., restoration of the 60-year retirement age for those who have worked 41+ years, and legalisation of same-sex marriage and adoption.

The most recent opinion polls currently place Hollande at 29.5%, Sarkozy at 28.0%, Mélenchon of the Left Front at 14.0%, Le Pen of the far-right National Front at 13%, and Bayrou of the centrist Democratic Movement at 12%. On a two-candidate preferred this equates to 54% for Hollande and 46% for Sarkozy.

However there is increasing momentum for Mélenchon and the Left Front, following a large turnout at a Bastille monument rally, where Mélenchon said "We're going to make this election a civic insurrection".
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Feb. 28th, 2012 @ 02:57 pm Practical Problems With Inequality
This is a case of conventional wisdom being verified. Many of the rich really don't understand normal moral behaviour.



Rich people more likely to take lollies from children: study

People from wealthy backgrounds are more likely than poorer people to break laws while driving, take lollies from children, and lie for financial gain, a United States study says.

The seven-part study by psychologists at the University of California Berkeley and the University of Toronto analysed people's behaviour through a series of experiments.

( Read more... )

Although the study focused on US subjects, with each of the seven parts measuring between 100 and 200 participants, Dr Piff said the findings are likely to be relevant to societies outside America, too.

"These patterns are going to be particularly salient in societies where wealth is as unequally distributed as it is here," he said.

From: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-28/upper-class-people-more-likely-to-cheat-says-study/3856172
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Feb. 19th, 2012 @ 09:40 am Violence and bloodshed in Syria must end
Socialist International Statement, 16 February 2012

The Socialist International once more urgently calls for an immediate end to the violence and bloodshed that continues to escalate across Syria. The repression and killings by government forces grow more brutal by the day and are utterly deplorable.

( Read more... )

FWIW... Article 8 of the Syrian constitution states that "the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party leads the state and society." The President is the Secretary-General of the party, and the leader of the National Progressive Front governing coalition. The minor parties in the coalition are the Arab Socialist Movement, Arab Socialist Union, Communist Party of Syria (Unified), Communist Party of Syria (Bakdash), Social Democratic Unionists, Socialist Unionists, Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Democratic Socialist Unionist Party, Arabic Democratic Unionist Party, National Vow Movement.

Sounds like an classic and unfortunate case of totalitarian socialism versus democratic socialism in this case.
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Jan. 3rd, 2012 @ 10:49 am US Reactions to "Socialism"
Tell me we're surprised...


socialism is a far more divisive word, with wide differences of opinion along racial, generational, socioeconomic and political lines. Fully nine-in-ten conservative Republicans (90%) view socialism negatively, while nearly six-in-ten liberal Democrats (59%) react positively. Low-income Americans are twice as likely as higher-income Americans to offer a positive assessment of socialism (43% among those with incomes under $30,000, 22% among those earning $75,000 or more).

People under age 30 are divided in their views of both capitalism and socialism. But to Americans age 65 and older, socialism is clearly a negative (72%), not a positive (13%), term.



Whilst socialism is a negative political label in the U.S., the most accepted term is "progressive". Go figure.

More at:
http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/?src=prc-headline
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Oct. 25th, 2011 @ 09:31 pm Argentina; Over 80% for the Left
Recent elections in Argentina (October 23), have resulted in near complete victory for left-wing parties who are reduced to competing among themselves. In the Presidential elections the left-Peronist Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was re-elected with 54% of the vote. In second place was the Socialist Party candidate, Hermes Binner, with 16.9% of the vote, and in third place, the left social-democractic Radical Civic Union candidate, Ricardo Alfonsín, with 11.2%.

The best results for the right-wing candidates were Alberto Rodríguez Saá, of the Federal Commitment, with 7.98% and Eduardo Duhalde of the Popular Front with 5.89%

On the far-left Jorge Altamira of the Workers Left Front, an alliance of three Trotskyist groups, received 2.31% of the vote.

Whilst legislative elections results are not yet complete it is probably they will follow similar numbers.
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Oct. 19th, 2011 @ 10:45 am We are all indignados...
The following is a statement just released from Socialist International, which surprises me somewhat. They are allying themselves with the various 'Occupy' movements...

A feeling of unrest is sweeping the world. In recent days and weeks we have seen thousands of citizens from all walks of life gather in cities around the world to peacefully express their demands for fundamental change. This growing movement by indignados, outraged citizens protesting, has been characterised by the diversity of those taking to the streets to march, protest and occupy. The demonstrations have spread to the major financial centres, from the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York to protests in the City of London and at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Thousands have marched in the streets of Santiago, Tokyo and Cairo. These people, behind different causes and demands, are united not by political ideology or allegiance, but have come together to express their anger and frustration at existing economic and political realities which have failed them and their fellow citizens.

( Read more... )
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