Old style Communist parties

international | eu | news report

Monday October 04, 2004 10:19

by Jim Monaghan

New alliance of old CPs

The old CPS in europe have formed an alliance.

I saw this news report. I was wondering where was the CPI and the Workers Party. These groups are still significant. The CP has a bookshop and still commands influence in the trade unions at least with trade union officials. Movements like this still have s significance. Whuile this would not be my preference we need to recognise that Capitalism is international and that the fight has to be fought not just on the national arena.
Jim Monaghan

Fifteen parties from the Communist tradition from eleven different countries
held a congress in Rome, on May 8-9, 2004, to found the European Left Party
or ELP. The Party of Communist Refoundation (PRC, also known as
Rifondazione), which had organized the event, laid on a beautiful production
which was intended to symbolize hope and harmony. An attempt to incorporate
the parties of the radical left failed. Around 20 Communist and progressive
parties from outside the ELP or the European Union (EU) were invited as
guests to give an internationalist touch and emphasize the international
links of the new European political formation. Overall, however, the profile
of the ELP remains that of the Communist world and its multiple
differentiations.
http://www.3bh.org.uk/IV/Issues/2004/IV360/IV360%2032.htm

The ELP parties are:

- Austria. Kommunistische Partei Österreichs/Communist Party of Austria
(KPÖ) www.kpoenet.at/
- Czech Republic. Komunistická strana Cech a Moravy/Communist Party of
Bohemia & Moravia (KSCM) www.kscm.cz/index.asp?jazyk=2
and
Strana demokratického socialismu/Party of Democratic Socialism (SDS)
www.sds.cz
- Estonia. Estonian Social-Democratic Party (ESDLP) www.esdtp.ee/inglise.htm
- France. Parti communiste français/French Communist Party (PCF) www.pcf.fr
- Germany. Partei des demokratischen Sozialismus/Party of Democratic
Socialism (PDS)
www.sozialisten.de/partei/international/fremdsprachige_dokumente/index.htm
- Greece. SYNASPISMOS. Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology (SYM)
www.syn.gr/index/en/enmainframe.htm
- Italy. Partito della Rifondazione Comunista/Communist Refoundation Party
(PRC) www.rifondazione.it/pg/internazionale/english.html
- Luxembourg. déi Lénk-la Gauche/The Left. www.dei-lenk.lu
- Slovakia. Komunistická strana Slovenska/Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS)
www.kss.sk/anglicky2.php
- Spain. Izquierda Unida/United Left (IZ) www.izquierda-unida.es/

The eight remaining observer parties are:
- Catalonia/Spain: 2 leftwing parties.
- Cyprus: Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL)
www.akel.org.cy/English/akel.html
- Czechoslovakia: Czech Communist Party
- Netherlands. Socialistische Partij/Dutch Socialist Party (SP)
www.sp.nl/en/
- Norway. Sosialistisk Venstreparti/Norwegian Socialist Left Party (SV)
www.sv.no/hvem/english/
- Finland: Vasemmistoliitto/Left Alliance (V)
www.vasemmistoliitto.fi/en.html
- Greece: ????????????? ????? ???????/Greek Communist Party (KKE)
www.kke.gr/kke_en.html
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=63127&time_posted_upper_limit=
1074834000&time_posted_lower_limit=1074747600

Offended by the strong denunciation of Stalinism, the KSCM (Communist Party
of Bohemia-Moravia) left the meeting and provisionally (?) the ELP. The ELP
also has three "observer" parties: AKEL (Cyprus), PdCI (Party of Italian
Communists) and La Gauche (Dei Lénke, Luxemburg). One of the main criteria
that the EU (the European Parliament) imposes for official recognition and
subsidies is the presence of at least one member of parliament (European,
national, regional) in at least seven member countries of the EU.
http://www.3bh.org.uk/IV/Issues/2004/IV360/IV360%2032.htm

The new party's program stresses eight points:

- No weapons of mass destruction from the Atlantic to the Urals, no NATO, no
military alliance of the European Union.
- A redistribution of wealth from rich to poor, solidarity, and social
policies promoting jobs, job training, the environment, and the taxation of
capital speculation. People, not profits, must become central.
- No attacks on human rights in the name of fighting terrorism, but an open
Europe with human rights and asylum for refugees.
- No trade war at the expense of the less developed countries.
- Opposition to the concentration of the media in fewer and fewer hands;
education and culture for all.
- Ecological goals against carbon dioxide emission, export of garbage, the
exploitation of energy resources and forests. - A rollback of growing sexist
discrimination caused by globalization; for equal rights for women.
- A fight against the domination by capital and the rule of capitalism.

Why is it necessary to create a European Left Party and what is it going to
contribute to the intervention of the Left in European developments?

Today, one can no longer organise resistance to neo-liberal capitalistic
globalisation on the level of national states alone. In view of the degree
of integration achieved within the European Union, we have to set the task
in the short term of forming a political subject (we prefer the term subject
to party) of the European Left, which is capable of organising political and
social resistance on the same political level where the interests of
multi-national corporations and financial capital are to a great extent
carried through in this day and age. The future political subject of the
European Left has to exert influence on European developments, on the one
hand, through the formulation of general European left alternatives, and on
the other hand, through the spread of these left alternatives in the elected
European institutions. www.dei-lenk.lu/IMAGES/SUJET/ELP-English.pdf

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Comments (7 of 7)

socialist?

by Socialist

Mon Oct 04, 2004 11:03

I note that this new formation is calling for the establishment of Socialism. Surprised the SWP aren't in it

SWP

by observer

Mon Oct 04, 2004 11:54

Well even if the parties concerned wanted the SWP to be there - which is unlikely! - they would not qualify as they have no elected reps - repeat NO elected reps.

Would be interesting to know if SF were invited.

Not surprising that the WP and CPI aren't involved

by Cian

Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:10

The list of parties who are involved in the group are the more progressive communist and ex communist parties from around Europe.

I'm not saying the WP and CPI aren't progressive but by and large the parties listed are the ones that broke with the USSR first and followed the Euro Communist tradition. The WP and CPI in contrast have been more orhtodox and loyal to the U.S.S.R. tradition. They would be more likely to ally themsevels to a grouping that included the hardline Greek Communists for example

What about the Provos?

by Denis B.

Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:21

An even more interesting question would be the position of the Provos who recently joined the hard-left, mainly communist and ex-communist, group in the European Union much to the angst of the Sticks and CPI. Would Sinn Fein join up with this new Euro Left party?

CP and WP

Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:22

Cian - as with the SWP the CP and WP could not qualify for membership as they do not have the required political representation. I know the WP has 2 (?) councillors but the statement refers to national or European level. SF are the only party that qualifies on that basis and they could also sign up to the principles contained. As SF are already a part of the EUL/NG alliance in the Euro Parl it would be interesting to know if they were in fact asked to join.

Criteria for membership

Mon Oct 04, 2004 14:56

They only need 7 parties with representation the others can be without as far as I can see. The Refundies (Italy) played with an alliance that would have included Trotskyists but opted for this instead.
What is the state of play with the local ex pro Moscow CP and WP. I am told that the WP is in terminal decline but the CP have restarted the Connolly Youth and their premises must be worth a fortune. Both have a lot of residual suppert. The activists in the WP did not go with De Rossa and the pet rabbitt.
Oh the SWP and its co thinkers would have been part of the alternative alliance, with their Trotskyist rivals of the USFI.
There will be more elections and referendums so a pan European approach of opposition to militarism, racially based exclusion of immigrants etc. is necessary.

EU or Socialism

by Noel Martin

Fri Feb 18, 2005 23:32

loennitram at eircom dot net

I think Cian is either a Trotskyist or a Social Democrat if he seriously thinks that the CPs who turned their backs on the Soviet Union are 'progressive'.

Ask yourself, did the downfall of the Soviet Union make the world a safer place? well I think not.

Did the downfall of the Soviet Union aid the struggle for Socialism? well I think not.

Is it a fact that because the Red Army broke the backbone of the Hitlerite army, that Cian does not live under Fascism? well I think that it certainly is so.

Does membership of the EEC/EU help the cause of Socialism and Internationalism? Again, I believe most certainly not.

Would James Connolly or Wolfe Tone have advocated that the Republic of Ireland join the 'Market' led EEC/EU? Definitely not.

Will the Euro-Constitution take the peoples on the road to Socialism ? Need I ask.

Will the Euro-Constitution make the rich richer and the poor poorer? Again need I ask.

Does all this mean that 'old style' communists and social democratic euro-communists cannot find common ground? Of course not. There are many issues that a united front can be forged out of. However this means each side showing a measure of respect for each ones position on those issues that they disagree with. I think that leaves Cian out.

Thank you.

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Comments (7 of 7)