Support for capitalism falls in US.

international | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis Saturday April 09, 2011 16:30 by john throne - Facts For Working People. loughfinn at aol dot com

Left and Radical movement at a time when support for capitalism is falling in US.

This item gives the results of the recent poll in different countries in relation to attitudes to capitalism. It then discusses the roll of the left and radical movement in the US and why in this context the left and radical movement is not growing.

NEW POLL SHOWS FALL IN SUPPORT FOR CAPITALISM IN US. WHY ARE LEFT AND RADICAL MOVEMENT NOT GROWING?
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, 2011
Please see the findings of the poll below which shows the decline of support for capitalism in the US and many other countries. In light of this I would like to pose the issue I did previously. Should we not be looking at the methods of the left and radical movement, that is our own methods, and why our movements are not increasing in support and influence when capitalism is losing support. I know the union leaders are a terrible weight on the left and radical movement holding it down at every opportunity. I know that we have to point this out and oppose these pro capitalist policies of the union leaders. But there are tens of thousands of left and radical people in US society. There are dozens of left and radical groups. The question I pose is this. What are these forces doing wrong that they are not increasing in support and influence when the working class, especially the lower paid working class, see poll below, are increasingly against capitalism. I would suggest again that the reasons are the following. The left and radical movement is in the main ultra left. That is they put forward demands, or they forward demands in such a way that does not connect with the existing consciousness of the working class. I would suggest that the left and radical movement identify as the main problem in society at the moment is the offensive of the capitalists against the working class and state clearly their intention to build a united front of mass direct action against this offensive and around these demands below.

FOR $15.00 AN HOUR MINIMUM WAGE OR A $5.00 AN HOUR INCREASE FOR ALL WORKERS WHICHEVER IS THE GREATER.
FOR FREE HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL. THESE TO BE HUMAN RIGHTS.
MAKE THE RICH PAY FOR THESE THROUGH HIGHER TAXES ON THE RICH AND CORPORATIONS AND CUTTING MILITARY SPENDING.
END ALL WARS AND OCCUPATIONS ABROAD.
ON THIS BASIS BUILD A MASS DIRECT ACTION UNITED FRONT OF THE WORKING CLASS WHICH WOULD HAVE AS ITS OPENLY STATED OBJECTIVE TO HALT AND THROW BACK THE CAPITALIST OFFENSIVE, MAKE THE RICH PAY, AND LAUNCH A WORKING CLASS OFFENSIVE.

I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT ANOTHER REASON THE LEFT AND RADICAL FORCES ARE NOT GAINING AT THIS TIME WHEN CAPITALISM IS LOSING SUPPORT IS LEFT SECTARIANISM. BY THIS I MEAN THE LEFT GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS PUTTING THEIR OWN INTERESTS ABOVE THOSE OF THE MOVEMENT OF WHICH THEY ARE PART AND ABOVE THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT AS A WHOLE. THIS LEADS TO AN ATMOSPHERE OF CONTINUAL STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE LEFT GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS AND WORKING CLASS PEOPLE WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. THE INTERNAL LIVES OF THE LEFT GROUPS TAKE THEIR METHODS FROM THE COMPLETELY DISTORTED AND MISUNDERSTOOD METHODS OF THE BOLSHEVIKS WHEN THIS MOVEMENT WAS WELL INTO BEING TAKEN OVER BY STALINISM AND DESTROYED. TO BUILD A LEFT AND RADICAL MOVEMENT WHICH CAN PUT DOWN ROOTS IN THE WORKING CLASS MEANS NOT ONLY LOOKING AT AND BREAKING FROM ULTRA LEFTISM, BUT ALSO LOOKING AT AND BREAKING FROM LEFT SECTARIANISM. IF THIS IS NOT DONE THE LEFT AND RADICAL MOVEMENT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HELP MOVE THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT INTO ACTION AND TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS DECLINE IN SUPPORT FOR CAPITALISM AMONGST THE WORKING CLASS.

I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT THE DIFFERENT LEFT AND RADICAL FORCES AND INDIVIDUALS CONVENE A CONFERENCE, CONFERENCES, TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES.

1.WHY WE ARE NOT GROWING WHEN THE SUPPORT FOR CAPITALISM IS DECLINING.

2. WHAT MISTAKES ARE BEING MADE BY THE RADICAL MOVEMENT. YES THE UNION LEADERS ARE THE MAIN FORCE TO BLAME BUT THE LEFT AND RADICAL MOVEMENT MUST NOT USE THE PRO CAPITALIST POLICIES OF THE UNION LEADERS AS AN ALIBI AND TO EXCUSE OUR OWN FAILURES.

3. A PROGRAM FOR A UNITED FRONT AROUND WHICH WE COULD BUILD A MASS DIRECT ACTION MOVEMENT WHICH WOULD BE CAPABLE OF THROWING BACK THE CAPITALIST OFFENSIVE AND LAUNCHING A WORKING CLASS OFFENSIVE. I SUGGEST A PROGRAM SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF ABOVE. BUT LEARNING THE LESSONS FROM THE PAST MEANS THAT THIS MUST BE UP FOR DEMOCRATIC DISCUSSION.

New Poll: American love affair with capitalism on the wane
FROM THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE
CAPITALISM'S WANING POPULARITY
A global poll shows an ideology in apparent decline

RISING debt and lost output are the common measures of the cost of the financial crisis. But a new global opinion poll shows another, perhaps more serious form of damage: falling public support for capitalism. This is most marked in the country that used to epitomise free enterprise. In 2002, 80% of Americans agreed that the world’s best bet was the free-market system. By 2010 that support had fallen to 59%, only a little above the 54% average for the 25 countries polled. Nominally Communist China is now one of the world’s strongest supporters of capitalism, at 68%, up from 66% in 2002. Brazil scores 68% too. Germany squeaks into top place with 69%.

France, one of the world’s strongest economies, continues as an anti-capitalist outlier. Only 6% of French “strongly” support the free market, down from an already puny 8% in 2002. Add those who “somewhat agree” with capitalism’s superiority and the figure is 30%, down from 42% in 2002. Turkey (another free-market success story) had the same level of support then, but it has dropped even lower, to a mere 27%. In Europe only Spain seems to buck the trend, rising from 37% in 2002 to 51% . Indians, on paper big winners from free-market reforms, appear unimpressed: support has dropped to 58% from 73%.
Capitalism’s waning fortunes are starkly visible among Americans earning below $20,000. Their support for the free market has dropped from 76% to 44% in just one year. The research was conducted by GlobeScan, a polling firm. Its chairman Doug Miller says American business is “close to losing its social contract” with average families.