From: John Milios (jmilios@HOL.GR)
Date: Sat Jun 11 2005 - 14:14:23 EDT
Dear Jerry, I definitely agree with you when you write that >There seem to be a number of Left Keynesian perspectives embedded within the >EuroMemorandum Group (June, 2005) statement This is also the case with the left NO in France or any other European country. However, I do think that this is the only way that things may go further, meaning that in the present political conjuncture it is not possible for any revolutionary political agenda to become hegemonic among the European working classes. For many decades we saw Socialist (and taditional Communist) parties follow a right-wing turn towards neoliberalism, without loosing their support from the majority of the working classes. Now, for the first time since the seventies, Socialist parties urge their supporters to vote for one thing (the neoliberal EU Constitution) but the majority rejects the party's political line and supports NO. In Greece, both neoliberal parties (the Conservative New Democracy and the Socialist PASOK party) ratified the EU Constitution in Parliament. Despite the fact that both parties were voted by the vast majority of the electorate (more than 85 per cent) last year, recent gallop polls show that there is a definite majority of 42 per cent vs. 31 per cent in favor of NO to the EU Constitution among the Greek public. As Suzanne noted, the main trend behind this NO is left, i.e. it is based on a critique to the neoliberal policies, which would acquire a constitutional legitimation in the case of a YES vote. It is characteristic that neither Conservative nor Socialist Press and politicians can argue (any more) that the NO attitude of European publics stems from right-wing, anti-European or xenophobic ideas or syndroms. They all discovered,suddently, as Suzanne has again noted, that the Constitution should be more "social". So, a new "political camp" emerged in European politics, that of the left NO, which is much broader that the political influence of the radical left parties and groups that campaignrd for NO. I believe that revolutionary Marxists must fight for both the consolidation of this new anti-neoliberal political camp (it is interesting that in Germany a coalition between Lafontain's WASG and PDS was announced) and for the hegemony of revolutionary and Marxist political positions (as opposed to Socialdemocratic or Keynesian)within this political camp. In solidarity, John PS. The forthcoming issue of THESEIS (No 92, July 2005) will contain at least two papers on the significance of the left NO. People who can read Greek may visit the Journal's site: www.theseis.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Jun 12 2005 - 00:00:01 EDT