Permanent Revolution

RedRaph on Sun 28, October 2007 @ 20:51

RedRaph — 2007-10-28 20:51:54

Larglely agree with your comments as a former member of the IMG and recent flirtation with the ISG and being active in the SSP. I always thought that the restoration of capitalism and the deafeats suffered by the working class in the 80s would lead to a period of prolonged capitalsit growth. Nobody apart from PR seems to faced up to the fact as well as your analysis of the far left. Yes the strength of capitalism and defeats have seen a lurch to sect like behaviour - SWP and WP - with all sorts of adaptions to popular movemnts and clutching at straws.

Wladek Flakin on Tue 30, October 2007 @ 22:04

Wladek Flakin — 2007-10-30 22:04:31

But how do you see international organization going forward? The Trotskyist left might be at an all-time low in terms of numbers and politics, but there groups out there that recognize this and are worth talking to.

Jake on Sun 11, November 2007 @ 21:45

Jake — 2007-11-11 21:45:52

Politically I'm from the outside looking in, but this is an interesting and honest appraisal. A coupla comments: 1. From my limited experience in Unite I would say that, contrary to what you say, if anything it is moving away from emphasizing individual representation and internally is portraying that kind of unionism as a thing of the past, to be replaced by the 'organizing model'. That is not a 'move to the left' as such, but has contradictory elements and as such is worth some serious analysis of its own. For example the T&G part of it is leading the way in terms of forming new shop stewards,including from non traditional sectors, and yet they are so far cut off from the best and the rest of the old left in the form of the National Shop Stewards Network. 2. And a question: what is ACM? ("We can also direct the best ACM activists into work within the labour movement...")

Bill J on Mon 12, November 2007 @ 17:36

Bill J — 2007-11-12 17:36:13

The ACM is the anti-capitalist movement, sorry for the shorthand we should have explained it fully. As for your first point, yes its important to be concrete as changes of form, can be significant even if they're aimed at simply consolidating the bureaucracy's hold by another route.

Jason on Mon 12, November 2007 @ 18:29

Jason — 2007-11-12 18:29:18

Interesting points by Jake. Are you talking about some of the shop stewards amongsat migrant workers, for example? I think this is a key area and is one of the areas several of us are hoping to work on- indeed an article is scheduled for the next journal which has relevance to this. The National Shop Stewards Network is an excellent idea but activists need to revive rank and file netowrks at local level and take on the organisational and political fght to link it with reviving national unions' support for a real national shop stewards' network. Stay in touch and dialogue with us!

b on Tue 13, November 2007 @ 00:21

2007-11-13 00:21:45

what the involvement with other supporters and socialists "sympathetic to your aims" will actually involve will be interesting to see.

ortho-Trot on Thu 07, February 2008 @ 05:12

ortho-Trot — 2008-02-07 05:12:45

"Today the world economy is in a long upward wave." Might wanna revise that one.

marcus gassner on Fri 29, February 2008 @ 08:47

marcus gassner — 2008-02-29 08:47:18

congratulations to your analysis on the world economy and the conciousness of the working class. I fully support thiss point of view. As a former member of the lrci in austria I have seen the degeneration of the LRCI at the end of the 90ies. I am happy, that I have not had to go through the whole bullshit of 5th International nonesense. Due to my personal analysys I came to the conclusion, that the LRCI at the end of the 90ies (in Austria and the IS) was not worth fighting for any longer. The main reason for this is/was the democratic centralism of the organisation. Although I have moved away from former positions (no, I am not in another organisation:) ) I do fo follow your website with intrest. good luck for the future

o_l on Mon 24, March 2008 @ 00:02

o_l — 2008-03-24 00:02:44

talk about another irrelevant leftist group

Sdtn on Mon 26, May 2008 @ 11:48

Sdtn — 2008-05-26 11:48:51

"Today the world economy is in a long upward wave." - What world are you living on then?

Jason on Mon 26, May 2008 @ 15:24

Jason — 2008-05-26 15:24:03

Well as people will see by clicking on Marxist economics and globalisation we are constantly updating our analysis in relation to economic data and prognoses.

However, an upturn for capitalism- possibly faltering now in some sectors- has never meant good news for the masses. 30 000 children die every day from easily preventable disaeases. City bonuses have gone down this year- to only about 90% of the annual teachers' salary bill to £13 billion.

It's tough for the billions but not yet for the billionaires, though the credit crucnh has hit profits in some areas and certainly affected living standards of many workers. The point is to argue and organise for class wide battles- in many western countries these are not yet happening but we must be part of struggles to defend the working class and rebuild working class political organisations ready for the class wide battles that question who rules and be ready to have a strategy to overthrow this current system based on exploitation and misery by one based on democracy of working clas speople running our own lives and world.

SteveR on Mon 21, July 2008 @ 23:56

SteveR — 2008-07-21 23:56:35

the Trotskyist Tendency of the CMP campaign for a marxist party was formed

on 1st march 2008 in Birmingham

not in april

To: news@permanentrevolution.net=3B cmp_trotskyist_tendency@yahoogroups.com

From: gerdowning@btinternet.com

Date: Mon=2C 21 Jul 2008 20:58:45 +0100

Subject: CMP Trotskyist Tendency Trotskyist Tendency

PS your email isn't working!

Philip on Wed 10, December 2008 @ 13:57

Philip — 2008-12-10 13:57:08

I don't agree with every point (though from an ex-SWP perspective I completely share your analysis of the SA/ Respect/ SSP disasters), but this is the freshest and most heartening writing from the far left I've encountered in too long, grounded in contemporary reality and genuine Marxist tradition.