I have sent the following to left groups in Chicago:
I see that Daley is very unpopular. And that there is no popular alternative capitalist politician in the wings. So what about a workers candidate for the coming mayoral election?
The main responsibility to make this happen lies with the union leaders who are in the main organized with their hundreds of thousands of members in the Chicago Federation of Labor. These leaders should draw up a program based on demands such as a $15.00 an hour minimum wage or a $5.00 an hour increase whichever is the greater and equal pay for equal work for all. Further to this they should fight for affordable housing for all, a ban on foreclosures, free education to all levels, opposition to the privatization of education, and free health care for all. They should campaign to finance this by taking from the rich. The capitalist class in Chicago with their Board of Trade, their Stock Market and their property etc is one of the richest in the world. And along with this such a program should be financed from federal sources such as cutting military spending and ending the wars and occupations abroad. Such a campaign should be linked also to the struggle against police oppression and violence and against racism and sexism. And of course to organize the unorganized into unions in the workplaces, schools and colleges and to organize community groups.
It is an absolute scandal that the union leaders instead of giving such a lead continue to bootlick and slavishly follow the capitalist Democratic Party. All of us who are in unions should move resolutions to stop the union movement supporting the Democrats or Republicans and instead to run a workers' candidate and around this build a working peoples party.
But the responsibility for failing to have an alternative to the Democrats and the Republicans is not only that of the union leaders. Yes they have the main responsibility because they control the unions. But there is also the role of the left and socialist organizations. They are so divided by their left sectarianism and unhealthy internal lives that they cannot get together to either build a movement for a workers candidate in the unions or put up a workers candidate themselves. This is a crime against the workers movement. These groups put their own perceived needs above that of the interests of the working class. This left sectarianism must be identified and openly opposed and campaigned against.
I call on the left groups to seek to get over their left sectarianism. A good start would be a conference on left sectarianism, what it is, the damage it does to the workers movement and how to fight it. Then from this seek to run a candidate or candidates against the Democrats and Republicans in the coming elections. And around this build a working peoples party and organize the unorganized into unions and community groups.
Some activist groups which look towards anarchist ideas believe that to participate in elections is wrong. The capitalist class are our enemy. they are not stupid. they see that a priority for them is to win the consciousness of the working class to their ideas. to do this they have their media, control of the education system, the churches etc. But they also have their political parties and they use these political parties to intervene in elections. through these political parties they conduct a dialogue with the working class. To have a position not to take part in elections if you are not in a position to build new working peoples organizations is to opt out of this dialogue and to concede victory in the struggle for the consciousness of the working class to the capitalist class.
No support for the Capitalist parties, the Democrats or the Republicans.
For the Building of a mass Working Peoples Party.
For Working people to run the Country not the Criminals and Swindlers of Wall Street, the Banks, the Mass media, Industry and the Military Industrial Complex.
Let us have that conference to begin to tackle left sectarianism and see if we can work together to build a working peoples alternative.
Sean.
No comments:
Post a Comment