OWS. What it has achieved these last two months.

Some friends and relatives were round for dinner yesterday. Very briefly a discussion flared about the situation in the country. One young person who thinks he is very knowledgeable and progressive because he knows about smart phones and how to tune the TV and access net flicks etc began to give off how bad things were. I interjected and said; "I have to strongly object. Two months ago the mass consciousness and debate was dominated by how to cut the deficit. Now it is dominated by the injustice of the 1% controlling the wealth and society. This is a major step forward." The young person did not continue to express his point of view.

In spite of this young person's view showing that the whole country is not unanimously behind the OWS movement, a look back at the past two months events shows the shift forward in consciousness. First and most important over 50% of the country does support the aims of the OWS movement. This is of extreme importance and a major step forward. It shows a significant increase in class consciousness. Over 90 cities have had OWS actions. Thousands upon thousands of people have been prepared to be arrested to put the finger on and protest against the 1%. In Ohio there was the overwhelming vote to reject the anti labor law. The 1% versus 9% idea shows an increase in class consciousness. It is a big step forward.

We who organize this blog have spoken in favor of building 99% clubs. That is bringing together in an organized fashion in the neighborhoods, schools, colleges and workplaces those who support the idea of taking on the 1% and their system. We have advocated that these clubs should orientate to the working class. By this we mean take on the 1% yes but take it on in the following way. Identify where the capitalist policies of this 1% and their system strikes at the day to day lives of working and middle class people, foreclosures, job and wage cuts, attacks on education, inability to afford health care, repression of movements such as the OWS, the pushing of racist and sexist divide and rule ideas, and carry out our direct action actions on these issues. This orientation would draw into action around the OWS movement increased layers of the working class. This would prevent the movement being isolated and allow it to strengthen itself further and take another step forward.

Along with such an orientation I think we should put forward a program which calls for an end to the rule of the 1%. At this stage in consciousness perhaps the mass movement would respond best to such a program being couched in democratic terms, that is by explaining that the corporations represent a dictatorship over society and we are in favor of ending this dictatorship, we are in favor of a democratic collectively owned economy which bases itself on a democratically planned economy. Should we demand a democratic socialist society at this time for the 99% clubs? I am not sure about this. Perhaps it would be too soon. Perhaps it would block the development of these 99% clubs, which would be united fronts, from taking off if people thought they had to be socialists to be part.

I am in favor of those of us who are socialists putting forward our socialist ideas in our own material and intervention and building socialist nuclei. But I am not in favor of doing this in a sectarian or ultra left way. That is ignoring the existing consciousness and rather than seeing what is best to connect with the existing movement and take it forward just project our ideas irregardless of whether they connect or not, whether they take the movement forward or not. I am also not in favor of building the 99% clubs in an opportunist fashion, that is by ignoring the pro capitalist and pro Democratic Party ideas and policies of the union leaders. We do not have to savage these people but we have to patiently explain what their policies are, the so called Team Concept in the workplace, collaboration with the bosses and the so called team Concept in politics, collaboration with the Democrats, why we believe these policies do not work and what our policies are. We have to explain that in the last analysis only an independent movement of the working class nationally and internationally fighting for a democratic socialist world can solve the problems.

Sean.