DEMOCRATIC FORCES WILL MAKE IT

vol. 1, no. 30

Mankind has not yet chosen: communism or imperialism? Of course, Big Capital has won Cold War which bequeathed us with a worsening economic crisis, a political dead-end, an ideological confusion and psychological despair. Most of the people, especially the youth, do not believe in a future; to the point that in some countries, like Russia, the young generation does not want to have children foreseeing a miserable life for their kids.


Even in Canada, and most likely among the students, there is this deep feeling that nothing is going ever to change and that the fatality is set in the stone; so, let’s smoke a good joint.


Recently, Canadians for Peace and Socialism, through its president Don Currie, released a document related to the last meeting of the communist parties in South Africa. They say: “State monopoly capitalism has used the current crisis as a pretext to recklessly appropriate all of the resources and wealth created by the people of Canada. The state treasury, fiscal and monetary policy, government income and expenditure and links with international finance capital, have all been mobilized to protect a small class of wealth and privilege from the effects of capitalist cyclical crisis. The short and long term needs of the people have been abandoned.” (http://www.focusonsocialism.ca/).


Still part of Canada –fortunately- , the Province of Québec endures the crisis as well; just to mention the massive lay-offs like in the Montréal region (Assomption) where 1300 workers lost their job at Électrolux right before Christmas 2010.
(Photo Internet: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Canada, Tim Buck, 1929-1962)

Meanwhile, La Presse expresses the wish to avoid general elections not to compromise the policies of the Stephen Harper minority conservative government, a staunch supporter of Israel reactionary orientation and its aggressive plan against the Palestinian people; the Hebrew State is ready to attack the Islamic Republic of Iran on the alleged pretext that this country is producing the atomic bomb.

La Vie Réelle wrote to the current leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff, to declare officially that it would support the Liberal Party of Canada in the coming federal elections, remaining independent though; with the hope in a new policy of peace by the Canadian government, offering as well to the peoples of this land an alternative to the power of the monopolies, especially the ones from USA.

This communist newsletter calls also Canada to step back from NATO and denounces its “new” Lisbon policy, which is a strategy of military domination if political instability would supersede to the economic restlessness of the peoples in Europe following the workers’ movements in Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland and naturally Greece, the spearhead of general protest on the Old Continent.

Revolutions to come: Europe and North America

In Greece, the KKE (Communist Party of Greece) has taken bold decisions. Recently (December 20th 2010), it declared: “Today we need another specific opposition strategy which will lead the people to question and overthrow the system and not false cures, which will recycle and sharpen the problems. […] We need a social popular front now to repel the assault and counterattack […] with as its central slogan the socialization of the monopolies, the creation of popular cooperatives where socialization is not possible, national planning with worker’s and popular control from the bottom to the top”.

They call for mass action.

In the past, the Right would have proposed to the greek people to move to America if they want a better living. But United States are also in crisis. There is nothing less granted than to find a job there, if you can even immigrate in the country.

Further, the 1776 US Revolution has exhausted its attraction among most people of the world; there are two basic reasons: its external policy and its policy at home. USA has an imperialist policy abroad and –pro-multinationals-, e.g. the will and the inherent actions to control resources all over the world, including by the use of military force. Within their boundaries, they cannot secure anymore the “American Way of Living”, especially with a devastating 10% level of unemployment (not to mention the underemployed, the part-time and all of those who stop looking for a job), a general problem of housing among poor people strata and growing racism in the population, whatsoever meant the election of the first Afro-American, Barack Obama, as the president, in November 2008.

A word about Barack Obama

What are the real powers of Barack Obama? Formally, he is, accordingly to Agence France-Presse: “the most powerful man in the world”. But there is skepticism, especially in Canada. Many people see him like those actors hired by important companies to promote their products such as cars, perfumes and miscellaneous. Mr. Obama looks handsome; he is young and attractive. He makes forget the arrogance and indifference of George W. Bush. But methods and policies have not changed so far.

But U.S. spy agencies and groups, in the case of Afghanistan, “express doubts about the progress amid worsening violence”, reports New York City Metro daily newspaper. Obama says: “We’re on track to achieve our goals.”
Is President Obama still the favorite personality of the U.S. voters? Can others change the tide? The AFL-CIO Blog: http://blog.aflcio.org/ revealed that “ a tightly coordinated effort by outside Republican groups, spearheaded by Karl Rove and fueled by tens of millions of dollars in contributions from Wall Street hedge fund moguls and other wealthy donors, helped secure big GOP midterm victories Tuesday ( early November 2010, Ed.) according to campaign spending figures and Republican fundraising insiders” .
(Photo Internet: President of the United States of America, Barack Obama)

As a consequence, Obama started a dialogue with Republicans. The current leader of this party in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, greeted a few weeks later “the discussions to be with White House on the prolongation of all tax cuts”. He remains “optimistic”. Republican party number 2, Eric Cantor, said that “he was encouraged by the President’s declarations in relation with the lack of communications during the last session […] and that it was the fresh start for new working relations which would benefit all Americans”.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama wrote on December 18th 2010 to Harry Reid, Majority Leader and Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader, about the New START Treaty between Russia and USA. It is the not the tone of a peace-lover: “ Thirty ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, are now defending the nation”. […] The New START Treaty places no limitations on the development or deployment of our missile defense programs […] against intercontinental ballistic missiles from Iran targeted against the United States.”

Iran is now an enemy. Who else?

Interceptors are “in Romania and Poland to protect Europe”. Where is the threat? Russia? China?

“Irrespective of how cooperation with Russia develops, the Alliance alone bears responsibility for defending NATO’s members…” He adds that we “… do not and will not threaten the strategic balance with the Russian Federation”.

It speaks for itself…

What about Québec?

By the end of 1977, some student leaders in Québec, including this writer, wanted to have closer relations with the Prague-based International Union of Students (IUS). But the majority of the Central Council and the National Convention of the Québec National Association of Students (ANEQ) was opposed to it, denouncing close links of this Union with Soviet students. The whole thing flawed. Nationalists were strongly combating the idea and red-baited some Executive communist leaders.

Now, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) would like to be in touch with the working class movement in Canada and also in United States of America. Conditions are ripe. Anticommunism does not jeopardize this project, like it was the case with IUS. This Federation gathers 80 million members in more than 130 countries. They will hold their 16th Congress in Athens (Greece) from April 6th to 9th, 2011.

The idea is very timely. We cannot be over enthused and unrealistic. However, it is possible to organize a club or a local grouping with an office in Montréal and gradually inform the Québec workers about the activities of WFTU and build contacts with the national media, while publishing a blog in Québec. All of those people who have been briefed about the project are interested to see its development.
(Logo of the World Federation of Trade Unions, Athens (Greece)

To tell the truth, several workers are sick and tired to talk about the “separation of Québec”. On the other hand, we can consider, even though it is not an official view point of WFTU, this declaration: “Hence the necessity of fighting against the national isolationism, narrow-mindedness and aloofness of the Socialists in the oppressed countries, who do not want to rise above their national parochialism and who do not understand the connection between the liberation movement in their own countries and the proletarian movement in the ruling countries”. (J.V. Stalin, The Foundations of Leninism, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1975, p. 74).

There is every reason to get rid of narrow nationalism. Let’s just consider the recent visit of one of the Québec separatist leaders, Gilles Duceppe, who met in Paris with the general secretary of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “Union pour un movement populaire (UMP)”, which is not especially recognized to be on the side of the working class (let’s stress that M. Duceppe has been previously one of the leader of the Canadian Communist Workers Party-maoist). UMP proposed to exchange analysis on different topics. The Québec nationalist leader said: “It is a proposal made by UMP and we agreed to it with eagerness”.

Historical certitude: emancipation of the working people

Waiting for visit of a representative of the WFTU, we can recall that “Marx also corresponded with Lincoln and called for the emancipation of slavery and the creation of African-American regiments to help defeat the Southern slaveocracy.” This historical sketch prepared by US communists goes farther: “The Committee of Industrial Organization (CIO), formed in 1935, was the greatest stride forward made by the US labor movement. The Communist Party played a key role in organizing that movement to establish industrial unions in the basic, unorganized industries. The strength of the left in the CIO during its first decade was the result of successful organizing work and militant fighting on the picket lines by Communists.”

In 1941, during WW2, 15 000 Communists joined the armed serviced. Many became officers and many others were decorated for personal bravery…” In 1944, the party had 80 000 members (including the 15 000 in the military). Seven years later, “the FBI stated that 43 000 Communists were being spied on and half a million ‘party supporters’ would be thrown into concentration camps in case of war.

This short story about the Communist Party of America ends up saying: “Strengthening of the CPUSA as a Marxist-Leninist party will allow for new, bright chapters of its history to be written.

“American efficiency is that indomitable force which neither knows nor recognizes obstacles; which with its business-like perseverance brushes aside all obstacles; which continues at a task once started until it is finished, even if it is a minor task; and without which serious constructive work is inconceivable. […] The combination of Russian revolutionary sweep with American efficiency is the essence of Leninism in Party and state work.” (J.V. Stalin, The Foundations of Leninism, Foreign Languages Press, Peking, 1975, pp. 111-112).

La Vie Réelle in English: http://wwwlavienglish.blogspot.com/

Marxim-Leninism Today: http://mltoday.com/

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