Leninism 21 – Are Lenin’s ideas relevant in the 21st Century?

During the month of May (and possibly beyond) UNITYblog will examine “Leninism in the 21st Century”, and we’d like you to participate.

Contributions from Leftists (both Leninist and not) from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and around the world will be posted from the second week of May (In the first week we’ll post some existing articles off the net) [OK, running a bit behind schedule on that one!].


Old debates

Last Century versions of Lenin’s ideas were followed by socialists around the world. Many others, from left to right condemned Leninism as a fast road to dictatorship.

Even among those who call themselves Leninists, there are many interpretations of Lenin’s theory of socialist organisation. Some argue he wanted a “small party of professional revolutionaries” others a mass party of rank-and-file workers, but one where all members were committed to the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism. Some say the aim of this party was to take all power in to its own hands, other to lead the working class to take power for itself.

These are old debates, but still important to anyone who sees Lenin’s ideas as relevant today – either as a guide to action, or something to argue against.

It’s the relevance of Lenin’s ideas, specifically his theory of party organisation, that UNITYblog would like your views on. What (if anything) should socialists, revolutionaries and other radicals take from Lenin and apply to the struggles of today, and what (if anything) should we reject?


New context

The context for asking these questions, include the rise of broad left parties and alliances in many countries, including Venezuela and Bolivia, where socialist revolutions are being led by broad alliances of parties and social movements, not a single Leninist organisation.

In a number of Western countries, some well-known Leninist groups appear to be abandoning Lenin’s principle of an exclusively revolutionary organisation.

Broad Left parties such as Denmark’s Red Green Alliance, Portugal’s Left Blog and German’s Left Party include revolutionary and non-revolutionary groups and individuals.

In France the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR – one of the world’s biggest Trotskyist groups) dissolved itself in order to establish the broader New Anti-Capitalist Party. Over in Australia, the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) has also dissolved itself into the Socialist Alliance, which includes revolutionary and non-revolutionary socialists.

Here in Aotearoa, Socialist Worker, (publishers of UNITYblog) is one of several socialist groups who traditionally identify as “Leninist”. But we are also advocates of a broad left strategy and hope to see the formation of a “new workers party” or “broad left party” that includes not only reformist socialists, but also opponents of neo-liberal economics who are not socialists at all.



What is to be done (today)?

In raising the question of Leninism in the 21st Century? we are asking for your views on “what is the best way for the Left to organise today?” and “what is the relevance of Leninism to that?”

We’re asking these questions of a wide range of Leftists, many who are current or former members of Leninist groups, some who are not. So I am anticipating a wide range of interpretations about what Leninism is, let alone what is of value today.

You may find it helpful to answer the following questions, or you may prefer to address these issues in your own way. Either is fine by me:

• Are you (or have you ever been) a Leninist?

• How would you sum up Lenin’s ideas on socialist organisation?

• What are the greatest challenges facing the the Left today?

• Are Lenin’s ideas on organisation relevant in the 21st Century?

• How should we organise to meet those challenges?

Those of you who identify as Leninists or Marxists may also like to consider the following questions raised in UNITYblog’s first post on this topic Happy birthday Lenin:


• Have the former members of the LCR and the DSP have abandoned Leninism? Does it matter?


• What is the role of revolutionaries and Marxists within these broader reformists (or not explicitly revolutionary) parties?


• Was Lenin wrong to advocate organisational separation of Marxists from other socialists? Or was this idea right at the time, but not now?


Awaiting your response with interest,

David Colyer | colyer@pl.net
editor www.UNITYblognz.com

Greeks protest against policies similar to what John Key will introduce on 20 May

by Grant Morgan


The heat on the street in Greece is rising towards red-hot as the social democratic PASOK government moves towards harsh austerity measures to save rich financiers from their own crisis.

Major cities in Greece are starting to see semi-spontaneous convulsions from below. These are the type of mass actions which just might turn into popular insurrection.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, says that “Europe’s future is at stake” in Greece. The destiny of the European Union, and Germany’s place in the EU, depended on the outcome of the Greek crisis, she added. (”Three killed as Greek austerity protest turns violent”, Times Online, 5 May 2010.)

So the geopolitical stakes are being raised in tandem with the escalating anger on the streets of Greece.

Citizens of Portugal, Spain, Italy, Britain and other European countries on the brink of financial crisis will be following Greek events very closely. They know their own governments are leaning towards austerity measures to bail out the bankers.

Many European states have already seen mass protests and strikes by workers, students and other grassroots folk over recent months.

The economics editor of The Independent newspaper in Britain has pointed towards “the start of the greatest demonstration of public unrest seen on the continent since the revolutionary fervour of 1968”. (Sean O’Grady, “Greece leads Europe’s winter of discontent”, The Independent, 24 February 2010.)

In my essay on the looming collapse of global capitalism, I ended the section on the profitability crisis with these words:

“The obscenity of governments protecting the rich at great cost to the poor is stirring up a social contagion. What cannot be foreseen is how far and how fast the contagion will spread around the globe.” (“Beware! The end is nigh! Why global capitalism is tipping towards collapse, and how we can act for a decent future”, UNITY journal, March 2010, http://unityaotearoa.blogspot.com/2010/03/grant-morgan-beware-end-is-nigh.html.)

The mass convulsions in Greece, and the upswing of popular protest across other European states, are signs that the social contagion is spreading at a fast rate across rich countries as well as poor ones.

Here, in far-away New Zealand, most people may think such events are a foreign phenomenon. Yet Kiwis are facing a rise in GST to 15%, which will blow many family budgets to bits so that the rich can be awarded massive tax breaks.

And Jayati Ghosh, an Indian professor of economics, forecasts the intervention of big financiers into the international food market as the driver for another gigantic bubble in global food prices. That too will badly hurt the grassroots of Aotearoa. (See Jayati’s video interview on The Real News, 5 May 2010, http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=5067.)

Financialisation, the central pillar of neoliberal capitalism, has been driving government measures which soak the poor in order to bail out financial speculators. New Zealand is no exception, as we will see from the National-led government’s tax changes on 20 May that blatantly favour the wealthiest few percent at the expense of everyone else.

What we need in New Zealand is a popular campaign to roll back financialisation. Watch this space for more news about what we can do!


[Picture shows Greek demonstration from March 2010]

Three killed as Greek austerity protest turns violent

John Carr in Athens and Joanna Sugden
Times Online, May 5, 2010


Three people were killed in a firebomb attack on a bank in central Athens today as protests against the Greek Government turned into violent riots.

Buildings and cars were set alight and burning barricades set up in the streets by demonstrators angry at proposed austerity measures.

Global food bubble on the way?

Jayati Ghosh: Food prices set to surge due to Wall Street speculation






From The Real News network

Bio

Dr. Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics and currently also Chairperson at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Educated at Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Cambridge, England, her research interests include globalization, international trade and finance, employment patterns in developing countries, macroeconomic policy, and issues related to gender and development.

UK elections: cuts coming whoever forms government

UK elections have resulted in a hung parliament, with no party having a majority of seats.

As expected Labour was badly punished. The Tories (or Conservative Party, the UK’s version of National) are now the biggest party in parliament, but are not as far ahead of Labour as they would have hoped.

The third party, the Liberal Democrats who many expected to make a breakthrough this election and even beat Labour, had a comparatively small increase in votes. But they will most likely choose which of the other two parties will lead the next government.

Results for the smaller parties have been mixed. The Green Party leader Caroline Lucas won Brighton Pavilion, their first seat in the UK parliament.

Caroline Lucas

Photo from Rikki @ http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/11/355209.html

But Respect’s George Galloway failed to get back in. Respect’s other great hope, Salma Yaqoob came a close second in Birmingham Hall Green. Everywhere else Respect and the various socialist candidates did very poorly, with results comparable to those of the Alliance, Workers Party or RAM here.

The Nazi British National party failed to win a seat, but still won half a million votes across the country.


What to make of the results?

Support the struggle for democracy and social justice in Nepal

The following joint statement of solidarity has been signed by a number of left and progressive organisations in the Asia-Pacific region. 

If your organisation would like to sign on, please email international@socialist-alliance.org 

Please distribute widely.

May 6, 2010

On May Day, international workers’ day, a huge demonstration of between 500,000-1 million people took place in Kathmandu. Called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), people came from all over Nepal to make their voices heard.

10,000 US workers protest on Wall Street

Auckland wasn’t the only city to see big protests last week, on Thursday 10,000 trade unionists and grassroots activists marched on wall street, in what Russia’s RT News described as, “The largest anti-Wall Street rally since the credit crunch has taken place in New York. Thousands of workers and trade union leaders marched in anger over lost jobs and ruined lives, demanding answers from the source of the trouble – the banks.”



Hat tip Credit Writedonws

More coverage from Democracy Now:

Texts from the People’s Conference on Climate Change

Links has all the key documents from the World Peoples' Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth availiable here.

UNITY leaflet on collapse of capitalism

Click here to download UNITY leaflet on the theme of capitalism's collapse. It provides an introduction to the five crises besetting the world system: the Profitability crisis, Ecological crisis, Resource crisis, Imperial crisis, and Legitimacy crisis. The first letters of these five interconnected crises spells P.E.R.I.L, for capitalism and for us, if we don't unite globally to bring about a decent future.

The leaflet draws from longtime socialist campaigner Grant Morgan's essay, 'Beware! The end is nigh!: Why global capitalism is tipping towards collapse, and how we can act for a decent future'. Grant's full essay can be read by purchasing a copy of the latest UNITY journal. Cover price $5. Contact Len, email office(at)sworker.pl.net or phone the Socialist Centre (09)634 3984.

European Left Parties: Statement on the European Crisis

1. The global economic crisis continues. Massive amounts of money have been injected into the financial system – $14 trillion in bailouts in the United States, Britain, and the eurozone, $1.4 trillion new bank loans in China last year – in an effort to restabilize the world economy. But it remains an open question whether or not these efforts will be enough to produce a sustainable recovery. Growth remains very sluggish in the advanced economies, while unemployment continues to rise. There are fears that a new financial bubble centred this time on China is developing. The protracted character of the crisis – which is the most severe since the Great Depression – reflects its roots in the very nature of capitalism as a system.

2. After a harsh wave of job cuts, in Europe the focus on the crisis is now on the public sector and social welfare system. The very financial markets that have been rescued thanks to the bailouts are now up in arms about the increase in government borrowing this has involved. They are demanding massive cuts in public expenditure. This amounts to a class attempt to shift the costs of the crisis from those who precipitated it – above all, the banks – to working people – not just those employed in the public sector but also all those who consume public services. The demands for austerity and public sector ‘reform’ are the clearest sign that neoliberalism, intellectually discredited by the crisis, nevertheless continues to dominate policy-making.

3. Greece is currently in the eye of the storm.  It is one of several European economies that are particularly vulnerable, partly because of a buildup of debt during the boom, partly because they find it hard to compete with Germany, the giant of the eurozone. Under pressure from the financial markets, the European Commission, and the German government, the government of George Papandreou has torn up its election promises and announced cuts amounting to four per cent of national income.

4. Fortunately Greece has a magnificent history of social resistance running back to the 1970s. Following on from the youth revolt of December 2008, the Greek workers’ movement has responded to the government’s cuts packages with a wave of strikes and demonstrations.

We also welcome the example of the Iceland referendum in which people rejected debt refunding imposed by the banks.

5. Greek workers need the solidarity of socialists, trade unionists, and anti-capitalists everywhere. Greece is simply the first European country to have been targeted by the financial markets, but they have plenty of others in their sights, first of all, Spain and Portugal.

6. We need a programme of measures that can lift the economy out of crisis on the basis of giving priority to people’s needs rather than profits and imposing democratic control over the market We need to stand for an anti capitalist answer: our life, our health, our jobs before profits.

• All cuts in domestic public expenditure to be halted or reversed: stop pensions ‘reform’; health and education are not for sale;

• A guaranteed right to work and a programme of public investment in green jobs – public transport, renewable energy industries, and adapting private and public buildings to reduce carbon dioxide emissions;

• For a public banking service and financial system under public control!

• No scapegoating of immigrants and refugees: legalize them!

• No to military expenditure: Withdrawal of Western troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, drastic cuts in military spending, and the dissolution of NATO

7. We  resolve to organize European solidarity activities again cuts and capitalist attacks. A victory for Greek workers will strengthen resistance to the cuts elsewhere.

Joint Statement on May Day

by 48 organisations in 12 countries 

(Australia, Bangladesh, China, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines & Thailand)

All over the world workers are organising. We are organising to demand a living wage. For health & safety at work. For compensation & rehabilitation. For the  rights  of migrant workers and  refugees, for citizenship rights for migrant workers and their families. For the right to employment on equal terms. Workers are organising against deportations, against racism, against discrimination. Workers are organising against wars that are a disaster to millions of workers.

Workers are organising for secure jobs. Against  casualisation,  contracting out & outsourcing. Workers are organising for the rights of women workers. For better working conditions, to stop work becoming harder, faster, more stressful and dangerous. For shorter working hours, for paid leave and paid  holidays. For affordable housing and health care. For free education and welfare, against child labour and poverty and inequality. Workers are organising for the rights of Indigenous communities who have been stripped of their land and resources. Workers are organising to fight discrimination against minorities, women, lesbians & gays.

While we struggle against these problems, we see that our planet is being ruined through reckless, wasteful and unsustainable production for profit.

Workers can fix these problems. Workers can reorganise all industry to produce for peoples’ need instead of profit. Resources can be distributed to people and places who need them so that our children will have a future.

To do this workers have to dismantle imperialism and the capitalist system. We need to make decisions together in our own workplaces, unions & political organisations about the way production and sharing need to be restructured. We need this. We have the numbers.
We control production. Capitalists will be defeated.

Is capitalism on the path to collapse? – Video from Wellington public meeting

Grant Morgan, author of UNITYblog's current Feature Essay, has just completed a short speaking tour. 

His talks in Christchurch and Wellington drew on, and developed, his 20,000 word essay on why global capitalism is tipping towards collapse, and how we can act for a decent future.

He argues that for the first time in capitalism’s 500-year history, a perfect storm is beginning to engulf the world system.

The main elements are system-level crises of profitability, ecology, resources, imperialism and legitimacy. Their concentration and intensification look set to trigger world system collapse within a historically short time period.

Humanity will face a life-and-death struggle as we confront economic chaos, global warming, resource scarcity and imperial breakdown.

Can we survive the chaos, conflict and carnage of looming collapse? Can Earth’s citizens collectively built a decent future in the face of elite counteractions? Yes, says Grant.

He resurrects Marx’s analysis of social change to explain the growing intersection of system-level crises which will collapse global capitalism as surely as previous civilisations were brought down by their own perfect storms.

“At a certain stage of development, the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production,” said Marx. “Then begins an era of social revolution.”

An era of social revolution will be triggered by the perfect storm appearing over capitalism’s horizon as it collapses the economic, ecological and imperial foundations of the world system. The need to unite or die will call forth a Global Uniting of the mass of humanity which ushers in a society of solidarity.

Watch video footage of the Wellington talk below (apologies for the background hum in the audio track)

Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

April 27, 2010

This Declaration was adopted by the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, in Bolivia. The Bolivian government has submitted it to the United Nations for consideration.


Preamble 

We, the peoples and nations of Earth:

considering that we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny;

gratefully acknowledging that Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning and provides everything we need to live well;

recognizing that the capitalist system and all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse and contamination have caused great destruction, degradation and disruption of Mother Earth, putting life as we know it today at risk through phenomena such as climate change;

convinced that in an interdependent living community it is not possible to recognize the rights of only human beings without causing an imbalance within Mother Earth;

affirming that to guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings in her and that there are existing cultures, practices and laws that do so;

conscious of the urgency of taking decisive, collective action to transform structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth;

proclaim this Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, and call on the General Assembly of the United Nation to adopt it, as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations of the world, and to the end that every individual and institution takes responsibility for promoting through teaching, education, and consciousness raising, respect for the rights recognized in this Declaration and ensure through prompt and progressive measures and mechanisms, national and international, their universal and effective recognition and observance among all peoples and States in the world.

Article 1. Mother Earth 

(1) Mother Earth is a living being.

(2) Mother Earth is a unique, indivisible, self-regulating community of interrelated beings that sustains, contains and reproduces all beings.

(3) Each being is defined by its relationships as an integral part of Mother Earth.

(4) The inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable in that they arise from the same source as existence.

(5) Mother Earth and all beings are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as may be made between organic and inorganic beings, species, origin, use to human beings, or any other status.

(6) Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings also have rights which are specific to their species or kind and appropriate for their role and function within the communities within which they exist.

(7) The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance and health of Mother Earth.


Article 2. Inherent Rights of Mother Earth

(1) Mother Earth and all beings of which she is composed have the following inherent rights:

(a) the right to life and to exist;

(b) the right to be respected;

(c) the right to regenerate its bio-capacity and to continue its vital cycles and processes free from human disruptions;

(d) the right to maintain its identity and integrity as a distinct, self-regulating and interrelated being;

(e) the right to water as a source of life;

(f) the right to clean air;

(g) the right to integral health;

(h) the right to be free from contamination, pollution and toxic or radioactive waste;

(i) the right to not have its genetic structure modified or disrupted in a manner that threatens it integrity or vital and healthy functioning;

(j) the right to full and prompt restoration the violation of the rights recognized in this Declaration caused by human activities;

(2) Each being has the right to a place and to play its role in Mother Earth for her harmonious functioning.


(3) Every being has the right to wellbeing and to live free from torture or cruel treatment by human beings.


Article 3. Obligations of human beings to Mother Earth

(1) Every human being is responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth.


(2) Human beings, all States, and all public and private institutions must:

(a) act in accordance with the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;

(b) recognize and promote the full implementation and enforcement of the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;

(c) promote and participate in learning, analysis, interpretation and communication about how to live in harmony with Mother Earth in accordance with this Declaration;

(d) ensure that the pursuit of human wellbeing contributes to the wellbeing of Mother Earth, now and in the future;

(e) establish and apply effective norms and laws for the defence, protection and conservation of the rights of Mother Earth;

(f) respect, protect, conserve and where necessary, restore the integrity, of the vital ecological cycles, processes and balances of Mother Earth;

(g) guarantee that the damages caused by human violations of the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration are rectified and that those responsible are held accountable for restoring the integrity and health of Mother Earth;

(h) empower human beings and institutions to defend the rights of Mother Earth and of all beings;

(i) establish precautionary and restrictive measures to prevent human activities from causing species extinction, the destruction of ecosystems or the disruption of ecological cycles;

(j) guarantee peace and eliminate nuclear, chemical and biological weapons;

(k) promote and support practices of respect for Mother Earth and all beings, in accordance with their own cultures, traditions and customs;

(l) promote economic systems that are in harmony with Mother Earth and in accordance with the rights recognized in this Declaration.

Article 4. Definitions 

(1) The term “being” includes ecosystems, natural communities, species and all other natural entities which exist as part of Mother Earth.


(2) Nothing in this Declaration restricts the recognition of other inherent rights of all beings or specified beings.

The Cochabamba Protocol: People’s Agreement on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth

April 26, 2010

Final Declaration of the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Today, our Mother Earth is wounded and the future of humanity is in danger.

If global warming increases by more than 2 degrees Celsius, a situation that the “Copenhagen Accord” could lead to, there is a 50% probability that the damages caused to our Mother Earth will be completely irreversible. Between 20% and 30% of species would be in danger of disappearing. Large extensions of forest would be affected, droughts and floods would affect different regions of the planet, deserts would expand, and the melting of the polar ice caps and the glaciers in the Andes and Himalayas would worsen. Many island states would disappear, and Africa would suffer an increase in temperature of more than 3 degrees Celsius. Likewise, the production of food would diminish in the world, causing catastrophic impact on the survival of inhabitants from vast regions in the planet, and the number of people in the world suffering from hunger would increase dramatically, a figure that already exceeds 1.02 billion people.

The corporations and governments of the so-called “developed” countries, in complicity with a segment of the scientific community, have led us to discuss climate change as a problem limited to the rise in temperature without questioning the cause, which is the capitalist system.

Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration: “Mother Earth can live without us, but we can’t live without her”

 “The aggression towards Mother Earth and the repeated assaults and violations against our soils, air, forests, rivers, lakes, biodiversity, and the cosmos are assaults against us.”

Indigenous Peoples’ Declaration adopted at the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Translation by Ben Powless, who was co-chair of the Indigenous People’s Working Group.

We, the Indigenous Peoples, nations and organizations from all over the world, gathered at the World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, from April 19th to 22nd, 2010 in Tiquipaya, Cochabamba, Bolivia, after extensive discussions, express the following:

We Indigenous Peoples are sons and daughters of Mother Earth, or “Pachamama” in Quechua. Mother Earth is a living being in the universe that concentrates energy and life, while giving shelter and life to all without asking anything in return, she is the past, present and future; this is our relationship with Mother Earth. We have lived in coexistence with her for thousands of years, with our wisdom and cosmic spirituality linked to nature. However, the economic models promoted and forced by industrialized countries that promote exploitation and wealth accumulation have radically transformed our relationship with Mother Earth. We must assert that climate change is one of the consequences of this irrational logic of life that we must change.

Australian socialist: Some Initial Reflections on the Summit in Cochabamba

Ben Courtice is a member of the Australian Socialist Alliance who attended the World People’s Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. He posted this article on April 25 on his blog, Blind Carbon Copy. This version is copied from Climate & Capitalism. 


by Ben Courtice
April 24, 2010

This is just a first reflection on the monumental World People’s Summit on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth which just finished in Cochabamba. I will post more on particular aspects of the summit soon.

The event was huge, with at least 20 000 (I’ve heard over 30 000) attending at the university Univalle in Tiquipaya, a municipality on the northwest edge of Cochabamba. There was a huge attendance from Bolivians, who are very much engaged in the political process of their country, and generally very supportive of their charismatic President Evo Morales. Delegations came, many in their traditional costume (which they still wear every day), from indigenous tribal people in the Amazon, from the Aymara and Quechua peoples of the Andes, from a plethora of unions, peasant and indigenous associations and NGOs, from all of what is called the “plurinational state of Bolivia.”

There were also big delegations from pretty much all the countries of Latin America. There was a fair scattering of North Americans, a few from Central America, and a pretty sparse representation from the rest of the world. Europe, Asia and Africa were under-represented partly because any flights going through Europe were cancelled after the volcanic eruption in Iceland. It was a clearly left gathering: the conservative NGO and aid milieu were keeping a low profile if they were there.

The summit had 17 working groups to write a document each for adoption by the summit. Topics of these ranged from the somewhat esoteric “shared vision” to concrete discussions such as on forests, and on a world referendum on climate action proposed by the Bolivian government.

In many ways the summit was driven by the radical agenda of the Latin American socialist governments – Bolivia of course, and Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador. The discourse from the Bolivians, in particular, was largely based on an indigenous philosophy of vivir bien – living well – in harmony with Pachamama – mother earth.

Offensive images?

A picture of Lenin in a party hat cropped from the first of these images accompanied last week’s post Happy Birthday Lenin, which announced UNITYblog’s up-coming discussion on Leninism in the 21st Century. A lively debate has already begun.

One contributor, Don Franks objected to the image of Lenin, seeing it as symbolic of UNITYblog’s supposed rejection of Leninism.

He writes:

“What is the point of that? Political images are not chosen randomly. To me it looks like you are putting some previously fun childish thing [Leninism] aside before getting on with the grown up business of the day.”

As I have said in the comments on this post, I chose the image because, “Making fun of an authority figure can open up space for critical discussion, which is my intention. I feel that this picture may help cut through the unhelpful duality of Lenin as a idol beyond question or a dictatorial hate-figure. I want to promote debate on Lenin’s legacy, from a wide range of Leftist perspectives.”

So for those who have not seen them before, here are the two “Communist Party” images. My only objection to them is that they include Stalin and Mao.

Meanwhile I have sent an open invitation to join the discussion on Leninism in the 21st Century to just about every Lefty on my email list and all members of the UNITYblog Facebook group. I'll be posting it here in a day or two.


David
UNITYblog editor

Something missing from GST debate: a Robin Hood Tax

BAD BANKS media release 
25 April 2010 

"There’s something missing from the current debate about GST, and that’s a tax alternative, one that targets the banks and financial speculators," says Vaughan Gunson, Bad Banks spokesperson.

"Instead of making food and other basics more expensive for grassroots people, New Zealand needs to introduce a Financial Transaction Tax, or Robin Hood Tax as it’s been named by a popular British campaign," says Gunson.

"A small percentage tax on financial transactions would net billions annually from the big banks and financial speculators, who shift enormous amounts of money around everyday," says Gunson. "We could then remove GST from our food and begin to phase out this horrible regressive tax altogether. This is the circuit breaker that the GST debate needs." 

"Following the global financial implosion, and the role played by the banks and financial speculators, the time is right to introduce a tax which hits the most hated global purveyors of greed and exploitation. Yet the government is heading in the other direction, wanting to give tax breaks to these parasites, while hitting us with a GST increase," says Gunson.

Prime minister John Key wants to reward international financial speculators with tax breaks and other incentives, as part of his dream of turning New Zealand into a financial hub. The plan rests on enticing global investors to New Zealand with the promise of tax breaks. A recent IRD report entitled ‘Allowing a zero per cent tax rate for non-residents investing in a PIE [portfolio investment entity]’ reveals what's being considered. Under this proposal, overseas investors would be allowed to operate in this country and not pay New Zealand tax on their international investments.

"John Key would say that removing GST from food is too complicated - yet it’s not too difficult to change the tax laws to gift more profits to international fat cats?" asks Gunson. "Whose side are you on Mr Key? Hardworking grassroots people or the financial parasites?"

The Bad Banks campaign has drafted a letter to the prime minister on behalf of the grassroots people of New Zealand. It reads:

Dear Mr Key,

Why are you wanting to raise GST? Food and everything else will be more expensive. It's already hard to make ends meet. Why don't you tax the banks and other fat cats that have been ripping us off? We want justice Mr Key, make them pay.

Signed,
Grassroots people of NZ

With the letter the Bad Banks campaign is raising three "common sense" measures to curb banking power and protect grassroots people, which includes introducing a Robin Hood Tax. They are:

1. Stop forced mortgagee sales
Regulatory muscle used to stop banks turfing people out of their homes. A government body to oversee the re-negotiation of mortgages based on current market values and ability of the homeowner to pay.

2. Turn Kiwibank into a proper public bank
Offering 3% interest loans to first home buyers, zero-fee banking for people on modest incomes, and low interest loans to local bodies for sustainable eco-projects in the public good.

3. Introduce a Robin Hood Tax (also known as a Financial Transaction Tax)
A small percentage tax on financial transactions would net billions of dollars from banks and global financial speculators. GST could be phased out.

"We’re inviting people to sign-on electronically to our letter to prime minister John Key via the Bad Banks website www.badbanks.co.nz (or go directly to http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/badbanks/). We think a clear message needs to be sent to the government and John Key that it's the banks and other financial fats cats who must be made to pay," says Gunson.

The cartoon by KLARC accompanying this media release is available to be reproduced in print and web publications. For a bigger resolution image contact Vaughan at the email below.

For more comment, contact

Vaughan Gunson
Bad Banks spokesperson
svpl(at)xtra.co.nz
(09)433 8897
021-0415 082

KLARC: "No more GST on food"

We need out-of-parliament campaign in support of Rahui Katene’s bill

by Pat O'Dea

In his post on Red Alert, entitled Spot the Irony, Labour MP Trevor Mallard argues why his party will stand with National and ACT and not support Rahui Katene's bill to remove GST from healthy food.

Trevor Mallard justifies his position by attacking the Maori Party, who because they are in a confidence and supply agreement with National will themselves have to stand with National and ACT two weeks later to raise GST to 15%.

The real irony here, however, is that the Labour Party has basically endorsed the GST increase by admitting that on becoming the government they would probably not repeal it.

Though we may not agree with the Maori Party voting to raise GST, the Labour Party is doubly damned, because as well as refusing to commit to reversing the GST hike, they also oppose removing GST from food, even at the new higher rate. No amount of sophistry and finger pointing by Mallard (or anyone else) can disguise this fact.

Labour Party strategists must know that traditional Labour voters (Maori and Pakeha) will be uncomfortable with this diehard stand in support of GST. So what are Labour's Strategies for getting around this?

Labour has two strategies. Firstly, Goff has said a Labour administration would (instead of lowering GST) consider raising income taxes for people earning over $70 thousand (see http://www.thestandard.org.nz/goff-ill-reverse-unfair-tax-cuts-for-the-rich/) But this is just a smokescreen to disguise the fact that the Labour will do just about anything to keep Roger Douglas's GST tax whole and intact.

Goff and the other closet Rogergnomes, know with the certainty of instinct, that any loosening of the GST vice will deligitimise the whole regressive Rogergnomics flat tax regime. If it means having to raise the top and middle tax income tax thresholds so that he can avoid having to tamper with GST, Goff will promise to do that instead.

Labour's other strategy will likely be to ignore and down play Rahui Katene's bill as much as possible. Hoping to avoid any public scrutiny of Labour's own defence of GST.

This is where a public campaign is vital. If rallies and other protest action can be built outside of parliament in support of this bill, then Labour will be exposed as the enemies of flaxroots folk that they accuse the Maori Party of being.