“There are no magic answers,

“There are no magic answers, no miraculous methods to overcome the problems we face, just the familiar ones: honest search for understanding, education, organization, action that raises the cost of state violence for its perpetrators or that lays the basis for institutional change — and the kind of commitment that will persist despite the temptations of disillusionment, despite many failures and only limited successes, inspired by the hope of a brighter future.” Noam ChomskyThis discussion is not about whether or not we  sympathise with the Occupy movement , that support goes without saying as many have already clearly stated, but it is a matter of how the World Socialist Movement makes the case for socialism within it.What should the party do is a valid question. We have precedents as we once acted as a conduit for the Bolsheviks during WW1 to publicise an anti war statement.  But the Occupy movement didn’t spring up from no-where but was called by organisations with far more skill and expertise in publicising themselves particularly on the internet than we can do and which  gave the protests the advantage over the Spanish intrados or the Greek anti-austerity demonstrators and Chilean student protests when it comes to media coverage. Nor do we need to offer financial support, OWS acquiring a fund of half million dollars.”The occupiers don’t need bloody leaflets or smart arses with all the answers or Socialist Standards… they need practical support.” explains Stuart…”A knowledge of a possibility is not practical support. It’s not as if these camps are against political discussion. A major purpose of them is to start them and organise them…”This is what we should be doing, engaging in discussion and debate. “One organiser, Vera Weghmann said: “We’re here because we want to discuss alternatives and not just oppose something; we’re coming together in lectures and workshops to educate each other.” If we don’t try creating our own influence, plenty of other “smart arses” are out there doing it already and giving a less revolutionary analysis or agenda than we would.”Yesterday brought a talk from Professor Richard Wilkinson, author of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better.  “People often talk about whether it’s more important to talk to the converted or the unconverted, but I think both are very important – people should have a more sophisticated understanding of the things that they intuit.” he said “http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/campus-under-canvas-inside-the-st-pauls-tent-city-university-6256935.html”This is a time for action, but there also is a need for analysis.” Robert Jensen, professor at the School of Journalism at the University of Texas, Austin on Al JazeeraStuart says “”our theories” will be of any use to any bugger. I’m afraid it’s not a faith I share. It’s a peculiarly arrogant view when you compare what we have achieved in the past century with what Occupy Wall Street achieved in one month.” Our theories are part of the battle of ideas, because like it or not, accept it or not, the Occupy movement are being courted and wooed by all sort of reformists and are we to leave it an open field for them and not challenge erroneous views that are so often just re-formulated old theories that we have, as a party, encountered and critiqued in the past century  and have integrated into our political and economic analyses. Should we adopt the lapses of class memory achieved by so many of the academic commentators and not cast up unpopular reminders from the past?But what sort analysis can the party contribute. As others have said , the protesters have discovered and adopted many principles of the Socialist Party for themselves. But  we possess  just one key core message – socialism.  But is it too idealistic simply to offer this aspiration and nothing else. Chomsky talks of a middle-way.”QUESTION: I was thinking of your text, “Goals and Visions,” and I think that sometimes it is much more important to concentrate on goals and forget the visions!CHOMSKY: You don’t have to forget them; there is a balance. You have to make your own choices; I mean, close friends of mine may make very different choices than me. For example, Michael Albert thinks that is really important, to spell out the visions. My feeling is that we don’t know how to do that, so this kind of work is less important than that on goals. These are speculations about reasonable priorities, doubtless different for different people, as they should be. There is no general right or wrong about it.”Rather than immediate goals, which i think would require the formation of those demands the movement have been so far reluctant to press for since it may mean co-option into the bourgeois politics process ,   we have to try and make socialism the object of the protest – the vision –  and to do so we have to expose the  non-revolutionary alternatives visions being peddled.That is the raison d’etre of the Party. To abrogate that role makes the party redundant.How we do that? I can only say we should be participating, be part of it all as an organised party and not hide from that in the guise of individuals.Setting up a lit table with a full selection of books and pamphlets, and yes the Socialist Standard,  could be easily implemented.But more importantly an on-site daily discussion group, perhaps producing a bulletin of the talks. We are gaining experience from conducting non -adversary, non -confrontational forum type public meetings, we can begin such informal talks under a gazebo and banner. (and hopefully continue with our free refreshments policy) I believe many members are attending the occupations individually but in an ad hoc fashion yet it is not beyond our organisation to formalise it a bit better, with volunteer members rotating their attendance to maintain a full-time presence. By being involved and being seen to be taking part,  our criticisms which have to be made, a responsibility not to be shirked or shied away from because of a fear we may alienate protesters, we will perhaps have a more receptive audience and have our ideas heeded more.” I’m really not interested in persuading people. What I like to do is help people persuade themselves.” – Noam Chomsky We, as socialists, are simply presenting choices to the working class, for them to reject or accept, that is all we can do but without a choice being offered, there is no choice.