Reply To: Status of World Socialist Party (US)
Robbo, political parties do not emerge from nowhere. They arise when they meet certain conditions and when the ground has been prepared in advance. They reflect the ideas people already hold in their heads, and rarely introduce new ones to them. The resurgence of the right and nationalism exists because these never went away, they simply didn’t have the suitable vehicles for expression.
Baby-steps are not going to get us anywhere, Robbo. A look back at conference and ADM agendas and you’ll find an obsession with fine details but no Big Ideas.
I am emphasizing that we make a formal transition from a national organization to a transnational one to kick-start the Party from its presently stalled progress and no where does that say regional and local activity halts. The content of the Standard is already the collaboration of worldwide members, as is the production of our pamphlets. We even have an assistant secretary able to perform duties from Eastern Europe. The internet and blog committees have “foreigners” doing much of the tasks.
What is lacking is the fact that members of the companion parties are missing from this cooperation. We have no coordination. But various umbrella organisations such as Zeitgeist can operate at a global level and not be identified as simply a national political party.
As for being a international political organization, I am sure our election committee will inform us that we face a number of administrative obstacles from the Electoral Commission rules. But let us be honest again. There has been voices within the Party that participation in elections should cease due to the lack of even the minimum level of exposure and publicity.
Of course, naturally we should be striving for credibility and be seen as a valid party of the working class. How do we take a party of a less than 200 who bother to vote in Party polls to one of several thousand? How do we transform branches that struggle to achieve a quorum into be local bases for action? How do we create a website, a forum , blogs, Twitter, Facebook presence that has significant traffic? These come with increased membership and the transfusion of new blood into our activities. But back to the question. Where do the new members come from?
Relax our strict admittance. I think you refer to prospective members holding religious beliefs. I doubt there would be any marked difference in membership. But our attitude changing and relaxing to those active participants in the huge number of reform movement…then perhaps we might see a rise in members who would have an audience for the socialist message. This means explaining how we can individually work towards various reforms as we do within our trade unions but how our political organization must stand apart but act as an umbrella to muster under. But again we must offer the same supportive and solidarity as we do to unions. We recognize unions as existential bodies for our class, we need them for survival. I suggest there are many environmental and humanitarian groups that mirror that need which we should not be aloof towards because (like unions) remain within the parameters of capitalism.