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Sweden's upcoming elections national |
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news report
 Thursday August 15, 2002 07:43 by webkom - SUF val at suf dot cc
 - an anarchosyndicalist view The Syndicalist Youth Federation of Sweden is doing a national campaign under the slogan "We Know Who'll Win the Election". The following is a translation of a flyer from this campaign. The national elections are taking place the 15h September - the same day a number of Reclaim the ity parties are going to happen in some of the larger cities. You can't vote away the capitalists! - A view on the elections from the Now it's election time again - but think things over before you run away to the voting booth to busily do your part for the parliamentaric democracy for the next four years. The last three years we as citizens have not been allowed to partake in the political decisionmaking process - TV, newspapers and radio have only let through modest glimpses of what is happening in the corridors of power. But this year something is happening. Suddenly we are supposed The truth is that the chance in reality for politicians to really effect a thoroughgoing change is equal to zero. This is something the politicians realize - they admit it themselves, even if they formulate this in a different way. When Göran Persson [Swedish Social Democratic Prime Minister] assert that "one must take the economic interests into consideration" this is in practice a clear explanation of how things are really like - the political power is secondary to the economic power. Politicians can make and change laws and restrict our freedom, but the most fundamental - the economic system - is always left untouched. The political system is totally in the hands of the big corporations who have more power than the politicians themselves. And all this is taking place in an air of pleasant mutual accord between the two. We already know who is the winner of the election. Without even being available as alternatives on the ballot capitalists like Peter Wallenberg, Antonia Ax:son Jonsson, newly retired Percy Barnevik and the other fat cats are the ones who make up the real government. And they have always won. Fat stock-portofolios weigh heavier than the votes of Sure, you can vote in the elections. But to really change things we ourselves need to hold the power. Politics isn't just about a bunch of grey old men in suits who discuss state finances - it's also about the everyday life of all of us. This is why it is most disturbing that rich people control eight hours of our time, five hours a week and are able to seriously affect the lives of thousands of lives with a swift decision. The road to a society in which we decide our lives for ourselves goes through struggle in our community: in the residential area, in school, at work and the street were we walk every day. Simply put - the struggle must be waged where we live our lives. |
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Comments (13 of 13)
Jump To Comment: 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1The fact is that we had limited resources. We did not have enough people to canvass every house in Dublin South and we were under great strain in Dublin West and Dublin North. We simply did not have enough people to canvass other areas.
We do want to get elected you know, we have limited resources and we use them most effectivly. If we were to gain seats it would give a further platform for our ideas, I see no problem with concentrating in areas where we might get seats.
Building the socialist Party is not contradictory to building support for socialist and revolutionary ideas. In fact I would argue that the development of the SP in Ireland will lead to a growth of support for revolutionary ideas.
I'm not saying that you should have stood in South Central. I'm pointing out that, if your door-to-door work was about 'spreading ideas', there's no reason why you should have done more work in South than in South Central. The reason for the difference is that your canvassing is not about 'spreading ideas', its about winning support for the party.
Leninists frequently fail to understand the difference between 'socialism' and 'The Party'. Can you see what I'm getting at?
The fact is that the SP (like any other organisation) has limits in terms of resources. If we were to stand in South-Central it would mean diverting resources from other area, it would mean that our forces would be spread more thinly.
We (DubS branch) spent the entire election campaign in Dublin South. That is where we work all year round, not just election time. We (the Party) also do work in Dublin South Central, community work etc. but we did not decide to stand in election there.
We want spread our ideas in an election campaign. To do that effectively we have to start somewhere. We are not a party of thousands of members at this stage and we are unable to stand everywhere. We concentrated on 5 constituencies for the election. That does not mean we are not active outside those areas.
I know you don't have a problem with parliamentary elections, that's kind of obvious. But when you say 'spreading our ideas' it seems to translate into 'building support for the party'. So, a simple question.
In the last election there was an SP candidate in Dublin South, but none in Dublin South Central. How much time did you spend 'winning support for your ideas' in Dublin South, and how much in South Central?
We use elections as an oppurtunity to get our message out to people. We also use it not just to build our own forces but also to build the movement for a socialist transformation of society. I see nothing wrong with standing in elections and getting elected, the Bolsheviks participated in the Tsarist Duma. I canvassed in the last election for Lisa Maher and CLare Daly of the SP and I will be going to Sweden next week to help in the campaigns of Rattsvisepartiet Socialisterna (Swedish CWI). We (Socialist Party/CWI) do not see parliament as a vehical for change, change can only come through mass movements of ordinary people. If you look at the example of Chile in 1972 you will see the limitations of parliamentry democracy. But because parliament can't be used to change society does not mean that parliament can'tbe used as a platform to popularise your ideas.
You say that your goal is getting your ideas out there, but what are the targets you set? Recruits and votes. That's because your measurement of your success is the growth of the party. (Compare the amount of door-to-door canvassing you do in onstituencies where you have a candidate as opposed to other constituencies, and then tell me its all about 'spreading the ideas')
Anarchism is different. The point is not for one organisation to gain members, because an anarchist society will not be created by one organisation. What is important, and what is covered in (for example) the leaflets the WSM produced at the last election, is self-activity. The idea the leaflet promnoted was that you went out and organised yourself to solve your problems, instead of looking for the SP or WSM to do it for you. That's because an anarchist society (the only type of socialism worth mentioning) is based on self-activity. Not following the party, but making your own decisions.
Sure, a lot of people still thinking voting in elections is important. A lot of people also think that capitalism is the only workable society, that there should be limits on immigration, that there is a god, and that Bertie is a nice guy. Its not as if voting is the deal-breaker here, is it? Anarchists have a lot of convincing to do, but so does everyone else.
Yes we do look for votes and new members. But this is only as a result of arguing our politics and our ideas. In the past election I canvassed hundreds of doors and discussed with hundreds. We put forward our ideas and the people that support us will vote for us, and those that support us strongly may join us. But the key thing is getting our ideas out there.
It seems to me that Anarchists just sit back and act cynically in the eyes of many ordinary people. In my opinion the 'Vote Pie' campaign isolated anarchists from most people, like it or not many do see Parliament as a political vehicle.
Anarchists use an election to argue for self-organisation and direct action.
You use an election to look for votes and new members.
Can you see the difference yet?
The Socialist Party (Irish section of CWI) enter the elections to popularise our ideas, not just to get votes. For example in Sweden we have a target of recuiting a certain number of new members in the course of our election campaign. We also have the target of retaining our local authority seats and possibly getting more.
I do not see any problem with taking seats. The Socialist Party public representatives are not politicians, we see ourselves as organisers of ordinary people in their fight against capitalism. As a TD Joe Higgins is able to raise issues to a broader audience. Similarly as a councillor Clare Daly is able to raise local issues more easily. Public office is viewed as a platform for our ideas.
That's a pretty fundamental difference, don't you think?
Anarchists use the occassion of an election to argue against parliamentary democracy, and say that people should take direct action instead of voting.
The CWI uses the occassion of an election to get people to vote for their candidates.
One of these kids is doing their own thing,
one of these kids is kind of the same...
I'm glad to say that the Socialist Party (the Irish section of a Committee for a Workers' Internationl- CWI) will be sending over a number of comrades to Sweden to help in the election campaign of our Swedish Sister Organisation Rattvissepartiet Socialisterna (the Socialist Justice Party)
The CWI, as marxists, contest elections to raise the profile of our ideas and to popularise our ideas.
In my opinion the anarchists are doing the same. The difference is that they are not putting up candidates!
I am glad this was posted!! I gives me an idea of the onward march of the right wing facists into every major government in EU - for EU, read "OUR GOVERNMENT"
Solidarity to our Swedish friends and No this the NICE of madness and bullshit democracy.... NO MEANS NO!
Though I agree with the content, this is hardly the place to post a leaflet about the swedish elections, is it?