The death agony of the fifth international

the Green Party fails to talk of limits imposed by ecological reality. Instead, it increasingly has taken refuge in wishful talk about expanding personal entitlements. Symptomatic of this tendency is the conspiracy of silence across the green movement about overpopulation: now the trendy talk is about 'reproductive rights' and similar slogans. Almost gone is the deep vision and incisive analysis that characterised publications like The Blueprint for Survival back in the early 7Os.
Green faction


That congress adopted what those of us now expelled had characterised as a "catastrophist" outlook on the world economy. This view provided a justification of sorts for the notion of a global "pre-revolutionary period" characterized by capitalist stagnation and crisis. It was accompanied by a "new turn" towards mass agitation that seemed designed to feed younger members ”.Socialist faction

One common comment on the Green Party Green Left discussion list is an opposition to factional groups (see above), this comes particularly from GPEW members who used to be in the Labour Party. I guess things could go into reverse but at present Green Left is more like a party working group, quasi-official party body than a 'platform' or 'faction', the majority of the present Exec support it and at our initial meeting the Party chair Richard Mallender give input and we have had some positive interest from the Green's only member of the House of Lords, Tim Beaumont.

There are dangers with this ofcourse and I guess there could be some kind of green right backlash, however the Green Party has a broadly socialist manifesto. It is probably misleading to discuss a Green Party green right,

The last green 'rightest' were organised by ex International Socialist Sandy Irvine and left the Green Party in the early 1990s, soon to dissolve....there have been individual fascist infiltrators into the Party who have been kicked out (a story for another day). They, the Sandy Irvinites (not the lone friend of the National Revolutionary Faction/Troy Southgate) formed the Campaign for Political Ecology (Eco)

''What is ECO trying to do?
ECO's aim is to inject truly ecological thinking into political debate.
What is ECO's philosophy ?
ECO's philosophy is ecocentric - that is, based on the understanding that our survival and that of millions of other species depends on the health of the Earth's natural systems. Such an understanding, therefore, should be central to all political decision-making.
No British political party has an ecocentric philosophy, value system or political programme. Even the Green Party puts concerns about human social justice before concerns about ecosystems. Environmental pressure groups increasingly avoid proposing measures necessary to protect the natural world if these appear to infringe human 'rights'.''

This isn't exactly fascism but ecosocialists would argue that ecological problems are produced by human society and demand social change, capitalism is the root of the problem...so abstract appeals to ecology don't get necessary social change...the other problem with 'eco' is that Malthusian concerns with population canlead to oppressive and authoritarian social policies. Sadly these people also got into immigration control...before disappearing entirely

Any way lets get back to the fifth international, factions and all that. There are dozens of far left sects, I guess for Britain there must be over thirty, most are known for selling newspapers, heavy handed recruitment and an arrogant assumption that they have all the answers. While there are exceptions this narrow culture detracts strongly from what is useful and inspiring in Marx and other socialist writers.

The Leninist assumption that a small group of the elect have the answer, together no doubt with some MI5 input, leads to constant splintering. The ambitiously named 'League for a Fifth International' has apparently expelled a faction which makes up the majority of it's supporters in the UK (33 in total!). The expelled have now formed their own group permanent revolution (is this irony at work?).

Two issues spring to mind....one is we need to develop a socialist political culture which admits that change is difficult and intellectual clarity is necessary but without arrogance and bloodletting.

Two, how can we discuss what is useful from Marx from an open source perspective rather than presenting a 'truth' worthy of priests (apologies to those of you who are or were priests, etc, reading)?

Anyway the one thing I liked about the League for the Fifth International was the title of their tract 'The Death Agony of the Fourth International', I think I might even use it on my blog.

Anyway if you do want some open Marxism I strongly suggest you check out Oliver Stone's 'Comandante' rather than signing your life away to permanent revolution, Fidel seems unlike Trotsky to have a sense of humour and a working knowledge of ecology. Also the Francis Wheen biog of 'Marx' is more use than most left papers and shows that Marx also had a sense of humour missing in so many of his disciples.

Anway let's compare and contrast


compare and contrast....Campaign for Political Ecology with Permanent Revolution

'The Campaign for Political Ecology (ECO) is a new initiative seeking to present a real alternative to the bankruptcy of mainstream politics. The launch of yet another organisation is something not to be undertaken lightly. However, ECO is not trying to replicate the work done by other bodies. It has set its sights on the development of a distinctly ecological framework of values, analysis and policy development. On issues as varied as genetic engineering and taxation, most discussion is still trapped within a framework that has no deep awareness of environmental or social constraints. ECO sets out to bring the wisdom of ecology to long-standing traditions in society of personal responsibility and moderation.
Unreal Expectations
ECO is prepared to face the reality that humanity is entering what gives every sign of being the most critical period in its entire history. The decisions we make over the next two decades are likely to decide whether or not the Earth's life-support systems are sustained or become irreversibly impoverished. The crisis 'outside' society is mirrored within it. Despite unprecedented levels of affluence and massive leaps in technological know-how, the fabric of society is coming apart at the seams.
These interlocking social, economic and environmental crises in turn are reflected in the realm of politics. The political system is in a deepening state of crisis, unable to respond to the challenges of our times. None of the major political parties has really grasped what is at stake while the one force that seemed most promising, the green movement, is itself in a state of disarray and confusion.

Politics today reflects and feeds upon wider assumptions in society, where the dream of unlimited growth and affluence for all holds sway. None of the major parties is prepared to stand up and tell everyone that the game is up and that the consumer society as we know it is doomed.

Even the Green Party fails to talk of limits imposed by ecological reality. Instead, it increasingly has taken refuge in wishful talk about expanding personal entitlements. Symptomatic of this tendency is the conspiracy of silence across the green movement about overpopulation: now the trendy talk is about 'reproductive rights' and similar slogans. Almost gone is the deep vision and incisive analysis that characterised publications like The Blueprint for Survival back in the early 7Os. Instead, today, we are awash with empty rhetoric about sustainable development, beneath which often lurks an unwillingness to break with business-as-usual: more production, more trade, and more consumption. There are positive signs to the contrary - much good work is being done in fields like energy efficiency and local community initiatives. But it is being betrayed by the dead hand of today's political establishment.

Campaign for Political ecology


The expulsions marked the culmination of a long-running battle within Workers Power and the LFI, which first saw the emergence of an organised tendency in Workers Power (Britain) early last year. In March 2006, came the formation of an international faction for the first time in the history of the LFI and its forerunners.

An increasingly bitter dispute had developed over perspectives since the LFI’s last congress in 2003. That congress adopted what those of us now expelled had characterised as a "catastrophist" outlook on the world economy. This view provided a justification of sorts for the notion of a global "pre-revolutionary period" characterized by capitalist stagnation and crisis. It was accompanied by a "new turn" towards mass agitation that seemed designed to feed younger members recruited through the youth group, Revolution, a diet of hyper-activism. Under pressure from the tendency/faction the leadership retreated from some of the language of 2003, but did not discard the substance.

Increasingly, schemas replaced concrete assessments of the balance of class forces in particular countries and regions. The need for a serious analysis of imperialist globalization, the impact on the world economy of the collapse of the Stalinist states and the opening up of these regions to capitalist exploitation, the rise of China as an economic and political power, was dismissed. In the mindset of the LFI leadership the World Social Forum/European Social Forum became the vehicle for the imminent creation of a 5th International to be formed “in months or years”.See here for blow by blow account of the death agony from Dave's excellent blog

Spot the difference...well Permanent Revolution are joining the Labour Party, while the ECO people are back in the Conservative Party with Zac Goldsmith, whose uncle wrote the 'Transitional Programme' or was it 'Blueprint for Survival'?