tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post5670517643116175932..comments2024-03-06T12:16:49.012-05:00Comments on Fire on the Mountain: Belgian Reds Now "Smallest of the Big"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-19010363216020968222007-01-31T14:02:00.000-05:002007-01-31T14:02:00.000-05:00From Belgium I wrote about PTB (Workers Party of...From Belgium I wrote about PTB (Workers Party of Belgium) and the municipality elections . Specially about the situation in Hoboken, a district of Antwerp <br /><br />"The situation is particular in Hoboken. In the elections, we blocked the Flemish fascist party, the Vlaams Belang, from having an absolute majority. We blocked them because some protest votes against the 'democratic' bourgeois parties were going to us instead of Vlaams Belang. The fascists have 10 seats, the 'democratic' bourgeois parties 9 and we have 2. Until now nobody wants to collaborate with Vlaams Belang. The 'democratic' bourgeois parties have to find an arrangement with the PTB to form a coalition!" <br /><br /><br />How things were evolving further ?<br />With the bourgeoisparties and their nine seats , we were making a program for a majority,9 + 2 (our seats) against the fascists from 'Vlaams Belang' . But they want not that we are entering in the council. This was a problem . If we were against the minority council (from 9 persons), a fascist is automatically the districts mayor. That were the rules, if there was no arrangement the biggest fraction became in power. <br />So we explained that by voting for the bourgeios minority council , we were blocking the fascist for a second time . The first was by taking votes from them in the political struggle of the elections. <br />In the program of the new council, that we made together, were points of our program like cheaper electricity and gas, cheaper garbage bags and a youth center . But it is sure that the political struggle continues .<br />We were mobilising our supporters for the first sitting of the districts council and we are doing it further in the future.ludok belgiumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07742648717216901626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-84018469512755999432007-01-22T14:20:00.000-05:002007-01-22T14:20:00.000-05:00Just posted this on Red Flags thought I would post...Just posted this on Red Flags thought I would post with you as well<br /><br />Come on give us details of your accusations against the WPB one into two.<br /><br />1. Its economist line - facts please ?<br /><br />2. Its position on riots in France - explain need facts not innuendo ?<br /><br />3. When did WPB say their was no such thing as modern revisionism ?<br /><br />Has for the Stasi smearing was their tactic and now yours<br /><br />Posted by: Haisanlu | January 22, 2007 at 02:15 PMhaisanluhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12951814565298359789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-59182388960938065152007-01-22T11:47:00.000-05:002007-01-22T11:47:00.000-05:00Some mighty interesting questions are raised here ...Some mighty interesting questions are raised here by Child of Man (and maybe Child of Humanity might be a better handle, unless, of course, technical gains in cloning and/or induced parthenogenesis are being made along very unexpected lines). <br /><br />In calling for the evaluation and reform (or perhaps overthrow) of the model of French citizen-state, CoM takes on something, that like a productivist bias, has been a feature of the Marxist vision from its inception. More, please!<br /><br />I want to address her or his specific point though. I actually agree with this comment: "Strangely enough, I think the US Marxist-Leninist-Maoist movement has things to teach the Europeans about 'race' and national construction."<br /><br />I want to add a word of caution, however, a big fat one. Those of us in the US have an obligation not to succumb to great power chauvinism and, in this case, to investigate the situation before pronouncing too authoritatively.<br /><br />My understanding is that the PTB developed in a very particular set of conditions. Belgium was founded as a bilingual, bi-national state, and remins one. Half the population speaks Dutch as a first language and the other half French, and the two halves tend to be geographically separate as well, except in and around Brussels. (There is also a relatively small but longstanding linguistic and cultural, if not national, minority of German-speaking Belgians.) <br /><br />Each section has its own capitalists whose class the Belgian state exists to serve, but who vie fiercely for dominance within those confines (often in alliance with capitals from larger imperialist powers). In recent decades, there has been a historic shift. The French-speaking sector, which had been dominant and was based in the industrial economy of the Southern part of the country, has been supplanted by a set of Flemish capitalists based more in the growing service sector. (Think the shift in the economic center of gravity from Northern Ireland to the Republic, only within a unitary state.)<br /><br />And these rival capitalist classes (or semi-classes or whatever they are) have worked tirelssly to promote divisions within the working class, and the population as a whole, along national lines to presuade the masses to identify primarily with them and not along class lines.<br /><br />All this is deeply structured into how the country works. All the major "national" parties and trade unions, for example, are organized along sectional lines,and the sections function almost autonomously. We in the US are exposed to little of this until something like the Vlaams Belang (formerly the Vlaams Bloc) gets a bit of attention. That's because they have taken the logic of Belgian politics (and their ascendent position spurred by past grievances) a step beyond and organize openly as a party of only one section of the population and ruling class. In such a situation, they inevitable function as fascists and are savagely anti-immigrant. (Note to beer drinkers--Don't Drink Duvel! Its brewers are major funders of the Vlaams Belang and there are lots of other lovely Belgian brews for you to check out.)<br /><br />So the PTB bases itself on the idea that there is a single Belgian working class, whose divisions help only their exploiters. And, as opposed to the situation of the Black Nation or Aztlan in the US, they say, and I am inclined to agree, that neither Flanders nor Wallonia is oppressed by the other nor subject to superexpoitation.<br /><br />So the PTB is the only party in the whole country which isn't organized along sectional/language lines and has a single unifed structure. They tirelessly advocate for working class unity and against national divisions. It is a stand and a record of which they are justly proud. <br /><br />However, just as we here might make errors in evaluating their politics, they tend to be uncomprehending of the positions taken by almost every US group with whom they have had contact regarding the National Question here. And I think it may well have handicapped them to some degree in their work in Belgium's growing immigrant community. <br /><br />That said, I'd like to see something concrete about whatever serious errors they have supposedly made on this front. I know their headquarters in Brussels is in the middle of a neighborhood of Muslim immigrants who seem not only comfortable with but partial to the PTB folk, and that they garner a disproportionate section of the immigrant vote, but these indicators, not an analysis.Jimmy Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16032194600141427172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-26065606601333521932007-01-20T12:35:00.000-05:002007-01-20T12:35:00.000-05:00European parties are having difficulty understandi...European parties are having difficulty understanding that the European proletariat is not simply "European."<br /><br />The legacy of the citizen-nation, particularly in France, is deep and needs to be challenged.<br /><br />El Otro, Yo Soy.<br /><br />Strangely enough, I think the US Marxist-Leninist-Maoist movement has things to teach the Europeans about "race" and national construction. General note...<br /><br />I too have heard about this appeal to the Belgian working class (as distinct from the multi-national proletariat), and would be interested to hear more than chatter about this.<br /><br />It's also a strange way of approaching the whole matter that sees what should be a vanguard party as the "smallest of the big," as if a communist party was to be a "party like other parties."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-49331002969814944422007-01-19T19:40:00.000-05:002007-01-19T19:40:00.000-05:00for those who can read french, here is an example ...for those who can read french, here is an example of the kinds of statement where the "new PTB" describes leaving its radicalism behind:<br /><br />http://www.ptb.be/scripts/article.phtml?lang=1&obid=32835<br /><br />it is widely reported that the PTB is seeking to appeal to the white workers, even if that requires overlooking issues of racism and taking some distance from the defense of immigrants and their culture within Belgium.<br /><br />So if someone is reporting from Belgium to this list, they could comment on those observations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-78270023072667199012007-01-19T16:56:00.000-05:002007-01-19T16:56:00.000-05:00It is worth noting that the leadership and spokesp...It is worth noting that the leadership and spokespeople of the PTB now explain that they have left Leninism, Stalinism and Maoism behind. They have shed this, and are focused firmly on improving the life of the people and achieving change electorally.<br /><br />For years the PTB was seeking to "fill the niche" left by the pro-soviet electoral parties that collapsed along with the Soviet bloc. They have never succeeded in that goal, but with each attempt left more and more of their radical politics behind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-82500428625899828892007-01-07T18:23:00.000-05:002007-01-07T18:23:00.000-05:001. At a first stage the party members of the munic...1. At a first stage the party members of the municipality stipulated the possible subjects for the inquiries.These were grouped in topics. These were - work in my neighbourhood - payable neighbourhood - more chances for young people - safe neighbourhood - healthy neighbourhood . At each topic five proposals were added and you could make also yourself other proposals. For example at ` work in my neighbourhood were the proposals: . jobs for youth work - more workshops to the municipality - none temporary but fixed jobs - right to early retirement - create more employment by less hours work with conservation of, remunerations - other proposal .<br />People were asked make a proposal for each topic<br /><br />2. Whole on a beautiful leaflet it was pressed. Then inquiries were done. In that municipality was a doctor practice of the party, called 'medicine for the people'. We asked in the first place to the patients and the sympathisanten to fill in the inquiry. There were 1500 answers in Hoboken and 1000 in Deurne. We looked which three proposals were most indicated. On these quoted problems the party searched then an answer. For example on the complaint that the electricity and the gas were too expensive our answer was the establishment of a municipal energy company to press the price<br /><br />3. With our answers on the quoted problems we made a beautiful leaflet. This put we in the PO Boxes of people. Afterwards we did house visits to ask people to vote for us with this program . We visited first people whom the inquiry had filled in. Afterwards we visited other people . We wanted to obtain as many positive answers as there were votes necessary. The necessary number of votes to gain our aim of seats. The number of really votes was correct free well with obtained positive answers on the question if one will vote for the party. This were 1850 persons in Hobokenludok belgiumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07742648717216901626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6502187932910780823.post-20542752764116375872006-12-29T12:31:00.000-05:002006-12-29T12:31:00.000-05:00One thing I'd like to learn more about is how the ...One thing I'd like to learn more about is how the election program was developed. How did the investigation (inquiry) of the 2,500 residents in Hoboken and Deurne take place? Did you have a single giant meeting, smaller neighborhood meetings or one-on-one discussions between PTB members canvassing in the neighborhoods and local people?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15268498830319720707noreply@blogger.com