horning Star a ise line JOHN ROSS looks at why any ism Today:
the left wing THE reason why millions of determined socialists on a world scale still support the line of the pro-Moscow Communist Parties and why a significant number of militants in the labour movement give a credibility to the politics of the Morning Star which they would never give to Marxism Today - is easy to understand. No Socialist, or Labour Party anywhere in the has ever capitalism.
In contrast parties themselves Communist have overturned capitalişm in Yugoslavia, China, Vietnam and other states.
The organisation threw capitalism in Cuba, the 26 July movement, also later became the nucleus of the Cuban Communist The FSLN Nicaragua was openly inspired by the leadership of the Cuban Communist Party.
Organisations such Phillipines Communist Party are lading a major struggle against the Marcos dictatorship in that country. All this gives a prestige to the Communist Parties ¿lately not possessed by the social democratic and Labour Parties.
USSR In addition to various Communist Parties internationally there is the tremendous weight of the USSR itself. Again this is a formidable question for anyone who seriously thinks about the struggle for socialism.
The existence of the USSR is a tremendous weight in the world in the interests of the international working class - no matter what were the horrific crimes carried out by Stalin and his successors. destruction of the USSR would be a historic disaster for the international working class.
If the USSR had not emerged victorious from World War II we would today be faced with an inter-imperialist nuclear arms race threat of a repeat of World War 1 and World War II only this time fought out with nuclear weapons. If anyone imagines that the world today is a dangerous place just imagine what it would be like if an imperialist Germany, the States, and Japan were today competing with each other building up of nuclear arsenals!
Nazism Furthermore each overturn of capitalism has in turn built on, and 'only been made possible by, the existence of the USSR. It was the victory of the Soviet armies over German Nazism that provided background against Yugoslav Communist Party under Tito could liberate that country. The material aid, and military support, from the USSR also allowed the Chinese state to survive after 1949 when it was directly threatened by the United States.
The joint aid of the Soviet overturned calling the USSR, which overIn as the which is abthe role of The United first the French 1n the United States. around the world.
the why many which the movement tempted to give, at support of Marxism Today.
support blind the USSR.
Polish workers at the Lenin shipyard fight for the creation of Solidarnose Union and China allowed Vietnam to win its war of liberation against then the material aid from the USSR which allows both Cuba and Nicaragua to survive. It is similar material and military aid in from the Soviet Union which supports many liberation movements If you add to all this a more 'militant' tactical line adopted by the Morning Star then it easy to see serious people in the give, or least critical the Morning Star against the openly right wing line Nor are all those giving such to the incredible crimes that have been committed in Virtually anymore doubts the reality of the mass murders and crimes carried out by Stalin. The invasions of Hungary in 1956 Czechoslovakia in 1968 — together with the imposition of martial law the economic crisis in Eastern Europe have severely shaken both the mass support of the Communist Parties and the confidence of their militants in the system they defend. Europe But despite all this there is still a feeling among many that 'after all it is absurd to believe that socialism could be built without mistakes'. People see bureaucracy in Eastern Europe and don't like it, but they fail to see that the bureaucracy of the USSR and Eastern Europe represents a definite social layer, a social caste.
Take the FSLN for Every single major founding leader of the FSLN, except Tomas Borge, was killed in the evident Somoza. The FSLN waged a twenly ycal revolutionary against dictatorship perialism. Every single leader of the FSLN fered, extreme personal sacrifice and repression. They have nothing personally, or morally, in common with Chernenko, Jaruselski, or the corrupt average bureaucrat of Eastern Europe.
But the attitude many militants have internationally to the Soviet leadership is rather like the famous remark of Somoza. 'He may be a bastard but example struggle against they socialism. struggle imfaced, and many sufdanger, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, declaring US leader on he's our bastard.' The idea is that naturally the leaders of the USSR and Eastern Europe are guilty of great crimes, they are conservative and even distasteful. But somehow are still part of a force for Solidarnose This is also rather directly the attitude of Arthur Scargill. As is well known Scargill had a wrong line on Solidarnose in Poland. He accused Solidarnose of interfering in 'politics'. He failed to support Solidarnosc against Jaruselski which did not, to their great credit, prevent militants of Solidarnosc their support for the NUM during its strike.
Scargill's position on Solidarnosc however did not stop him
our left is e Morning Star publically and viciously attacking the Jaruselski government for its scabbing role during the miners' striké. Scargill publically read out a letter contemptuously rejecting the Polish government's holidays for miners children long as Jaruselski continued to send coal to Britain.
But despite this Scargill still spoke out in support of the Morning Star - a paper that supports the Polish government. declared it stood for socialism and peace.
'Jaruselski may be a swine but somehow he is still a swine in our camp.' That is the logic of Arthur Scargill's position nave similarities with say that of the Cuban's or FSLN. This is not surprising Scargill probably identifies more with Cuba than any revolutionary organisation failed to Writers such as Isaac tionary nevertheless the USSR, case.
tion on the Moscow to do so.
The first trol of the to break with Moscow Yugoslav. Under War II Tito Yugoslav Vietnam The Vietnamese support from China offer of as He talks by both Chinese leaderships. - one that does and without any agreement Moscow. other international political curagainst Other forces in the world have a similar attitude to Scargill's. The nationalist Basque ETA, for example, support Solidarnosc.
Deutscher and Perry Anderson express the view that while Stalinism is reacin innumerable aspects the Soviet bureaucracy is still somehow 'revolutionary' force either inside outside the USSR, or both. The problem is that the facts show the exact opposite to be the First no force in the world has ever carried out a socialist revoluline of the Soviet bureaucracy. Every party that has overthrown capitalism in a revolutionary struggle had to break with major Communist Party to break with the line of the Soviet leadership was the Chinese. In 1935 Mao Tse-Tung took conChinese Communist Party away from Stalin's representatives and began the long struggle which in 1949 finally resulted in the overthrow of capitalism in China.
The second Communist Party was the the impact of broke the Yugoslav Communist Party from Stalin's line of subordination to the bourgeoisie overthrew capitalism in his country.
defeat.
Communist Party developed its struggle in the 1950s against France with major but was Young broke then sabotaged in the 1954 Geneva the Soviet The relaunching of the struggle in South Vietnam at the beginning of the 1960s was undertaken independently of, with Castro developed his struggle the Batista dictatorship completely independently of the pro-Moscow forces in Cuba — they supported his struggle against the regime only at the last minute.
Far from following the line of Moscow aiding a struggle against imperialism it is only by breaking with the Soviet bureaucracy that a successful struggle against capitalism has been carried through. No party following the line of Moscow has ever succeeded in carrying through a revolution against capitalism. Where Moscow has succeeded in imposing its line — as in Spain during the civil war, or in France, Greece and Italy after World War II — the result has been 1 ne material aid from USSR is one thing. The political line of the Soviet bureaucracy is quite another.
The contradictions of Arthur Scargill are of course quite plicable. He was a leader of the Communist League. with that organisation to move sharply to the left — figures such as Jimmy Reid who broke with the Communist Party to the right. By becoming a leader of the left wing of the Labour Party, and forming alliances with figures such as Tony Benn, Scargill continued to hold positions to the lett of the Communist Party — a position of course shown graphically during the miners' strike itself. Bureaucracy But this is why it is a disastrous error for both Arthur Scargill and any section of the Labour left to support the Morning Star. Because the Morning Star is not a paper 'defending the USSR'. It is a paper defending the Soviet bureaucracy which is quite a different matter. As we have already shown support for the struggle against capitalism means the necessity to break with the line of Moscow.
It is also why Arthur Scargill was wrong on Solidarnosc. doubtedly one of the worst of the of the East regimes is to completely discredit the very name of socialism. This helps explain why Solidarnosc did not have the leadership that does, for example, the Nicaragua or Sinn Fein in Ireland. Lech Walesa, for example, lagged the most developments of Solidarnosc. He also had close ties with the Catholic church. Walesa But this political weakness of its leadership does not alter that the immensely progressive dent trade unions under the control of the workers, reduction of inequality in the society, elimination of the bureaucratic repression were completely and unequivocably to Photo be supported. created for socialism in Poland are those created by by Jaruselski's represent 'errors' crimes against the working class and each day his regime goes on will result in a further discrediting of socialism in Poland. The way forward in Jaruselski and not with his regime.
Scanlon In Britain the record of the positions of the Morning Star is equally clear. During 1970s it supported Jack Jones and the Hugh Scanlon without criticism -which strengthened their position in 1975 when they broke the back of the support for government with their support tol Harold Wilson's incomes policy. exunlike The Morning Star today refuses to differentiate Un- Scargill, who led forward the struggle of the miners in defiance of the law, and Jimmy Knapp who has Socialist Action 03 July 1985 comply FSLN advanced indepenproblems the bureaucracy Solidarnosc.
regime does not Stalin represents lies against in Britain of Moscow the early heart.
the Labour Scargill, or ning disasterous between Arthur tell them so. just successfully urged the NUR to with the law. Certainly Jimmy Knapp is a step forward over Sid Weighell but he is not a figure of the same type as Arthur Scargill either in words or, more important, actions.
The reality is the same whether For internationally. In order to fight against capitalism it is necessary to break with the line - and not support it.
Czechsolovak revolutionary socialist Peter Uhl put the right position very well. He said, ' am an enemy of imperialism anc therefore I fight against Stalinism.' • It is a phrase every militant in the labour movement should learn by When a figure like Arthur Tony Benn gives any support to a paper such as the MorStar they making a MDEN BR Tony Benn mistake. And those who most supported the miners and most supported their role in that strike have the biggest duty to
Socialist Action 03 July 1985
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support for the polities of the Mor- ning Star is a disastrous error for of the Labour Party.
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