[Individual-members-EL] Respectable politicians

[Georges SOSSOIS]

It is a pity that militants and groups of the Left are not able to join their efforts to form at least one strategic alliance for the ballots.
I've seen the same in French speaking Belgium. We had to reach 5% to be able to send an M.P to the Federal Parlement. 
Finally we had the choice between 3 lists. I remain convinced 
that we could have reached those 5% given the present difficulties of the Socialist Party ( because of local scandals, theParty of the Proletariat having become the Party of the "Profitariat").  
Finally, the Greens got an move forward with the backing of
militants of the Left.
Why are the heads of those little "chapels" so sectarian? 
Perhaps they prefer to be the first in their village than the second (or the third) in Rome !! They say they want to change the Society we are
in but they do everything to undermine any effort to build a real alternative.Has a psychologic study been led about that problem ?
What would be the remedies ?

Starting from a structure with a minimal consensus locally would be a solution  and make an auction to the existing chapels would be 
a start.
Now on the European level,would it not be  wishable to have a delegation of militants with effective vote in the European EL Committee and start from there downwards ?
Then those militants would have an authority and a prestige to
recruit dissatisfied militants of the "chapels"mentioned above.
Communists alone are not strong enough, for the moment in  my country. They will need the help from other actors of the social world. Our French speaking Belgian Greens have understood that very well and have recruited on their lists such actors.  "Candidates of opening" they are called. 
Their minimum is 7%. Here if we added all far left ( far being  relative,of course) we would have 4.5% (at least in Hainaut,one of our provinces).

You are not taken seriously into account if you have no M.P. at all. 

The fact that there are EL M.E.P.'s is an element. The mere saying "We are not alone" are trumps. "If that has succeded elswhere" can be a decisive argument. 

Here I am talking about countries where the EL has no M.P. 
The first question in marketing is what do the consumers need ? 
Are they conscious of that need ? What are the best channels to
reveal the need ? When the need is perceived, where shall we
put our product so that is bought (that is place)? By who ?  How ? (that is promotion). How will the process work in the customer's mind
( The AIDP process attention,interest, decision, purchase).
Firstly by publicity. 
As for the price (here the decision to adhere and vote which can be psychologically expensive and the satisfaction from it) it should be
also examined.

Maybe that approach may seem devilish (the Devil in the Bible proceeded exactly that way with Eva first then Adam). But here it is for the good cause. 

Don't worry, I'm not a capitalist but one has got to understand how they work and succeed  in their way. The difference is that what we "sell" is honest and fair. 
Many questions for an interesting debate .........

Thanks for reading me !
Georges

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Francis King 
  To: Steve Spence ; shakir786110 at yahoo.com ; individual-members-el at listi.jpberlin.de 
  Cc: Andrew Stevens ; helmut.scholz at die-linke.de ; Bob ; Helmut Ettinger ; Thomas Kachel 
  Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 10:47 PM
  Subject: [Individual-members-EL] Respectable politicians


  Hi Steve, hi all

  "Respect" is one of the stranger phenomena in British left-wing politics. It started out as an amalgam of at least four quite distinct groupings: George Galloway and his personal following, the Socialist Workers' Party, a miscellany of politically homeless Trotskyists and ex-Trotskyists, and groups of left-wing and anti-war Muslims in certain specific areas of Britain's inner cities. The idea was to build a political party on the basis of the anti-war movement in Britain, but most of the anti-war movement was sceptical about it from the outset. It has now split in two. The SWP and some of the other Trotskyists have broken with Galloway and his supporters, and now we have two groups, each laying claim to the Respect name, each proposing to stand lists of candidates in various elections. To be honest, I cannot see that either grouping will last for long. I have no objection to working with either side (or both sides), provided we do not get involved in the sectarian politicking that always comes with this sort of split. But I would not be keen to get deeply involved with either side at the moment.

  Cheers

  Francis




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