[Individual-members-EL] EL Summer University, Paris

[Jan Šlemenda]

Dear friends & comrades,

I am supporting Steve's opinion very much right from the start I happened to
know him. Below you will find my brief comments in BLOCK LETTERING (apology
for being so dare & lame):

2008/7/28, Steve Spence <stephen_spence at btinternet.com>:
>
>  Dear All,
>
> At the Summer Uiniversity in Paris earlier this month there was a lot of
> discussion of the fact that the Executive Board has not moved forward with
> proposals to involve individual members more with the life of the Party.
> Very much the idea that the Party is a Party of Parties prevails although at
> the grassroots level there is a lot more support for the idea of the EL as a
> European wide Party.
>

PARIS WAS THE SECOND LARGER MEETING OF THE EL I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND. I
AM NEW TO THE POLITICS (01/07) AND I HAVE ENTERED THE EL LAST NOVEMBER AS AN
INDIVIDUAL MEMBER THROUGH MY APPLY VIA SDS (party of democratic socialism in
CR) WITH THE SUPPORT OF MY FRIEND JIRI HUDECEK. LAST YEAR IN GOSAU/AUSTRIA I
WELCOMED THE IDEA OF THE EXCHANGE IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES FROM DIFFERENT
PLACES IN EUROPE AND SUMMER UNIVERSITY IS THE BEST PLACE TO DO SO.


A number of individual members discussed and thought that we had to start
> making the move towards broadening and deepening our networks both with
> other individual members and individual members of the member parties.
>


ALTHOUGH I AM A MAN OF THEORY RATHER THAN PRACTISE I SEE THIS OPPORTUNITY
FOR A BROADER AND LARGER CROSSBORDER ACTION, WHICH IS DESPERATELY NEEDED AS
FINANCIAL MELTDOWN AND LOOMING CRISIS ADVANCING.


We discussed with a number of activists including younger comrades and about
> ten of us met together in the Political Bureau Room in the French Communist
> Party HQ and decided that we wanted to extend and broaden our email contacts
> and our ability to talk to each other.
>

WHAT IS IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW IS THE DIRECT COMMUNICATION IN WRITTEN HERE, I
WISH TO SEE EVERYBODY FREELY EXPRESS HERSELF/HIMSELF. WE SIMPLY NEED TO RELY
ON EACH OTHER IN POLITICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, MORAL, MENTAL AND INTELLECTUAL
SENSE.

As this individual member list remains inactive for most of the year we
> decided we might as well add members who were interested in direct contact
> with each other to this mailing list so effectively this list will become
> indivdual members plus individual members of member parties who particluarly
> have an interest in 'Action' or a 'Democratic Voice' within EL.  Who knows
> maybe even 'Democratic Action' can be generated from the grassroots as we
> discuss with each other!
>

I FEEL WE ALREADY KNOW EACH OTHER A BIT AND THIS IS THE GOOD START FOR DOING
SOMETHING. I AM VERY FOND OF THE IDEA OF THE PARTY OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS,
SINCE EUROPE IS NO LONGER A DIVIDED SPACE OF NATIONS (ALTHOUGH IT IS STILL
LOOK LIKE) YET IT IS A LONG WAY TO GO .


Mike from Germany has been adding names to this list over the last few
> weeks.  He and Franzi from Germany had distributed a list at the Summer
> University seeking the email addresses of comrades.  Three pieces of paper
> went round, which some of the organisers of the Summer University did not
> seem to be very happy about.  Strangely only one list came back, but it
> represented a start.
>

THIS WAS PARTICULARLY BAD FROM WHOMEVER DONE THIS. I CAN UNDERSTAND THE
FOUNDER PARTIES OF THE EL ARE NOT VERY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT CHANGING A FORM
AND STRUCTURE OF THE EL, BUT IT IS NECESSARY. NEOCONS AND NEOLIBERALS ARE
VERY STRONG AND THEY ALREADY WORKING GLOBALLY (I MEAN BILDERBERG GROUP). SO
WE NEED TO WORK CLOSELY ON THE EUROPEAN BASIS AT LEAST DESPITE DIFFERENCES
AMONGST US.

The European Left Party seems to have been quite slow in organising across
> Europe actions.  One however is planned for October against
> 'precariousness'.  This broadened email list might help us co-ordinate
> actions and give us ideas of how we can support each other.
>


NICELY PUT STEVE! YES, NO MATTER HOW THE EL WORKS THE PROCESSES ARE VERY
SLOW AND ELABORATE. I HAVE ALREADY TRANSLATED THE "FINAL STATEMENT" OF THE
3RD SUMMER UNIVERSITY OF THE EL - IT IS SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH - I CAN DO A LOT
MORE THAN THAT! AND I STILL WISH TO EAGERLY!


The term individual member may just have evolved into a method of organising
> rather than the description of a form of membership.  Individual members
> talking to other individual members both of EL and the member parties across
> Europe.  This contribution is designed to kick off a discussion, which in
> turn may launch a new grassroots way of doing things.
>

 I FEEL THAT WE CAN DO A LOT MORE WORK SIMPLY BY E-MAIL. LOCAL
DEMONSTRATIONS OF OUR VIEWS AND STATEMENTS CAN BE PUBLISHED THE SAME DAY
AROUND THE EUROPE MORE FREQUENTLY (ONCE IN A YEAR IS NOT ENOUGH) ONCE IN A
MONTH WILL BE FINE. FOR EXAMPLE: THE CZECH INITIATIVE "NO-BASES" IS CAPABLE
OF DOING NON-STOP PETITION HUTCH ON VENCESLAS BOULEVARD HERE IN PRAGUE AND
THEY ARE STILL A SMALL BUNCH OF ACTIVISTS SINCE THE START IN 2006!

Anything on this list should remain confidential to those on it unless it is
> agreed that any comments may be repeated elsewhere.  For some of us it is
> important that political work is seperate from other work.  The trade union
> I work for is non-party political but I am personally able to have my own
> views.  I must be careful though what views I express publicly.  However I
> believe it is important for us to have a way of talking to each other.
>

COMPLETELY AGREE. FOR ME MY PRIVATE LIFE HAS VANISHED  SINCE I HAD  DECIDED
TO ENTER POLITICS. I SPEAK AND BEHAVE THE SAME WAY AT WORK AS WELL AS
ANYWHERE ELSE I HAPPEN TO BE. I AM ALSO TRADE UNIONIST WITHIN THE COMPANY I
WORK, BUT WE HAVE VERY REASONABLE HQ - SO MOST OF OUR NEGOTIATIONS ARE
TAKING PLACE IN A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE, WHICH IS VERY RARE IN THE CAPITALIST
WORLD.

What do you think?
>

I WISH TO SEE MORE COOPERATION AND FACTS EXCHANGE BETWEEN US, OTHERS WILL
PROBABLY JOIN LATER. ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SEEM DIFFICULT, IT IS NOT IN REALITY.
TRY TO DEDICATE JUST TWO HOURS A WEEK TO OUR COMMON WORK PLEASE AND YOU WILL
SEE THINGS TO HAPPEN! (i am already doing some work in that vein and it
really works).

with friendly greetings

JAN

from PRAGUE
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