“Since the spring of 2020, we have repeatedly pointed out that the economic crisis was triggered and influenced by Corona, but it was not caused. … There cannot and will not be a return to a ‘functioning capitalism with a functioning welfare state’.” These sentences come from the document ‘Austrian Perspectives’, which was adopted among others at the conference of the SLP on December 11–13. This conference took place under acutely difficult conditions online. Much could have gone wrong, but the SLP has collectively mastered this challenge as well as a difficult and turbulent 2020 on several levels. Given the current stresses, good preparation succeeded in the form of three comprehensive documents: Perspectives, Building the Organization, and Guide to Dealing with Sexism.
The conference began with international participation and a global overview by Rob Jones, a member of the International Executive of the ISA. This was followed by a presentation of the milestones in the first year of the new International ISA after the split from the former leadership of the ‘CWI’. Particularly impressive was the picture presentation of activities of our sister organizations on all continents. Also present at the conference weekend was Anja Deschoemacker (Belgium), among others a member of the ISA Women’s Bureau.
Every national economy is dependent on international developments to an extreme degree. The exact severity of the global crisis of capitalism is not yet foreseeable. What is certain, on the one hand, is that at present the socialist workers’ movement is not yet present as a formative factor. On the other hand, however, mass movements around the globe show not only growing resentment but also a broadly increased awareness that racism, health emergencies, climate change, and women’s oppression are equally systemic issues. They can never be solved within capitalism and its respective national frameworks.
The good preparation of the conference (among other things in the form of three documents) found its continuation in lively, productive, and disciplined discussions. The participants came from all the states in which the SLP has been active so far. A consistently high percentage of delegates were present throughout the weekend — although the whole meeting was held online.
A ‘guideline for dealing with sexism’ was decided upon. Starting points are the mechanisms of oppression and division in capitalism, whose manifold consequences especially women and LGBTQI persons have to suffer every day. In order to overcome these during social struggles, it is indispensable that within our organization unambiguous principles for dealing with each other, increased sensitivity regarding sexist behavior, and the conscious confrontation of such behavior are effective. This will be crucial in the upcoming times of increasing protests and consciousness-raising among workers and youth, as all of us — activists and supporters — have grown up in structurally discriminatory conditions. Only through unity and full equality of all sections of the working class can sustainable gains be made. The work of our socialist-feminist campaign NMM/Rosa International which organised a number of very lively activities in the last months, will therefore also be important for SLP activists in the coming period.
The capitalist crisis is tearing us all out of our previous comfort zones, even if these already offered little comfort. Only through collective and organized resistance can a movement emerge from this that represents an alternative to conspiracy idiocies and right-wing extremism and can overcome decaying capitalism internationally. The pressures on each of us will continue to grow. Psychological stresses that affected young and old even before the Covid crisis are intensifying. The socialist movement needs conscious handling and responses to this as well. The importance of the social and health sectors, made even more obvious by the Covid pandemic, means that the SLP will continue to put emphasis into this important work into this in the future.
The focus for attracting new activists will be on youth. Mass movements such as those against climate change will become politicized and more confrontational with the system of capitalism and its elites. Likewise, women or workers are among the most dynamic parts of movements and change. They comprise that part of the working class that is currently feeling the crisis particularly acutely. Above all, industrial action is inevitable in many sectors (health, care, social services, education, trade…).
International examples such as Poland show how quickly certain issues such as “self-determination over the body” can spark a political conflagration. Developments such as in Chile show how generalized movements can grow out of seemingly trivial issues, such as a fare increase, which can also take a wide range of other social and political conflicts with them. Being active in these movements and positively influencing them with our proposals and ideas will also be central for the SLP in the coming, eventful year. With the right program, a courageous method, and members who are aware of the upcoming upheavals and opportunities, even a very small organization can gain importance within a short time. The inevitable social struggles can thus be steered in the right direction and become the beginning of the end of capitalist chaos.
