Archive for the Category 'The struggle for independence'
The League for the Fifth International (LFI) keeps expelling activists from its youth group REVOLUTION
The independent youth organization REVOLUTION was formed when the LFI expelled a large part of its youth group, which had also been called REVOLUTION. Here we reproduce a statement protesting against further expulsions from the LFI’s youth group. We apologize that the identical names are confusing, but as the statement shows, the LFI’s youth group is in the process of disappearing.
The League for the Fifth International (LFI) continues to expel members from its youth group REVOLUTION. In October 2006, the Revo groups in Germany, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Australia were expelled by the LFI. Now, in February 2008, a young activist has been expelled from the British Revo group. »»»»
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at the REVOLUTION UK National Conference
Welcome to the conference! If you’re reading this, you might not even realize that you are an Independent. As part of REVOLUTION, you signed up for an “independent socialist youth organization” – so isn’t everyone here an Independent? Not quite.
About three fourths of the active membership of Revo, and the entire leadership, are part of another organization called Workers Power (WP) / the League for the Fifth International (LFI). This is rarely mentioned – just search for a link to the LFI at www.worldrevolution.org.uk! – but the LFI determines Revo’s politics and structures. »»»»
Open letter of iRevo to the RIC and the LFI-IS
The statement is based on the discussions at the iRevo conference in Berlin on October 7, 2006 in Berlin. The conference charged one comrade with formulating the agreed points in a document. However, on October 14, before this document was finalized, the LFI faction declared we were expelled from Revo. Thus hey answered the question we posed at the end of our letter – “is your absolute control of REVOLUTION more important than the unity of our organization?” – with a loud “Yes!” »»»»
“We are for the complete independence of the youth leagues” – Lenin
We live in times in which the traditional organizations of the workers’ movement are in decline. Social democratic and Stalinist parties are losing influence amongst the workers – this lack of organization means that the class is less and less able to defend its historic gains. But at the same time it means that reformism is less and less able to hold back nascent struggles. »»»»
The current struggles in REVOLUTION center around questions of our relationship to our “mother organization”, the LFI: Is it correct to call a communist youth organization “independent” when all its decisions are made by an external, adult organization? Is it right for the LFI to work as a faction within REVOLUTION, and are they open about their factional work? Are there historical examples for “party” factions in the youth movement? How does Revo function, anyway? »»»»
It was decided to remove REVO Australia as a section and to relieve its members of rights and duties of REVOLUTION members on the Conference of REVOLUTION delegates in Prague 2006. In the opinion of Czech REVO leadership no sufficient and relevant reasons were given which would justify the above mentioned decision of the conference. On the opposite, the leadership of Czech REVO must claim that: »»»»
Statement of REVO Prague on the appeal of four comrades of REVO Australia against the decision of International Delegate Conference to remove REVO Australia as a section and to relieve its members of rights and duties of REVOLUTION members: »»»»
All non-LFI-members of Revo present at the first day of REVOCAMP 2006 founded an independent tendency in REVOLUTION.
We stand behind the concept and the programme of Revo. But we can’t recognize the structures of Revo which were created at a conference representing one single faction. We can’t accept the expulsion of Revo Australia. »»»»
We, the undersigned members of Revolution Australia, are writing to the RIC, and to Revolution members, to urge them to reject the decision of the Revolution International Delegates meeting, hosted in Prague, July 2006. The resolution that was adopted, sadly, rejected Revolution Australias right to be a section of Revolution; and somewhat cynically, suggested that individual members might want to sign up as sympathisers – supporters who do not have the rights, nor responsibilities of membership of Revolution. »»»»
In the run-up to the international conference of the communist youth organization REVOLUTION, the delegates and members of the international leadership who are not part of the League for the Fifth International (LFI) have been involved in an ongoing struggle to create an open and honest, independent revolutionary youth tendency. Political discussions about the future of REVOLUTION have been going on for several months, and have culminated in recent weeks in the documents for the second international delegate conference. The debate, which the LFI has posed as ‘democratic centralism or no democratic centralism’, expands far beyond these simple phrases. »»»»
“The entire history of the proletarian youth movement in every country shows that only independent, that is self-governing, youth organisations develop bold and determined revolutionary fighters and astute organisers of the proletarian revolution and soviet power.” (Theses on the Revolutionary Youth Movement, Second Congress of the Communist International, 1920)
In the mass movements against war and neoliberalism in the past few years, young people have played a bearing role. In France and Chile we saw once again how young people make up the mass of demonstrators, but lack their own political voice. The leadership of these movements is made up of established reformist parties; to radicalize the youth and break them from this leadership, we call for the creation of independent, revolutionary youth organizations, united in a youth international.
The question posed around this conference is the question if and how REVOLUTION is capable of advancing this project. »»»»