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GLOBAL LEFT MIDWEEK – PARTIES IN AND OUT OF POWER  
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_ Political concentration points in a chaotic world _

Communist Party of India-ML (Liberation) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya
speaks a rally announcing the merger of his party with the
Jharkhand-based Marxist Coordination Committee. Credit, Times of India


 

* Mexico’s Morena
* Wagenknecht: Stealing a March on the German Far Right
* Whatever Happened to Russia’s Communist Party?
* How the Chinese CP is Set Up
* Leftist Politics in African States
* Sordid Sectarianism
* Watching a UK Labour Party Conference
* Merger in India
* Marta Harnecker: Ideas for the Struggle (2016)
* Perspective for _Die Linke_

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MEXICO’S MORENA
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_Kurt Hackbarth_ / Jacobin (Brooklyn)

As MORENA faced its first competitive presidential candidate selection
in 2024, the youthful party underwent a major test that a number of
pundits predicted would end badly. Claudia Sheinbaum won Mexico’s
presidential election thanks to her party’s record of passing
universal social policies, respecting working-class voters, and
rejecting biased media narratives.

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WAGENKNECHT: STEALING A MARCH ON THE GERMAN FAR RIGHT
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_Nils Adler_ / Al Jazeera (Doha)

A little more than nine months after its birth, Sahra Wagenknecht's
new populist party is rapidly emerging as a major political force in
Europe’s largest economy, after stunning gains in recent state
elections. On paper, the BSW belongs on the left – the hard left,
even. But it advocates an unusual mix of left-leaning economic
policies and anti-immigration rhetoric.

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RUSSIA’S COMMUNIST PARTY?
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_Azamat Izmailov_ / Posle

No other party in post-Soviet Russian history has had as much expected
of it, and as persistently, as the Communist Party of the Russian
Federation (CPRF). Many have wondered if CPRF could potentially
disrupt the political and economic order established in the 1990s,
still perceived as highly unjust by a significant part of the
population.

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HOW THE CHINESE CP IS SET UP
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_Jane Cai_ / South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

With about 92 million members and nearly 5 million party units across
the nation, the Communist Party of China influences and oversees
almost every aspect of life in China, from the government to the army,
society and business. To an outsider, the sheer scale of the
Communist Party’s influence in China can be mind-boggling.

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LEFTIST POLITICS IN AFRICAN STATES
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_Ken Opalo_ / An Africanist Perspective (Washington DC)

For a region whose countries are mostly low-income, mired in stark
inequalities, and with a rich history of revolutionary left wing
politics and accompanying intellectual firepower, it is striking how
little traction contemporary Leftist politics gets in African
countries. African Leftists have historically exhibited an inherent
desire for the kind of structural changes that the region desperately
needs.

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SORDID SECTARIANISM
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_Aidan Beatty and David Browder _/ Jacobin

Gerry Healy led a high-profile Trotskyist party in the 70s. But his
authoritarianism and abuse of party members took the Workers
Revolutionary Party from sect to cult.

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WATCHING A UK LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE
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_Deborah Orr_ / Labour Hub (London)

I’ve been in and out of the Labour Party for years and would still
like to consider it a broad church. Certainly, my experience in my
local area is exactly that. We put our differences aside to work
together for the many and not the few. The 2024 Labour Party
Conference highlighted everything wrong with the Party and not the
overwhelming positives that we do in our communities.

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MERGER IN INDIA
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_Dipankar Bhattacharya_ / Liberation (New Delhi)

The merger of the Marxist Coordination Committee into the CPI(ML) has
been greatly welcomed by the broad Left ranks and well-wishers across
the country. The historic MCC-ML unification has now enriched the
CPI(ML) with the legacy and vision of Comrade AK Roy and other martyrs
and departed leaders of the Marxist Coordination Committee. 

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MARTA HARNECKER: IDEAS FOR THE STRUGGLE (2016)
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_Marta Harnecker_ / Socialist Alliance (Sydney)

These 12 articles were first published in Venezuela in 2004 and were
slightly modified in 2016. Readers should start from the topic that
most interests you and then read the rest of the text. As it is
impossible to develop all facets of an idea in two pages, only by
reading the whole text will readers be able to fully understand each
individual article.

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PERSPECTIVE FOR _DIE LINKE_

_Ines Schwerdtner and Jan van Aken_ / Neues Deutschland (Berlin)

[Translated by xxxxxx. Read the original text in German HERE
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The party’s basic program states: “The core strategic task of the
left is to contribute to a change in the balance of power in society
in order to implement a solidarity-based transformation of society and
a left-wing democratic, social, ecological and peaceful policy.”
This is more true today than ever: The country is pursuing a deeply
anti-social policy, the climate crisis is not being adequately
confronted and we are experiencing a militarization of society.

We have set ourselves the goal of improving this country, together
with everyone who is involved in unions, clubs, initiatives,
associations or movements, in the workplace or in the district. We
want to be a source of strength and hope for all those who are
excluded from our society, who keep the shop running and still don't
have enough left at the end of the month, who are afraid of the future
or who wish for a better world.

_Die Linke_ is needed as the only party that is unconditionally
committed to the people. As a party of social justice, as a party of
international law and peace, as a party of anti-fascism, feminism,
climate justice and as a party of international solidarity.

_Die Linke_ is needed as a party that takes concrete action on the
ground to address people’s everyday concerns, that takes up their
fights for improvements and also advocates radical reforms that will
enable people to begin to exit capitalism. That is what a socialist
party is all about.

Two goals should be at the center of all considerations for _Die
Linke_:

* In the short term, we want to return to the Bundestag in the 2025
federal election.
* At the same time, we want to strengthen the party so that it can
once again have a decisive influence on social debates on the key
issues of the future, becoming a social force that is firmly anchored
and recognized by all those who want to fight for a better world and
against the right-wing threat.

Both are not only possible, but also very realistic. Basically,
however, the party must function as a united collective once again. If
we can live in solidarity with one another, we can become the strong
left-wing force that is so urgently needed in this country. As a team,
not as an ensemble of soloists. How wonderful it would be to have a
new revolutionary collegiality in the debates, both internally and
externally! Only when we ourselves cultivate solidarity can we
convince society of the possibility of a different, better world.

We have to admit that we have not lived up to our claim. In the major
crises and contradictions of recent years, _Die Linke_ was not clear
enough. At a time when people wanted guidance on issues such as war,
inflation, ecological restructuring and migration, we were too timid.
We allowed ourselves to be torn apart by the contradictions. In recent
months, we have had to learn what it means when the house is on fire.
But a burning house is not an invitation to move in. Now it is a
matter of putting out the fire and drawing up a plan for the
renovation.

WINNING PEOPLE BACK FOR THE FEDERAL ELECTION

It is true that a damaged image cannot be repaired in a few months.
But four strategic orientations at least offer the chance to make the
party more visible and attractive again:

* DARE TO HAVE MORE HOPE. We offer visionary ideas and solutions
that warm the heart, that are realistic and compatible, and yet go a
step further. They embody a fundamental, socialist, solidarity-based
idea. While others capitalize on fear, we want to encourage people and
offer concrete solutions. We show paths to hope, to a world in which
capitalism is not the end of history. These are not slogans, but very
concrete visions for redistribution and for a strong welfare state –
and beyond. This applies to housing, healthcare, pensions and
education. We are the party of dignity and social security in times of
budget cuts and attacks on the welfare state. In the federal election
campaign, we are campaigning for the abolition of the debt brake
[legal restriction of government spending] and also for a strong role
for the state in economic and structural policy.
 
* CREATE CLARITY. The social question remains our core. The other
big questions of our time are without question peace, democracy and
climate justice. These are the issues that have torn us apart in
recent years. The fight for PEACE is in our DNA. As a party, we
unconditionally support international law and the protection of those
who suffer from the wars of this world. For us, there are no double
standards; we condemn US or Turkish wars of aggression just as we
condemn the Russian one in Ukraine. No human rights violation can ever
justify another, whether in Israel, Gaza or elsewhere. Our pacifism
means the primacy of the civil: using diplomatic and other
non-military means to end wars and de-escalate conflicts. Words
instead of weapons! In the new bloc confrontation, we rely on the
strategic autonomy of the European Union. And there must be no further
rearmament and internal turning point in society; we will put the
issue of disarmament back on the agenda.
Clarity is also needed on the issue of MIGRATION. We stand for a
humane right to asylum for each and every individual, as well as for
humane treatment of immigration and of all those who are already here
and are suffering more and more from the shift to the right and
xenophobia. This also means developing a realistic, humane immigration
concept and being able to stand up to the right-wing culture war. The
mother of all problems is the neoliberal drying up of our welfare
state and local authorities and the deeply unfair distribution of
wealth in this country. We stand for combating the causes of flight as
well as for better equipment for local authorities and humane care for
all people living here. Adhering to these principles does not exclude
taking seriously the population’s fear of losing control. That is
why we are fighting for better housing, good jobs and more educational
opportunities for everyone.
THE FIGHT AGAINST THE RIGHT is a fight for solidarity and democracy.
The left will play an important role in all mobilizations against Nazi
marches. It will endure the balancing act of criticizing the traffic
light government for preparing the ground for the right with its
neoliberal policies on the one hand, and on the other hand working
with all democratic forces to improve social conditions where
possible. We will DEFEND DEMOCRACY against all attempts to abolish or
undermine it. Together with all democratic forces, we want to oppose
the massive attacks on democratic achievements in Germany and Europe.
And we are an ECO-SOCIALIST PARTY. The fight against the climate
catastrophe is the great human question of our time – socially just
answers must be found for it. The ecological restructuring of the
economy must focus on the interests of the workforce and wage earners.
It is about a sustainable economy in the hands of those who produce.
The energy supply belongs in public hands and under democratic
control; We are fighting for massive investments in railways and
housing; in the core areas of transformation, the employees and the
unions are our experts. Together with them, we are developing models
of economic control and sustainable production.
We live by these themes; they are the basis and orientation for every
decision we make and the cornerstone of every communication – even
if they are not the focus of our core campaigns.
 
* FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. In order to be able to develop a recognizable
profile again, we need to focus on a few core demands that we
constantly emphasize, as we did when we founded the party. This focus
will be on one of the pressing issues of our time. To do this, we will
develop one or at most two very specific campaigns on the social issue
that will drive government policy forward and give the left a
practical use. These focus campaigns will help us to become publicly
visible again and create spaces in which we can then tell the whole
story and spread our ideas to the wider society. One of the most
pressing questions of our time is the housing question. We are
answering it very specifically with a nationwide rent cap, which would
immediately take the pressure off millions of tenants. But we also
combine this demand with the vision that not a single square
millimeter of land in Germany will be privatized. Municipalities,
federal and state governments only lease land to non-profit companies
so that no one can ever again buy a Porsche with our rent. The goal is
a massive expansion of the social infrastructure with a growing public
or cooperative sector that is not committed to maximizing profits, but
to improving the lives of the majority.
 
* OUR PLACE IN THE SPECTRUM OF PARTIES is not just to be a
corrective to other parties. Our politics aims at improving things for
the broad majority. There are people for whom capitalism is not the
end of history and who have a deep-seated longing for a world of
solidarity in all social circles of wage earners, whether in the city
or in the country. We will need them all if we want to have a right to
exist as a party. Nevertheless, we need strategic clarity about how we
want to address the broad spectrum of the class without becoming
arbitrary. Socialist class politics means taking the situation, the
perspectives, the pride in one's own achievements, the demands for
self-determination and co-determination of the wage-earning classes in
all their everyday contradictions as a starting point. We want to lead
battles against the wealthy and win majorities for reforms that
provide alternatives to the profit economy. In the past, _Die Linke_
was always strong when it connected those at the very bottom of
society with those who are worried about their future and long for a
better and more solidarity-based world. Let us reunite these people
who are separated from each other every day in capitalist competition!
We want to be a left-wing people’s party. 

LONG-TERM STRATEGIC ORIENTATION AND PARTY BUILDING

A good result in the federal election will secure our existence, but
we are not just basing our new beginning on short-term electoral
successes, but also on a long-term strategic perspective that will
anchor _Die Linke_ in society again, and from there make it a
political force that can change things for the better. _Die Linke_
must put itself in a position to be able to decisively shape social
debates and become an important focal point for progressive social
mobilization.

The following key points of a strategic orientation will play an
important role:

* PROGRAM PROCESS: A socialist party must act in line with the
times. That is why we need a program process in the coming years on
all the key issues of our time, which will give us new analytical
clarity and put us back in a position to be able to speak. This is not
about throwing the entire program overboard, but rather making some
points more concrete and anchoring them in the present.
* A PARTY THAT ORGANIZES: _Die Linke_ is an active membership party
that fights with the people, for the people. We organize counter-power
and we provide resources and structures for those who fight against
injustice or filthy conditions at work or in their place of residence.
* A PARTY THAT IS URGENTLY NEEDED: _Die Linke_ has always been
strong when it made a difference in people’s lives. We are building
on this tradition and making individual support in everyday life and
on legal issues the center of our daily work again. We do neighborhood
work, our offices are social contact points, we want to celebrate
festivals, organize football tournaments or free breakfasts and stay
in permanent contact with people through information stands and
door-to-door conversations. Many of us are already doing this; let’s
use these experiences and generalize from them.
* AT THE HEART OF RURAL AND URBAN DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS: Party
development will not concentrate on individual federal states or
regions, but on all places where there are active structures. It is
important to maintain local political bastions in the east and west
and to support, as best as possible, those whose work has potential.
Those who are actively involved in _Die Linke_ in the municipalities
are the backbone of our party. If we strengthen them as a federal
party, it will strengthen us all.
* We will take our EXPERIENCE IN STATE AND LOCAL POLITICS more
seriously and develop it together.
* POLITICAL EDUCATION: The experience of our comrades is our
greatest treasure. We have neglected to take it up and pass it on to
future generations. In the coming years, it will be crucial to develop
the skills and knowledge of our members and raise them to a higher
level. To do this, we need educational programs and sponsorships
between new and experienced members. A party only has a future if it
knows its past.
* ALLIANCES with unions, progressive forces, initiatives and
organizations at all levels. Our goal must be to be recognized and
taken seriously as a party in alliances, in an effort to develop a
common, world-changing perspective.
* A DIFFERENT PARTY: _Die Linke_ stands for credibility. We are here
to change something in the world with our heart and soul, not to make
a career. We need to be much clearer about that. We are therefore
campaigning in the Bundestag for a maximum term limit of three terms.
All members of the Bundestag will donate at least half of their salary
to a social fund. The mandate obliges them to participate in building
up the party and to put themselves at the service of the party.

With these steps, we believe, we can succeed in becoming a proud and
strong socialist force. Everything that defines this party and what
once made it strong is still in it – above all, in its own members.
Rebuilding our house means focusing, first and foremost, on our party,
but not just on our party. Our house is the world in which we want to
live. “Making the world our home” is what Ernst Bloch calls it in
his “Principle of Hope.” We follow this principle, not out of
naïveté, but out of the conviction that a different world is
possible if we fight for it together.

* Mexico
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* Morena
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* Claudia Sheinbaum
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* AMLO
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* Sahra Wagenknecht
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* Germany
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* Communist Party of the Russian Federation
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* Russia
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* China
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* Communist Party of China
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* Africa
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* Left Politics
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* UK
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* Gerry Healy
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* Trotskyism
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* sectarianism
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* Labour Party
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* India
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* Communist Party of India Marxist-Leninist Liberation
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* Marxist Coordination Committee
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* Marta Harnecker
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* Left Strategies
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* Ideas for the Struggle
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* Die Linke
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