The European Left and Left Unity – what’s
it all about?
Len Arthur – LU Wales
Left Unity is an international
political party. We are socialists as our aim is to end capitalism, and we
recognise that we have to fight for this transformation at an international and
national level; both are terrains of struggle and are interlinked. It is not
possible to prioritize one over the other.
Our first step in taking this aim
forward has been to join the Party of the European Left (EL) as an observer
member. From the current year we have been sending two delegates to EL meetings
and delegates will be attending the fifth congress in Berlin in December.
This article provides a brief
overview of the EL, its politics, how it works and what it is like being a
participant.
Background
The EL was formed in 2004 over
two separate conferences first in Berlin then in Rome. Talks about establishing
a radical left and green alliance had started in 1998 between communist,
socialist and green parties from across Europe, in part influenced by changes
in Russia and East Europe, the communist parties and the coming together of the
European Social Forum.
The link to the founding document
with the full aims follows but here is a key part which reflects closely those of
Left Unity.
“Therefore we refer to the values and
traditions of the socialist, communist and labour movement, of feminism, the
feminist movement and gender equality, of the environmental movement and
sustainable development, of peace and international solidarity, of human
rights, humanism and antifascism, of progressive and liberal thinking, both
nationally and internationally. We work together in the tradition of the
struggles against capitalist exploitation, ecological destruction, political
oppression and criminal wars, against fascism and dictatorship, in resistance
to patriarchal domination and discrimination against "others".”
In the European Parliament the
European Left Unity/Nordic Green Alliance (GUE/NGL) existed in various forms
before the foundation of the EL, evolving from a Communist and Allies group and
first using the GUE bit of the name from 1989.
http://www.guengl.eu/group/history and from 1995
the NGA became part of the group.
Following the 2014 European
Elections 52 MEPs are now part of this group, including 27 from parties of the
European Left. The group includes Podemos and Sinn Fein and here is a full
list:
http://www.guengl.eu/group/delegations
The EL currently
Membership of the EL is currently
made up of 32 parties covering 23 different European countries with another 15
parties under consideration for membership. Left Unity is one of these 32
member parties and the only one from the UK. We are ‘observer’ members which
although we are defined as ‘consultants’ means that we have full participation
rights, except at the level of the Council of Chairpersons.
Collective individual membership
of the EL is around 500,000. There are considerable variations across countries
so in the UK as Left Unity we have around 1250 members whereas the two EL affiliated
parties in Spain have around 107,000. Individual membership figures are
important as they indicate the number of activists across Europe that can be
mobilised in campaigns, solidarity and struggles at the national and
international level.
Political influence can in part
be gauged through votes. In the national election taking place in 2014 - 15 EL
parties had around 11m not including those for other parties in the GUE/NGL
group of MEPs. In terms of direct action, in France, the CGT trade union which is closely allied to EL
member the French Communist Party, is taking a leading role in the direct
action against the proposed anti labour legislation and other austerity
measures.
Theoretical developmen is coordinated through Transform which is funded by the various
political research foundations of EL parties, such a the Rosa Luxemburg
foundation in Germany.
http://www.transform-network.net/home.html. Kate Hudson and Felicity Dowling of
Left Unity have both had articles in recent Transform publications.
EL’s latest political statement from 2013
“For us, there is no question of
waiting for the European Union to crumble, and for the monsters that could
emerge from the rubble, nor of promoting nationalist solutions setting the
peoples against one another. The European Left, which we represent, is
internationalist and stands together in solidarity. We strive towards a
socialist alternative, a civilisation freed from capitalism, exploitation,
oppression and capitalist violence. Ours is a vision that guarantees not only a
distribution of wealth that supports work and an advanced social and economic development
model, but also democracy, equality, democratic and social rights for all
European citizens.
It is to this end that we fight for a
re-foundation of Europe, in other words, for a new definition of its
objectives, policies and structures; an economic, productive, social and
ecological model that is totally different, and that is based on solidarity,
social justice and popular sovereignty.”
It is worthwhile reading through
the statement as there is much to give heart to someone who supports the
argument that another Europe is possible, especially when the organizational size
and scope of the EL and the GUE/NGL is taken into account.
Within the European Parliament
the GUE/NGL has taken positions and made proposals which go some way toward
putting this political statement into action:
Next steps
A new political statement is
currently under development heading toward the Berlin conference in December
2016.
As Left Unity we have been fully
involved in the process of developing this statement and the action and
campaigning priorities that will follow from it. I was one of the elected LU
delegates to a recent meeting of the EL executive board in Porto toward the end
of April. Here is the report of that meeting that I produced for LU. It
provides what I would like to think is an insight into current policy and
campaigning concerns of the EL as well as a ‘feel’ for how it all really works:
http://chwithunedigcymru.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/report-of-party-of-european-left.html.
Developing
this political statement is not straightforward and the acceptance of the
austerity programme by the Greek Syriza government was a defeat, having very
serious consequences for the Greek people and on how, as socialists, we see a
social transformation from capitalism taking place. The EL is prepared to have
that debate but it is yet to take place.
Conclusion
We argue as
Left Unity that ‘another Europe is possible’ and for a remain vote in the
referendum. We argue that case whilst being very critical of the EU. We don’t believe in pipe dreams or grand
rhetoric but in working with socialists across Europe, taking real steps toward
this aim. It is hoped that this article can help provide some confidence that
this can and will happen.
Left Unity,
being a member of the EL, is central to our argument.
