---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Great Transition Network <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 10:49 PM Subject: A World Political Party: The Time Has Come (GTN Discussion) To: <[email protected]>
From Ronaldo Munck <[email protected]>
------------------------------------------------------- It is great to see Heikki articulating the case for a World Political Party. As Paul says, if we disagree or have another option for an adequate vehicle for global transformation, we should offer it up. While there is not space to do that here, I will make a few points. What we are offered or suggested is a new global political party, defined as “an open ethico-political association in pursuit of a broad program of societal reorganization on a global scale. A WPP offers the most promise for fostering political coherence in civil society.” What is suggested as a precursor is the Varoufakis-inspired European civil society movement DiEM25 which “intends to have a draft constitution prepared by 2025 that, if adopted, would replace all existing European treaties. Beyond this process, the movement strives to overcome austerity and harmful competition in Europe with concrete policy proposals, including the dedication of 500 billion euros per year to green investment and industrial conversion.” What is immediately apparent to me is the mismatch between the enormity of the tasks set and the relative lack of visibility of the vehicle proposed to meet the challenges. You cannot just ignore the current political party set-up, the state alliances, and the forces contesting them and just wish a WPP into existence. Is it to be ‘beyond left and right’? The Third Way also said that. Is to be transnational? Take a group of European intellectuals, add Assange and Chomsky, and off we go? To call this utopian thinking does not even begin to describe the analytical and political problems emerging. There seems little strategic notion of any sort to describe or think how we get from the here to where we want to go. For me, one of the underlying conceptual problems in this call is the reliance on the notion of global civil society, which I (and others) have critiqued at length elsewhere ( www.researchgate.net/publication/225521084_Global_Civil_Society_Royal_Road_or_Slippery_Path ). Global civil society (GCS) in contemporary guise (See, for example, John Keane's Democracy and Civil Society or Mary Kaldor's Global Civil Society: An Answer to War) is based on universalist moral norms and values. This normative vision owes much to the work of Habermas, in particular the importance of communicative dialogue to fulfill the promise of the European Enlightenment. Thus, GCS is an ideal or virtual space, quite distinct from the actually existing civil societies around the world. This normative space is characterized by non-instrumental dialogue and ethical principles. It eschews all that smacks of self-interest and, of course, the merest hint that force might play a role in progressive social change and democratization. Reflecting its origins in Eastern European oppositional discourse pre-1989, this view of GCS is deeply imbued with the notion of “anti-politics,” the rejection of all state-oriented or party or mass politics in favour of an ethical, moral, and individualistic conception of the good politics. I have no problem with that, but it is not a global perspective. It cannot be the basis for a World Political Party because it does not reflect the politics of the global South in any way. Think of the rise of Bolsonaro in Brazil now and what it will mean for progressive forces (civil society if you will) there. The struggle against this will be built by the trade unions, peasant movements, and community organisations and by those seeking to rebuild the Workers Party to make it fit for purpose again. So, I am not against Heikki’s project -- how could anyone? -- but I would just like to point out that it does not travel well in the parts of the world where struggle is raw. Ronaldo Munck *************************************************** Thursday, January 3, 2019
From Paul Raskin <[email protected]>
----- Dear GTN, Our 2018 forums have spotlighted key movement streams (with more in the queue for 2019). We have generated a remarkable compendium of essays and commentary that stands as a unique resource for understanding the vitality and diversity of progressive forces now at play. Significantly, the series affirms the fundamental GT premise that different oppositional paths can lead to a shared conviction: we must urgently act collectively for global transformation.* Yet, the nagging sense persists that the current array of movements remains too fragmented and weak for the task of systemic change. The political culture still lacks an overarching global organizing framework for nurturing synergy, mobilizing the discontented, and spreading new social visions – not to mention serving ultimately as an instrument for attaining public power. What might such a framework look like? The question brings me to our January discussion. Heikki Patomäki offers an answer in his new essay, “A World Political Party: The Time Has Come.” Heikki envisions a World Political Party (WPP) as a transnational association dedicated to democratic principles and processes that, under an umbrella of shared principles and aims, spawns a vast network of semiautonomous nodes at all levels. While noting the high hurdles to establishing a WPP, Heikki points to the deepening world crisis that compels the attempt and makes success plausible; indeed, he believes an important precursor has already been launched. What do you think? Please read the essay at www.greattransition.org/publication/world-political-party, and let us know. Does the idea of a WPP resonate? How would you modify Heikki’s conception? To those of you pursuing other approaches to fostering movement coherence, this would be a terrific time to tell us about them. Since we’re starting late, the discussion will go through Monday, February 4. Over to you, Paul * See the framing paper that kicked off this series at www.greattransition.org/publication/how-do-we-get-there. ------------------------------------------------------- Hit reply to post a comment on the GT Network Read all comments (or reply) at https://greattransition.org/forum/gti-discussions/209-a-world-political-part... Note: Expect a delay between posting and receiving your comment Need help? Email [email protected] -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens