Campaigns and Patronising Projects

The Communist University convenes this evening at 17h00 in the Women’s Jail, 1 Kotze Street, Constitution Hill. The scheduled topic is the first part of Karl Marx’s 1848 “Communist Manifesto”, “Bourgeois and Proletarians”. Comrade Thando will also be present to report back from Havana, Cuba. Next week’s (May 26th, same time and place) topic is scheduled to be Lenin’s “3 Sources and 3 Component Parts of Marxism” (see link below). However, we must discuss tonight as to when we can take the new SACP “State Power” document. Hard copies of both documents will be available. The launch of the State Power document was extensively covered in the media. The SACP Central Committee is meeting from today. Yesterday’s General Strike was an outstanding success. Linked below is COSATU’s own report. Peter Dwyer has responded to yesterday’s remarks here about the “Right to Work Campaign” run by the NGO AIDC in Cape Town. He says that he will happily answer questions. Perhaps he does not understand. The question is: How can we have a mass organisation run out of a funded NGO? It makes no difference whether AIDC is funded from overseas or not. The point is that NGOs have to obey their funders, or perish. They cannot place themselves under a democracy of people whom Peter is careful to call “activists and people who attend our local meetings”. These are not members of anything, they are just hangers-on, and basically unorganised, dependant, and without any power. But if on the other hand they actually are organised, with their own elective structure, then it would be nice to know about that. So far, Peter isn’t telling. See his linked message The name “Right to Work Campaign” is a blast from the past. The linked extract from Denver Walker’s 1985 book “Quite Right Mr Trotsky!” provides a brief re-cap. To anybody with even a slight acquaintance with British politics the term “Right to Work Campaign” is like a big flag saying “Socialist Workers Party” or “IS”. Peter Dwyer is from Britain. He knows all this. So the next question for Peter is, if he did not wish to be confused with a sectarian sub-Trotskyist organisation, why on earth did he choose the name “Right to Work Campaign”? Does he want to look like a political missionary? COSATU is the principle autonomous federation of trade unions in South Africa. A condition of affiliation, which is the material basis of COSATU’s independence, is that unions must be supported by the contributions of their members. The SACP is the vanguard party of the working class, explicitly recognised as such by COSATU. COSATU and the SACP are both in a liberation alliance with the ANC. The nature, history and possible future direction of this alliance is examined in detail in the new discussion document of the SACP on State Power. AIDC is a small NGO supported by donor funding. As to Peter Dwyer’s account of his relations with COSATU officials, that is not the business of the CU. President Fidel Castro Ruz of Cuba has taken down Forbes and company very nicely. See link. Finally, a notice for a Black Reflection event at Johannesburg’s Horror Café on June 13th – see link. Click on these links: COSATU Jobs and Poverty Campaign General Strike 18 May 2006 (1145 words) Three Sources & Three Component parts of Marxism (Lenin) (1838 words) Peter Dwyer and the Right to Work campaign (544 words) The original Right to Work campaign, from Denver Walker (648 words) Fidel refutes Forbes (718 words) Black Reflection 13 June 2006 (Flyer)