Mass And Constitution

Today is the 53rd anniversary of the legendary assault on the Moncada Barracks.in Cuba, one of that revolutionary county’s two great national days. We salute our brave and friendly Cuban comrades! Further concerning constitutions and in the absence of the “best in the world” Paris Commune constitution, it is a mistake to think that higher authority must always come down and “sort out” a local (or Provincial) problem. The late Rob Amato used to call his Sunday Independent column “Separation of Powers”. Maybe he did so with a sense of irony. At any rate, communists believe in the centralisation of all power in the hands of the (armed) people. In brief, this is the meaning of Power To The People! It means power from the bottom up, and not from the top down. The practical way to possess at least a “right of recall” in the present time is for the rank and file to know as well as, or even better than the platform, what are the rights and procedures of meetings. Above all, the chairperson must be reminded whenever necessary that he or she is the servant and not the master of any meeting. This is a knowledge that can be learned and a skill that can be practised. The first linked document below contains extracts from the British communist Wal Hannington’s famous manual on the Rules of Debate and Procedure of Meetings called “Mr Chairman”, first published in 1950. Some may say the title is sexist. But perhaps Hannington, too, was being ironic, and had the bullying, booming, stereotypical male in mind. Whether that is so or not, Hannington’s little book is the best we have on the subject. The WTO Dohar Round of talks has collapsed. See COSATU’s linked statement, below. The struggle continues. The Imperialists will seek to pick off countries one by one in unequal bilateral relationships, while the anti-Imperialists will seek to construct effective alliances. Iran is one of the major anti-Imperialist countries and it is directly threatened by war. Trade, Imperialism, war and peace are inseparably linked. Mass organisation for peace and justice is the best recourse. At Wits University in Johannesburg a three-day event kicks off on Friday evening at 17h00 at the John Moffat Building on the East Campus called “Is Labour History?” The jokey title panders to those revisionists and liquidationists who have always wanted to declare the end of mass organised labour and to deny its revolutionary destiny. The real question put by history is still “Reform or Revolution?” but the evasive academics don’t want to ask that one. They will take a slow train, stopping at all the small stations, hoping never to arrive at the main revolutionary point. See the linked document below. The ANC had an NEC meeting last week (see the link below). It announced among other things the preparations for ANC's 52nd National Conference. The NEC resolved that the National Conference would be held in December 2007. The National Conference is the highest decision-making structure of the ANC, and is held every five years. The National Conference is preceded by an extensive process of deliberation within all structures of the movement, beginning at the level of the ANC branch and including the convening of a National Policy Conference. The NEC resolved to hold the National Policy Conference in June/July 2007. Study “Mr Chairman” and be prepared. The circumstances of the death of construction worker Themba Manyathi are intolerable. See the linked COSATU statement. What kind of country is this? On Friday, July 28th in Pretoria, marchers will gather at the Frik Eloff Park, corner Rosemary and Lynwood Roads, Lynwood, Pretoria, at 13h45. They will then march to the Israeli embassy where a rally will be held. Click on these links: Mr Chairman, extracts, Procedure at meetings (1516 words) WTO talks collapse, statement of COSATU (377 words) Challenges facing labour movements, Wits University, 060728-31 (456 words) ANC NEC statement following NEC of 060721-22 (1397 words) Death of Themba Manyathi, statement of COSATU (330 words)