La year ago.
The growth of opposition inside the French Communist Party (PCF) dates from the split in the Union of the Left September 1977 with the PCF on one side and the Socialist (PS) and bourgeois Left the other.
The apparent reason for the split was the PS's refusal to accept the PF's proposals on nationalisation. It also reflected the fact that the PCF, which has always claimed to be the party of the working class, was rapidly being overtaken by the PS in electoral terms.
In this situation the party leadership nad a choice: break fundamentally with its past practices, launching political fight for unity based on the struggles of the working class ratner simply negotiations between apparatuses; or to try stabilise its own forces through a retreat into sectarianism.
Not surprisingly, in view of its whole history, it chose the latter.
Hence the PCF leadership placed the entire responsibility for the election defeat on the PS, even though its refusal to pledge in advance that it would withdraw in favour of betterplaced PS candidates in the second round was a major factor in breaking working class unity.
Since then its repeated attacks on the PS have reached beginning to echo the Period" denunciations of the social-democratic parties "social-fascist' in the 1930s.
There is a small problem with oppose leadership's line but have no means of expressing their With a party congress less than two months off, things are now coming to a head in the opposition which has simmered since the left's election defeat this, however: half its members joined the party after 1972 during the time when the PCF placed emphasis on the need for the Union of the Left with the PS. The rapid switch leadership i has left confused, and moralised.
So the retreat into sectarianism has been coupled with an internal crackdown on all who question this policy.
Oppositionists have
ousted positions responsibility, and denied the possibility of through party channels.
The 23rd congress PCF, to be held from 9 to 13 May, is intended to mark a further stage in this process of consolidating the and leadership at all levels, and weeding out the dissidents. party The way that the congress is being organised leadership means that the outcome conclusion. main text has submitted for discussior the leadership. No other texts are allowed, although Pablo-Picasso In mandy had the temerity to put one forward.
Gaston Plissonnier from the party secretariat wrote to them to explain why it would not be distributed to the membership: *The method which consists of preparing a congress on the basis of several texts is a blow to the right of each member to participate separately in determining the policy of the party. as does, this actually amount to? Grahame Lock described in the August monthly Marxism Today how the policy the determined at its 22nd congress which volca, things, to drop all references to the dictatorship proletariat: *Plissonnier l Humanite, *4,968 amendments presented by the sections to the federal conferences, of which were transmitted to the National Congress"... entire 'He forgets to add, however, La small but not insignificant point: that not one of these by the amendments was adopted! The them final Resolution accepted by de- the Congress was precisely the Draft Resolution, word word, comma for comma. And unanimously: course it was …OI The rigid control over the been pre-congress discussion has put the dissidents in a quandary. Not only do they have a variety discussion of different Amount an open challenge to the leadership.
This came out clearly at a dissident meeting apparatus February called by supporters of Louis Althusser to discuss Eastern Europe.
Discussion inevitably spilled over onto the broader questions involved in the party debate. foregone The Althusserian urged caution: "We aren't here been either prepare - bi congress tendency.' the But as Hélène Parmelin, a Nor- member of the PF for 35 years and a tormer lournalist l'Humanité, pointed out: 'You don't have the courage of your logic, to offer an alternative, a reason why all those in the party who are ready to leave it should remain Parmelin is among those who have signed a motion circulated by a new Luttes et debats (Struggles and 'right' Debates), which puts forward an alternative to the leadership text's globally ance-sheet on Eastern Europe by proposing of the PCF was among other of the tells us [in May 1978]:
were for adopted viewpoints, but prepared tc on chairperson the 23rd - form on
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Communist Party members who disagreements within the party.
FRANCE has a new growth industry: the production | 1978 issue of the British CP of articles, pamphlets, books, even TV programmes