Vancouver Politics as Usual - False Opposition Coalitions
September 8, 2003
by Autonomist
One of the great stumbling blocks that is impeding the development of any revolutionary movement against oppression in Vancouver is the existence of coalitions that pose as grassroots opposition organizations, and are primarily dominated by white, middle class intellectuals and political party members or trade union officials.
The problem is a simple one. Poor and working class people need to organize autonomously (independently) in order to fight for their own interests, in order to engage effectively in the class war between exploiter and exploited. When organizations are not clearly focused around autonomy and direct action, it becomes easy for middle class officials to dominate and divert such groups. The result is demoralization and inaction. Middle class trade union bureacrats and politicians defend their own interests, which are to protect their positions of power and privilege at the expense of poor and working people.
The two coalitions in Vancouver that fit this decrepit model are StopWar.ca and Lower Mainland Coalition for Social Justice (LMCSJ). Both are infested with New Democratic Party (NDP) and Canadian AutoWorkers (CAW) parasites (among other aspiring politicians such as the president of the Hospital Employees Union, and pathetic fundamentalist groups like the International Socialists, Communist Party of Canada and Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice).
At meetings of these coalitions any proposed direct action is immediately discouraged, if not denounced. The sole purpose of the coalitions in the minds of the political parasites is to continue with politics as usual in Vancouver, mobilizing entirely symbolic and useless protest marches, which are seen in terms of gaining poltical legitimacy and media air time, and potentially recruiting members through distributing party newspapers. None of this, of course, has anything to with the fight of poor and working people against exploitation.
The alternative to all this would be explicitly anti-capitalist, autonomous, direct action organizations capable of communicating and coordinating effective action on a variety of levels.
Only then can the everday struggles of poor and working people against their class enemy have space to grow and interact, opening the potential for rebellion.
Direct action, as opposed to political action, can win material gains and strengthen the solidarity and fighting spirit of the exploited class. Strikes, picket lines, blockades, occupations, squats and other actions have proven to be empowering, effective and liberating, while the pathetic games of politicians have always led to stagnancy , defeat and betrayal.
For autonomous anti-capitalist organization!