Here in North America, both in Canada and the United States, federal elections are on the horizon. The Canadian situation is rather simple and clear cut, as we are allowed to vote for all 338 members of Parliament. The party which gets to elect the majority of Members of Parliament, or at least more members than any other party, gets to appoint a Prime Minister. The powers that be, which is to say the ruling class, the bourgeoisie, has relieved us of the burden of voting for any member of the Senate, as any and all Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister. So much for our democratic right to vote for our political leaders!
There are currently five political parties recognized in Canada, or at least five political parties which receive all the press coverage. The two major parties are the Liberal and Conservative parties, and power usually passes between them. The other, minor parties, are the New Democratic Party, commonly referred to as the NDP, the Parti Quebecois, or the Bloc Quebecois, commonly referred to as the Bloc, which is active only in Quebec, and the Green Party. The best these smaller parties can hope to do is to hold the balance of power.
This is completely incidental to the fact that the revolutionary movement is sweeping North America and the most important thing now is to raise the level of awareness of the working class. The best way to do this, if not the only way, is to focus on topics which concern the working class, and not just wages and working conditions. A federal election is sure to get their attention, and we can use that as a platform to carry our message.
With that in mind, I can suggest we use the communication tools which have recently become available, by which I of course mean that which is commonly referred to as the internet. That includes facebook, youtube and email, among other methods of ”social net working”, assuming that is the correct term. Revolutionaries of years gone by were forced to rely on the printed word, distributed leaflets and managed as best they could with the tools on hand, and in fact they did a most impressive job. That does not mean that we should confine ourselves to such primitive methods. Most workers now have computers, and either know how to use them or have children who can assist them, as I have.
Those of us who are conscious people, followers of Marx and Lenin, Communists, can advise people to vote in the upcoming election, as voting is very important, and to vote for the candidate of their choice. We can also suggest that they join the party or parties of their choice. If enough people join the parties, then the party leaders will have to listen to them. Then they can push through policy changes and decide the individuals to run for office. Of course they can make sure the people running for any and all political office are Leftist people. That includes the Liberals and the Conservatives.
At the same time we can make it clear that at the moment, all main stream political parties support capitalism, and that includes the three minor parties. There is really no essential difference between the parties, as all serve the same class, the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. Capitalism must be overthrown and replaced by a socialist republic, and the capitalists must be crushed under the iron boot of the working class, in the form of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. If the only way to persuade working people of this is to elect people to Parliament, as Leftist people, then so be it. Once these people are elected to Parliament, working people will soon realize that they cannot or will not make any significant change. In short, working people will then realize that we are right.
Our goal is to raise the consciousness of the working class, not to win seats in Parliament. But even if we do win such seats, then Parliament can be used as a platform to spread our message.
As part of our campaign to elect Leftist people to Parliament, we can make the point that the capitalists are careful not to mention the word capitalism. They would have us believe it does not exist, just as they maintain classes do not exist. We can also stress the fact that we live under capitalism in its highest stage, that of monopoly capitalism, which is called imperialism. These are all scientific terms with which the working class must become familiar. We may add that the capitalists mention the word imperialism only in terms of ridicule. To think that the imperialists mock the use of the word imperialism!
One of the tricks of the capitalists is to confuse capitalism with democracy. They maintain that Communists are a threat to democracy. They are careful not to mention that the democracy to which they are referring is their own democracy, the democracy of the capitalists, the bourgeoisie. We live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. It is our goal, the goal of Communists, to transform that dictatorship into its opposite, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
It is a mistake to think that the forthcoming revolution will abolish classes. It will not. It will not give rise to an age of peace and harmony, an ”age of Aquarius”, as predicted by the astrologers. On the contrary, after the Russian revolution of 1917, the Russian capitalists absolutely did not resign themselves to a life of servitude to the workers, the proletariat. It was only in 1920, three years after the revolution, that Lenin was led to conclude the following: ”The Dictatorship Of the Proletariat means a most determined and most ruthless war waged by the new class against a more powerful enemy, the bourgeoisie, whose resistance is increased tenfold by their overthrow” (italics by Lenin).
We can expect a similar resistance after our forthcoming North American revolution, as the bourgeoisie, the capitalists, will spare no effort to restore their ”paradise lost”, at the expense of the working class, the proletariat, of course.
As for those who think that the manner in which I have phrased this is repetitive, you are absolutely correct. It is repetitive, and bear in mind that is the way we learned the alphabet. We have got to phrase our message in such a way that it can be understood by the vast majority of the working class, including those who are the least advanced. Those who care enough to vote are our target audience. At the same time, it is necessary to drive home the point that we, the working people, are all part of a separate class, a working class, a class of proletarians, a class which has nothing to sell but our labor power. Further, the class of capitalists make their profit off our labor, so that the harder they work us and the less they pay us, the higher their profit. Even the least advanced should be able to understand this concept, when phrased in those terms.
We must also drive home the point that those of us who work for wages, who work by the hour, are members of the working class, proletarians. The capitalists would have us believe that those of us who are able to make ends meet are members of the middle class. We are not. We are merely more fortunate members of the working class. The members of the middle class are those who own small businesses, and there are increasingly fewer of those, as the monopolies continue to grow, becoming ever bigger and stronger, squeezing out the competition, forcing smaller companies into bankruptcy. The owners of these small businesses are forced into the ranks of the working class. Size matters, and in fact it matters a great deal. Any and all former members of the middle class can testify to that.
Another trick the capitalists have is to refer to working people as ”the little guy”. We are not the little guy, we are working class people, and we all have a common enemy. That common enemy is of course the capitalist class, the bourgeoisie, and those people come in all sizes, shapes and colours. They are also members of both genders, male and female, and of various ethnic backgrounds. These are the points we have got to drive home to the members of the public, the working class.
I can suggest that each conscious person, which is to say Communist, write something out, to that effect, using their own words, and send it to all of their friends on facebook. Further, suggest that those friends send a similar message to their friends. We can encourage working people to join the party or parties of their choice. Assuming enough people join the parties, then those people can determine policy and the individuals to run for any and all political offices, and that includes Parliament. If enough people do this, then there is no reason that Parliament cannot be flooded with Leftist people. They will then soon learn that it will change nothing, as the capitalists will remain in charge.
We may use as an example the fact that for eight years, in America, a black man was president. Those who expected radical change were deeply disappointed. No change of face or political party, in Ottawa or in Washington, will change the fact that we live under capitalism, and the capitalists are in charge.
It would be a bonus if the leaders of those minor parties would agree to an alliance with us, but not necessary. We can use the internet to put forward our belief in the necessity of the overthrow of capitalism, of the fact that no change of face or political party in Ottawa will make any difference, that the capitalists are in charge and have to be overthrown. The working class has to establish the Dictatorship of the Proletariat, and it is very doubtful that any mainstream political party will ally itself with those of us who advocate such a thing.
The situation in the United States, which I refer to as America, as that is the word they prefer to use, is quite similar. There are only two mainstream political parties in the country, the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats are considered to be more progressive, as the word ”liberal” is thought to be derogatory. The Republicans are thought to be more conservative, although the fact is that both parties serve the same class, the bourgeoisie. This is another way of saying that both parties are completely reactionary. Trump is the poster child for reaction.
The president is allowed to serve a maximum of two terms of four years each. There are one hundred senators, two from each state, and each serves a term of six years. Every two years one third of them run for office. There is also the House of Representatives, commonly referred to as the Congress, which consists of 435 members, and each serves a two year term.
Strangely enough, the federal elections are held in early November, while the candidates who win the election are not sworn into office until late January. During that roughly ten week period, the American public is spared the agony of listening to politicians campaigning for office. That is about the only time Americans are given a reprieve from the election propaganda.
In Canada, the federal election campaigns are -mercifully- rather short, at least compared to the Americans. The next American election is still twenty months away, and yet even now, at this early date, there are just as many candidates running for office as there are months before the election, which is to say twenty candidates, and that is just on the part of the Democrats. The press reports that numerous Republicans are also planning to run against Trump.
Among the candidates for office are those who refer to themselves as ”independent socialists”, including a certain senator from Vermont, who may well run for president as a democrat. There is essentially no difference between a democrat and an independent socialist.
I can only suggest that Communists in America adopt similar tactics, encouraging people to join the two parties, as card carrying members and not just registered members. If enough working people join the two parties, then as ”party bosses”, they will determine not only policy, but also the individuals to run for political office. There is no reason that Washington cannot be flooded with Leftist people, social democrats and social republicans.
Of course, the idea is not to win, but to raise the level of awareness of the working class, using the election campaign as a platform to spread the message.
There is another tactic which comes to mind, one that has proven to be quite successful, employed by members of Leftist groups. It involves leading a group of people to the houses of members of the Trump administration, or to the restaurants which such people frequent, and having a little demonstration. The contrast between the luxurious homes of such people and the squalor which others endure, especially the homeless and immigrants, is striking.
I can only suggest taking this a little further, carrying signs which call for the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a democratic socialist republic under the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. These demonstrations should be caught on video and placed on the internet, perhaps on you tube. A spokesperson can explain the purpose of the demonstration and the necessity of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, among other things. It would be a bonus if the spokesperson for the group was a ”celebrity”, by which I mean a person who is well known to the members of the public, perhaps a movie star or famous actor.
The reason for this is simple, even if a bit strange. Working people, members of the public, pay strict attention to celebrities. As for those who doubt this, bear in mind that the scandal sheets, the tabloids, are doing a booming business. We do not have to understand the attraction of celebrities, but we can use it to our advantage and have them carry the message to the working class. Most of these people are actors, and know the importance of entertainment. They can be counted upon to phrase the message in a manner which is entertaining, appeals to people, as that is the very thing they do for a living. The best way to educate working people is to entertain them at the same time.
That should be a welcome change from the boring speeches so many revolutionaries are so fond of spouting.
We have yet to form a proper Communist Party, Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, CP, DOP. No doubt it will take shape soon, as the revolution gains strength and ever more people demand change.
At some point, we may have to distinguish between an American Communist Party and a Canadian Communist Party, or perhaps not. Bear in mind that we share a common history, so that separation remains to be determined. As the Party takes shape, we can face that question.
Very soon both countries will break up and form a number of independent socialist republics, as happened in Russia in 1917. Just as in Russia, we can expect those independent socialist republics to come together to form one or more unions. The precise number of socialist republics which form and and the number of unions which take place remains to be seen. It is entirely possible that North America will be composed of one huge socialist union.
The fact is that the revolution could break out any day now. It is not going to wait until we are fully prepared, with a functioning party, complete with a proper platform. Our main problem now is to focus on raising the level of awareness of the working class, in preparation fort the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
There is a reasonable chance that we, by which I mean those of us who are truly scientific socialists, fighting for the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, could unite with other leftist groups. Such a coalition would likely be temporary and limited to certain issues and contingent upon our ability to distinguish ourselves by expressing our belief in a fundamental tenet of Marxism, the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat.
These leftist groups include those who constitute themselves as political parties, while others are mainly concerned with a particular race, ethnic group or gender, by which I of course mean females. This form of political activity is quite commendable, but limited in scope. The best they can reasonably hope to achieve is paltry reforms, which the bourgeoisie will no doubt try to claw back at the earliest opportunity.
It is up to Communists to point this out to the members of such groups, while supporting them in their struggle for such reforms. Most rank and file members are reasonable, progressive people, either current or former members of the middle class, petty bourgeois, and as such are far more likely to be class conscious. It is also reasonable to expect at least some of them to come around to our way of thinking, that of scientific socialism, Marxism, Communism. Such people may even suggest to the leaders of these various groups that they change their line, embrace revolution and the subsequent Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. We can further expect their leaders to tell these progressive souls to shove it!
Most of the leaders of these leftist groups are petty bourgeois, either current or former members of the middle class, and have the bourgeois mentality. Lenin points out that the power of the bourgeoisie lies ”not only in the strength of international capital, the strength and durability of their international connections, but also in the force of habit” (italics by Lenin).
This ”force of habit” of the petty bourgeois leaders of the leftist groups compels them to disregard one of the basic tenets of Marxist theory, that of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. There is a reason for this. If there is one thing which keeps the bourgeoisie awake at nights, it is their worst nightmare, that of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. The idea that the working class, the proletariat, may turn the tables on them and establish dictatorship over them, is a fate too terrible for words.
The petty bourgeois leaders of these leftist organizations, whether current or former members of the middle class, through force of habit, have carried this bourgeois mentality with them. They recoil in horror at the mention of the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat, as do their masters, the bourgeoisie. The only difference is that many of these leftist leaders claim to be Marxists. In fact, they are some of the most loyal, dedicated servants of the bourgeoisie.
As the revolutionary motion gains strength, ever more progressive people will join these leftist groups, either middle class people or advanced workers. We can expect these new members, ”young Turks”, to demand change and of course the ”old guard” will flat out refuse. Such battles have been carrying on since the dawn of civilization. It is just a matter of time before the newer, younger generation takes over, which in this case depends upon the strength of the revolutionary movement.
As Communists, the outcome of such a battle does not concern us, any more than the outcome of a battle for leadership within a trade union. We do not take sides. Our main concern is to raise the level of awareness of the working people, and of course we are prepared to welcome any and all members of the leftist groups into our midst, as long as they embrace the basic tenets of Marxism, including the Dictatorship Of the Proletariat. Whether they join us as people who are also members of a leftist group or as members of some other organization, such as a trade union, is of no consequence. Those who choose to stay within a leftist group while joining us are just as welcome as those who choose to leave the leftist group.
For the moment -strictly for the moment- we are fighting an enemy who is far stronger that we are. We can use all the friends we can get.
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 