phyllis clarke memorial lecture 2016
TRANSCRIPT
2016 PHYLLIS CLARKE MEMORIAL LECTURE
Methodology for a New Politics: Changing the "Operating System" of the Left
after the Greek experience of 2015
Andreas Karitzis (Dr)
Former member of SYRIZA (Central Committee, Political Secretariat)Founding member of “HUB” for human economy, empowerment and
innovation
Structure
Rising up from the ruins
Stay in orbit
It's the implement
ation stupid!
Redesign the
“Operating
System” of the Left
The clock is ticking
Prepare for
landing
2016 PHYLLIS CLARKE MEMORIAL LECTURE
1. Rising up from the ruins
The strategy of representing popular demands at the
political level is not enough.
Set up a new conceptual framework of doing politics
both within the state and outside of it which is relevant
to the current situation.
“Novel” tasks require different mentality and operational qualities than the ones we
used to obtain through traditional political action.
2. The clock is ticking
The time lag of the LeftOne of the
premises that shaped the strategy of
SYRIZA
Forget it people!
Major shifts of European power
assembly and their implications in the
case of Greece
The “Squeeze Effect”
The current mode of functioning of
the Greek political system
Mind the gapFocusing on SYRIZA's choice, we may hide from ourselves our
impotence to challenge financial
despotism.
The traditional Left methodology and practice is not sufficient to meet the requirements of the today's antagonisms. 2.1 2.2. 2.3 2.4 Conclusion
2.1. The time lag of the Left
The elites are committed to accept the democratically shaped mandate of an elected government (subject to military coups).
The post-war global balance of forces inscribed in the state institutions a considerable amount of popular power, rendering them quasi-democratic.In the last decades the elites made decisive steps towards limiting the ability of the popular classes to influence crucial decisions.
The elites are no longer committed to the post-war quasi-democratic rules.
2.1. The time lag of the Left SYRIZA's strategic premise: institutionalized past popular power is not exhausted.
By winning the elections, the remaining institutional power would be enough and it would be used to stop austerity.
SYRIZA did what the traditional way of doing politics dictates: support social movements, build alliances, win majority in the parliament, form of a government.
2.1. The time lag of the Left
BUT
There was virtually no change of policy.
2.2. Forget it people!In EU and Eurozone, people's democratic will has been successfully
limited
Anti-democrati
c institution
s
Bourgeois state People's
will
The elites have managed to gain unchecked control over the basic functions of the society
2.3. The “Squeeze Effect”Institutionalization of neoliberal order
Concentration of power into anti-democratic institutions
Control over vital functions of Greek society
Excision of key funding and liquidity functions from the state
Perplexing and hazardous political functioning
2.3. The “Squeeze Effect”
Different poles overlap and poke through each other
Irrelevant to the crucial economic & social issues
Forced to function within nearly non-existent space
System of political parties
2.3. The “Squeeze Effect”
Neoliberalism institutionalized
Neoliberal consensus
Before neoliberal consensus
Quasi-democratic political functioning (subject to military coups)
A new circle of political deformation has been launched
Right-wing and social-democratic parties adopt neoliberalism as political programme
2.3. The “Squeeze Effect”ConsequenciesConsequencies
The social and psychic wounds cannot anymore be reflected at the political level, they cannot be represented & democratically expressed.
The social and psychic wounds are spread across all social networks of interpersonal relations shaking social cohesion in a deeper way.
The political personnel is becoming sterile/impenetrable regarding the real life conditions of the population.
The political spectrum is explicitly incoherent, amplifying the confusion and despair of the people.
2.4. Mind the gap
SYRIZA was the last gatekeeper of the political functioning through it's non-compliance with financial despotism.
The implosion of the political system via SYRIZA'S choice to remain in power was the key factor in shaking social cohesion in a deeper way.Focusing on SYRIZA's choice, we may hide from ourselves our impotence to challenge financial despotism.
The choice SYRIZA made is – among other things – a symptom of the deeper, structural weaknesses of the left.
3. Prepare for landing
In order to meet the
requirements of today's
antagonisms we need to
obtain a degree of autonomy in terms of performing basic social functions.
In order to obtain a
degree of autonomywe must shift the balance between
representing & building power at the
profiling of the Left.
3.2 Expand the solution
space
3.1 Flawed design
3.1. Flawed designIf a state-oriented strategy fails, a movement-oriented strategy prevails and vice versa
Doing politics in each case is
considered to be given
But, our know-how of doing politics is seriously outdated, undermining all our strategies
Danger of constant oscillation between strategies of flawed design
Set up a new framework of doing politics both within the state and outside of it, which is relevant to the current situation
INSTEAD
3.1. Flawed design
Without it we will not be able to confront the hostile actions of the elites
Hence, in order to pursue any kind of policy one may consider as being the right one
The elites shifted the center of gravity of political power (anti-democratic institutions)
01
We need a degree of We need a degree of autonomy in terms of autonomy in terms of performing basic social performing basic social functionsfunctions
The elites have managed to gain unchecked control over basic social functions
The horizon of our political practice situates the state at the center of political power
3.2. Expand the solution space
The ground of the battle has shifted, undermining our strategies
SO
We need to reshape the ground.
HOW?
By expanding the solution space
HOW?
By shifting priorities: from political representation to building popular power
By shifting the balance between representing people's demands and facilitating/organizing people's actions at the profiling of the Left.
3.2. Expand the solution spaceWays of gaining a degree of autonomy
infrastr.facilities distribut
ion networks
energy systems
digital massive data
We must set up an autonomous Network of production of Economic and Social Power (NESP)
Instead of being the political representative of the popular classes in a European framework designed to be intolerant to people's needs
Alternative financial tools
Co-operatives
Communal control over
Local cells of self-governance
3.2. Expand the solution space
Is a short description of our duty
Τheir gradual absorption in an alternative paradigm
These elements may not be fully developed, they may have been nurtured in mainstream contexts
01
Τheir functional Τheir functional articulation in alternative articulation in alternative patterns of performing patterns of performing basic social functionsbasic social functions
The support of their further development
Human activity produces elements that inherently contradict the logic of capital
3.2. Expand the solution space
Our organizations are indifferent even hostile to what humans achieve in a capitalist society, misinterpreting them as stemming solely from the logic of capital.
The level of our evolution is the existing ground for any future society.
It is utterly self-defeating to fight for social change ignoring the state of the art of the very same society we want to change.
Collective political imagination slip:
4. Redesign the “Operating System” of the Left
Transformation strategy
4.3
Political representa
tion
4.2
Building power
4.1
4.1. Building power
It's not important what we think, it's what we know how to do that matters
We need to build relevant institutions and organizations
The constitution and expansion of NESP requires qualities relevant to the current, highly diversified and rapidly changing social field
What we know how to do is a product of our collective imagination, methodology and organizational principles
4.1. Building power
4.1. Building power
4.1. Building power
4.1. Building power
4.1. Building power
Internal External
Best practices, methods & regulations (collective experience, management, psychology, organizational theories etc)
Processes & nodes of connection (flows of expertise & info, databases, complexity & network systems theories etc)
Our initiatives are fragmented and isolated, destined to face the same difficulties again and again
Our organizations have poor performance in terms of cooperation & democracy
Internal External
4.1. Building powerAdvantages of large corporations
Powerfu
l databas
es
Vast social
network
Instead of being blind &
disarrayed
Tools to plan and pursue their goals
We need these qualities if we
want to be relevant to the
today's escallation of
antagonisms
The “task” here is to explore novel ways of performing the function of political representation
In order to restructure existing ways
The expansion of NESP could and shouldshould be reflected on the function of political representation itself.
And upgrade the political leverage of the popular classes
4.2. Political representation
4.3. Transformation strategy
The expansion of
NESP can further
unlock our imagination
towards targeted reforms of
state institutions
The
transformation of the state
is a complementary move to
the self-organized
collectivities of the people outside of it,
driven by these forms
of self-governance.
By shifting our priorities we may be able to revive old but useful
ideas that have been forgotten in practice
5. It's the implementation stupid!
The level of the state: there is nothing there that in principle excludes the Left. Approaching
government power, structural inadequacies can be disastrous.
The administration of the state poses questions and “tasks” that we cannot avoid.
There is no way to transcend capitalism if we do not address large-scale questions.
We miss a mode of governmentality stemming from our own logic and values.
The questionWhat kind of Left is capable to engage with the state in such a way that will promote even further people's leverage against the elites'
hostility?
5. It's the implementation stupid!
One aspect of this lack in the case of SYRIZA was the ignorance but mainly the indifference towards issues that are related with the implementation process.
The fact that a current of the Left which includes government power within its strategy has such a low level of awareness regarding the importance of implementation processes reflects the degree of obsolescence of the Left and justifies fully the need for a radical redesign of the “Operating System” of the Left.
5. It's the implementation stupid!
The implementation process is not a “technicality” but the materialmaterial basis of one's political strategy in being in the government. The general, strategic decisions is just the “tip of the iceberg” of state-politics. The implementation process is the “iceberg” of state-politics beneath the surface.
5. It's the implementation stupid!
The implementation process is where the political struggle within the state becomes hard and the class adversaries battle to prevail over shaping reality. The tip is not going to move the iceberg as long as it is not supported by a multi-level and multi-personal implementation strategy. This is the integrated concept of state-politics that we have forgotten in practice and by doing so we tend to fail miserably whenever we approach the tip of the iceberg.
5. It's the implementation stupid!
6. Stay in orbit
We are entering an era in which our societies will face tremendous challenges.
Redesigning the “OS” of the Left could contribute to the new survival strategy.
Our societies need a new survival strategy.
While at the same time they are undergoing constant neoliberal transformation.
6. Stay in orbitEmbrace the emergency of our condition and push ourselves to get over our common problem which is what we know how to do.We must push ourselves to “think” differently and spot what prevents us from being effective.
Maybe we are more stronger than we think and eventually deploy a survival strategy that actually can work.
We must push our collectivities to “see” differently what lies around and spot potentialities and “materials” we had never thought of being useful to us.
START
6. Stay in orbit
Choices like these
The failure of SYRIZA
The “SYRIZA experience”
will be worthless if we do not resist the temptation to replace one mistake with another.
are just symmetric to what SYRIZA did justifying fully our opponents: either you will be marginal or you will become like us!
creates favorable conditions for mentalities like “self-referential alternativism” and “vanguard isolationism” to emerge.
6. Stay in orbit
Entering the ominous battlefield of the 21st century, the Left will either be relevant & useful for the defense & survival of
human societies or it will be obsolete