Is radical reformism back?

One thing is certain in this world of uncertainty, chaos and instability: radical left-wing reformism is back. The mood in society has started to change. A strong anti-free market economy and anti-austerity mood exists in various sections of society. 

The rise of Corbyn and Bernie Sanders clearly manifest this trend. Slogans of democratic socialism started to echo within important sections of the working class and the youth in both Britain and the US. It is true that radicalisation is taking place among the youth and workers and they are becoming more responsive to the ideas of democratic socialism. But it will be wrong to draw the conclusion that socialism is back on the agenda.

Consciousness towards this trend remains mixed. The development of this process is different in every country and can take different forms and shapes in its manifestation. It will be a mistake to generalise this process and apply it to different countries.  It was reflected in a distorted way in France where newly-elected President Macron put both the traditional parties of the right and the reformist left on the mat. Macron is not a radical, left-wing reformist. Instead, he represents pro-capitalist, centrist ideas.

Why are the political developments in both these countries important for the working class and the left movement? The reason is simple. The capitalist onslaught of the free market, neoliberalism, austerity, cuts and the dismantling of the welfare state started in these countries almost four decades ago. The collapse of the Soviet Union further escalated this process. Both the far left and the radical reformists were pushed to the side. The word ‘socialism’ became outdated. Neoliberalism and the free market economy became fashionable, and the bible of the capitalist class globally.

Both Corbyn and Bernie Sanders were able to win over the support of young people – especially young workers. There is a strong urge among the working class and the youth to change the situation. They are tired of continued cuts, austerity, the privatisation of services and utilities and the free market onslaught. They want decent jobs, housing, living wages and the fair distribution of wealth. They want an end to poverty, inequality and the concentration of the wealth in a few hands.

In the future, there will be an emergence of certain radical reformist movements within the structures of traditional reformist parties or independent left reformist movements.. The status quo cannot be maintained for long. The gap between the aspirations of the working class and the interests of the ruling class have widened to unsustainable levels. This process has already started to take place in a number of countries in Europe. Melenchon’s Front de Gauche in France, the Danish Red-Green Alliance, the Left Bloc in Portugal, the United Left in Spain and Die Linke in Germany. 

What Bernie Sanders and Corbyn are doing right now has already been initiated by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Evo Morales in Bolivia. They came to power on a populist, radical left-wing reformist programme. They popularise the idea of democratic socialism and left-wing governments in an era of crushing capitalist domination and ideological onslaught.

The reason for the emergence of this trend is simple. The working class and youth have endured years of a deep capitalist crisis – the painful effects of which are being felt by the working class more or less everywhere. During this crisis, right-wing and mainstream reformism had either openly collaborated with the ruling class in making the working class and the poor pay or has been completely ineffectual in terms of mounting any resistance.

There is no exception in this regard as all the social democratic and traditional parties have failed to resist this capitalist onslaught. The Labour Party of Britain, the Socialist Party of France, Pasok in Greece and PSOE in Spain have all capitulated openly to the capitalist class to carry through the most vicious attacks on the living standards of the working class in these countries.

At the same time, the revolutionary left or the far-left have failed to make a sufficient breakthrough or build the mass alternative. They have failed to spread their influence beyond a small minority of workers and the youth. In these circumstances, a tilt towards left reformism is anything but surprising.

Under capitalism, the consciousness of working class people and the youth is mostly reformist. They try everything within the framework of the capitalist system to protect their gains and improve their living standards. They fight to change policies and, sometimes, even the government. They vote to oust a government and bring another to power. Under normal circumstances, they don’t target the system as a whole. Alternatively, they dislike the system as a whole but do not believe that they have the capacity to change it. In either case, they look to someone else to do the job for them.

The main thing to see is that the pendulum of British political life has swung sharply towards the left. A programme of fairly radical reforms, including nationalisation, has gripped the imagination of vast sections of the population. Ideas that were supposed to have been consigned safely to oblivion are now firmly back on the agenda.

The writer is a freelance journalist.