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There's some sort of constant anger caused by turning communist that I can't really seem to deal with. I feel like I can't always channel it into positive energy for organizing and it sometimes burns me out.
Municipality elections will be in three weeks and we have a good chance of winning in my city. Polls have us at 25% of the votes. So even though organizing feels painfully slow, we do have the figures to show us it is working.
I'm also worried about winning the election and getting in a possible position of power.
My main reason is that we will never get >50% and we will have to form a coalition with socdems, greens and possibly christian democrats at best. I've voiced my concerns about this on several occasions but I never got a clear answer for the tactics behind a coalition like that. I'm all for building a party and I understand that in this system we need to make concessions. But it's another thing to ask your marxist members to defend electoral politics and possible bad takes you will have when governing. The point I'm trying to make is that I'm not wanting to become the thing we are currently fighting against. And the party's vagueness isn't helping with that.
Another thing I'm concerned about is the naivety when it comes to defending yourself against counter attacks from the neolibs and the far right. And I don't mean just through the media either. We are talking about the second largest city in the country which is the home to the second largest port in Europe and the second largest port for petrochemical production/transportation in the world. It is an absolutely crucial city in terms of global supply chains. There is no way in hell our capitalist class and those of other countries are going to let a marxist party govern a city like that. And while I'm sure we can put up a good fight against media campaigns against us, I'm still a bit worried things might get out of hand, possibly even physical seeing how the far right already has militias ready to go.
What about "parallel" organizing? There are other means of building political power the party could focus on or support. Union organizing, tenants unions, strikes, protests, etc. Building power outside the government could help create the pressure needed to push changes within it.
Indeed, I think a party should have both a parliamentary and an extraparliamentary wing that can strengthen and control eachother. As long as the party is involved in the streets revisionism at the parliamentary level is less likely. Just look at Graz in Austria, where the communist party is governing together with Greens and SocDems and they still have a lot of support and still stay true to their ideals.
Sure, and I hope a thing like that will happen. I guess every communist party at one point has to ask themselves these questions when they have a chance of getting in power. But at the same time being pragmatic should only go to a certain length before you start dropping your ideals and I hope we can prevent that.
There's a book I just learned of from the Rev Left podcast called: "Lenin's Electoral Strategy from Marx and Engels through the Revolution of 1905: The Ballot, the Streets - or Both" by August Nimtz, that you might be interested in. It discusses Lenin's feelings on parlimentarianism, I haven't got a chance to read through it yet, but it sounds like it addresses the same concerns you're stating.
Here's the preface: http://www2.hhh.umn.edu/uthinkcache/gpa/globalnotes/Nimtz%20-%20Lenin-Preface%20Vol.%201.pdf
And here's a link to the book itself:https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1385-the-ballot-the-streets-or-both
I don't know the policy here on 'high seas' material, but I can PM you a link to a digital copy if you want ;)
That's awesome, I hadn't heard of Graz before.
Inside-outside strategy always works, imho
You need to fire on all cylinders.
Support your candidate, but also, help unions and the needy.
Yeah, being prepared for a position of power is... something.
"we have a good chance of winning in my city."
That's great! And yeah, organizing is always painfully slow, in my book.
Anger burns you out.
Every. Time.
It doesn't drive you; it does the opposite. It's not a drive, but a bumper.