Phyllis Clarke Memorial Lecture 2016

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