Hi Dominic, If memory serves me right the last Alliance summit was held in 2008, or there about. That is about five years since our leaders formally chatted about crucial issues. (I am not suggesting that there has been no discussion for five years, just that we do not need a "crises" to have an Alliance summit - it should be a regular event).
It is not only too long, but there is a deeper issue - there is no process for the Alliance to reach agreement on policy issues. The issue around unity-in-action is thus a thoroughly practical one - the political work and policy process that allows us to make sensible, deliberate decisions. The best illustration of this failure is that we get a National Development Plan that does not have huge support in COSATU and the SACP (which are detailed in their responses). We are now trying to cobble together something of an agreement after the release of the document. This is basic political management, and I am pretty certain that our leaders should be expected to do that. A good example of how this can be done, would be to look at the process around the National Health Insurance. Are the disagreements resolvable? I guess they are. But, from my reading of the NDP I do not think we have the optimal set of responses to tackle poverty, inequality and unemployment. Busy with an article on this, and will share. Focusing on small business proposals, which has become an area I am increasingly interested in. I think the NDP gets the policy options wrong on small business. But, there are other areas, and others will hopefully write on these areas. So I am not in favor of papering over the cracks that have emerged. The NDP must be contested if we are to make substantive progress. The Development Indicators paint a picture of a "steady state" in terms of outcomes on poverty, inequality and jobs. On some of the indicators poverty actually increases over the last five years. In short, they tell us that we are still far from an equal society. I guess if we look at indicators on "economic concentration" (distinct from inequality measures on income, and would include asset holdings) we are likely to see "steady state" (what we can call a poverty and inequality trap). This must inform our theory. (In meetings for the rest of day, so hopefully others will contribute.) Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 11:03 AM, Dominic Tweedie <[email protected] > wrote: > > Cde Ebrahim, I know that you are a researcher, well on top of the data and > all that. Maximum respect. But don't you think that this meeting is going > to be much more political, and not very utilitarian? Or am I wrong about > that? > > By the way, I appreciate that you are a philosopher, too. Hence I think > you can give us a very good answer. > > Let me lead a little: Clearly, the three alliance partners state their > goals in very different terms. Yet, the theory of NDR, and the > actually-existing National Democratic Revolutionary Alliance, are flexible > enough to accommodate all of these rubrics, and still produce a substantial > unity-in-action that will be capable of embracing the NDP and going > forward. > > Or not? > > Your thoughts? > > > VC > > > > On 30 August 2013 10:43, Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Read the OFFICIAL development indicators 2012 as well. Good progress on >> outputs (like housing, water) but bad progress on outcomes (unemployment, >> poverty, inequality, jobs). >> >> >> http://www.thepresidency-dpme.gov.za/dpmewebsite/NewsView.aspx?newsId=%2070 >> >> >> On Fri, Aug 30, 2013 at 10:40 AM, VC <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *Reading for the Alliance Summit** * >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *Starting today, 30 August 2013* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> [image: 2 triangles.jpg]**** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *“The German labour movement… assumes the peculiar form of a double >>> pyramid whose base and body consist of one solid mass but whose apexes are >>> wide apart… To desire the unity of these through the union of the party >>> executive and the general commission is to desire to build a bridge at the >>> very spot where the distance is greater and the crossing more difficult. >>> Not above, amongst the heads of the leading directing organisations and in >>> their federative alliance, but below, amongst the organised proletarian >>> masses, lies the guarantee of the real unity of the labour movement.”* >>> >>> *Rosa Luxemburg, “The Mass Strike”,** Chapter 8:* >>> >>> *“Need for United Action of Trade Unions and Social Democracy”* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *SACP, South African Road to Socialism (see Chapters 4 and 5, attached): >>> * >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *“The SACP has consistently believed that it is possible and necessary >>> to advance and develop a national democratic revolutionary strategy of >>> this kind that unites, in action, a range of classes and social strata. We >>> have also always believed that within our South African reality, unless the >>> working class builds its hegemony in every site of power, and unless >>> socialist ideas, values, organisation and activism boldly assert >>> themselves, the NDR will lose its way and stagnate.”* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *ANC, Strategy and Tactics Preface, 2012 (attached):* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *The Preface aims to assist in the interpretation of Strategy and >>> Tactics 2007 against the backdrop of the task of ensuring decisive >>> and accelerated progress towards the eradication of the legacy of apartheid >>> colonialism and the construction of a National Democratic Society. * >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *COSATU, Resolution of extended Political Commission on the NDP, 6 June >>> 2013, extracts transcribed from hard copy:* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> *The ANC… have committed the movement to drive a radical economic shift >>> as the main content of the second phase of our transition. COSATU adopted >>> resolutions strongly endorsing this strategic perspective. * >>> >>> * * >>> >>> *Without fundamental transformation of ownership and control of the >>> economy, especially the nationalization of strategic sectors, as envisaged >>> in the Freedom Charter, there is no prospect of radical economic >>> transformation.* >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> ** ** >>> >>> **** >>> >>> >>> __________ Information from ESET Smart Security, version of virus >>> signature database 8743 (20130830) __________ >>> >>> The message was checked by ESET Smart Security. >>> >>> http://www.eset.com >>> >>> -- >>> -- >>> You are subscribed. This footer can help you. >>> Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply >>> to this message. >>> You can visit the group WEB SITE at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery >>> options, pages, files and membership. >>> To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email >>> [email protected] . You don't have to put >>> anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the >>> message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address >>> (repeat): [email protected] . >>> >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen >> Mobile: (27) 0835081330 >> Email: [email protected] >> Blog: http://www.ekh.co.za >> Start-up: Zapreneur <http://zapreneur.com> >> >> >> >> -- >> -- >> You are subscribed. This footer can help you. >> Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply >> to this message. >> You can visit the group WEB SITE at >> http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery >> options, pages, files and membership. >> To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected]. >> You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to >> put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail >> to this address (repeat): [email protected] . >> >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> > > > > -- > > *Communist University:* > > *CU Downloads*: *sites.google.com/site/cu2012courses/* > > *E-mail forums*: *CU<https://groups.google.com/group/communist-university> > *; *YCLSA <https://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum>*; > *CU-Africa<https://groups.google.com/group/CUAfrica> > *; *SADTU<https://groups.google.com/group/sadtu-political-education-forum> > * > > *Blog*s: *CU <http://domza.blogspot.com/>*; > *YCLSA<http://wftu-yclsa-cu-jhb.blogspot.com/> > *; *CU-Africa <http://cuafrica.blogspot.com/>*; > *SADTU<http://sadtu-pol-ed.blogspot.com/> > * > > *Moderator*: *[email protected]* > > -- > -- > You are subscribed. This footer can help you. > Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to > this message. > You can visit the group WEB SITE at > http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery > options, pages, files and membership. > To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected]. > You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to > put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail > to this address (repeat): [email protected] . > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- Ebrahim-Khalil Hassen Mobile: (27) 0835081330 Email: [email protected] Blog: http://www.ekh.co.za Start-up: Zapreneur <http://zapreneur.com> -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
<<image001.jpg>>
