By the former members of Workers Action
We
are very enthusiastic about joining the Workers International League.
For the past several years, we have followed the analyses on the web
pages of In Defense of Marxism and have found ourselves in agreement
with its fundamental strategic orientation, especially regarding the
supreme importance of the unfolding Venezuelan revolution. We, too,
believe the world is entering a revolutionary period, which makes it
all the more incumbent for revolutionaries to come together on a
principled basis, forging international ties wherever possible.
The socialist revolution will not result from some kind of natural
process, like a hurricane that transforms a particular landscape. It
will not, for example, automatically emerge in the midst of a
monumental economic collapse of capitalism. It will only arise by
means of the conscious intervention of the working class when it
decides, as it must, to take the destiny of humanity into its own
hands. And for this to happen, there must be a revolutionary party,
versed in the lessons of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky, which can
illuminate the path to this historical conjuncture. As loyal party
builders of the WIL, we look forward to helping in the production and
distribution of the newspaper, of immersing ourselves in the immigrant
rights movement, of continuing our work in Hands Off Venezuela, and of
being actively engaged in whatever working class movement arises.We believe that there has been a convergence of views between us
and the WIL, for example, on the Cuban revolution where we do not call
for political revolution but argue that the revolution can be
strengthened by instituting genuine workers' democracy. Undoubtedly
political differences will arise from time to time within the WIL, as
they should. But we are convinced that these differences will be
addressed in an entirely democratic and comradely framework, where
everyone receives a fair hearing and where, after a full discussion and
a vote is taken, we all abide by the will of the majority. After all,
centralism is nothing without democracy, just as democracy amounts to
nothing without centralism.
As the standard of living of the US working class continues to
decline, thanks to the relentless barrage of attacks mounted by the
capitalists, and while at the same time corporate profits are reaching
ever-greater perverse proportions, our revolutionary prospects have
become correspondingly strong. We believe that a shift in the
consciousness of the working class is currently underway so that new
possibilities will soon be opening up. The future is ours! We look
forward to meeting this challenge in the WIL.
Paul Colvin
Bill Leumer
Adam Richmond
Ann Robertson
