POST-VIETNAM ---- Let's get one thing straight: the referendum is not
and cannot be the weapon of choice for social conflict. An inappropriatetool for "liberal" democracy, whether representative or direct, as it is
an interclassist tool in itself. Referendums in Italy have certainly
been important for civil conquests, for public water, or to prevent very
dangerous changes to the Constitution. While, to defend or increase
social and labor rights, the weapon has often proved to be blunt.
PLUGGING YOUR NOSE?
In capitalist societies, the social order is in the hands of the ruling
classes, who will never allow, through voting, any change that could
clip their nails.
Especially in the current historical period, where capital has now
become the state religion and the masters of steam are no longer even
reprimanded by what was the old DC. Anti-communist and inter-classist
yes, but very cautious towards any form of liberalism without a
parachute (if only because capital left to itself is a powerful grinder
of every myth, rite and belief).
Having said this, and given that elections in general cannot be the
instrument with which one can obtain structural changes in the
socio-economic order, one must reason in a rational and realistic manner
and, above all, not confuse anarchism with nihilism or with wishful
thinking.
HIC RHODUS
Or: here we are and here we must play. In the belief that there are
times when one must travel narrow roads and in bad company and also in
the awareness that sectarianism, however often it may truly seem a form
of defense, even reasonable,[1]can lead to splendid but completely
ineffective isolation. Where doing politics is necessarily, as Pintor
would have said, coming out of solitude.
WILL WE NOT DIE TAFAZZIANI?
So, for the 5 referendums we have to go and vote and we have to vote 5
yeses. The decades-long attack against the world of work has now reached
intolerable levels. If we reached the quorum (with the inevitable
victory of the yeses) we would have managed to put at least a wedge in
this drift.
Furthermore, the convergence on the referendums of a large portion of
the very battered Italian left would at least give an indication of what
the fundamentals of any force that refers to these roots should be.
Although, obviously, this upsets us in an almost visceral way, the
largest force still in the field is represented by the PD. A PD that has
within it a significant presence of Renzians and ultra-liberals and who
are waiting for nothing else than Schlein (who is certainly not a
professional revolutionary but represents a sort of last and tenuous
glimmer) to hit the wall to get rid of them. After all, if even Bersani
makes an endorsement in favor of Draghi we can understand where and how
we are.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Leaving aside these not very edifying pearls of pure politicism, there
remains the importance in themselves of the referendum questions that
all touch on fundamental social rights. All of them, including the one
on citizenship. It seems impossible that we are fighting such a
rearguard battle today, but we are in the last trench before total
surrender.
If we read the questions we see that we are not only on the side of the
defense of basic rights, but even of civilization. With the approval of
the Workers' Statute, a moderate turn was certainly impressed on the Hot
Autumn (even if no revolution was in sight at the time) but it was
impressed within the constitutional values. Values of compromise but
which today appear almost Bolshevik. With that statute a fundamental
element was also indicated. The worker was a citizen with full enjoyment
of all rights, even when in the workplace. That that scaffolding was
torn down by the leaders of that same party that today votes yes in the
referendums can certainly make one's blood boil. But in history, there
are rarely purified and linear situations. If the PD will lead at least
a part of its voters to win the referendum, that's fine with us.
However, it is important to remember here that it is also their
responsibility if today we are fighting for the rights of the last
century. Not being fired without just cause, obtaining appropriate
severance pay, permanent contracts as the norm, making the company that
subcontracts responsible, granting citizenship (and therefore full
rights) in reasonable times. These are all basic, obvious issues.
Yes
The right has already made its obvious moves. First of all, choosing a
difficult date for the quorum. Then, obviously, completely forgetting
the referendum to the point of indicating abstentionism. Now, it seems
to me that these are self-evident choices that are pointless to
question. The call to abstention has come from various quarters in the
history of the Italian Republic and, frankly, it does not seem
scandalous to me. This is not where this battle should be fought. We
need to convince the undecided, the distrustful, the tired of words, the
defeated. All sentiments that we can make our own. We are not faced with
a beautiful panorama and we come from toxic narratives, made our own by
those who proclaim themselves heirs of the communists.
It will not be easy. However, we must reiterate that we are interested
in the questions, not the cheap politicking that lies behind them (and
which, if anything, will contribute to damaging the referendum itself).
These are real, concrete issues, on the living skin of workers.
NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK YOURSELF ACQUITTED
Then it would be good to clarify, at the end of this short and fairly
confused article, that we will vote yes to the referendums with
conviction, but on June 10, however it goes, we will not forget who was
responsible for this antisocial drift. It will certainly not be having
supported sacrosanct referendums that will restore political virginity
to a group that has a long way to go (if it wants to) before it becomes
credible among workers again. Which should choose whether to keep the
Bonaccini-Piciernos and the entire Renzian-Freemason-liberal-pro-Israeli
fringe inside or, after decades of wavering, move elsewhere.
But, since we know that these are daydreams, in the meantime we will
vote for the referendums. For the rest, to quote De André, we will
continue to "send them to hell".
[1]Amadeo Bordiga, in an interview with Zavoli in 1970 (the last one
done shortly before he died) said "If it were a reliable thing for me to
give, after so much time, a historical judgment on my own qualities and
qualifications, I would declare today that I find the definition of
sectarian pleasant, and that the definition of never having been
flexible and capable of letting myself be suggested elastic evolutions
by the changing succession of political situations and the balance of
power between social classes is true"
(https://enricoberlinguer.org/home/saggi-e-studi/amadeo-bordiga/76-una-intervista-ad-amadeo-bordiga.html)
Andrea Bellucci
https://www.ucadi.org/2025/05/25/nella-trincea-referendaria/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten