Neue Debatte - Special Edition - Long Essay on Left Strategy #002 - 04/2017 | Page 50

8 Changing EU-politics and peoples’ governments
You put the stress on fractional struggles within the EU. On one side
the bad guys: An EU-establishment presenting the axis of European
evil consisting of “the Commission, the European Central Bank, Ber-
lin and Paris”, ready “to punish progressive governments that re-
fused to abide by their inane policies”. 36 On the other side a colourful
bunch of good guys, identifiable by being “progressive”. Yet nobody
really knows what the term “progressive” implies and what makes
poli tics across Europe “progressive”. The “progressionists” are “rebel
governments and finance ministers adopting DIEM25’s agenda”,
“progressive Europeanist governments”, “progressive national par-
ties or governments”. They all are politicians and representatives of
organisations and administrations on the pan-European LOMATI-
“surge of democratic opposition to the way European elites do busi-
ness at the local, national und EU levels.” 37
The ‘Long March Through the Institutions’ is geared from the start to
win elections, majorities, and offices in existing structures, and to oc-
cupy governments and ministries of finance. The LOMATI aims are
ambitious, as you posted on Oct. 11 th 2016: “Progressive interna-
tionalist must come close to winning 10 Downing Street.” 38 Indeed,
that would pay to be on target of the LOMATI: Her Majesty’s interna-
tionalist, capitalist repairing, DIEM Prime Minister at 10 Downing
Street! Grimly rebelling populations, their strikes, protests, and re-
volts for economic survival and a future for their children, as well as
against the ruin of their environment and the natural resources are
obviously subordinate and do not occur. In short, the class struggle
all over Europe does not take place in your “surge of democratic op-
position”. Sorry, I forgot about European capitalism: “Let’s do that,
stabilize it. And then, then we can start the class war again, the class
conflict”. 39 One thing after the other. LOMATI first, then stabilize cap-
italism, and then fighting? Think it over, Yanis. It is wrong.
By the way, before I forget it: In 1988 Leonard Cohen came out with
his song “First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin” which prob-
ably everybody has heard once already. The first verse is perfectly
suited for a LOMATI-anthem of DIEM25:
36
Yanis Varoufakis, Europe’s left after Brexit: Diem25’s perspective, in: open Democracy, Sept. 9 th , 2016, sec. 4: Option 3:
DIEM25’s proposal for disobedience within the EU, here par. 7.
37
Citations ibid.
38
Yanis Varoufakis, “To prevent Brexit from turning nasty, progressive internationalists must come close to winning 10
Downing Street”, posted on October 11, 2016, on DIEM25.org.
39
Citation reference on p. 40.
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