I am an individual member of the Party of the European Left, of which I had already been a member as a Member of the European Parliament, and a PRC (Communist Refoundation Party) activist. It was the PRC, one of the founders of the European Left, that pushed this form of membership provided for by the Charter and, at the beginning of the 21st century, supported the creation of an association of individual members.
The EL membership campaign
Right now, I am not a member of any Italian party, so two years ago I decided to first become an individual member and then encourage others to do the same. This membership campaign enjoyed a certain amount of success in that over 100 associates responded and the number of individual members is increasing. I should add that the PRC, and its secretary Paolo Ferrero, are behind the initiative. We have been riding a wave of modest success, such as the list for the European elections of l’Altra Europa con Tsipras, which brought together the fragmented forces of the left and a number of movements and individual activists and, after some time, was able to secure a few seats in parliament. It took with it a programme that is a clear alternative to the current European governance system designed by populists and socialists and is clearly is against austerity and the right.
Rebuilding the Italian left
The process of reunifying and reconstructing the Italian left has been slow to take off, even though recent administrations have included a number of united and alternative lists. I firmly believe that the European example is crucial for addressing the serious political problems we are facing today. Our defeat in Italy is largely driven by inequality that manifests itself in the new balance of power and relationships that are the new reality in Europe.
Activism by individuals is what we need
And yet another challenge facing us is the defence of our constitution – it’s no coincidence our constitution is under attack because, as JP Morgan said, it is part of a body of codes that are not compatible with the new form of capitalism. So acting and fighting at the European level is essential to reinforce and support the struggles with the same goal at the country level. In addition, the European Left as a party has always opposed the dominant politics and been on the side of popular movements. And, at a time when the failures and crises of the socialist parties are increasingly destructive, the role of the European Left becomes more significant. To my mind, the European Left must become a more central figure in the struggle in Europe and in European politics and must strive constantly in order to push the fight forwards. I believe that activism by individuals, as well as at the party level, can help us reach this goal.
European Left, let’s go to work!
Expectations of the congress in Berlin are therefore high. In preparation, we individual members have organised, in full agreement with the PRC, a day with Pierre Laurent, our president, to be held in Rome on 30 November. The first session will be a discussion with Pierre about the congress and the individual members, following which we will hold a public event on the constitutional referendum entitled Un No Europeo, per la democrazia in Italia e in Europa (A European No, for democracy in Italy and Europe) with a number of social stakeholders and intellectuals. European Left, let’s get to work!