New Left Manifesto Part 2

II

The history of all hitherto society is the history of antagonisms. These antagonisms have taken many shapes. They are historical and contingent articulations of discourse but are no less ‘real’ for it. The frontiers of antagonisms that separate ‘us’ from ‘them’ can be moved, displaced, deconstructed. It is not one class against the other. Class is but one articulation. The nature of the groups that oppose themselves antagonistically, their very identity is resultant of these frontiers. These frontiers can never be dissolved in a final Hegelian synthesis; but will remain with us always. Some frontiers however are better than others. Who decides what is better? We must all have a role to play here. Suffering must be our benchmark! Suffering is our enemy. We may never eliminate frontiers but we must contest the most insidious ones in the name of constructing better ones. The frontier between the citizens of a nation and immigrants, if antagonistic must be challenged, its contingency exposed. These frontiers exclude. We must pay attention to who is excluded and construct international democratic frameworks which are sensitive and critical of these exclusions. These exclusions may be constitutive of what is included; but this simply means that contestation must be ongoing and that history (in this sense) can never end. We must continue to contest and be critical of all exclusions even down to the animal kingdom. For if human rights why not animal rights too?
The advanced societies that go to war and preach peace have seen the reaction against their views as those without planes or guns, those called terrorists, fight back. Peace is the privilege of the rich and not a right. All politics is violence in the last instance. We must not be afraid of challenging the suffering of many through violence. The state will always use violence and violent resistance to the state is no less legitimate. However violence can often increase suffering as with many of the modern ‘terrorists’. We must therefore remain highly critical of the use of violence but not preclude it from our strategy as nation states will never be afraid to use violence both internationally and domestically. Peaceful protest is not likely to achieve very much when faced with police and armies.

We will fight to decrease suffering. The fight will be ongoing. There will be no end of history - no utopia; but that must not stop us from fighting for it. We will always be aware of the great danger here - The danger that the fight will further increase suffering. This is a real possibility. But still Justice calls us to arms and fight we must! Fight to take control of capital of resources of the means to feed the hungry of giving medical care to those who need it most, we must fight to make every voice heard; but remain critical of our methods and tactics. Who are we excluding? Who do we make suffer? We must listen to their voices and put ourselves before them and humbly accept their criticisms. Those who are the richest no doubt must be stripped of their wealth. We cannot allow such wealth in a world of such suffering. All the Kings, States, Police and Guns will be on their side. We will fight. We may lose. The question is this. Can we go on like this? Allowing the world to ‘progress’. Progress into more and more pain, suffering, starvation and hatred. Have no doubt that suffering is getting worse. We must challenge the global hegemony and strive – always strive – always as the fight can never end – for an alternative way to construct the international. The infinite call of Justice and Democracy to come must be heard.


All Individuals of the world unite in the call of a Democracy to come, that will always remain to come.