Some leftist over here consider our party to not be fully marxist/leftist whatever.
Now, would I say our party (PVDA/PTB) is perfect? No. Would I say it is the furthest an actual marxist party would go in my country? Yes. Is it therefore the best party I could join and become active in? Probably.
I participate in a lot of discussion within the party. I’m openly ML. I have my own views and the official party line doesn’t always support it. Nonetheless it is the party I see the most potential in to make actual change.
It made me think. What would you consider the bottom line for joining a party?
Side note: going to sleep now, will read replies next morning.
No focusing on electoralism and bourgeois democracy. If a party that calls itself “marxist” tells people to vote that’s a huge red flag.
Anti-Imperialism and Anti-Capitalism are an absolute must. If a “marxist” party doesn’t recognize that capital is our common enemy and must be destroyed then they’re a lost cause.
Revolutionary. A marxist party has to recognize that socialism can only be achieved via overthrowing the capitalist ruling class and implementing a dictatorship of the proletariat.
No Anti-AES propaganda (examples: siding with the Anti-China narrative on Xinjiang or Africa, saying the DPRK is a monarchy where people have no “freedoms”, etc.). A marxist party should recognize AES countries for what they are, as any marxist should.
No Imperialist/CIA propaganda (examples: Putin is richest man and has a mansion the size of a village, Putin suddenly invaded a peaceful nation for no reason, Stalin was a gruesome tyrant/dictator who caused a famine, Lenin was a mass murderer, etc. )
Though I very much understand the sentiment, I would disagree with the reluctance to participate in bourgeois democracy. This is because there are significant short term consequences for the lives of marginalized groups (take for example, trans people in the United States). Therefore, until revolution is a reality, advocating for harm reduction is sensible.
That, and it can be beneficial to your party as well. Getting elected in Parliament meant an extra 1 to 2 million a year in party budget. You can do a lot of stuff with that (like running free healthcare clinics)
If bourgeois democracy is used as a tool by the party to reach and educate the working masses and grow the party then I can agree with that. What I originally meant was a marxist party obeying by bourgeois rules, to the point where the main focus becomes electoralism and everything else gets pushed to the side, loosing sight of its original goals and loosing the revolutionary spirit. Essentially taming the party and putting a leash on it, if that makes sense.