Open letter to Alexis Tsipras

Your Excellency Prime Minister of Greece,
dear Comrade Alexis Tsipras,

even this dual addressing should show you that we are well aware of the complexity of the situation of Greece, but also of the government dominated by SYRIZA in these difficult days.

We are witnessing - now for months already - the pressure, exerted upon you, Greece and SYRIZA, by the world "One percent" of the power holders, in command of the capital resources and media outlets. We follow all information sources, collect the news from people participating in various social processes and we also imagine, how may act the powers, which are completely invisible in the medial space. We are also aware of the inevitable division of the Greek society, which strives for life in human dignity and at the same time for social conditions with an optimistic perspective.

We know, that every historical situation is unique and that is it very difficult in a given moment to find the best way for own people, and acceptable for the progressive movement as a whole.

The radical Left encountered in the past several moments, which may be compared to the critical situation in which is now Greece, facing an enormously stronger adversary. We may recall two such situations.

Soon after the October revolution was Soviet Russia in a situation, when she refused further participation in war and was, in fact, against both the Entente and the Central powers. Many Bolsheviks considered it unacceptable to sign a truce contract in Brest-Litovsk with Germany, as they interpreted it as a betrayal of international proletariat. When afterwards the German army started to march and approached Moscow, Lenin ordered to sign the capitulation even under the most disadvantageous terms. The task for radical Left is not to die in a heroic way, but to win in the final end.

There was a second retreat, after the Bolsheviks won in the civil war and when it became clear that the awaited world revolution is not going to happen soon. The Bolshevik party at this situation decided to pursue the strategy of "New economic policy", creating considerably more space for the market economy and renewing some conditions for development of private property and entrepreneurship. Lenin wrote a text with the subtitle "On Ascending A High Mountain", starting with a metaphor about someone, who after the first unsuccessful attempt to get to the mountain summit had to return to the valley. He ascended higher than his predecessors, but in the direction he has chosen there is no way how to continue. Therefore he has to return, descending back, and he has to find another way, even ridiculed by the enemy.

Lenin ends with the conclusion, which would be applicable even for today: "Those Communists are doomed who imagine that it is possible to finish such an epoch-making undertaking - without making mistakes, without retreats, without numerous alterations to what is unfinished or wrongly done. Communists who have no illusions, who do not give way to despondency, and who preserve their strength and flexibility - to begin from the beginning - over and over again in approaching an extremely difficult task, are not doomed (and in all probability will not perish)".

To defend allegiance to principles for any price, in particular when this price would have to be paid by somebody else, this is a pure nonsense. At the same time it is not acceptable to forget the key target of the whole movement.  This week thus with so many voices of the Czech Left it was clearly repeated, that we support all, who did not give up the struggle against the devastating austerity measures. We are on your side.

We fully understand that today it is not just Greece what is at stake.

We are with you, stay with us.

CC Presidium, Party of Democratic Socialism, 17th July, 2015
Milan Neubert, SDS Chairman

Original text in Czech can be found here.