Portside

1. How the Left Can Build Its Own Politics
2. Iranian Women Find Allies
3. Die Linke’s Options
4. African Enviro Activists
5. Brazil Election Watch 
6. Russia/Ukraine in Context
7. Socialists Stand Out in Québec Election
8. Rebuilding the Italian Left
9. A Message to Xi
10. A Strong Democratic Left in the Spanish State

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How the Left Can Build Its Own Politics

Hilary Wainwright / Red Pepper (London)

James Schneider, a co-founder of Momentum, argues for a federated ‘left bloc’ with a secretariat whose main function would be to co-ordinate, facilitate and share information. This argument starts from the fact that though anti-establishment and socialistic values are widespread in the UK, there is no longer a political party to bring them together under a single banner.

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Iranian Women Find Allies

• Worldwide Solidarity   162 organizations / Article 19 (London)
   
• Oil Workers   Jon Gambrell / Associated Press (New York)
   
• Iranian-Americans   Lakshmi Sarah, Annelise Finney and Sara Hossaini / KQED (San Francisco)

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Die Linke’s Options

Cornelia Hildebrandt / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Berlin)

Die Linke is at a crossroads. It will only be able to survive if it overcomes its internal disputes and consistently sharpens its value as a militant party for social justice. It must be present on the streets and in the squares, in alliance with trade unions, social movements, civic associations, and other interest groups. 

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African Enviro Activists Fight for Representation

Nina Lakhani / The Guardian (London)

Cop27, which has been termed “the African Cop”, the UN climate talks in Egypt in November, threatens to take place without African activists advocating for communities devastated by drought, floods and fossil fuel projects in the negotiations when life-or-death decisions about climate finance will be made.

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Brazil Election Watch 

• The Amazon’s Last Chance   Francisco Dominguez / ALIA (Quito)
   
• Landless Leader Speaks   Gilmar Mauro / People's Dispatch (New Delhi)
   
• Indigenous Defenders   David S. Salisbury / The Conversation (Waltham MA)

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Russia/Ukraine in Context

• Putin’s Purpose   Volodymyr Ishchenko / Jacobin (New York)
   
• Ukraine’s Politics, Right and Left   Daria Saburova / Links (Sydney)
   
• Nukes, NATO and Nationalism   Saladdin Ahmed / Links

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Socialists Stand Out in Québec Election

Rick Salutin / Toronto Star

The only separatist party with any energy now is Québec Solidaire, which is both seriously socialist and seriously separatist. They were the only oppo party to gain rather than lose seats (up one, to 11) and got more votes than the others. The mainstream media just don’t know how to deal with genuine leftists. 

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Rebuilding the Italian Left

Luciana Castellina / transform! Europe (Vienna)

Reconstructing the Italian left is possible, but it is something that will take a long time, and it does not consist in copying the ‘Mélenchonian’ project, because it is not enough to put together little pieces of defeated parties as was done in France. It has to start from society, reconstructing a network of communities and projects.

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A Message to Xi

Katsuji Nakazawa / Nikkei Asia (Tokyo)

In a video prior to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China, the oldest party leader, Song Ping, called for reform, using Xi Jinping's own words to send a message to the top leader.

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Building a Strong Democratic Left in the Spanish State

María Corrales / Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Brussels)

Spain Labor Minister Yolanda Díaz announced a new electoral project, Sumar (Spanish for “to add”), with a clear message: Sumar is neither a political party nor a coalition; it is a “citizen movement” whose goals are to “expand democracy” and “build a country for the coming decade”.