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No, you shouldn't forget them, because.

there were quite a few branches of the Old Left in Tehran, the Tudeh were allied with the Soviet Union and as the article tells you when the shit hit the fan the leaders went there to their "masters." There were other groups that werern't so allied. And they weren't all Communist, they were Socialist, there's a big difference. In general, the Old Left that was more influenced by Trotskyism than Leninism had and has a much broader perspective.

This article comes from a Socialist website. You have no idea what these people do. They monitor every single union activist tried, imprisoned, flogged.. There are five people being sentenced right now for organizating a demonstratin of 5000 sugar cane wworkers in Shush last year.Many of those workers hadn't been paid in two months. Look at the article. Look at their knowledge of history. Blow by blow, day by day. Yuo can't forget these people, they do the dirty work

And Iran was never Communist anyway. Communism is totally incompatible with theocrracy. And I don't believe a state communist economy was ever set up. I believe the major industries were nationalized and the rest was pretty much left a mess. There's a famous quote of Khomeini's, "Economics is for asses>" What he meant was Allah will provide. You may correct me on that but that's my understanding.

As for the New Left, well, they have a lot to offer, but some of them do tend to "apologize" for the Regime. Basically they just don't say all that much about it. They're concerned with, you know, preventing military strikes and saving Gaza and things like that. Which so am I but how often do you hear them say we need to product the people under the yoke of this disgusting regime from these disgusting bombs? It's usually just the disgusting bombs, isn't it.

The kinds of Socialists who write articles like these don't apologize for anything. The bombs are disgusting and the regime is too, and that's that. Why would you want to forget them?

Rosie

The old Left used to tell us (Iranians) the Soviet System was the greatest thing that happened to mankind, since sliced bread!

 The curtain fell and we realized, it wasn't all American propaganda: Life really did stink under the communism!

Should I forget about the old Left, and see just what the new Left is bringing us? :-)

Yours,

Ali P.

No, wise, confusing the issues...

first of all, just to clarify for sure, the old left is "here" on earth but BARELY here on this website which is dominated by "new Left."

IRI seems to be at least on the surface anti-American, excuse me, anti-Imperialist and that is good enough for them to support that brutal theocracy no matter what.

the "old Left" thoroughly loathes and despises IRI and apologizes for NOTHING. They consider iri no better and in many ways far worse than the American "empire." If you read it the article very clearly calls IRI COUNTER-revolutionary. they don't consider it anti-imperialist, they simply view it as totalitarian theocratic capitalism.

The old Left tirelessly and dilligently exposes ALL human rights abuses in IRI and in fact along with specific human rights organizations are the ONLY source of newsfeeds for imprisonment, flogging, etc. of attempted union organizers and members in Iran, which is quite common, and the strikes are frequently because the workers haven't been paid in weeks.. this socialist group where this article came from knows the name of every single person charged and how many lashes they got..

It is the NEW left who not infrequently "apologizes", or at least looks the other way to minimize the abuses, in the name of a so-called anti-Imperialist and/or peace activist stance.

The old Left has zero, less than zero tolerance for IRI and they walk the walk too.

I wonder what they will do if and only if IRI somehow reaches some sort of compromise with the U.S., what will they do then? They ahve counted so much on IRI's unflexibility and rigid anti-U.S. stance. What will they do?

all factions of both old and new left will have to reconsider ideology, strategy, tactics, values, rhetoric, etc., any or all of the above, and the smart ones know damn well that it's not unlikely (i believe MORE than likely) that the process you speak of will happen.

i'm on the new left. i'm not a marxist.

but i'm not a hypocrite either.

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read the article. it's highly readable, interesting and enjoyable for the mostpart. the theory part you can skip if you don't like it. the history is fascinaing. see what this socialist group thinks of IRI. go to the end. see what they have to say about KHATAMI...

Yes they're here and a lot of them are for IRI because

IRI seems to be at least on the surface anti-American, excuse me, anti-Imperialist and that is good enough for them to support that brutal theocracy no matter what.

I wonder what they will do if and only if IRI somehow reaches some sort of compromise with the U.S., what will they do then? They ahve counted so much on IRI's unflexibility and rigid anti-U.S. stance. What will they do?

p.s. I am talking about those few who have no high positions in the IR establishment and do not pocket any benefits from mullahcracy

yep, they're still here and they still know a lot of

the nuts and bolts of history that the New Left has forgotten, as well as sociology and economics (from their standpoint of course). Regardless of diverging viewpoints and tactics, the "new Left", which is a very strong voice on this website (including me), owes its foundations to the old Left and they still have a lot to teach us, especially the Socialists as opposed to the Communists, and especially those Socialists more influenced by Trotsky. Problem being, we are ungrateful.

Read it. It has a shitload of information on the workers' movements in Iran, day to day, blow by blow.

In any case I read everything from faaaaaar left to faaaaaar right and in-between. I like to get as many facets of the diamond as possible.  :o0

Huh?

You guys still here???