soL English

You know, now and then, there are moments when leftism of the liberal left becomes fairly transparent and it plays the role of the vanguard of liberalism; in some of these moments I’ve thought, and even wrote, “let’s omit the word “left”, they are worse than liberals.” However, even if this tendency can be based on a set of theoretical assessments, it remains as a reaction.

Because, it’s an objective need for liberalism to show itself as left, irrespective of how much leftist the liberal who do so are. In present historical phase, the hegemony of capital needs a liberal left. For this reason, sheer enemies of communism, the Soviet Union, Marx and Deniz and his comrades keep on walking around as leftists. Of course, their subjective statuses coincide with the objective need. What might be the function of the arrival of swearwords, old hand rightists, thieves and fanatics at our side? There’s no point for the ex-leftist neo-liberals in adhering to the right and producing swearwords which has market value as well. That is, if they admit that they’re not leftists, their market value will fall. But this much will not be sufficient for foolproof predictions about the future of left liberalism. The problem is going beyond the market of a few low-caliber renegades.

Liberal leftism was the outcome of the invasion worldwide rising liberalism of the opposite field as well. It can be said that the economic crisis didn’t trigger the laborers and didn’t open the field of the left linearly; however, the crisis have damaged the prestige of liberalism to such an extent that it cannot easily get well. This is certain.

Liberal left has to lean in some way against civilian social practices. It’s apparent that these practices which always had narrow fields of applications in the Turkey also undergo a crisis across the world.

Moreover, this situation was the preceded the other crises we have talked about and as the imperialist militarism reached to a recklessness which can’t be legitimized with civilian society democracy, it showed up with the invasion of Iraq as a symbol. This weakening can’t be compensated.

This is again general, but, for the liberal left a nourishing source the reflections of which over Turkey were also evident had been the European Union. Not so easy, the EU was an example of the fact that the capitalism has changed and a humanitarian marketizm was possible! Currently, the people of the center countries can no more be convinced for the EU. The history of this lies in the EU’s distinguishing itself with its anti-labor character especially with the European Constitution attempt. Besides, the treatment against the migrants is icing on the cake. The social reactions do not push the European capital for a new reconcilement with the labor and the chant of western civilization becomes unmarketable “even” in Turkey.

The process the universal part of which coincides with the liquidation of the left was wrapped into the package of the unity of the left in Turkey and this was also another source o nourishment of the liberal left. It is observed that this source will be raked up again and again in our case. Yes, in general, in an environment where the left can’t expand, we can’t say that this field doesn’t promise opportunities. But, in order for the unity projects to water the soil of the left liberals some conditions are needed: To measure democracy not with the rights of the laborers but market related individual freedoms; a market not to pose for the cameras with militarism but with freedoms; concretely speaking EU to be a rising star… without these a left fountain will flow weakly, if it doesn’t totally dry off.

Besides, recently liberal leftism has sustained two defeats and pushed towards the right. The first is the ideological fight in the agenda of Ergenekon. The second is the account settling in ÖDP.

Yet, politics can’t be degraded into benefiting from the impulse of the physical circumstances. The politics, means struggling against the physical circumstances if necessary. Now, the physical difficulties that the liberal left has to overcome have increased. Notwithstanding this, nobody must be in haste to say that this movement has been given the elbow. Let’s not forget the note written down above: No matter how much their ground under them is eroded, even if they survive seventy tow defeats instead of two, a part of liberalism has to play the part of leftist.

Besides and perhaps more importantly, politics is a struggle with multiple subjects, multiple factors at the same time. The system powers will in any case fill in the gaps allowed by the revolutionary, class based socialist left with liberals. Therefore, put aside all objective factors, opening of a real leftist arena depends on those real leftists.