Like the revolutionary socialists in the 1970's, Revolutionary Socialist Media opposes the Spanish monarchy. But unlike the leftist supporters of the Republic of Spain, we reject a bourgeois republic. The banners of the former Republic of Spain ( 1931-1939 ) never represented a socialist republic. Spain remained a capitalist republic during the years of the Popular Front ( alliance between social democrats and stalinists ). Also the republican government between 1936 and 1939, worked with the Soviet NKVD to arrest and murder revolutionary socialists and anarchists. Because the social democratic PSOE and Stalinist PCE choose to govern the bourgeois republic, the forces of the socialist revolution were outnumbered and eventually slain by republican and fascist troops!
Today the Kingdom of Spain is facing a social dilemma. Poverty is high and the ruling conservatives are hated. Support for the Republic of Spain is growing, this is why the government banned the use of republican flags and anti-monarchist slogans on the day Felipe VI is crowned king. The ceremony was very sober, with no foreign kings and queens present. According to the new king this was done to show ''solidarity'' with those Spanish who are hit by poverty. We revolutionary socialists think this is very hypocrite. The Spanish king is rich, his personal wealth is estimated at 5 million euro's. Although poorer then the Dutch king ( who own 200 million euro's ), the new Spanish king is still part of the Spanish bourgeoisie!
Spain lacks a workers party on a socialist program. The United Left around the Spanish Communist Party is unable to provide a clear socialist alternative. This is why a new movement won the European Elections in 2014. Podemos ( meaning "We can" in Spanish ) was able to win five seats in the European parliament for Spain. The new movement has attracted many voters who had enough of the conservative People's Party and the pseudo-leftist; Spanish Socialist ''Workers'' Party. The party Podemos was founded in January 2014 and already made headlines when they won the five European seats. Their ideology stands in clear opposition to neoliberalism and the worst elements of capitalism. In a way they mirror the Greek political party Syriza. Unfortunate they lack a clear socialist program and do not call for the nationalization of the means of production under a democratic socialist plan. Podemos wants to regulate capitalism much like the classic social democrats of the past. This will however not work and by making compromises with the bourgeoisie, Podemos will eventually become a mainstream capitalist party much like the PSOE!
King Felipe VI now the new head of state. But he will not be supported by revolutionary socialists. We reject the Spanish crown and we call on workers to oppose the monarchy. But a return to the Republic of Spain is no option. A Spanish Socialist Workers Republic must be build, a workers state with a democratic planned economy. Such state would abolish private ownership of the means of production and expropriate all millionaires and billionaires. Instead of austerity and social cuts, the new socialist government would start with massive social programs to create jobs for millions. Socialist Spain would be forced to leave the European Union, because the EU is capitalist and undemocratic. The struggle against European and world capitalism will be hard, but if workers around Europe, see the alternative Socialist Spain provides, then the capitalist propaganda will lose its effect. Workers would abandon their social democratic parties and create new party for themselves. This would mean the end of social democracy. Conservatives and liberals may keep their electorate for some time, but even these voters will join the socialist side. Workers of the world have nothing to gain from these capitalist political ideologies!
Supporters of the Spanish Communist Party fly the bourgeois republican banner
We revolutionary socialists only support the red banner!
