The Somosaguas clan surrounding Pablo Iglesias, on the one side, and the militants from Izquierda Anticpaitalista, on the other, both point to the Indignado movement as a crucial referent – indeed, even underlying source of popular legitimacy – for PODEMOS. However, the Somosaguas clan is quick to criticize the Indignado movement as well, most notably for alleged limitations associated with its somewhat amorphous, “horizontal,” direct-democratic Assembly form. Indeed, on multiple occasions, Pablo Iglesias, Juan Carlos Monedero, and Iñigo Errejón have all stressed the importance of finding a proper balance between direct-democratic and representative-democratic modes of rule for the purpose of effectively constructing a counter-hegemonic majority capable of coming to power. The Izquierda Anticapitalista faction, for its part, is more willing to defend unambiguously the Indignado movement’s “horizontal,” direct-democratic forms, and is quick to warn against the dangers of hierarchical, representative “usurpations” of the sovereignty of the Círculos – “usurpations” it insists would signify nothing less than the transformation of PODEMOS into the very image and likeness of the “political caste” it has thus far so successfully denounced. As is so often the case in political disputes, the suspicions and concerns that each faction harbour toward the other seem quite plausible in their own right. A plague on both of their houses, a dispassionate observer might be tempted to conclude.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 19:41:31 +0000