I don't think the term "liberal left" as used is accurate or appropriate. Used in this way it is an anti-working class unity term manipulated by the anarchists and Trotskyites. It is true that within social democracy there is a strong tendency towards acquiescing to the neo-liberal Wall Street agenda. This same trend in thinking became the main "left" opposition to "the people's fronts/popular fronts" developed in the United States and Canada and most of the rest of the world in the 1930's which saw the Socialists led by Norman Thomas in opposition to "people's fronts" being supported by the Trotskyites and anarchists.
This group of "social democrats" (as in the leadership in the Greek government) is neither left nor liberal now as it takes up defending the Wall Street austerity agenda... we need to use definitions as they relate to the class struggle.
Most mass labor/worker parties in capitalist countries are social democratic led or at least have strong social democratic trends and the strength of rank and file and grassroots movements determines largely how liberal or left they are... and the deree to which communists are active at the rank and file/grassroots levels largely determines how left/liberal the social democrats are (competition over ideology/the battle of ideas).
Social democracy is a very strong trend in the working class movements (probably even stronger among the middle class, especially middle class intellectuals) and we--- the left--- should be putting forward anti-Wall Street agendas aimed at solving the problems of working people in a way which helps build the strongest and most united progressive movements of the people's fronts. Progressive movements generally begin to take shape when the left brings forward programs that liberals agree with as a solution to problems created by capital.
I would think our goal, as the left, is to try keep liberals and social democrats with us in the struggles of working people in seeking solutions to problems working people are experiencing.
It is kind of hard to discuss this in abstractions.
We need to put forward concrete proposals for solutions to problems for discussion in order to understand why we want to try to win liberals and social democrats over for united action rather than breaking away from them (if they choose to go with Wall Street and Wall Street's austerity measures THEN they need to be exposed as sellouts and betrayers of the working class--- exposed as is being done in Greece by the KKE and PAME).
I find it quite hypocritical of those on the left calling for breaks with the liberals and social democrats before a clear left agenda is even articulated... and, to a large extent as here in the United States, the Communist "leadership" is rejecting putting forward a left agenda intended to win over liberals and social democrats.
For instance, on the health care issue: It seems to me to be a no-brainer that the CPUSA should be putting forward the demand for a national public health care system (socialized health care) as part of an anti-capitalist/anti-imperialist/anti-racist agenda in order to solve our health care problems while creating about ten-million new jobs in the creation of a community-based healthcare system which would require about 30,000 no-fee healthcare centers all funded by monies saved by ending these dirty imperialist wars and tax the hell out of the rich to pay for what the peace dividends will not cover. Affirmative action will have to become a part of any left agenda when it comes to jobs. Of course, this should be only part of a more comprehensive left agenda which includes creating jobs through massive government intervention and expanded workers' rights aimed at winning liberal and social democratic minded workers to a progressive agenda as the core foundation of a "people's front."
Bring forward a good, solid, left agenda aimed at creating a truly progressive movement designed to make Wall Street pay for solving the problems it created and THEN let those liberals and social democrats who so choose jump in bed with Wall Street.
Build good solid left rank and file and grassroots movements and honest social democrats and liberals will follow while others might continue to remain on the sidelines as they so often do--- but, their being on the sidelines is better than them joining Wall Street in attacking the working class as SOME social democrats and liberals in Greece have done--- this struggle in Greece and elsewhere is just beginning we should be too hasty in calling for breaking with social democrats and liberals... especially before the left has a clear agenda of its own centered on solving the problems of working people.
Besancenot's is very typical Trotskyite response to pressing social and economic problems being experienced by the working class and should be rejected.
When Communist "leaders" buy in to the weak social democratic (and in the case of Obama much worse than liberal or social democratic) agendas without any challenges in the form of concrete proposals and alternatives as has been done repeatedly by Sam Webb and his colleagues Scott Marshall and Erwin Marquit it makes it very difficult to bring forward the kind of left agendas that strengthen working class movements and the ability to fight back against our enemy: Wall Street.
