Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

No need for a party? Mike n Labour makes gains workern Non-Labour left Macnair reports from the n Lib Dem slump US Platypus convention n CPGB aggregate No 865 Thursday May 12 2011 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union www.cpgb.org.uk £1/€1.10

CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS BECKONS 8 May 12 2011 865 us left No need for party? The US Platypus grouping does not have a political line because there is ‘no possibility of revolutionary action’. Mike Macnair reports on its convention attended the third annual Platypus about madness and the penitentiary, as International Convention in Chi- well as about the history of sexuality, Icago over the weekend April 29- have been falsified by historians. May 1. The Platypus Affiliated So- And, though he identified Foucault’s ciety is a, mainly student, left group tendency to marginalise class politics, of an odd sort (as will appear further he saw this as merely a product of the below). Its basic slogan is: ‘The left defeat of the left, rather than as an is dead; long live the left’. Starting active intervention in favour of popular very small, it has recently expanded frontism. Hence he missed the extent rapidly on US campuses and added to which the Anglo-American left chapters in Toronto and Frankfurt. academic and gay/lesbian movement Something over 50 people attended reception of Foucault was closely tied the convention. to the defence of extreme forms of The fact of Platypus’s rapid growth popular frontism by authors directly on the US campuses, though still as or indirectly linked to Marxism yet to a fairly small size, tells us that Today, for whom it was an instrument in some way it occupies a gap on the against the ‘class-reductionist’ ideas US left, and also tells us something of Trotskyists. (limited) about the available terms of Ashley Weger deployed the debate. The discussions raised some ‘typical Platypus’ combination of interesting issues (though I am not Adorno with elements of 1970s sure how productive most of them Spartacism to polemicise against were). It is this that makes it worth the taboo/witch-hunt in relation to reporting the convention. This article intergenerational sex, which she will be an only slightly critical report argued flowed from a fetishism of of the convention; a second will offer the ‘innocence’ of childhood and a a critique of Platypus’s project. refusal to recognise the sexual desires I was invited to give a workshop of youth. This paper was competently on the CPGB’s perspectives, and done and valuably provocative to to participate in the Saturday current orthodoxies. evening plenary on ‘The legacy of It nonetheless did not get as far as Trotskyism’. I also attended some of the British debate of the 1970s-80s the panel discussions and the opening on the same issue. This recognised and closing plenaries, on ‘The politics Strange combination that the other side of the coin (adult of critical theory’ and ‘What is the aspirations to intergenerational Platypus critique?’ After the papers had been presented left groups were, in fact, principled approach and led to a return to sex) also flows from fetishisms, of and Nicholas Brown had responded, ones which would prohibit any Marx’s understanding of a much innocence and of powerlessness; Critical theory there was a brief and not particularly unity; and that programme was less more prolonged historical process and that statistically very much the I got little from the opening plenary on controversial question and answer fundamental than understanding of transition to capitalism, including larger part of intergenerational sex is ‘The politics of critical theory’ (on the session. history or the movement of the class the first experiments in the Italian father-daughter incest, which exploits Frankfurt School). The speakers were: struggle. I think I was able in the short city-states and the Dutch and English family power relations for what is in Chris Cutrone of Platypus and the Debating politics time available to answer these points revolutions (visible especially in the substance non-consensual activity. School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Saturday morning saw two 50-minute reasonably clearly: some divisions second half of Capital Vol 1). Since an immediate transition to the philosopher of technology and sessions of parallel workshops under on the left do have a principled basis, But beginning with the French the ‘higher stage’ of communism is student of Herbert Marcuse, Andrew the title, ‘Debating politics on the left but many do not, and in any case the Revolution and late-enlightenment not to be expected, a revolutionary Feenberg of Simon Fraser University; today: differing perspectives’. In the divisions in the early Comintern were ideas is, in fact, a new left dogma. It overthrow of the capitalist state Richard Westerman of the University first hour the choice was between the as wide or wider; a clear, short formal is linked to the idea that the ‘Hegelian’ order will not result in the immediate of Chicago; and Nicholas Brown of Maoist Revolutionary Communist party programme is essential to party logic of the first part of volume 1 of disappearance of this problem. the University of Illinois Chicago, as Party of the USA (leader since 1975: democracy. Marx’s Capital can be read without Accordingly any immediate (or respondent to the three papers. Bob Avakian) and the Democratic A representative of the International reference to the broader claims of ‘transitional’) programme point on the The plenary took as its starting Socialists of America (DSA). I went Bolshevik Tendency argued that historical materialism about the history issue must take a form like that in the point the publication by New Left to the latter. our view of democratic centralism before fully developed capitalism. CPGB’s Draft programme: “Abolish Review in 2010 of translated excerpts DSA claims to be the largest left amounted to going back on the fun- This approach is foundational to age-of-consent laws. We recognise the from a set of notes by Greta Adorno group in the US with around 10,000 damental gain represented by the Lukács, Korsch and the Frankfurt right of individuals to enter into the of a series of conversations in 1956 members, though the paid circulation 1903 split between Bolsheviks and school, who play an important role in sexual relations they choose, provided between Theodor Adorno and Max of their paper is lower, at around Mensheviks: I pointed out that the Platypus’s thought. this does not conflict with the rights Horkheimer with a view to producing 5,700 (and the Communist Party USA Spartacist (and other far-left) dog- of others. Alternative legislation to a modern redraft of the Communist claimed, as of 2002, 20,000 members). mas around this split actually origi- Sexual liberation protect children from sexual abuse.” manifesto. This project got nowhere, The presentation made clear that the nated with Zinoviev’s History of the The panel on ‘Marxism and sexual Jamie Keesling’s paper on the and (as Andrew Feenberg pointed out) group essentially consists of activists Bolshevik Party as a factional instru- liberation’ featured four interesting sexual emancipation of women was the Adorno-Horkheimer conversations in the left of the Democratic Party ment against Trotsky and were subse- papers. Pablo Ben critiqued the Reich/ the weakest of the four papers, moving are frequently absurd. engaged in a range of campaigns quently promoted as part of the Stalin Marcuse conception that ‘sexual from Juliet Mitchell to the modern Feenberg, who is a ‘child of 68’, for liberal good causes, plus some school of falsification. This argument liberation’ would undermine the debate among feminists about ‘sexy remarked also on the extent to which, support for trade unionists in dispute. shocked him. capitalist order. This idea informed dressing’, to philosopher Harriet in the conversations, Adorno and Its image of an alternative society is the early gay men’s movement, and Baber’s 1987 article, ‘How bad is Horkheimer displayed fear of falling Sweden or Finland. It is committed to Panels later the arguments of Pat Califia and rape?’ (which argues that compulsion into Marcuse’s positions: these, he popular-frontist ‘coalitions’ and has in In the afternoon there were three others in the lesbian sadomasochism to do routine labour is a more serious argued, had more connection to the its constitution rejected any electoral sets of parallel panel sessions under movement and its more general ‘sex- harm to the victim),4 to 1970s radical real emancipatory possibilities of intervention. It is, in short, not even the general title, ‘Lessons from the positive’ offshoots. The critique feminism (whose arguments she the post-war world than Adorno and Lib-Lab: the late 19th century Lib- history of Marxism’, with (in theory) combined the ideas of Adorno in did not grasp or attack in depth), Horkheimer’s theoreticisms. Labs at least agitated for working 15 minutes break between them. relation to the regulative power of to Moishe Postone’s 2006, broadly Chris Cutrone has posted his class representation within the Liberal In the first period the choice was capitalist economic relations over all Eustonite, ‘History and helplessness’,5 paper, ‘Adorno’s Leninism’, on his Party. between ‘Marxism and the bourgeois aspects of social life with the point - to Adorno. While various points were provocatively (or perhaps merely In the second hour the choice was revolutions’ and ‘Marxism and well understood by historians of the interesting, this did not add up to a pretentiously) titled blog The Last between CPGB and the Marxist- sexual liberation’. I have interests issue since the 1970s - that ‘sexuality’ coherent whole. Marxist.1 It argues that the project of Humanists US (one of the splinters in both areas, but chose to go to the as such (ie, the link of sexual choices Four papers in 90 minutes, the Frankfurt School derived from from the News and Letters Collective sexual liberation panel. It was evident to personal ‘identities’) emerges under followed by brief comments from the interventions of György Lukács founded by Raya Dunayevskaya). I from the panel blurb for ‘Marxism capitalism. This was a well argued each speaker on the other papers, led (History and class consciousness) presented the CPGB workshop. I and the bourgeois revolutions’ that and provocative paper. But I am not to a very compressed Q&A session. and Karl Korsch (Marxism and gave a very brief capsule history Platypus shares the common ‘new yet convinced that the detail of the Chris Cutrone asked for and got brief philosophy) in the 1920s, and these of the Leninist and of the CPGB left’ error of imagining that bourgeois theoretical approach is superior to responses from the speakers to a in turn from the ‘crisis of Marxism’ since 1991 and explained the nature thought begins with the 18th century that which Jamie Gough and I argued general question about the relations represented by the revisionist debate of our orientation to ‘reforging a enlightenment, and that the bourgeois in the mistitled Gay liberation in the between Marxism and liberal political in the German Social Democratic Communist Party’ through unification revolutions began with the French.3 80s (1985). theory, Pablo Ben’s being the most Party in the 1890s and 1900s and of the Marxists as Marxists, and on It might be thought that Jonathan Greg Gabrellas argued for an substantial response. A woman of the betrayal of August 1914, and the democratic centralism as an alternative Israel’s massive excavation of the interpretation of Foucault as a critic British origin asked about the relation idea of Leninism as representing a to bureaucratic centralism. links of this period with prior Dutch of Reich starting out from French of issues of sexuality to ideas of gender philosophical alternative. So far, so The question-and-answer session and English politics, religion and Maoism. This was again a useful and the division between public and John Rees or David Renton.2 Adorno, which followed was lively, and I thinkers, in Radical enlightenment paper, though with two missing private spheres (again an aspect of the he argued, continued down to his death was pressed by Platypusers with the (2001) and Enlightenment contested elements. He did not flag up the extent debates of the 1970s-80s) and did not committed to a version of these ideas. ideas that the divisions among the (2006), would have disturbed this to which Foucault’s historical claims get a satisfactory response. 865 May 12 2011 9 osama bin laden

I have gone into this panel at length out of this panel beyond the stale him.” of the tragedy of the 20th century; is precisely that the party question, because it was intellectually one of the new left orthodoxy about the sterility Bryan Palmer is a Trotskyist, and (as but the idea of an accidental epoch and the tasks of patiently rebuilding strongest in the convention. I would of the SPD majority which is, as I far as can be seen from online sources) is inconsistent with historical the workers’ movement, are on the nonetheless assess that the speakers have already indicated, more clearly one coming from the background of materialism. We have to be Marxists immediate agenda. were operating at a lower theoretical defended by British authors from the the part of the US Socialist Workers because there is no better way of level than that of the debates of the left Cliffite tradition like Rees and Renton. Party and its international tendency thinking, but Marxism may be Platypus critique in the British feminist and lesbian/gay In Chris Cutrone’s paper I was that did not break with Trotskyism in inadequate; the failure of Trotskyism The Sunday morning plenary on movements in the 1970s-80s. struck by three specific features. The the 1980s.14 His speech made nods expresses the antecedent crisis of ‘What is the Platypus critique?’, with There are two reasons why that first is that he claimed that Marx and in the direction of Platypus’s claims, Marxism. Both Stalinism and fascism three Platypus speakers, was in one should be the case. The first is that Engels were suspicious of political but asserted positively that the crash were products of the failure of the way the oddest and in another the in our 1970s-80s debates there parties.9 This is plain nonsense and of 2008 showed the relevance of German revolution. This ‘German most symptomatic of the sessions. was a real link between theoretical I have provided the evidence to the Marxism today; that the defeats question’ poses the question how Spencer Leonard opened by saying arguments and positive practical contrary in the second of my articles of the 20th century are the result the strongest Marxist party in the that Platypus was sometimes said politics. Practical political choices on electoral tactics: Marx and Engels of Stalinism; and that the ideas of world, the SPD, could betray its to have a line which combined force out the logical implications of argued from the 1840s to the 1890s in Trotsky and Trotskyism - especially own revolution. Since the objective Spartacist Trotskyism with Adorno. theoretical positions in a way that support of the working class forming the idea that the crisis of humanity conditions for socialism had matured, This was incorrect: Platypus does theoretical critique on its own does itself into a political party.10 reduces to the crisis of revolutionary the explanation had to be the power not have a political line. Rather it not. The second is that the sub- The second, and related, feature is leadership - retain all their relevance. of bourgeois ideology; both Trotsky recognises that there is no present Frankfurt School historical schema of the claim that political parties were The problem was a trahison des clercs, and the Frankfurt school grappled possibility of revolutionary political the ‘defeat of the left’ stretching back a new phenomenon in the late 19th in which the intellectuals sought new with this problem. action, because of the deep-going to the ‘crisis of Marxism’ in the 1900s century and suspect to earlier ‘classical alternative ideas repudiating the basics The outcome of World War II crisis of Marxism. Its goal is therefore has a tendency to blind its adherents liberals’. The latter part of this claim of Marxism, as with postmodernism, represented a victory for the enlight- to bring the left to a recognition of to the details of concrete history. is true, but the former is simply false: rather than attempt to put Trotsky’s enment, but a defeat of revolution- its own failure and to address the By doing so, it permits schematic if the Dutch Regent oligarchy did ideas into practice. ary possibilities. In the 1950s-60s theoretical issues. To this end it aims theory, which moves from arbitrarily without formal parties, Whigs and Jason Wright gave the sort of Trotskyists as well as Maoists were to ‘host the conversation’. chosen elements of the concrete to the Tories in Britain appeared in 1679-81, speech that could be expected: prone to illusions in third-world na- He was followed by Laurie Rojas, abstract, but can never return to work reappeared promptly in 1688-89, and revolutionary continuity runs through tionalisms. The 1968 period offered speaking to her organisational work up the concrete as a combination of continued to dominate political life the Fourth International 1938-53, the a ‘Dionysian moment’ of ‘revo- for Platypus: this again focussed abstractions. until the Whigs were replaced by the International Committee 1953-61, the lution through pure ecstasy’; the on the necessity (and difficulty) Liberals in the mid-19th century. What Revolutionary Tendency of the US Trotskyists, except the Sparts, inte- of addressing the left, but also Maoism and lefts was new in the late 19th century and SWP and, following it, the Spartacist grated themselves in the new left and emphasised the constant return of the The second session offered a choice with the SPD was highly organised, League, from 1961 to the 1980s; and lost the character of Trotskyism as a necessity of the Platypus project. The between a panel on ‘Badiou and post- mass-membership political parties thereafter the IBT. The CPGB, he said critique of the existing left. It was final speaker was Ben Shepard, whose Maoism: Marxism and communism with democratic structures. This was a in passing, breaks with the tradition this aspect of Trotskyism as honest speech was interspersed by readings today’ and one on ‘Art, culture and product of the political intervention of of the pre-war socialist movement as critique and fidelity to the October from Samuel Beckett, with Spencer politics: Marxist approaches’, which the proletariat as such and is reflected well as that of Bolshevism by calling revolution that had to be redeemed. Leonard attempting to take the other offered consideration of the theories in the fact that in the US, where for votes for bourgeois candidates. I The speakers were given an part - I take it using absurdism to of art of Trotsky, Adorno and Walter the proletariat has not succeeded did not get an opportunity to reply opportunity to respond to each other indicate the present left’s absurdity; Benjamin. I went to the panel on in breaking into high politics, the to this at the meeting, but my recent and this was followed by slightly I am sorry to say that I found this Alain Badiou, addressed to his The Democrats and Republicans retain three-part series on electoral principles longer than usual Q&A discussion. sufficiently distracting that I can say communist hypothesis (2010) and a looser organisational forms. and tactics can serve as a reply - to the Four substantial issues were posed. no more about the points he made. debate which had already developed The third feature was Cutrone’s extent that it is worth replying. In the first place it seemed to be the The plenary started late and online between Chris Cutrone of reliance for analysis of the SPD on I criticised the formulations common view of the other panellists the Q&A session was brief. One Platypus and the Maoist or post- Peter Nettl’s 1965 article on the SPD proposed in the panel description. In that the divisions of the Trotskyist self-described “newbie” said from Maoist ‘Kasama project’.6 The panel as a ‘political model’.11 This is, to the first place ‘Trotskyism’ means an left were in fact principled and the floor that she felt at the end was Chris Cutrone, Mike Ely and be blunt, unambiguously a work of organised political movement formed unavoidable splits, a view which of the weekend rather as if she Joseph Ramsey of Kasama, and cold war sociology, which seeks to on the basis of definite programmatic I rejected. Secondly, a questioner had accidentally wandered into a John Steele of Khukuri, all of whom force the conclusion that the only documents - those of the first four asked whether the evolution of some postgraduate philosophy seminar. A defended Badiou; Mike Ely’s paper is real choices available in politics congresses of the Comintern, of the US ex-Trotskyists towards neo- more accurate description would be available on Kasama, John Steele’s on are between reformist coalitionism International Left Opposition and of conservatism reflected something a literary theory seminar. The panel Khukuri, and Cutrone’s on his blog.7 and something derived from the the 1938 founding congress of the about Trotskyism; on this there on political theory which I missed The arguments of Badiou’s ‘actionism’ of Georges Sorel and the Fourth International. The Trotskyist seemed to be general acceptance of might have had the analytical or defenders on this panel are ultra-left.12 Its analysis of the SPD is movement has splintered into diverse a point I made, in response, that such phenomenological rigour found in intellectually and politically apolitical-Weberian. fragments, but it is on its formally an evolution is not found in Europe, philosophy seminars. But most of uninteresting. They seem to be merely Nettl’s story reaches its climacteric adopted positions that it is to be judged while ex-Stalinists had also gone over the theoretical papers I heard had a new version of the tendency of the with the betrayal of August 1914. and criticised. to the right. the ‘neither quite rigorous philosophy ex-Maoist, ex-Eurocommunist, and But missing, accordingly, are, first, Secondly, ‘classical Marxism’ is The third was whether defeats nor quite rigorous history’ quality of academic left to episodic fashions, like the later emergence of the USPD as a an amalgam, like the ‘counterrevolu- for your own imperialist power many literary theory papers l the fashion for Roy Bhaskar’s ‘critical mass opposition, and, second, the fact tionary bloc of rights and Trotskyites’. make revolution more likely, as realism’ which ran for some years in that the working class did in fact use In the sense in which it used by Jason Wright argued - in my view [email protected] the 1990s. the SPD and its Austrian equivalent, Platypus, it derives from the new falsely, except in the case of defeat Cutrone’s argument judges, I think the SPÖ, as organising instruments left’s, and hence the British SWP’s, in inter-imperialist, or great-power, Notes correctly, that Badiou’s ‘communism’ in the overthrow of the Hohenzollern attempt to paste together Marx, war. Pablo Ben raised from the floor 1. http://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org. is directly anti-Marxist.8 Cutrone and Habsburg monarchies in 1918- Lenin, Luxemburg, Trotsky, Lukács the classic case of the Argentinean 2. J Rees The algebra of revolution: the dialectic and the classical Marxist tradition London 1998; therefore equally correctly appeals to 19. Of course, the leaderships held and Gramsci, in spite of their diverse left’s shipwreck when it supported D Renton Classical Marxism: socialist theory the Second International and its left back to national horizons and created and in some respects opposed political the military regime’s aggression in and the Second International Cheltenham 2002; as the high point of the movement ‘democratic republics’, which were and theoretical positions.15 To say that the 1982 South Atlantic war. Richard and see my review of both books Weekly Worker against capitalism to date: it was in reality bourgeois parliamentary- “Trotsky, unlike Trotskyism, exem- Rubin argued that defeatism was a September 11 2003. 13 3. For another example cf B Fine Democracy and this movement that made possible constitutional regimes. These plifies the classical Marxism of the moral obligation, but not one from the rule of law (1984; reprint Caldwell, NJ 2002). 1917. But he tends not to interpret circumstances fit better with apolitical early 20th century, and that tradition which revolution could be expected. 4. Hypatia Vol 2, pp125-38. the strength of the late 19th century account of the SPD’s and the wartime certainly died with him” is therefore This, I think, underrates the issue. 5. Public Culture 18, pp93-110; also available at movement in terms of Marx’s and and post-war Kautskyites’ failure to an empty claim. What is needed to Even if defeatism in our own various places on the web. 6. http://kasamaproject.org. Engels’ idea of capitalism creating its serve the interests of the working class understand the past of Marxist theory country’s unjust wars cannot usually 7. Steele: www.khukuritheory.net/why-is-badiou- own gravedigger in the proletariat, and - because of their nationalism and is to understand the political and theo- be expected either to cause a defeat or of-political-value; Cutrone: http://chriscutrone. hence the key to the movement being false political ideas on the state - than retical disputes of the Comintern in the to bring on revolution campaigning platypus1917.org/?p=1144. the political self-organisation of the with Nettl’s Weberian sociological light of the political and theoretical on a defeatist stance educates as wide 8. Andrew Coates has made somewhat similar points against Slavoj Žižek, with whom Badiou is working class. story of political impotence through disputes of the Second International layers of the working class as possible linked, in this paper (‘The leadership of Instead, he poses the need for an ‘isolationism’. and of the pre-1917 RSDLP. in the need for political independence “events”’, March 3). Cf also James Turley’s emancipatory movement to start from Platypus calls on us to recover Within this framework, in the first from the local capitalist state, and review of Lenin reloaded (‘Hegel reloaded?’, the conquests of capitalism - which the history of the left in order to place the idea of separating Trotsky thereby prepares the political ground December 13 2007). 9. He based this on the far left’s common but is, indeed, central to Marxism - in understand and get beyond its present from post-war Trotskyism is wrong. for circumstances in which revolution inaccurate exegesis of the statement in the terms of the conquests of liberalism. ‘death’. But in its own attempts to do Secondly, it is necessary, in order is on the immediate agenda. Communist manifesto that “The Communists do The political logic of this intellectual so, the standard of historical work is to progress, to critique the actual The fourth and most general not form a separate party opposed to the other move is the path followed by the sloppy. programmatic positions of the first question was whether revolution is on working class parties” (in which, in fact, “the other working class parties” means only the Schachtmanites, by Adorno and four congresses of the Comintern and the agenda and if so in what sense, and Chartists and the related US National Reformers). Horkheimer, and more recently by Trotskyism of Trotskyism, as I have attempted whether a party is therefore called for. 10. ‘Principles to shape tactics’ Weekly Worker the British Revolutionary Communist The Saturday evening plenary on in Revolutionary strategy (2008). Bryan Palmer’s and Jason Wright’s April 21. Party/Spiked and the Eustonites, ‘The legacy of Trotskyism’ featured The most fundamental point is the answer to these questions was 11. Past and Present No30, pp65-95; more on the same line in Nettl’s two-volume biography of towards the political right. labour historian Bryan Palmer, of rejection of bureaucratic centralism. emphatically yes. Chris Cutrone’s Rosa Luxemburg (1966). The final panel session offered Trent University (Ontario, Canada); Thirdly, the failures of the Trotskyists (from the floor) and Richard Rubin’s 12. Nettl seeks to distinguish Luxemburg from a choice between ‘Marxism and Jason Wright from the International are not all given by some Trotskyist was that the objective conditions the anarchists on the grounds that her version of political philosophy’ with the same Bolshevik Tendency; myself; and (or ‘Pabloite’) original sin: there are were present, but the subjective activism was based on the spontaneous movement of the working class masses, not arbitrary late-enlightenment focus as the Richard Rubin from Platypus. The lessons, albeit mostly negative, to be conditions even for a party were ‘initiatives’ of the revolutionaries. But this shows ‘bourgeois revolutions’ panel, here panel description contained the learned from the Trotskyists’ attempts not present. My own response was only that, if Nettl had read Sorel at all, he had not on ‘The classical figures of bourgeois claim that, “As one Platypus writer to build small groups into something that proletarian revolution is on the done so with any care. political thought: Rousseau, Kant, has suggested, Trotsky is as out larger and to intervene in live politics. historical agenda; that the weakness 13. More in my ‘Leading workers by the nose’ Weekly Worker September 13 2007. Hegel’; and ‘The Marxism of the of place in the post-World War II Richard Rubin argued that of proletarian organisation takes it 14. This appears from the judgments of his Second International radicals’. I world as Voltaire or Rousseau would revolutionary continuity is off the short-term agenda; and that review essay on Jan Willem Stutje’s Ernest attended the latter, featuring papers have been in the world after the impossible; there is a fundamental if Lenin’s ‘the ruling class cannot Mandel (2010) 55 International Review of Social by Chris Cutrone, Greg Gabrellas, Ian French Revolution. Trotsky, unlike discontinuity in politics and the main go on in the old way and the masses History pp117-32. 15. There is an older usage belonging to the cold Morrison and Marco Torres. Trotskyism, exemplifies the classical task is to understand it. Trotskyism will not” was to be placed on the war academy, in which ‘classical Marxism’ was I may have missed something by Marxism of the early 20th century, is merely a historical relic. Trotsky immediate agenda the result would used to mean a (caricatural) version of Marxism arriving late, but I did not get much and that tradition certainly died with insisted on the accidental character therefore be disastrous. But the result before Lenin. Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

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Karl Kautsky and France’s Second Republic 2 May 19 2011 866 letters

Letters may have been published the transcripts of most of social forces, in which various at this moment, although most also proposed some joint activity with the shortened because of our major public fora, so I think our groups contest for influence under a felt this would be insufficient for communist resistance, he would have space. Some names project should be judged on the basis common banner. Of course, it is still resurrecting the left. opposed such a joint action? That seems  may have been changed of whether these are productive. The difficult for any individual or group Anyway, I am looking forward to to me to be ultra-left, third-periodist convention that Macnair attended to succeed in this process without lots the upcoming article on the Platypus madness. Of course, in any such case, Platypus threatens to give a skewed perspective of money. But organised groups with project itself and following the CPGB the revolutionaries have to go into such On behalf of Platypus, let me express on our actual activities, which don’t clear programmatic ideas and a long- with great interest. an arrangement with their eyes wide how greatly we appreciate Mike usually put forward Platypus members’ term commitment can become forces Watson Ladd open, and believing that those with Macnair’s very thorough report on takes so prominently or, in some within either party. The mainstream Platypus Affiliated Society whom they are making this tactical and critiques of the events at the recent instances, (nearly) exclusively as at of the DSA thinks that labour and the alliance are likely to stab them in the Platypus convention in Chicago from our convention. There is a potentially left should do precisely that within Defeatist back, but to refuse to agree to such April 29 to May 1, at which we were important distinction between what the Democrats - to become ‘a party I believe that Mike Macnair is wrong in action would undoubtedly condemn very happy and grateful to have his we do as an organised project and the within a party’. The DSA supports left his analysis of the position of the early the revolutionaries in the eyes of the participation (‘No need for party?’, consensus of how we understand the Democrats like Dennis Kucinich and Comintern and Trotsky in relation to the masses. May 12). need for our project - that is, our take John Conyers to that end. (I admit that question of the ‘anti-imperialist united What Mike’s argument really However, I disagree with how on Marxism. As a project, we want to this is not always spelled out explicitly front’ and the tactics of communists in comes down to is the fact that we Macnair characterises Peter Nettl’s be judged on our practice rather than within DSA literature, but that’s the relation to the national and colonial cannot apply this strategy because argument, which I referenced, on our ‘theory’, whatever the latter’s thinking.) question (Letters, May 12). we are too small. But history shows specifically to show how Luxemburg’s limitations. Is this popular frontist? It’s not Besides the fact that the Comintern that revolutionary organisations that and Lenin’s Marxist revolutionism Lastly, the title of my online intended as such. It has nothing to in its Fourth Congress theses explicitly refuse to defend basic principles are offered an alternative to both collection of writings for Platypus, do with old CPUSA arguments for talks about opposing pan-Islamism doomed never to become larger forces. opportunist reformism and (anarchistic The last Marxist, is indeed meant to supporting ‘representatives of the masquerading as anti-imperialism, But I would ask Mike then what the or Sorelian) actionism. I think Macnair be provocative (what would it mean progressive wing of the bourgeoisie’ Mike fails to take into account what conclusion of his thesis is in relation avoids (or I didn’t present clearly to make such a claim or have such an or what have you. The argument is Lenin had said in the debate around to Libya? Presumably, if he is opposed enough) the issue I was raising about the aspiration?), but with what I hope is that Democrats such as Kucinich and the theses, or indeed in previous to supporting Libya, as against British, inherent unavoidable authoritarianism recognisable humour, if not exactly Conyers are not representatives of the discussions within the Russian Social US, French imperialism, etc, then he of late 19th century mass (working tongue in cheek. capitalist class; that they are traditional Democratic Labour Party on the will not be unhappy to see imperialism class) parties that needed to be worked Chris Cutrone social democratic-type workers’ reps, question. In those earlier discussions, install its own puppet regime in Tripoli. through by later Marxism (unlike circa email because the Democratic Party is in for instance, Lenin talks about guarding I contend that the revolutionary 1848), and the problems of which Lenin fact basically a structureless line on against movements that were in effect Marxist position remains to oppose and Luxemburg were aware, unlike Misconceptions the ballot which is open for (class) acting as agents of external powers. imperialist aggression and intentions, to the German Social Democratic Party I wanted to clear up some contestation. But, more clearly, in his contribution support any truly revolutionary forces centre (of Bebel and Kautsky) and later misconceptions about the Democratic Now all this may be wrong, but I’d at the Second Congress, he says: “… in Libya, and to propose joint action Stalinism (including Maoism). Socialists of America. I don’t know say it’s something better than “not even as communists we will only support the with other forces against imperialism, Luxemburg’s pamphlets, Reform or who represented DSA at the Platypus Lib-Lab”. bourgeois freedom movements in the whilst continuing to ruthlessly expose revolution? and The mass strike, hone convention, but apparently she or he Jason Schulman colonial countries if these movements the class nature of those forces, to their critiques of the SPD and broader didn’t do a good job. New York are really revolutionary and if their expose their inability to wage an Second International precisely on this No, we don’t have 10,000 members representatives are not opposed to us effective struggle against imperialism score, as does, more broadly, Trotsky’s at present (the high point of the De rigueur training and organising the peasantry in and, where necessary, as Lenin Results and prospects (see especially organisation was in the early 1990s, I thought Mike Macnair’s article on a revolutionary way. If that is no good, says above, “the communists there the section on ‘The prerequisites of with around 11,000 paid-up members). the Platypus convention was very then the communists there also have also have a duty to fight against the socialism’). This concern, the problem We have, last I knew, around 6,000. interesting. The only thing I would a duty to fight against the reformist reformist bourgeoisie”. For Marxists of the raison d’être of the social Some members may think we have want to raise for the sake of clarity, as bourgeoisie …” (www.marxists.org/ outside Libya, our duty is to support democratic (and later communist) more, but they’re misinformed. opposed to a dispute over politics, is history/international/comintern/2nd- any genuine revolutionary forces - I party, is less explicit, but nonetheless Our image of an alternative society his invocation of philosophical rigour. congress/ch04.htm). am not at all convinced that the ‘rebel’ present as a key background issue in is not Sweden or Finland. We say While it is true that philosophical Mike says that there are lots of forces come under that heading - and Lenin’s What is to be done? and The that the immediate struggle in the rigour is part of a ruthless critique of examples in the 20th century where to assist in whatever way we can the state and revolution, as well as his United States is to force reforms into anything existing, Adorno in Minima nationalist movements have simply building of independent working class Leftwing communism and Imperialism existence that make the US economy moralia writes: “The injunction to turned into Stalinist regimes. That is organisations. pamphlets. The Second International more ‘Scandinavian’, if you will, but practise intellectual honesty usually true, but is that in itself proof that the We should attempt to assist in the radicals recognised, after Marx and that does not exhaust our vision. We’re amounts to sabotage of thought.” And tactic of supporting a non-imperialist building of links between workers Engels, the modern state and its explicitly for workers’ self-management he goes on to detail how the antithetical state against an imperialist state in in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and other political parties as phenomena of and democratic planning and such. A function of thought is undermined by a war, where the latter is trying to adjoining states. We should attempt Bonapartism - that is, the need for number of members are taken with the this injunction. subjugate the former, is falsified? No, to make contacts with genuine proletarian socialist revolution. model in David Schweickart’s After Naturally, there is an issue with of course not. revolutionary socialist organisations On ‘the bourgeois revolution’, capitalism, which I think is a well- simply affirming or denouncing Simply applying the correct strategy in Libya and provide them with arms, the historiography offered by some written book, if too ‘market socialist’ intellectual rigour: neither nonsense is no guarantee of victory in anything. finance and other practical support. I members of Platypus by way of for my taste. I think the work of Pat nor triviality will suffice as modes of Given the extremely weak forces that cannot for one moment imagine that, perspective does not treat the 1789- Devine provides a better vision - one thought today, nor could they ever, revolutionary Marxists had at their were I a revolutionary Marxist in 1815 Great French Revolution as of more comprehensive planning - and but I think that the issue Adorno raises disposal compared with the forces of Libya, adopting the defeatist position the ‘first’, but rather the last of the I’ve promoted it within the DSA. of intellectual rigour falling into reformism, Stalinism and imperialism, as Mike suggests, in the face of massive great bourgeois revolutions, and This brings us to the Democratic affirmation is a very real one. Indeed it would have been remarkable if imperialist aggression, would be a somewhat late at that, explaining in Party question. I’ll present the that is what has largely happened to simply having the correct strategy were credible position. part its pathologies; and in the Marxist mainstream DSA position (one with analytic philosophy. Wittgenstein’s sufficient to guarantee success. But it Arthur Bough view 1830 and 1848 were already which I’ve traditionally agreed, but am literary executor was Anscombe: while would be opportunistic in the extreme email ‘proletarian’. The importance of the currently somewhat sceptical of). a brilliant philosopher, her Catholicism to conclude from that balance of class earlier Dutch and British experience The DSA is in and around the left was compatible with her philosophy forces that we should abandon basic No mention is very much present in our minds wing of the Democratic Party mainly because of its irrelevance. Marxist principles. It’s a wee bit disappointing that as the original emergence of modern because (a) most of the people we want The real question about The main problem has been Anne Mc Shane totally leaves out bourgeois society, such that bourgeois to work with and recruit are there, philosophical rigour is not textual that in many of these struggles, the the results of militant nationalist and Britain was the bastion of reaction including rank-and-file unionists, analysis, but philosophy as a method revolutionaries have not adopted the republican candidates in the local against the French revolution. So I and (b) the US has an electoral of thought about our world and our position of Lenin and the Comintern, election in the six occupied counties, think the perspective we tend to adopt system which makes the formation place in it. In that respect the advent as set out in the quote above, and only mentioning the Irish Republican in the Platypus approach to this history of a mass left/labour party uniquely of philosophical rigour has been only have simply turned themselves into Socialist Party in Belfast (‘Governing is not so ‘new leftist’/post-1960s as difficult. In a parliamentary system one side of a defeat, either in the form cheerleaders for the nationalist forces parties consolidate’, May 12). She Macnair suspects. where the members of parliament of obtuse French theory or positivism rather than setting themselves the task doesn’t mention the particularly strong Our general perspective in Platypus select the prime minister as head of that, while intriguing and better than of building up a genuine revolutionary votes of the IRSP in Strabane, Gerry is that, for Marx, proletarian socialism government - especially in countries its modern followers, cannot say much movement in the process of opposing Donnelly of the 32-County Sovereignty not only potentially ‘negates’, but also with proportional representation - about the questions we all face today. imperialist aggression. Take Trotsky’s Movement in Derry or Éirígí in West importantly potentially ‘completes’, electing minor party legislators is As for Mike’s account of the position in relation to Mexico under Belfast and Fermanagh, where they got the bourgeois revolution (at a global, much easier. But in a system like convention itself, while it is true that Cardenas. Was Trotsky right to support a councillor elected. world-historical scale), that the crisis that of the US, where the president is Richard Rubin did coin the excellent the Cardenas regime in opposing British Are militant nationalists not worth of bourgeois society in capital is the elected separately by nationwide votes phrase, ‘neo-Kautskyan’, at Mike’s imperialism and nationalising British mentioning in a communist paper? The need for socialism, but that socialism and members of Congress are elected presentation and most of the Platypodes oil interests in Mexico? I find it hard platforms of these groups are in many was not understood by Marx to be a in single-member districts, only two were sympathetic to his critique of your to believe any revolutionary Marxist points much more progressive than final end-point: rather a potential new parties can survive. project, it is not true that a lot of us could answer no to that question. the petty bourgeois, anti-nationalist beginning for human history. You note the organisational thought the splits in the Trotskyists But Trotsky did not simply become a manifestos of tiny Trotskyite groups I look forward to the promised looseness of the Democrats (and were principled. I regret that there was cheerleader for Cardenas in the way like the People Before Profit Alliance, second part of Macnair’s critique of Republicans). In fact, today they not a chance to push the sectarians in the some today have done in relation to the Socialist Party or the Socialist Platypus as a project. However, I would are both quasi-state institutions - no room on the principled or unprincipled Chávez. He argued against Mexican Workers Party. caution that it is important to note the longer political parties in the European nature of their splits. I think this was revolutionaries submerging themselves Dieter Reinisch actual basis of our project - that is, parliamentary sense; they are legally a result of how well Mike presented in the Institutional Revolutionary Party, Vienna our “hosting the critical conversation regulated structures with fixed times the case for unity as a practical matter, and argued instead for the need to build on the left” (about Marxism), that we and places, where anyone can register. and indeed ‘Pythonism’ in splits has a Mexican workers’ party. Dreary don’t think will take place without our Open to all, they have no ideological been a deeply ingrained feature in the I would suggest another concrete Anne Mc Shane’s article on the project’s specific focus. This, and not requirements for membership. To movement on this side of the Atlantic case where Mike might wish to assembly and council elections in any purported ‘Platypus positions’ to become a Republican or Democrat, as well - a fact we all know well in consider the implications of what he the Six Counties rightly notes the be derived, for instance, from my or you just register as such. In fact, Platypus. Afterwards I heard quite a is saying. That is France under German importance of the national question other Platypus members’ writings, these are not really parties at all, but bit of sympathy and agreement around occupation. Is he saying that, if the there and the failure of the SP and SWP requires judgment and criticism. We’ve coalitions of more or less compatible Mike’s position on the need for unity Free French resistance movement had to address it. Letters, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 020 8533 6360 l [email protected] l wwwcpgb.org.uk 4 May 19 2011 866 us left Theoretical dead end The US Platypus group is in the borderlands of two types of left, argues Mike Macnair in the second of two articles

n last week’s paper I reported on that a movement which claims to seek be true to itself as a movement for maintain a pro-imperialist or neutral the third Platypus International general human emancipation but gives general human emancipation without line if Platypus were willing to Convention in Chicago, April 29- political support to this hierarchy is its sections in the countries higher abandon the critique of the existing left I 1 May 1. The concluding plenary dis- engaged in political doublethink. up the global hierarchy displaying as anti-emancipatory. All that would cussed the ‘Platypus critique’, where At the same time, only Lenin’s explicit, upfront and active opposition be needed would be to assert that speakers from the group denied that theory of imperialism - that it to this hierarchy, and therefore to the the immediate general emancipation it had “a line”. This, and the conven- represents the final stage of capitalism blockade and war operations of their of humanity is impossible and that tion as a whole, pose another ques- and World War I the opening of a own countries. it is first necessary to pass through tion: the critique of the Platypus. terminal crisis or Zusammenbruch - Chris Cutrone is Platypus’s capitalism via imperialism. Platypus If it was really the case that the gives support to the conclusion drawn (presumably elected) president. He is a third of the way to this position, Platypus Affiliated Society had no by the Comintern and maintained writes, not infrequently, on Middle since it asserts that emancipation political line or agenda, but merely by Trotsky, that communists in Eastern affairs in its journal, Platypus has to be built on the basis of the aimed to ‘host the conversation’, then imperialist countries must not only Review. His language in these articles conquests of capitalism. Step two is to critique it would be like offering oppose the imperialist actions of is at best Delphic - obscure and to assert that the material or ‘objective’ a critique of large, vague academic their own countries, but also seek the capable of multiple interpretations. conditions for socialist revolution had ‘learned societies’ like the classicists’ victory of the nationalist movement of Cutrone is (as an academic) a pupil not matured as of 1917 (or 1938). American Philological Association Chris Cutrone the subordinated country, even if it is of Moishe Postone, and says openly This point has been clearly argued or the English Lit crowd’s Modern authoritarian or clerical-reactionary that his politics are influenced by by Moshé Machover in 1999,3 and, Language Association. is dead ... we are all that is left of it”. in character. Not even Bukharin’s Postone. Postone unambiguously from within the ‘Lukácsian’ tradition Such a critique would only be With much, though not all, of the or Luxemburg’s theories, which is a Eustonite or a left Zionist of a to which Platypus adheres, by István worthwhile to the extent that the political substance of this critique of are closest to Lenin’s, support this variety not dissimilar to the AWL. Mészáros, in Beyond capital (1995). learned society in question already the contemporary left CPGB comrades conclusion. Some of Cutrone’s analysis of Middle Platypus seems (from what Richard dominated the ‘conversation’ in would agree, though we do not draw And, in fact, the evidence of 20th East politics shows signs, like the Rubin said in the Trotsky plenary) to question, and in doing so maintained the sect conclusion. century history is unambiguously AWL’s analysis, of being taken from reject it. an implicit line - like the idea of From Adorno, and not from clear that both the theory of terminal the overseas outlets of Tel Aviv. Step three would be to argue that ‘western civilisation’, which had Spartacism, come defence of capitalist crisis (Trotsky’s ‘death agony Louis Proyect argues that Cutrone’s objective conditions have not yet the effect of excluding work which ‘high culture’ and hostility to riots of capitalism’) and the political language (and that of other Platypus matured; that their maturing involves did not comply from academic for the sake of ‘resistance’ - and conclusion drawn from it of alliance writers) is, rather than Delphic, the complete global displacement of recognition. This situation certainly hostility to the ‘anti-imperialism’ of the workers’ movement with petty Aesopian: obscure, and contains code pre-capitalist social relations; and exists in the economists’ learned which demands that the left side with bourgeois nationalists in the ‘anti- which actually signals private (here that this can only be accomplished societies (exclusionary dominance whoever is the current target of US imperialist united front’ are false - as Eustonite or AWLish) commitments. through the agency of imperialism. of neoclassical microeconomics), military operations, even if they are false and as disproved as the theory A number of Platypus supporters This would then be substantially the and de facto exists in several Eng Lit obvious tyrants like the Ba’athists of phlogiston. responded to Proyect’s posting. They theory of Bill Warren’s Imperialism, societies (exclusionary dominance of or Libyan Jamahiriya or clericalist These circumstances require took the opportunity to assert their pioneer of capitalism (1980). It would postmodernism). reactionaries like the Iranian regime. advocates of general human critique of the left. They insisted that also be the theory of Bernstein in the For a small group like Platypus This last, of course, has led to emancipation in countries high up Platypus Review is an open magazine Bernstein-Bax debate of 1896-97 such a critique would be pointless. In the interpretation that Platypus the pecking order to pursue a two- and - as Spencer Leonard said in the and of the ‘social-imperialists’ in the reality, however, Platypus both does is presently Eustonite: people sided policy in relation to their own closing plenary at the convention - 1900s.4 not, and does, have a political line and who favour the victory of the US countries’ coercive operations against that Platypus does not have a line. Whatever its merits (I should agenda. imperialism’s military operations countries lower down. On the one They said that they do not support emphasise that I think that beyond the It does not have a political line and over the alternative on the basis of the hand, it is necessary to oppose these ‘humanitarian interventions’ - which second step the merits are negligible: agenda in the sense that it does not unattractive character of the targets. operations clearly, unambiguously is the code also used by the AWL. But see my 2004 series on imperialism5), call for votes for anyone, or vote on a The case was sharply made by Louis and as far as possible practically. On they did not take the opportunity to this approach would involve platform or political positions which it Proyect in 2010. His conclusion is: the other, it is also necessary to give say upfront that they as a group or as abandoning Platypus’s critique of the is to defend in common. The comrades “What we are dealing with is a political solidarity and what practical individuals oppose these ‘sanctions’ existing left as ‘dead’ because it has claim that because of the death of the section of the academic left that has support can be given to emancipatory and military actions - still less that abandoned the emancipatory project left this is impossible without the prior become profoundly disoriented and movements in the countries targeted they would campaign to stop them, of Marxism. The reason would be theoretical critique which might, at succumbed to the pressure of living - and therefore to avoid stupidly even at the level of publishing anti- that such a theory would also deny some unspecified date in the future, inside the US, the world’s largest and prettifying tyrants, local Bonapartes, war or anti-sanctions material in the possibility of immediate general make political action possible. most dangerous hegemon in history. clerical reactionaries, etc, merely Platypus Review. emancipation: it would say that the It does, however, have a political The purpose of this article is to put because they may from time to time Cutrone’s address to the convention next step is full global capitalism and line and agenda - even if this was only a skull-and-bones sign next to the talk ‘anti-imperialist’ talk. - on ‘The anti-fascist v anti- global liberalism, to make a future the statement on its website: “Hence, poisoned well they drink from, so as To err on either side of this line imperialist “left”: some genealogies general emancipation possible. to free ourselves, we declare that the to warn any young graduate student once or twice or even several times is and prospects’ - may have signalled The ‘anti-imperialist’ line which left is dead. Or, more precisely, that we to not drink the water at the risk of merely to err. To develop a consistent a change in direction. I do not know supports the targets of US attacks are all that is left of it.” This involves political death.”2 position one side or another of this because I missed the speech and he has does not deny that future general identification with “the left” or at least There are two issues involved: line is to become a political agent of not (yet) put it up on his blog. emancipation is desirable: rather, it with its history; and a negative critique one of politics and one of theory. The the system of global hierarchy: ie, to In the absence of a shift, the problem says that the next step on this road is of the existing left. Other things apart, theory issue means specifically the oppose general human emancipation. is that the balance of the Platypus general global Stalinism and Stalinoid it would also be the classic claim of theory of the problem Richard Rubin The ‘anti-imperialist’ left gives Review’s coverage is AWLish. It is nationalism, to make a future general a sect. asked us to address in the Trotsky political support to people who are not strictly Eustonite, since it does not emancipation possible. The difference plenary at the convention: the problem the US’s enemies now but have been openly support ‘wars for democracy’. between two such approaches can Imperialism of the defeat of the German revolution their allies in the past and may well But it uses the same sort of ‘how can be no more than one of theoretical, In fact, there is more, and it centres on of 1918-19 at the hands of the SPD be again in the future; in doing so it we condemn’ evasions as AWL leader empirical and practical plausibility, the issue of imperialism. Platypus’s leadership, or, more exactly, the makes itself an enemy of the local Sean Matgamna. If anything, it is to not one of moral repudiation of one’s claim that “the left is dead” is a claim limitation of the German revolution workers’ movement in the country in the right of the Matgamnaites, who own moral premises. motivated at the end of the day partly to the creation of a capitalist state question, and more concretely aids do have practical commitments in by the perception that the left has and the actual participation of this the regimes against the exiles of the the British workers’ movement and Theory become so small as to be politically state in counterrevolutionary military workers’ movements. a willingness to attempt to project a In the Trotsky plenary at the Platypus irrelevant, but also by the perception operations against the Russian Groups like the Alliance for (defective) line for concrete support convention, as I reported in last that the left has abandoned the project Revolution. Workers’ Liberty and the Eustonites, for independent working class politics week’s article, Richard Rubin of of general human emancipation. by focusing their fire only on ‘third in the Middle East. Platypus argued that both fascism and The basis of this perception is Politics world’ tyrants without simultaneously Remember that I have not Stalinism resulted from the defeat of expressed in a wide variety of articles The issue of politics is simple. up-front and explicitly opposing said anything more than that the the German revolution; and that this on Platypus’s website - some by Suppose a movement which seeks imperialist operations, become ‘useful absence of opposition to the global ‘German question’ posed the question Platypus members, others expressed general human emancipation. In fact idiots’ for the imperialist states - hierarchy of countries is as much of how the strongest Marxist party in by their choices about who to today as in 1900, albeit in different whose operations in the subordinated an abandonment of the project of the world, the SPD, could betray its interview or review. Here the idea of juridical forms, there is a hierarchy countries are as tyrannical as their general human emancipation as is own revolution. Since the objective ‘Spartacism plus Adorno’, considered of countries. Countries higher up the opponents. the ‘anti-imperialism of idiots’ that conditions for socialism had matured, as critiques rather than as positive global pecking order feel free to assist Richard Rubin in the Trotsky gives political support to local reaction the explanation had to be the power of policy, has explanatory value. ‘their’ corporations to bribe officials plenary said that defeatism is a moral and authoritarianism as offering in bourgeois ideology, and both Trotsky From Spartacism come hostility to in countries lower down the pecking obligation, but not one which could be some way an alternative to the global and the Frankfurt school had grappled ‘statist feminism’, which allies with order. If ‘unacceptable’ actions are expected to lead to revolution. What I hierarchy. I have not asserted Lenin’s with this problem. the right on sexual purity issues, and taken by the governments of countries have said so far is broadly consistent or any other theory of imperialism. It This outline narrative has two to other reactionary-utopian politics lower down, they feel free to intervene with this. This is because I have taken is merely that both Platypus’s claim huge gaps. The first is the basis of the like ‘green’ arguments for ‘small with covert support to minority and as the starting point only the Platypus not to have a political line and its ‘crisis of Marxism’. The second is the is beautiful’, anti-technology, anti- terrorist groups, and so on. And, when claim that the left has died because claim to represent a reassertion of the explanation of the problem of the 1914 globalisation, ideas of the peasantry push comes to shove, they intervene it has abandoned the aim of general emancipatory project of Marxism are betrayal actually offered by Lenin, the or indigenous peoples as ‘showing the with direct military force. human emancipation, and supposed belied by the one-sided character of Comintern and Trotsky, which is not way’, and Maoism. From the political It should be clear that general only that the movement is to fight for Platypus Review’s coverage of these the power of ideology, but the effects culture of Spartacism come the ‘in human emancipation is inconsistent general human emancipation. It still issues. of imperialism. your face’ provocations like “the left with the hierarchy of countries, and follows that the movement cannot It would, of course, be possible to Marxism is distinct from pre- 866 May 19 2011 5 MAY 5

15 indicate the sheer extent of working class collec- Marxist socialisms and communisms Marxism and philosophy. at a British zoo and was chagrined. in a university, while being either a tivism in 1943-48. in a very simple way: that it asserts This line genuinely does imply that Like Marx a good materialist, and a militant and political trade unionist 7. Postone’s argument in Time, labour and social that communism is not a simple act of - as Richard Rubin argued - the failure thinker receptive to Darwin’s theory of or, outside of work, involved in domination (Cambridge 1993) is at the end of the moral will, but reflects the objective of the German revolution has to be evolution, which dethroned a human- the political-activist left.) This left day a variant of it: “the working class is integral to capitalism rather than the embodiment of its nega- interests of the proletariat in the explained by the power of bourgeois centred view of nature, Engels came to consists primarily of individual tion” (emphasis added, p17). For Marx, as opposed class conflict inherent in capitalism, ideology, or of alienation, reification respect that ‘reason’ in history, natural academics, linked together by leftish to Postone, the working class was both integral to so that the proletariat as a class can and commodity fetishism. This sort or otherwise, must not necessarily academic journals, annual conferences capitalism and the embodiment of its negation. be expected at the end of the day to of argument and not Lenin (except accord with present standards of and similar events. To the extent that it 8. ‘Marx, the proletariat and the “will to social- ism”’ (2009) 37 Critique pp319-43; ‘“Its patrimo- become (in broad terms) communist. in an extremely dematerialised form) human reason. intervenes in public politics it does so ny, its unique wealth!” Labour-power, working It is thus the role of the proletariat or Trotsky is the context of Lukács’s “This is a parable we find salutary by individual attempts to act as ‘public class consciousness and crises’ (2010) 38 Critique which produces the result that for History and class consciousness. to understanding the condition of the intellectuals’ through contributions to pp375-417. Comrade Mulholland is not a CPGB Marxists capitalism is the necessary The next step is that taken by the left today.”19 the capitalist media. supporter and is, obviously, not responsible for any use I may make of his argument. precursor of communism. Frankfurt school people: to attempt The Engels story is an embroidered The Platypus Affiliated Society 9. VI Lenin Socialism and war (1915) chapter 1: Mass working class support for to integrate alienation, reification and version of one Engels told about looks from one angle like an www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1915/s+w/ forms of reformism and gradualism, commodity fetishism with Freudian himself in a letter to Conrad Schmidt organisation of the political activist ch01.htm#v21fl70h-299. Imperialism, the highest or - as in England before 1900 or the psychoanalysis. In other words, we in 1895, for a purpose rather different left; from another angle like a part stage of capitalism, having been written with a view to the tsarist censorship, is less explicit. L USA today - for capitalist parties, is arrive at the salience of the Frankfurt to that which the group Platypus of the academic left. At present, Trotsky War and the International (1914) chapter generally taken to be the basis of the school for theory by rejecting uses it. Schmidt had (as can be seen judging from its convention, it should 10: www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1914/war/ ‘crisis of Marxism’. This is because it the salience of imperialism in the from Engels’ letter) raised empirical probably be located, in spite of the part3.htm#ch10. calls into question the claim that the explanation of the political collapse objections to the idea of the general ambiguities, on the academic side of 10. Where is Britain going? (1925) chapter 5: www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/britain/wibg/ class struggle between capital and of the Second International. rate of profit in volume 3 of Marx’s the divide. Apart from the Saturday ch05.htm; Their morals and ours (1938): www. proletariat forms a material basis for But there is a theoretical as well Capital, and therefore wished to morning workshops on left groups, marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/morals/morals. communism. Communism then reverts as a political price to be paid for this “degrade the law of value to a fiction”. the format was that of an academic htm. to being an ethical imperative, to be choice. I have written on the political Engels’ response is that conference (papers, ‘respondents’, 11. www.marxists.org/archive/bukharin/ works/1917/imperial/14.htm. approached through moral persuasion price or prices before: the explanation direct empirical confirmation or short Q&A sessions), not that of a 12. www.marxists.org/archive/gorter/1914/impe- on a cross-class basis or through one of reformism by the self-reproduction disconfirmation of individual concepts political conference. The Frankfurt rialism.htm. or another form of voluntarist minority of capitalist order provides a theory is not to be expected. After other school commitments, the denial of 13. Revolutionary strategy pp87-89; ‘Labour action - or rejected. which demands both an ‘actionism’, examples, Engels comes to that of the possibility of political action as Party blues’ Weekly Worker July 23 2009. 14. Visible in the Junius pamphlet (1915): www. In 1917-19 and again in 1943-48 which is either ultra-left or opportunist concepts in biology and the platypus: such and the obscurely AWLish line marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1915/junius/in- this ‘crisis of Marxism’ argument or both, and the epistemological “From the moment we accept the on the ‘war on terror’ all give Platypus dex.htm. was utterly implausible.6 But in the commitments that support the form theory of evolution all our concepts some degree of academic credibility. 15. www.marxists.org/archive/korsch/1923/marx- period of stability and prosperity in the of the small bureaucratic-centralist of organic life correspond only It is therefore to be judged as a ism-philosophy.htm. So too Pannekoek in 16 ‘Marxism as action’ (1915): www.marxists.org/ 1890s-1900s, and the returned stability sect. In the specific case of the approximately to reality. Otherwise theoretical project, more than as a archive/pannekoe/1915/marxism-action.htm, and prosperity of the 1950s-60s - and Frankfurt school the upshot is just a there would be no change: on the political project. My judgement is though his ‘The third international’ (1917, www. also in a sense especially since the fall politics of despair. But Platypus in a day when concepts and reality that, though the group is right that the marxists.org/archive/pannekoe/1917/thirdinter. of the USSR - it has again become sense embraces both the politics of completely coincide in the organic ‘anti-imperialist front’ and the rest of htm) is closer to the Lenin and Zinoviev-Trotsky- 7 Bukharin line. attractive. despair and the need for critique (il world development comes to an end the orthodoxy of the left is a dead end, 16. Weekly Worker articles, ‘Hegelian pitfalls’, I have argued in Revolutionary faut cultiver son jardin théoretique), ... How, without bringing one or both Platypus’s theoretical project is also a July 21 2003; ‘Classical Marxism and grasping strategy (chapter 2) that there are so these points are secondary. concepts into conflict with reality are dead end as theory l the dialectic’, September 4 2003; ‘Spontaneity both positive and negative empirical The theoretical price is the you going to get from the egg-laying and Marxist theory’, September 6 2007; ‘Against philosopher-kings’, December 11 2008. grounds for defending the Marxist expulsion of history from theory. This reptile to the mammal, which gives [email protected] 17. This is, incidentally, my reason for believing conception today in spite of the overall may seem a paradoxical statement, birth to living young? And in reality that the theory of sexuality Jamie Gough and I de- negative evolution since the 1970s. since all the variants derived under we have in the monotremata a whole Notes fended in outline in 1985 has more explanatory Marc Mulholland in two articles Lukácsian and similar interpretations sub-class of egg-laying mammals: 1. ‘No need for party?’, May 12. power than Pablo Ben’s ‘Frankfurt’ version. published in Critique in 2009 and 2010 - including, for example, Postone - in 1843, I saw the eggs of the duck- 2. http://louisproyect.wordpress. Because our account begins with matters prior to com/2010/04/25/q-what-is-a-platypus-a-an-amer- capitalism and their persistence within capitalism, has offered much more elaborated insist that theory must be historicised bill in Manchester and with arrogant ican-eustonite. it also grasps more fully the transformations of theoretical reasons for supposing a and that transhistorical claims about narrow-mindedness mocked at such 3. M Machover, ‘The 20th century in retrospect’ sexualities within capitalist development over the proletarian will to collectivism.8 human nature, etc must be expelled stupidity - as if a mammal could lay Workers’ Liberty No59, 1999; www.matzpen.org/ last three centuries. The actual explanation of the from Marx (or foisted on Engels) to eggs - and now it has been proved! index.asp?u=101&p=20th; Machover’s email ex- 18. Cf my ‘Sects and “new left” disillusionment’ change with Dov Schoss, linked at the end of that Weekly Worker April 15 2010. betrayal of August 1914 offered at achieve a properly historicised theory. So do not behave to the conceptions page, is also useful on the issues involved. 19. http://platypus1917.org/about/what-is-a-platy- the time independently by Lenin and That means one which focuses purely of value in the way I had later to beg 4. Bernstein-Bax debate in H Tudor and JM pus. Zinoviev, and by Trotsky, was the on the critique of capitalist modernity. the duck-bill’s pardon for!”20 Tudor (eds) Marxism and social democracy: the 20. www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1895/ effects of imperialism on the working To take this turn, however, is to The merits or otherwise of Engels’ revisionist debate 1896-98 (Cambridge 1998) letters/95_03_12.htm. chapter 2. Later social-imperialists: the targets of 21. Eg, Louis Althusser in Reading ‘Capital’ (on- class of the imperialist countries and its prohibit actual comprehension. It arguments as a matter of philosophy line at http://readingcapital.blogspot. 21 Kautsky’s polemics in Socialism and colonial organisations: that is, that a section of is like asking for drug therapy or are violently debatable. But it should policy (1907): www.marxists.org/archive/kaut- com/2007/02/marx-and-his-discoveries.html) the class was ‘bought off’ by the spoils surgery to remove your long-term be clear that Engels’ point is not, sky/1907/colonial/index.htm. gives the letter to Schmidt as an example of 9 5. The original series with critiques and a re- Engels’ “empiricism” and departure from Marx; of imperialism. Trotsky continued to memory in the hope that it will contrary to Platypus, “that ‘reason’ contra J Rees, ‘Engels’ Marxism’ International 10 sponse: Weekly Worker July 29-September 23 defend this view down to his death. get rid of ‘distractions’ from the in history, natural or otherwise, must 2004. Socialism 1994, No65: http://pubs.socialistre- Bukharin’s Imperialism and world present. In reality, no such focus not necessarily accord with present 6. 1919: A Read The world on fire: 1919 and the viewindex.org.uk/isj65/rees.htm; cf also H economy took a slightly different on capitalist modernity is possible: standards of human reason”, but a battle with Bolshevism London 2008, albeit from Putnam Mind, language and reality (Cambridge angle, seeing the working class ‘the pre-modern’ remains as a silent considerably narrower philosophical a rightwing perspective. Any general history will 1979) chapter 11. movement as tied to the capitalists other, albeit in a mutilated form, point: that concepts are necessarily through concessions organised by the against which ‘capitalist modernity’ in imperfect agreement with the imperialist state.11 Herman Gorter’s is identified. In reality, our ability perceptible world. Imperialism, the World War and social to identify change depends on The ‘conceptual difficulty’ with the democracy (1914) had aspects of both recognising also continuities. So the platypus, of course, is that it and other Fighting fund the Bukharin view and Luxemburg’s expulsion of the longer-term history monotremes are animals somewhere arguments (below).12 of which capitalism is part results in the borderlands between, or Now this view may be right or it in a loss of vision of change within overlapping, the taxonomical classes may be wrong, but it is not just Maoism capitalism.17 of birds or reptiles, which lay eggs, A few coppers or ‘New Left’-ism. It is the product It turns out, indeed, that to defend and mammals, which give birth and ome secretary Theresa May is bobby. They are motivated by a precisely of some of the ‘classical this scheme of ‘historicised’ theory, suckle their young. It is, however, in Hvery understanding. She told political vision and are happy to Marxists’ or ‘second International it is necessary to falsify the very modern times regarded, for reasons delegates to the Police Federa- support financially a paper that lefts’, whose legacy Platypus says local history of the enlightenment, of evolutionary-history analysis, as a tion annual conference on May 18 points to the kind of organisation it is concerned to redeem in order to Marxism and the workers’ movement type of mammal. that she could see why they were we need in order to make it a enable a 21st century left to be reborn. (examples in last week’s article). Even In this sense, if not in the sense “worried” about cuts. Some of- reality. It demands a precise and serious if the students who form Platypus’s of an existent impossibility, the ficers could see their pay drop by Among them this week was critique, which cannot be undertaken base do not have political but only Platypus Affiliated Society is rightly £4,000 a year, after all. MM, whose monthly standing just on the basis of the modern Maoist theoretical aims, they will find that named. It is a group somewhere in the But the Conservatives are order for £70 is always gratefully caricature of it and the Trotskyist this scheme is a theoretical trap. What borderlands between, or overlapping, nothing if not even-handed - we received - as is the £60 in total imitators of Maoism. will be driven to fill the ‘absence’ of two sorts of left. are all in it together, you see, and from other SO donors over the last I have argued elsewhere that the ‘transhistorical’ is either some The first is the political-activist so even the “finest police officers seven days. Then there were those the Lenin-Zinoviev and Trotsky form of liberalism - or, as in Alasdair left: groups from Labour leftwards in the world” cannot be exempt comrades who contributed online version of this analysis in terms of MacIntyre, Thomas Aquinas.18 in this country, from the left wing from the suffering - which is - thanks to JR (a brilliant £50), DV imperialism buying off top sections of the Democrats leftwards in the so necessary for the good of the and PY (£20 each) and RP (£10). of the working class is false, but the US. This left consists primarily country. Perhaps this shows a They were among 11,457 internet Bukharin version is broadly correct, Classifying the of organised parties and groups, degree of complacency, though. If readers last week. and can be extended to understand the Platypus secondarily of ‘independents’ (or they thought the mass of workers Thanks also to KC (£25), LG existence of reformism and dominance Platypus takes its name from an sects of one member) who participate were about to rise up against the (£20) and LD, who added £10 to of nationalism in the modern ‘third anecdote about Engels: in left, broad-front campaigns and general austerity assault, the Con- his subscription. All that comes to world’.13 “A story is told about Karl Marx’s other initiatives. It is linked, even if Dems might think it a good idea to £285, which takes our fighting fund One of the ‘second International collaborator and friend, Friedrich imperfectly, to the broader workers’ keep the police onside. total for May to £716. But we are lefts’, of course, did not adopt this Engels, who, in his youth, as a good movement (trade unions, cooperatives, I don’t suppose there are many still quite a way off the £1,250 we line. It is Luxemburg, not Trotsky, Hegelian idealist, sure about the mass workers’ parties), and attempts to Weekly Worker supporters among need. Can you spare a few coppers who offered a really ‘accidental’ purposeful, rational evolution of intervene in public politics in pursuit the police. And I would suspect - even if you’re one yourself? explanation of the political collapse nature and of the place of human of definite short-term and long-term most of our readers take home Robbie Rix of the SPD - and hence of the epoch reason in it, became indignant when goals, usually expressed through a rather less than an officer’s salary - in terms of Kautsky’s (alleged) reading about a platypus, which he public press. - a constable with a few years theoretical gradualism and did not supposed to be a fraud perpetrated The second is the academic service will gross £40,000. On the Fill in a standing order form attempt to ground this characterisation by English taxidermists. For Engels, left: academics who would regard other hand, many of our readers (back page), donate via our in any material process of change.14 the platypus made no sense in natural themselves as ‘being of the left’ are driven by rather different website, or send cheques, In this Luxemburg, as against Lenin history. in relation to their academic work. imperatives than the average payable to Weekly Worker and Trotsky, is followed by Korsch in “Later, Engels saw a living platypus (This is not the same thing as working 2 May 26 2011 867 letters

Letters may have been least his campaign could be seen as failed to support the establishment of but also a lack of confidence in the as we would consider Hitchens’s shortened because of part of the Britain-wide working class the SSP in 1998. The SSP was a very PCS leadership, which for the last 10 claims to be anti-fascist in supporting space. Some names resistance rather than the Scottish successful project, winning one seat years has been run like a fiefdom by US imperialism to be pseudo-left  may have been changed separatism of the SSP). Elsewhere (Sheridan’s) in 1999 and six seats in the Socialist Party. (pseudo-liberal). in Scotland there was no point in 2003. Contrary to how it is expressed Most members, whilst loyal to We take seriously Fred Halliday’s Voting tactics suggesting which of the three no- in the Weekly Worker, this was not a their union, don’t actually believe characterisation, reported in his It is a pity that comrade Chris hope sectarian campaigns (SSP, SLP, failure, despite the disintegration of that the leadership have a strategy to interview with Danny Postel (‘Who Strafford, in defending the open Solidarity) were more worthy of the SSP after the Sheridan affair. defeat the attacks (which will lead to is responsible?’ in Salmagundi No150- letter calling for no vote to George working class votes than their rivals. The best tactics to adopt now are hundreds of thousands of jobs being 51, 2006, pp 221-240) of his political Galloway on May 5, did not engage It is unfortunate that Chris very different - there is a need for a lost in the public sector, working departure from New Left Review and with the actual position of the CPGB Strafford accuses CPGB comrades Scottish Revolutionary Socialist Party, conditions further undermined and Tariq Ali, as follows: “About 20 years of which he is a member. like Jack Conrad of telling “a lie” as well a broad socialist party like the pension provisions cut). As comrade ago I said to Tariq that god, allah, He writes: “The worst of the attacks for stating that Galloway’s backing SSP and Solidarity. Revolutionary Vincent reports, the turnout for the called the two of us to his presence on the open letter is the hysterical for the Iran regime is similar to the platforms of broad socialist parties, NEC elections was just over 10% - and said to us, ‘One of you is to go to claim that the 30 or so comrades support for Stalinist regimes offered including Labour, would also be a though many more members will turn the left, and one of you is to go to the who signed it are promoting a social- by ‘official communists’ or the massive step forward. out for strike action. The leadership right.’ The problem is, He didn’t tell us imperialist line … they are shamefully Workers Revolutionary Party for Steve Wallis seems almost paralysed by this low which was which, and maybe he didn’t smeared as social-imperialists and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. In my view email turnout . Because they fear they can’t know himself. And Tariq laughed. He accused of backing Alliance for all have been truly nauseating and convince members of more militant understood exactly what I was saying, Workers’ Liberty-type political attacks should equally be condemned, and Fat chance action, they don’t even try. Plus, over and he didn’t dispute it.” on Galloway” (Letters, May 19). It it is rather uncomradely of Chris I learnt a great deal when I attended the 10 years they have been running We interpret this to mean that would be shameful and even hysterical to accuse his fellow CPGBers of the Lambeth People’s Assembly, the union, they have failed to build up both Halliday and Ali turned to the if it were true that the signatories had lying for disagreeing with him on organised by Lambeth Save Our a decent strike fund that could actually right, or that both are disintegrated (or been attacked as social-imperialists. this. Personally I think his assertion Services on Saturday May 21. I finance more long-term action. decomposed) remnants of the death of But who has done that? Certainly not that “Galloway is a conscious cog heard inspiring contributions from In my opinion we need to become the left and therefore worth critical the CPGB. in the machine of terror directed campaigners and trade unionists much more ambitious in this period. consideration. And not only Halliday, It is also a pity that comrade at the Iranian people” is an absurd fighting to retain local services and Instead of simply mobilising the but also the aforementioned Hitchens Strafford did not attend the May 8 exaggeration (you might just as well opposing privatisation and job losses, whole PCS membership for one-day and Makiya, could legitimately claim CPGB members’ aggregate, which accuse Paul Mason of Newsnight of students learning that their courses strikes every few months, it would be that they didn’t abandon the left so debated and unanimously agreed a being a similar “cog in the machine will not be continuing the following much better to organise more targeted much as the left abandoned them. resolution on the open letter. Chris of terror” of British imperialism). But year, librarians seeking to save reading and militant strike action alongside it. The ideal conversation we in does not appear to have read this I do not accuse comrade Strafford of groups, tenants fighting privatisation For example, could you imagine Platypus would like to have hosted, resolution, which, far from writing off lying for making it. and disabled people campaigning to the damage caused if workers in when we first launched our project, the signatories as social-imperialists, Finally, let me point out to comrade save transport services. customs and excise went on indefinite would have been a debate on the recognises their motivation as that Strafford the nature of electoral It was a privilege hearing from, strike? Or if tax collectors refused to ‘war on terror’ between Tariq Ali, of “legitimate disgust at Galloway’s tactics. This means that working Kingsley Abrams, who I understand is work, starving the government of vital Alex Callinicos, Halliday, Hitchens support for and organised links to the class internationalists able to contest the only Labour councillor in London income? This would hit them where and Makiya (with perhaps Slavoj tyrannical theocratic regime in Iran”. an election in Tehran would highlight to oppose the cuts to services. For it hurts. Despite general secretary Žižek thrown in for fun). In such a However, “in focussing solely” on different aspects of their programme his pains, he has only just been re- Mark Serwotka recently saying that debate, we don’t think anyone would Galloway, the open letter did not than those contesting in Glasgow. In admitted to the Labour group on the “no tactics are off the agenda”, this have represented the left that the clearly oppose “the operations of Tehran their main focus would be the council. However, his stay is likely to kind of action is unlikely to be called world needs today - hence the need the imperialists” and therefore “risks repressive regime, I would suggest, be short-lived, as he pledged to oppose by the SP-dominated NEC. for such a conversation. For we think associating” members of Hands Off while in Glasgow it would be the cuts, the further waves of cuts and closures Unfortunately, the emergency that they are all wrong and, hence, all the People of Iran and Communist not to mention anti-imperialism. In planned. motion on Iran was not heard. The ‘right’. As a project, Platypus is about Students who signed the letter “with Iran genuine communists would Ted Knight, the former leader standing orders committee did not exposing and putting forward a need: the Eustonite/Alliance for Workers’ perhaps give critical support to of Lambeth council in the 1980s, regard it as worthy of a conference the present absence of a true left. We Liberty camp”. It was for this reason any working class candidate who outlined that the Labour Party should motion and therefore ‘D-marked’ it don’t have answers, only questions. first and foremost that the open letter demanded the end of the regime, not be meekly going along with the as something that could be dealt with On the issue of ‘imperialism’, I was a “political mistake” (‘Aggregate irrespective of serious failings and government’s savage cuts, but should by correspondence. As a delegate I did dispute the supposed distinction of a resolution’, May 12). weaknesses, such as support for be working with campaigners and get the opportunity to speak for the voluntaristic (or opportunist) versus While the signatories were not austerity measures, for instance. trade unionists and leading the fight to motion by challenging the decision by structural-historical approach to the motivated by social-imperialism, it Contradictory? No. When our class defend jobs and services. Fat chance! way of a reference back. But this was problem of, eg, Luxemburg versus is in fact the case that the open letter is weak we try to build support for our A political campaign across only supported by about 80 delegates Bukharin. I think that Luxemburg, had all the appearances of an ‘AWL- side by focussing on the key dividing London is needed and the Greater and so the motion - which opposed Lenin and Trotsky found that the type political attack on Galloway’. It lines, while refusing to be diverted London assembly elections next year all imperialist military action and ‘imperialist’ phase of ‘monopoly is exactly the style of the AWL to one- by issues, however important, that will give all those who oppose the cuts sanctions, and called for support for capital’ and the changing ‘organic sidedly focus on the failings of a single are secondary at a given time or place. an opportunity to register a protest. the new campaign, ‘Freedom for Jafar composition of capital’ (at a global left candidate and to claim that this Peter Manson The Labour Party have abandoned Panahi and all political prisoners’ - did scale) by the turn of the 20th century made him uniquely unsupportable, South London their history of defending the weak not get onto the main agenda. had been the product of the successes while saying not a word about the and those reliant on council services. Lee Rock of the workers’ movement in the core failings of any other left candidate. No Big lesson This duty must now fall on others. Sheffield capitalist countries. They found this wonder the AWL reproduced the open Mike Macnair has pointed out that Lewisham People Before Profit success to have advanced the crisis letter on its website. The very fact “there is very little in Marx’s and are keen to talk with all those fighting Fish nor fowl of capital. In other words, the social that this occurred should have made Engels’ writings on electoral tactics” the cuts to services and would like to I wish to respond to the democratic workers’ movement had comrade Strafford stop and think. (‘Propaganda and agitation’, April explore contesting the GLA elections characterisation of Platypus, itself brought about the crisis of He implies that the Weekly Worker’s 28). He went on: “Engels says that with others. politically, as having affinities with capital, or ‘imperialism’ as capitalism’s support for Galloway was not really Keir Hardie ‘publicly declares that Nick Long the anti-‘anti-imperialist’ left, such as ‘highest’ or last stage (Lenin): that “critical” - we failed to expose his [Irish nationalist Charles Stewart] Nominating officer, Lewisham PBP the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty et is, the eve of revolution. Lenin, “awful politics and links with the Parnell’s experiment, which al. (‘Theoretical dead end’, May 19). Luxemburg and Trotsky thought that Iranian regime … for this election”. compelled Gladstone to give in, ought PCS conference However we have been influenced the socialist workers’ movement was In reality we did not actually give him to be repeated at the next election and, Despite Dave Vincent’s effort in the theoretically by aspects of Moishe part of and not extrinsic to the history - or any other left candidate - much where it is impossible to nominate a Weekly Worker to lobby against the Postone’s work on Marx’s critique of capital. This meant, for Luxemburg, support (in the way, say, that The Labour candidate, one should vote for Public and Commercial Services of capital, we are not in political that the workers were responsible for Socialist campaigned week after week the Conservatives, in order to show the union balloting for strike action on agreement. the world war and thus historically for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Liberals the power of the party. Now June 30 alongside other unions, only Platypus, which has been obligated to bring about socialism and Coalition). We published just two this is a policy which under definite two out of over 900 delegates voted motivated by the diagnosis that the avert barbarism. This was not merely articles before the election explaining circumstances I myself recommended against the leadership’s plans (‘Don’t ‘left is dead’, originated in the era of a moral injunction. our attitude and in both we gave equal to the English ...’” rush - make sure we can win’, May the anti-war movement of the Bush Moreover, what the Second space to condemning Galloway’s links This is a massive revelation - 12). Funnily enough, even comrade II years, and our project of “hosting International radicals meant by to the Iran regime as to explaining why that Engels actually supported a Vincent voted for the motion in the the critical conversation on the left”, ‘imperialism’ was inter-imperialism, he should be supported nevertheless. vote for the Tories under certain end - despite speaking against it and that we didn’t think would otherwise not core-periphery relations. The We did not place “extra conditions” circumstances! The biggest lesson calling for more patience. Comrade take place, was necessitated by the emphasis on the latter was the on the Scottish Socialist Party to draw is that electoral strategy and Vincent had been persuaded by predictable failure of the anti-war hallmark of the post-World War II and Socialist Labour Party by tactics that are correct at one time may conference. movement, of which we thought its new left and its derangement on the recommending a vote for Galloway’s not be correct at another. While voting for the motion, I - supposed ‘anti-imperialism’ was the problem of global capital in history. Coalition Against Cuts in Glasgow I was a member of the Militant like many other PCS activists - would Achilles’ heel. We wanted a more So it is not, for us, a matter of rather than them. We made it clear Tendency, now the Socialist Party, criticise the June 30 action from a very effective anti-war and anti-imperialist waiting for the world to become that all three met our conditions for from 1990 to 1998. I fully supported different angle: if we are serious about politics. entirely liberalised or uniformly support for working class anti-cuts the Scottish turn, establishing defeating the vicious plans of this In considering the problems of bourgeois in social relations before the candidates. Despite their obvious Scottish Militant Labour, which was Con-Dem government, we need to do the ‘left’ today, we discern that they struggle for socialism can commence failings, the election of any of their an extremely successful strategy much more than call one-day strikes. are two-sided, embodied by not only (which would indeed be like Beckett’s lead candidates would have resulted leading to Tommy Sheridan getting These are good enough as a ‘vote of the ‘anti-imperialist’ left of the US Waiting for Godot or Endgame), but in a small advance for the working elected from his prison cell (for protest’, but not much more than that. International Socialist Organization et rather recognition that the problem of class cause. All three would have defying the poll tax) to Glasgow city The government can easily ride out al, but also by the ‘anti-fascist’ left of ‘imperialism’ has been a symptom of provided some kind of working council in 1992. This led on to a few one-day strikes (even if another larger Christopher Hitchens, Kanan Makiya capital’s historical over-ripeness for class voice against the cuts (as well more electoral victories for SML, the one follows, as planned, in October). et al. We consider not only Tariq Ali, revolution, at least since 1914-19, if as against imperialist wars, etc). But establishment of the Scottish Socialist True, longer strikes might currently but also Hitchens, to be important not significantly long before. workers obviously could not vote for Alliance and the later formation of the see a lower turnout. This has partly to exemplars of today’s ‘dead left’. We When Platypus says that the ‘left all of them, and only Galloway had SSP. do with the general low confidence consider the ISO-US et al to be sham is dead’, what we mean is that the any chance of being elected (and at I left the Socialist Party when it and activity of the working class, anti-imperialist, or pseudo-left, just rottenness of the world today is the Letters, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 020 8533 6360 l [email protected] l wwwcpgb.org.uk 867 May 26 2011 3 overhead historical legacy and responsibility of for delegitimation and demonisation. Protesters responded by burning tyres the left (and the failure of Marxism). Many states with demonstrably and throwing stones. As a project, we are neither ‘academic’ worse human rights records simply This incident followed the visit to nor ‘activist’ (neither fish nor fowl), don’t register with the left, whilst the Egypt by Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli CPGB podcasts Every Monday we upload a podcast of commentary on the current but rather about provoking recognition left often supports Islamic terrorist defence ministry official - the first political situation. In addition, the site features voice files of public (blocked by both academicism and organisations and Arab dictatorships. trip by a top Israeli official since meetings and other events: http://cpgb.podbean.com. activism) of this long overdue and The singling out of Israel for unfair the revolution that toppled former festering task, which we think is found attack has demonstrably anti-Semitic president Hosni Mubarak in February. Communist Students in historical Marxism, but buried under undertones (shutting down Israeli/ Clearly, just as in Mubarak’s days, the For meetings in your area, contact [email protected] or many layers of regressive obfuscation Jewish stores were Nazi-fascist Egyptian army is allying itself with check out www.communiststudents.org.uk. from which it needs to be disinterred. tactics). Israel and oppressing the Palestinians. Radical Anthropology Group We don’t think that this task can The notion that Israel is the “only This army has to go, to be replaced Tuesdays, 6.45pm to 9pm, St Martin’s Community Centre, 43 be formulated straightforwardly colonial settler-state left in the by a workers’ army. For this it is Carol Street, London NW1 (Camden tube). politically, programmatically, but world” forgets the real context of necessary to split it along class lines. May 31: ‘Advanced lunarchy: implementing slow time’. Speaker: only indirectly, through pointed and the continuous historical connection The new trade union federation and Chris Knight. acutely symptomatic conversation of the Jewish people with Israel and workers’ party must organise workers’ Stop the EDL that can have a transformative effect the legitimate creation of Israel in militias to defend, among others, the Saturday May 28, 12 noon: Vigil against English Defence League ideologically. This will not involve 1948. Thus the Islamist notion of the Palestinians and the Copts. provocations, headland, south of Central Pier, Blackpool. Platypus developing some better ‘Nakba’ or ‘catastrophe’ - used as The incident also shed more light on Organised by Blackpool and Fleetwood Unite Against Fascism: theory ahead of better practice, but analogous to the holocaust - is a lie the reconciliation agreement between http://blackpoolandfleetwooduaf.blogspot.com. rather our doing something that will and an insult to every victim of Nazi- Hamas and Fatah - struck under the need to be accompanied, in a ‘division fascism persecution and aggression. auspices of the Egyptian generals - Labour’s socialist left of labour’, by a reinvigorated workers’ Benny Morris, the Israeli which aims at putting together an Northumberland LRC: Thursday June 2, 7pm, Ashington Football movement. We think the ideological historian, has shown that viewing interim Palestinian government. Club (near Wansbeck Hospital). ‘How Labour turned left, how Labour work we are doing in hosting and the Palestinians as victims is too While the reformists present this turned right, how Labour begins to turn left again!’ Speaker: John pointedly curating the conversation can simplistic and the historical context agreement as a step forward in the McCormack, UCU national committee and Ashington council leader. have an effect, however indirectly, on does not support Greenstein’s Islamist struggle against Israel, it is actually Northern Region LRC: Saturday June 18, 11am, Gateshead Civic freeing up and potentially revalorising narrative. But this does not satisfy a step in the direction of the Oslo Centre, Blaydon room. ‘The situation in Britain today’. Speaker: Peter the idea of socialism and a Marxist Greenstein’s position and so he enlists agreement. Doyle (former Unison full-time official). approach that we think would be the idea that Morris is a “Judeo-Nazi”. The Nakba Day events have shown Organised by northern region Labour Representation Committee: necessary - if for now at some distance It is, of course, a far more complex anyone with eyes to see and ears to [email protected]. from immediately practical questions - picture than can be dealt with in a hear that a key question of the so- Miscarriages of justice for such a workers’ movement. letter, but suffice to conclude that called Israeli-Arab conflict is the Thursday June 9, 11am: Protest - stop miscarriages of justice - free Christopher Cutrone Mr Greenstein’s miseducates Palestinian right of return. Netanyahu the innocent! Assemble New Canal Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 email and misleads many socialists and said that the Nakba Day protests (opposite Old Curzon Street station) for march to CCRC offices. communists today, especially the were not about the 1967 borders, but Organised by West Midlands Against Injustice: Lost grip younger generation, who are fed into rather about “undermining the very westmidlandsagainstinjustice.webs.com. In place of a socialist understanding the arms of Islamists and away from existence of Israel”. He is right on of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Tony a peaceful and just two-state solution that. The demonstrations were not for Drop the charges Greenstein once again offers his to the Arab-Israeli conflict. a mini-Palestinian state, with Israel Thursday June 9, Friday June 10, 9am: Picket, magistrates court, Arabesque/Islamist narrative in Henry Mitchell still controlling 80% of Palestine. 70 Horseferry Road, London SW1. Drop charges against protestors. accord with his published ambition London They were for the right of the refugees Organised by Defend the Right to Protest: to see the “destruction of the state of to return to their land. But if that were http://defendtherighttoprotest.org. Israel” (‘Re-enacting Nakba crimes’, Stolen land allowed, the majority of people living No to academies May 19). On Nakba Day, May 15, I participated in this country would be Palestinians. Saturday June 11, 10.30am to 4pm: Conference, Congress House, In order to delegitimise and in a demonstration in the north For this reason Israel is prepared to Great Russell Street, London WC1. demonise Israel, the only democratic of Israel, 14 kilometres from the kill thousands and thousands of Stop schools converting to academy status. state in the Middle East, and support Lebanese border. We were a group Palestinians in an attempt to prevent Organised by Anti-Academies Alliance: www.antiacademies.org.uk. the idea of a unitary Palestinian of about 400 who tried to reach the such an outcome and, as long as Israel Ten years on state, Mr Greenstein uses analogous border with Lebanon, but we were exists, the Palestinian refugees will Saturday June 11, 9.30am: Conference, Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion reasoning and decontextualises forced to stop by the police. We were not be able to return. Square, London WC1. ‘Afghanistan and the war on terror 10 years history, whilst at the same time allowed to demonstrate for one hour, Yossi Schwartz on’. Speakers include: Tony Benn, George Galloway, Tariq Ali, arguing as if the Palestinians are the but then the police tear-gassed us. Internationalist Socialist League Lindsey German, Military Families Against the War. Admission: £5 - victims and the Jews the persecutors. Around 10 of us suffered very badly book in advance. Worse and morally repugnant are the following this attack and 22 were 19th century Organised by Stop the War Coalition: [email protected]. simplistic parallels between Nazi- arrested. However, compared to other I misunderstand Marx, argues Chris fascism and the Israeli state - false Palestinians and the few Jews who Gray (Letters, May 5). However, Cuba: 50 years and morally suspect. Israeli prime participated in the demonstrations comrade Gray doesn’t explain, even Saturday June 11, 9.30am-12.30pm: Annual general meeting, Cuba minister Binyamin Netanyahu and in the Golan Heights, Ras Maroun briefly, what this misunderstanding Solidarity Campaign, Hamilton House, London, WC1. Followed by minister Ehard Barak, we are told, in Lebanon and Gaza, the price we consists of. anniversary event, 2pm to 4pm, with guest speakers from Cuba. “have been responsible for the murder paid for the right to demonstrate for Is Marx not associated with the Organised by CSC: 020 8800 0155; [email protected]. of thousands of Palestinians”, in a the Palestinian refugees to return was view that production relations are National Shop Stewards Network comparison with Libya’s Gaddafi negligible. determined by productive forces? Saturday June 11, 11.30am to 4pm: Annual conference, South who, if caught, will be held to account Israel is doing everything to erase Is this not the essence of the theory Camden Community School, London NW1. for the use of the military against his the memory of the Nakba. It has of historical materialism? Marx Organised by NSSN: www.shopstewards.net/conference.htm. own countrymen during the recent removed mention of the fact from argues in Capital volume one that Remember Gaza revolt for democratic rights. But its rewritten official history books men enter into production relations Sunday June 12, 6pm: Gaza Awareness Conference, Newcastle Israel on May 15 was defending and a bill proposed by the rightwing independently of their will and these city centre (venue to be confirmed). Guests include Lowkey, Jody itself against ‘a protest of rage’, Yisrael Beiteinu party stipulates fines relations correspond to the degree McIntyre, Yvonne Ridley. Proceeds to Ride to Gaza to provide another violent ‘intifada’, which was for local authorities and other state- of development of the productive kindergartens in Gaza refugee camps. designed to incite an attack against funded bodies for simply holding forces. As I argued before, I believe Organised by Ride to Gaza: www.ridetogaza.com Israel. Thus the analogy is clearly events marking the Palestinian Nakba this view is false, because exploitative false: Israeli Arabs have human rights Day. production relations are imposed by City of sanctuary Wednesday, June 15, 6pm-8pm: Open event to keep Glasgow and the vote and are not comparable Another bill, which succeeded by one class on another using force, and a place of sanctuary and solidarity, STUC, 333 Woodlands Road, with those Arabs in revolt against a majority of 35 to 20, formalises this is backed up by ideology. For Glasgow G3. Refreshments, crèche available ([email protected]). Arab dictatorships. the establishment of admission Marxism, exploitation was a necessary Organised by Glasgow City of Sanctuary: www.cityofsanctuary.org. In this respect, Netanyahu and committees to review the position stage in the development of humanity. Barak are not ‘murderers’, but of potential residents of Negev and I do not think so and the existence of Save Esol defending the state of Israel; just as Galilee communities that have fewer primitive communism refutes the Sunday June 19, 12.30pm: Demonstrations to save English for any democratic state is entitled to than 400 families. After its passing Marxist thesis. Speakers of Other Languages courses. defend itself, (and the Israel Defence there were skirmishes in the knesset, Chris wants to hear any East London: Assemble Hackney town hall, Mare Street, London Forces have as good a record as any as Ahmed Tibi, member of the knesset counterevidence to the peak oil thesis. E8; or Stepney Green, Tower Hamlets, London E1 for march to Esol progressive nation for their policy for the United Arab List-Ta’al, was There is counterevidence aplenty in festival, Bethnal Green Gardens, London E3. of trying to avoid non-combatant not content to compare the bill to the writings of various free-market South London: Assemble Windrush Square, Brixton, London SW9 fatalities). Greenstein’s repeated South African apartheid legislation, economists, who believe that the for march to Esol festival, Kennington Park, London SE11. attempts to make Israel equivalent to but likened its context to the Wannsee market will solve the problem. This Organised by London Action for Esol: http://actionforesol.org. Arab dictatorships are simply false, conference, where the Nazis decided literature is mostly delusional and Cuba solidarity arriving at the notion that the Arab on the ‘final solution’ in 1942. hides the fact that the immediate Tuesday June 21, 7pm: Ninth annual RMT garden party for Cuba, regimes and even Iran “are Israel’s However, following the May 15 problem is not the end of oil as such, Maritime House, Old Town, Clapham, London SW4. With live Cuban reliable collaborators and allies” - demonstrations and the cold-blood but a decline in supply and the end of band, food and bar. stretching the imagination, to say the murder of Palestinian protestors, the cheap oil. Organised by Cuban Solidarity Campaign: 020 8800 0155. least. Moreover, we are led to believe name ‘Nakba’ is becoming familiar The positive thing about Chris’s Unite the resistance that the BBC is a Zionist organisation for many people around the world. letter is that, unlike most people on Wednesday June 22, 6.30pm: Meeting, Friends Meeting House, (world conspiracy of Jews?) whose If anyone had any doubt as to the the left, he recognises the need for an Euston Road, London NW1. Speakers include: Mark Serwotka, Kevin director is plotting against the class nature of the Egyptian army, the urgent, informed debate on the issue. Courtney and Tony Benn. Palestinians. events in Tahrir Square on Nakba Day Most communists base themselves Called by left union officials and promoted by Right to Work: http:// Greenstein is losing his grip. showed the real face of the generals. on Marxism, a 19th century doctrine righttowork.org.uk/2011/05/unite-the-resistance. The fact that many trade unions and At least 120 people were injured, which did not realise that the student unions have started boycotts when security forces fired tear gas foundation of society is energy. That CPGB wills and advocated the closing down of and rubber-coated steel bullets at leads to Marxists underestimating the Remember the CPGB and keep the struggle going. Put our party’s Israeli/Jewish stores and shops in pro-Palestinian protestors who were coming energy crisis. name and address, together with the amount you wish to leave, in your Europe is largely due to the way in trying to storm the Israeli embassy. Tony Clark will. If you need further help, do not hesitate to contact us. which the left has singled out Israel At least 20 people were arrested. email Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

Maurice Glasman: faith, n June 30 coordination workern GMB and workfare flag, family and socialism? n Platypus polemic The politics of Blue Labour n Banner bright

No 868 Thursday June 2 2011 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union www.cpgb.org.uk £1/€1.10

Tahrir Square comes to Madrid 8 June 2 2011 868 THEORY The study of history and the left’s decline Dealing with the present demands not useful myths, writes Mike Macnair, but a real understanding of the past hris Cutrone’s two letters (astronomy, evolutionary biology and the Second International without the change in which we are - unavoidably It is for these reasons that in my responding to my report of history count among observational Third, the first four congresses of the - embedded in order to make choices report I characterised many of the Cthe Platypus convention, and sciences), are systematised from Third without its later history (mainly between real available options. These papers at the Platypus convention as my critique of the project, are useful inductive inferences from the past to Trotskyists), pre-war Trotskyism political choices are in my view no “neither quite rigorous philosophy and clarificatory.1 His presidential the future, not counterposed to them. (Al Richardson and others) or pre- different in principle from individual nor quite rigorous history”. Watson address to the Platypus convention From this point of view the ‘Pabloite’ Trotskyism. choices in everyday life. Memory Ladd in his letter quotes Adorno’s posted on his blog is also helpful.2 study of history is indispensable My Revolutionary strategy (2008) mistakes and belief in false theories comment in Minima moralia that In particular, both the second to politics. In reality, even those argues for an attempt to understand (which are built on inadequately tested “The injunction to practise intellectual letter and the address take clearer bourgeois politicians who deny its where we are, at the level of the claims about the past) can have real honesty usually amounts to sabotage distance from the so-called ‘anti-“anti- significance in public consider in practical political problem of left and catastrophic implications. My of thought.” Comrade Ladd admits imperialist” left’ than was apparent private the historical development of unity, through understanding the grandmother was lucky not to be that “neither nonsense nor triviality from earlier material in the Platypus elections, party affiliations and ‘public history. But it also precisely argues run down when, in her 90s, she set will suffice as modes of thought Review. This does not eliminate the opinion’. Hence, serious engagement against the idea that the film of history out to cycle to town, forgetting that today”.11 In my opinion, however, the question of imperialism as a theoretical with history would be essential, can be rolled back (p66) or that there traffic speeds and density on the method in Benjamin, in Dialectic of problem, or, equally, as a historical however successful the left was. To is an uncorrupted historical theoretical road passing her house had changed enlightenment and in Minima moralia, problem in relation to the history refuse it would either be to refuse all moment to be found. There are in since the 1930s; my mother was less produces precisely occasional of the workers’ movement, Marxist understanding, or to adopt de facto my view bad mistakes in Marx and lucky when her belief in treating her interesting aperçus buried in a mass of theory and the left. But these texts do some unexamined history. Engels, which were amplified in the ‘neuralgia’ with homeopathy and nonsense and triviality. The idea that answer my political concern about this There is a subtle difference be- Second International, and fundamental other ‘alternative remedies’ led to late this method is counterposed to “obtuse issue in the second of my two articles3 tween this conception and Platypus’s errors in the views of the first four diagnosis of lymphoma. French theory” (ie, postmodernism, on the convention. I suggested that engagement with history and specifi- congresses of the Comintern, and so The phenomenon in which ‘official Foucaultianism, etc) is illusory: it is, Platypus was focussing mainly on the cally with the history of the move- on; and these have to be addressed communist’ parties in the periphery rather, a forebear of the literary theory stupidities of ‘anti-imperialism’. That ment. Platypus’s engagement with with the benefit of hindsight in order countries since World War II have on offer in today’s academy. implied placing itself in the morally history is intimately connected with to construct a politics for the future. believed in strategic alliances with The question of source-critical untenable position of opposing loudly its particular conception of the decline Equally, the recent experiences of the ‘national bourgeoisie’, ending method then affects the specific the ‘left’ supporters of the third-world of the left. the organised left form, for me, part of with the CP massacred or discredited issues of history and theory to which I tyrant/reactionary monkeys, while Thus Ben Blumberg, introducing a the basis on which we are to look for a and marginalised, is, I think, no more referred in the beginning: Nettl on the speaking only softly about the ‘left’ 2009 panel on that issue: “[Platypus] way forward: like the partial strengths than errors of the same type scaled up SPD, ‘authoritarianism’, imperialism, supporters of the ‘western’ organ- was brought together by a shared of the post-1945 communist parties as to that of collective decision-making. and ‘ripeness for revolution.’ grinders. Comrade Cutrone’s letter realisation that the social and cultural working class organisations in spite In this view, Benjamin’s, or Adorno’s, and address partially reassure me on theory of Theodor Adorno and other of their nationalist, bureaucratic and philosophies of history and the search Nettl this front. members of the Frankfurt Institute for class-collaborationist politics, or the for usable myths make such errors In the case of Nettl, the issue is that The theoretical aspect of my Social Research contained the legacy failures of far-left groups in Portugal more, not less, likely. the historian has to be understood as criticism of Platypus about the issue of the revolutionary Marxism of the in 1974-76, or the partial successes of How do we attempt to get a more a witness to the research he reports; of imperialism as an explanation antecedent period. This realisation ‘unitary’ projects like Rifondazione accurate grasp of the history in which and it is necessary both to check the of reformism and nationalism, as was coupled with another: to claim Comunista ending in ultimate we are embedded, in order to make report against other witnesses (other opposed to Lukáscian and ‘New that Adorno’s theoretical ideas were failure. None are to be ruled out of better choices? historians of the SPD) and, where Left’ explanations, remains. It is the legacy of the practical politics consideration by political ‘original The elementary principles of practically possible, against the unavoidably linked to the history of of Lenin, Luxemburg and Trotsky sins’ or ‘historical regression’. historical source criticism (assessing primary sources (easier now that so the workers’ movement and Marxist put Platypus at odds in numerous biases of the witness, closeness to much is online). It is also necessary to theories, as well as to the general respects with the existing left ... By Historical method the event described, consistency of evaluate the witness’s biases. history of capitalism and where falsely resolving the problem of theory These different purposes of historical evidence, corroboration, antecedent Peter Nettl12 was a child of we stand today - the question of and practice the left has relinquished inquiry for politics have implications probability of the narrative, and so Viennese émigrés from fascism, ‘capital’s historical over-ripeness for the defining feature of its politics and for differences in the method on) are originally derived from legal and came to the UK in 1936 at the revolution’, as comrade Cutrone puts ceased to be the left at all. This has of historical inquiry. Platypus’s approaches to evidence of recent age of 10. Unlike many émigrés, his it in his second letter. profound effects on the development distinction from other forms of search events used in court, and the same father had a subsisting interest in a If the issues are linked, to work of the history of capitalism, in which for a redemptive retrieval of the lost approaches also form a substratum textile firm in Bradford, and Nettl was through them demands a degree the left traditionally has acted as a past is that (following Benjamin and of the assessment of the reliability therefore privately educated. Called of separation. I will address in turn transformative catalyst. Because its Adorno) what is sought as a ‘usable of observational and experimental up in 1944, he was in 1945 at the the questions why understanding the politics no longer mediate theory past’ is to be a historical myth. To evidence in the physical sciences. age of 21 commissioned as a major history is important; the problem and practice, the left has begun to use phrases from Benjamin, “setting In the legal context it is clear that in British intelligence, presumably in of how to attempt to understand decompose. Following Adorno, alight the sparks of hope in the past”, certainty is unavailable and the court order to give him sufficient rank to be it; the problem of Peter Nettl’s Platypus calls this process historical “the name of Blanqui, whose distant must act on probabilistic information. taken seriously in the interrogation of diagnosis of the Social Democratic regression” (emphases added).5 thunder had made the preceding Scientific and technical breakthrough German prisoners in Berlin, to which Party of Germany (SPD) in which Or the panel description at the century tremble”, a view of the past was made possible when this was he was immediately assigned. both Bernstein and Luxemburg are April convention on ‘The Marxism which calls forth working class “hate” accepted in the physical sciences, in On demobilisation he went to St preferable to Bebel and Kautsky, of the Second International radicals’: and “spirit of sacrifice” and makes place of the ‘certain’ textual authority John’s College, Oxford and took the and comrade Cutrone’s diagnosis of “How were the Second International possible a “leap into the open sky of of scripture and ancient authors.9 ‘accelerated’ degree made available to this as displaying an issue about the radicals, importantly, critics, and history”.7 In history, which continued to veterans. He obtained a first class and ‘necessary authoritarianism’ of the not merely advocates, of their own There is a strange paradox in using be seen as an art, the breakthrough was immediately offered a teaching SPD; and the question of imperialism, political movement? What is the such an approach as a critique of a to source criticism was later and job at St John’s and Brasenose as an issue in the pre- World War I legacy of these figures today, after the left whose decline is - as is obvious more gradual. Once it had happened, College. However, he took only a socialist movement, and as an issue 20th century - as Walter Benjamin said to most people, Platypus included - historical inquiry acquired a partially one-year tutorship. In this period he of the larger history, ‘ripeness for in his 1940 ‘Theses on the philosophy predicated ultimately on the shadow cumulative character, as enquiry in published The eastern zone and Soviet revolution’, and the diagnosis of our of history’, ‘against the grain’ of of Stalinism and its failure. This is the physical sciences has acquired a policy in Germany 1945-50 (Oxford own future. their time, reaching beyond it? How that the historical lineage of the role definitely cumulative character. 1950). The book is a conventional did Lenin, Luxemburg, Trotsky and of myth and the “leap into the open Marx is (just) this side of the early cold war piece. Lukács contribute to the potential sky of history” in fact runs from source-critical watershed in history: He then went to work in his father’s Memory and advancement and transformation of the part of the Second International hence the concrete documentation of textile firm - initially in Bradford, history Marxism, in and through the crisis of left influenced by Sorel and similar the second part of Capital Vol 1, hence but thereafter as a global travelling I begin with something which I Marxism in the early 20th century? thinkers, through the Bogdanov- the critical notes published as Theories salesman. While doing this job, he have referred to before.4 Memory How can we return to these figures Lunacharsky Vperyod faction in of surplus value, hence his elaborate published a few pretty orthodox papers is indispensable to conscious productively, today, to learn the the Russian Social Democratic critical notebooks on pre-capitalist on issues in economics,13 and reviews engagement with the recalcitrant lessons of their history?”6 Labour Party, through the ‘military property forms, as yet imperfectly of German Democratic Republic material world. ‘The present’ is a These are not histories of the opposition’ in the Russian Civil War, published.10 publications for International Affairs. concept without a direct referent: ordinary self-location of politics in the through elements of the left wings The Frankfurt school, in contrast, The latter suggests that he may have rather, it refers to a presumption, which world as it moves. They are attempts at of both majority and minority in the wanted to step back from this retained links to the ‘intelligence we have to make every moment we the redemption of a ‘usable past’ on the later 1920s Russian Communist Party, approach to one which philosophised community’ in this period.14 are awake, that the immediate future assumption of a total break in political to - the adventurism of the first five- from the standpoint of ‘critique of In 1961 he took a visiting fellow will be more or less like the immediate and theoretical continuity. Platypus year plan and the ‘third period’, high- what is’, but which picked and chose position at Nuffield College, Oxford, past. We therefore constantly predict is not, of course, unique in this. period Stalinism, and the Maoism of odd snippets of history which would where he stayed until appointed in 1963 the future, and act, on the basis of Many tendencies and many authors the ‘great leap forward’.8 serve its, ultimately moral, purposes. to a lectureship in politics at Leeds probabilistic inductive inferences try to look back to a ‘true Marxism’, For the argument I have put This is evident as much in Adorno’s University. ‘The SPD as a political from the past. We cannot avoid doing whether this is to be found in Marx forward above, in contrast, the and Horkheimer’s Dialectic of model’ dates to 1964, two years before so. Theories, whether in experimental without Engels, Marx and Engels purpose of historical inquiry is to enlightenment as in Benjamin on the the publication of his biography of sciences or in observational ones without the Second International, grasp the processes of historical philosophy of history. Rosa Luxemburg (1966). The latter 868 June 2 2011 9 overhead was followed by Political mobilisation authoritarianism in this sense Luxemburg of The mass strike or the and Gorter’s books on the causes of first proto-bourgeois and bourgeois (1967), The Soviet achievement from the (worse) totalitarianism, Trotsky of Our political tasks and World War I. states, the idea of ‘ripeness’ loses all (1967), which reads Soviet history meaning fascism, Stalinism or sub- Results and prospects, we should The idea that the Second meaning. in terms of Weberian modernisation Stalinoid nationalist regimes. The also give up. In the first place, mass- International was unconcerned with The second is, of course, that theory, and International systems real distinction is that ‘totalitarians’ strikism without permanent party “core-periphery relations” cannot Marx’s conception of ‘ripeness’ is - and the modernisation of societies engage in land reform (Mussolini, organisation has been repeatedly tried survive any look at the ‘colonial in outline - that “No social order ever (1968). In 1968 he was appointed to Mugabe) or job creation schemes and as repeatedly failed. Secondly, policy’ debates. The whole ‘revisionist perishes before all the productive a professorship in political sociology at capitalist expense (Hitler), while as Bakunin was the first to admit, as debate’ in a sense began with the forces for which there is room in it at the University of Pennsylvania, ‘authoritarians’, like Franco or Luxemburg and her comrades showed Bernstein-Bax exchange of 1896- have been developed” (preface to A but died in a plane crash shortly Pinochet, ‘permit a sphere independent in the SDKPL and mass-strikist 97 about Marxists’ attitude to the contribution to the critique of political afterwards. of the state’: ie, the capitalist market. groups have shown repeatedly since, colonial expansion of capitalism. economy). And, as I said in my second Hanson in his memoir of Nettl The second sense of the attempt to move the masses into Kautsky responded on this specific article, both Moshé Machover and describes him as having moved from ‘authoritarianism’ means, in action, as opposed to winning them issue in a three-part series in 1898. István Mészáros have given us field to field, and in particular from Bakuninist hands, a politics which to a political programme, inexorably The issue flared up again after the strong reasons to suppose that from history (the biography of Luxemburg) admits any sort of authority or demands the ‘invisible dictatorship’, SPD’s defeat in the 1907 ‘Hottentot this point of view global capitalism to sociology. It is, however, far binding collective decisions at all. the small and conspiratorial group election’ - which was, as its name was not “over-ripe for revolution” at from clear that the biography of In liberal-libertarian hands, it means of illuminati which directs the indicates, fought on the issue of the the beginning of the 20th century. To Luxemburg was motivated by a desire any politics in which decisions for the ‘spontaneous will to revolt’ of the Reich’s dirty colonial war in what is this point comrade Cutrone has not to ‘do history’. Nor is it a product common good are capable of binding masses. now Namibia. responded. of sympathy for the political left or ‘free individuals’, meaning property The option which has not If “the Second International If so, however, the argument that for Marxism, of which there is no owners. Non-property owners are really been tried is political ‘civic radicals” is to include the Lenin of we are to explain the recent difficulties evidence in Nettl’s other work. left under such a regime with the republicanism’. This means the the war and the early Comintern, the of the left and the workers’ movement Rather, ‘The SPD as a political (perfectly free!) choice of submission rejection, not of all subordination claim is manifest nonsense. Since I by capital’s “historical over-ripeness model’ shows a primary motivation or starvation. to the collective, but of permanent have cited some of the relevant texts for revolution” falls to the ground - to understand the SPD-like aspects of Which version does comrade subordination to decision-makers.20 in a reply to Arthur Bough (Letters, even if this “over-ripeness” were to nationalist and revolutionary political Cutrone mean in relation to the It means recognition that we have May 12), I will not repeat them here. consist in imperialism as a response parties, in broadly Weberian terms, in SPD? Nettl means simply that the to take binding collective decisions, Before the passage I have just to the rise of the workers’ movement. connection with ‘decolonisation’ and SPD was not liberal-libertarian: “The and that this will involve delegating quoted, comrade Cutrone argues in Rather, we should understand ‘modernisation’. Behind that lies - it English or American notion of limited individuals as leaders/managers, his second letter that “Luxemburg, ourselves as in a historical situation can be guessed - practical questions for government, that it might be better to and so on. But, on the other hand, it Lenin and Trotsky found that the which is in a sense akin to that of British policymakers’ understanding do without certain activities if they means insistence that these people ‘imperialist’ phase of ‘monopoly bourgeois revolutionaries between the of and relationships with nationalist involved authoritative regulation or are subordinated to the membership capital’, and the changing ‘organic failure of the project of the city-state ‘inheritor parties’ after decolonisation. control, was utterly alien.”18 (and ultimately the masses) through composition of capital’ (at a global in the signorie of the late Middle Ages The biography of Luxemburg was a If what is meant is that the legitimacy freedom of information, speech scale) by the turn of the 20th century and the breakthrough of the Dutch and by-product of these goals, albeit a very of dissent, and accountability to those and horizontal communication, and had been the product of the successes English revolutions. Stalinism is used large one. below, were rejected, Breitman (cited association against the existing of the workers’ movement in the core endlessly as a stick to beat us, just as This is, I think, reflected in the fact above) discusses Susanne Miller’s leadership. In my opinion - not a capitalist countries. They found this the propagandists of the early modern that reviews by historians (as opposed Burgfrieden und Klassenkampf (1974) CPGB view - it also involves term success to have advanced the crisis monarchies (like Shakespeare) told to political scientists) of both the as showing that the SPD leadership limits for leaders and managers, etc, of capital. In other words, the social endless stories of the disorder and Luxemburg biography and The Soviet only became authoritarian in this at all levels. democratic workers’ movement had corruption of Italian politics. achievement commented that Nettl sense in and after 1914: ie, because itself brought about the crisis of What we need in this situation was quite cavalier in his treatment of of the choice to support the Reich in Imperialism capital, or ‘imperialism’ as capitalism’s is not a useful myth of the past to those historical facts which appeared the war. In doing so, it raised up the In his second letter comrade Cutrone ‘highest’ or last stage (Lenin): that inspire the spirit of revolt: it is a real to him to be only contingently relevant USPD as an opposition. writes: “Moreover, what the Second is, the eve of revolution. Lenin, understanding of the past in order to to the arguments of the books. Engels, in On authority (1872), International radicals meant by Luxemburg and Trotsky thought that make real choices about options in the A 1980 review essay by Richard offered a critique of the Bakuninist ‘imperialism’ was inter-imperialism, the socialist workers’ movement was future l Breitman discusses a substantial version. Marx, in his unpublished not core-periphery relations. The part of and not extrinsic to the history body of literature on the pre-1914 Conspectus of Bakunin’s statism emphasis on the latter was the of capital. This meant, for Luxemburg, [email protected] SPD, which gives sharply different and anarchy (1874), makes similar hallmark of the post-World War II that the workers were responsible for theoretical accounts of the SPD’s points.19 The issue was not therefore new left and its derangement on the the world war and thus historically Notes evolution: witnesses of similar one which arose after Marx’s time. problem of global capital in history.” obligated to bring about socialism and 1. Weekly Worker May 19, May 26. standing to Nettl - ie, non-Marxist I do not mean to deny that the This claim is a commonplace from avert barbarism. This was not a merely 2. http://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org. 3. ‘No need for party?’, May 12; ‘Theoretical historians and sociologists of politics SPD was substantially bureaucratised somewhere in the historiography moral injunction.” dead end’, May 19. 15 - who do not corroborate his account. before 1914 - though not, as yet, (I have also heard it from Marc I would be very interested to see 4. ‘Teleology, predictability and modes of I will not go into depth on direct an authoritarianism (sense 1) or Mulholland). The problem is that it real evidence for this proposition as a production’ Weekly Worker January 27. confrontation between Nettl’s account ‘totalitarianism’ of the bureaucracy cannot really survive confrontation claim about what Lenin, Luxemburg 5. http://platypus1917.org/2009/11/18/ the-decline-of-the-left-in-the-20th-century- and the primary sources, but there like the Luxemburg-Jogiches- with the primary sources. and Trotsky wrote - as opposed introduction. is one small significant point. Nettl Dzherzhinsky Social Democracy In early usage, it is true that to what they might have written. 6. http://convention2011.platypus1917.org/ treats Robert Michels’ Political of the Kingdom of Poland and ‘imperialism’ did not mean My own reading of the texts is that saturday-schedule. parties (1911) as an unqualified Lithuania, Stalinism or the modern ‘colonialism’, but rather the adoption Lenin and Trotsky at least believed 7. www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ benjamin/1940/history.htm. primary source for SPD practice ‘1921 Leninists’ (Stalin fans, Maoists, of imperial styles and titles (Louis that imperialism made possible 8. D Priestland Stalinism and the politics of and for what comrade Cutrone calls ‘orthodox’ Trotskyists). Nor do I Napoleon in 1852, Wilhelm I in concessions to (sections of) the mobilisation Oxford 2007. “authoritarianism”. But Nettl takes mean to deny that bureaucratic rule 1871, queen Victoria in 1877) and working class, rather than that it 9. B Shapiro A culture of fact New York 2000. no account whatever of Michels’ is a real problem facing the workers’ of ‘Napoleonic’ militarism and was required by the offensive of the 10. K Anderson Marx at the margins Chicago 2010, appendix. political bias: ie, that at the time of movement and the left. centralised bureaucracy. ‘Colonialism’ working class. 11. Letters, May 19. writing Michels was a revolutionary The problem is, rather, what the rather attracted the label, ‘colonial I will admit that there is evidence 12. What follows is partly from the memoir syndicalist (after World War I he alternative to the dictatorship of the policy’, in early SPD and Second from the political discourse of by AH Hanson in TJ Nossiter, AH Hanson, S followed another semi-syndicalist bureaucracy is. If it is to be liberalism- International debates. bourgeois imperialists, like Joseph Rokkan (ed) Imagination and precision in the social sciences: essays in memory of Peter Nettl leftist of the pre-war period, Benito libertarianism, we should give ‘Imperialism’ came to be attached Chamberlain, that imperialism was (London 1972) pp1-12 and partly inferences from Mussolini, into fascism). up on any alternative to to ‘colonial policy’ through Joseph needed as a response to the rise of the this narrative and from Nettl’s published work. the present-day Chamberlain’s advocacy of workers’ movement. The problem is 13. For example, ‘A note on entrepreneurial ‘Authoritarianism’ social order, colonialism as a solution to ‘the this. The export of capital to colonial behaviour’ (1957), 24 Review of Economic Studies 87-94 finishes with the “distorting” effect Comrade Cutrone writes in his first because ‘It social problem’ under the name possessions and periphery states of high taxation on entrepreneurial motivations. letter: “I think Macnair avoids ... the might be better of imperialism. Chamberlain’s goes back to Venice and Genoa in the 14. A genealogy website reports a completely issue I was raising about the inherent to do without imperialism was then critiqued in the late Middle Ages. The ascendancy unsubstantiated and implausible rumour that at unavoidable authoritarianism of late certain activities book of that name by Hobson in of financial capital in Britain long the time of his death he was working for Mossad (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry. 19th century mass (working class) if they involved 1902, which was rapidly known predates the 1870s and is, in fact, a com/~prohel/names/misc/bauer1.html). The parties that needed to be worked authoritative to the left. Hence, though the necessity of the rule of the capitalist rumour could reflect a garbled version of links through by later Marxism (unlike circa regulation or SPD debate of 1907-08 was class as such. The peculiar form of to the British ‘intelligence community’. For an 1848), and the problems of which control’ is no still conducted under the ‘fusion’ of financial and industrial ex-officer of British military intelligence working as an international salesman, links to British Lenin and Luxemburg were aware, more than an name of ‘colonial policy’, capital which Hilferding identified as intelligence are positively likely. unlike the German Social Democratic ideology of ‘colonial policy’ appears as a novelty turns out to have remained 15. ‘Negative integration and parliamentary Party centre (Bebel and Kautsky) and capitalist society. an aspect of ‘imperialism’ specific to ‘civil law’ countries and politics: literature on German social democracy, later Stalinism (including Maoism).” If it is to be in Hilferding’s Finance has never reached the ‘Anglosphere’.21 1890-1933’, 13 Central European History pp175- 97. ‘Authoritarianism’ is a slippery diluted Bakuninism, as capital (1911). And, as I cited Extensive welfarism based on the 16. www.oed.com, quoting Daily News June 28 word. Early citations in the Oxford in Sorel, Michels in my second article, gains of the East India Company goes 1879; Contemporary Review September 1882, English Dictionary are from 1879 - and in an even Hobson’s and back to the Dutch Republic.22 So what p459 (Karl Blind, ‘The radical and revolutionary “Men who are authoritarian by nature, more diluted Hilferding’s usage is new after the 1870s? parties of Europe’, part 1). A search on ‘Karl Blind’ on MIA will display Blind’s antagonistic and cannot imagine that a country form the is the one found in relations to Marx at the time of writing. should be orderly save under a military Lenin and Zinoviev, Over-ripe? 17. See D Adam, ‘Marx, Bakunin, and the despotism”; and 1882 - “Communists Bukharin, Trotsky Comrade Cutrone says that “the question of authoritarianism’: http://libcom.org/ of the ‘authoritarian’ type.”16 The problem of ‘imperialism’ has been a library/marx-bakunin-question-authoritarianism. 18. Past and Present No30, p58. latter, from Karl Blind, fairly clearly symptom of capital’s historical over- 19. www.marxists.org/archive/marx/ draws on Bakunin’s critique of Marx’s ripeness for revolution, at least since works/1872/10/authority.htm; www.marxists.org/ alleged ‘authoritarian’ aims.17 1914-19, if not significantly long archive/marx/works/1874/04/bakunin-notes.htm. The first sense of ‘authoritarianism’ before”. Though “capital’s historical 20. Theoretical analysis in P Pettit Republicanism (Oxford 1997); on the relationship of this theory means a politics which denies the over-ripeness for revolution” is to Marxism, my ‘Republicanism and Marxism’ legitimacy of political dissent and orthodox Trotskyism from the Weekly Worker May 29 2003. the possibility of the accountability Transitional programme, it has two 21. Hillel Ticktin has argued that it is, in fact, a of authorities to those below. It may problems in this context. The first is feature of early capitalism: ‘Towards a theory of finance capital, part 2’ (1986) Critique No17, be military in character, as in the that if it is to describe ‘symptoms’, 1-15, especially 9-15. quotation, or clericalist. Modern those of imperialism, which go all 22. J de Vries, A van der Woude The first modern bourgeois sociologists distinguish Umberto Boccioni: continuity in space the way back to the creation of the economy Cambridge1997. Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

Chris Cutrone on Benjamin and n Standing order appeal workern Osanloo released Adorno, the philosophy of history n Marxist education and the abuse of theory n Anti-Fascist Action

No 869 Thursday June 9 2011 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union www.cpgb.org.uk £1/€1.10

Drugs war disaster: legalise all drugs 2 June 9 2011 869 letters

Letters may have been “alternative” is Marxism. Labour. the previous legislation which he the blurb for Sinn Féin’s conference, shortened because of So Dave’s proposal, quoted above, I was reminded of the difficulty seems to think was better, it meant implying that the hunger strikers space. Some names needs rephrasing. We need to fight communists have in criticising ‘penis in vagina’. Not ‘broken bottle would have supported the Good  may have been changed for a Marxist party in order to stand anarchist leaders. Since anarchists in vagina’ (a disturbingly common Friday agreement (GFA) and Sinn alternative anti-cuts candidates - if we reject leadership as such, there is no phenomenon), not ‘penis in mouth’. Féin’s acceptance that the conflict was No opt-out want them to be credible, that is. This leadership to criticise. One could not It is ‘penis in vagina’ because about loyalism’s ‘legitimate concerns’ Dave Vincent reminds us once again fight is central and needs to be fought criticise the CPGB’s argument for an rape legislation was originally a (that they might have to concede about the attacks of the last Labour in all the organisations of the working ‘AN Other’ party simply because there form of property law, not concerned equality to nationalists) and not about government on the working class class. Including in the unions and in wasn’t one. Some of us did not believe with injury to the victim so much as the occupation of the six north-eastern (Letters, June 2). Yes, Dave, we know the Labour Party. We can no more opt that. Now this second party turned up damage to her husband’s property: her counties of Ireland by the armed forces that the Labour leadership is (and out of the fight within Labour than we and called itself the Labour Party! capacity to produce legitimate heirs of British imperialism. always has been) pro-capitalist and can the fight within the unions. The ‘debate’ between the CPGB to inherit the rest of his property. By Stiofán Ó Morna has written a pro-imperialist. So when he asks what Peter Manson and the Socialist Party is about the shifting the narrow definition of ‘sex’ horrific account of what happened to the trade union link “is delivering for South London ‘AN Other’ party. On one side we have to one of considering the damaging Harry Fitzsimmons in Maghaberry the working class today”, the answer Miliband’s ‘New New Labour’ party physical and psychological effects of on May 29: “Harry’s cell was entered is pretty obvious and pretty much Organic link and on the other we have Bob Crow’s sexual violence, the (only partially by the riot squad; there had been the same as it has been throughout While I generally avoid making ‘New old Labour’ party. Both have successful) attempt was made to no confrontation, no exchange of Labour’s history: not very much. comments on issues in dispute on fundamental flaws which each side address the experiences of victims words, just brutality. His glasses were Dave himself has identified one of the left 10,000 miles away, my own can expose. Dave Vincent did exactly more sympathetically. Obviously, smashed into his face with such force the main reasons for this. The “union experience of having lived in Britain that in last week’s letters. What we reducing women’s sexual behaviour that Harry believes there may be glass barons” are more concerned about in the past, and having been a member have is Hobson’s choice between two to granting or withholding permission in his eyes. He said it is definitely in patronage and possible knighthoods of the Labour Party Young Socialists, dead-end parties. to have things done to us is extremely the multiple lacerations in his face. than they are for their members’ plus the function and make-up of the Backing the conservative Labour limited, but not at the top of many The thugs held him, while others interests, he writes, which means that New Zealand Labour Party, tends me Party means ignoring decades of the people’s list of priorities for change punched, kicked and tore his clothing the union link “has always acted to to agree with Dave Vincent. I think practice which contradicts the CPGB in an area with so many more pressing from his body.” dampen down militancy, not get union he’s quite right to question just what theory of Labour as “an instrument of issues. Now tell us that Bobby Sands members benefits”. The same barons ‘organic links’ the British Labour struggle for working people”. Peter’s From the tone of his letter, Grant and his comrades would not have “urge members to vote Labour in their Party has with the working class and view that Labour “could play a vital seems to believe large numbers of championed the right to political magazines and do not allow critical point out the dangers of confusing the role in bringing together partisans teenage boys are incarcerated for status for Harry and all his comrades letters to be published about this or the union barons with the class. of our class in the fight for workers’ having consensual sex with their in Maghaberry and elsewhere today. link”. Union leaders - particularly in I’d also question an idea that Dave’s power” is very Labour Briefing and girlfriends. I have never seen any This conference cannot even mention Labour-affiliated unions, thinks Dave letter touched on, but didn’t delve more Alliance for Workers’ Liberty evidence of this. I have seen surveys that there are Irish prisoners-of-war - exercise a “dictatorship” over their deeply into: Labour Party financing. than the AWL. On the other side, in the showing that one in three girls are today - in the exact same position, members. The lazier elements of the left in Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, sexually assaulted at school, that fighting the exact same battles as 1981 This points to one of the main NZ argued for years that the Labour we have the theory of spontaneity, or 42% of young people in Britain know and the years preceding and following tasks facing rank-and-file members Party here was mainly financed by the making it up as we go along. Workers at least one girl who has suffered those hunger strikes. - irrespective of whether their unions. This simply wasn’t true and do not need dead-end parties, whether physical violence from a boyfriend, But there is inevitable resistance. unions are Labour-affiliated or not, hasn’t been the case for many a year. conservative or spontaneist. and that 40% know at least one girl ‘Dissident’ republicans recognise actually: the urgent need to organise In fact, it is predominantly financed It was Peter himself who came who has suffered sexual violence from that British imperialism is dividing in order to hold leaders to account, to by the state, through the allocations up with the alternative in theoretical a boyfriend. Equally disturbing are the the Irish people by force and continue ensure they act in the interests of the of parliamentary services funding. terms. He produced the slogan of a figures showing that large numbers to fight for the expulsion of the forces membership or are replaced. In other Its next biggest source of funding ‘halfway house party’. Of course, he of young people believe this kind of the crown. words, the problem is not the link with is business donations. Unions here invented this by accident because he of male violence to be acceptable; The fight for political status is Labour at all, but the behaviour and supply a minuscule fraction of the wanted a hairy monster to frighten the 27% believed a boy could expect sex intensifying inside the prisons - the unaccountability of the bureaucracy. Labour Party’s total income. I find it children. It worked when the lights with a girl who had been ‘flirtatious’ very thing that the 10 hunger strikes Dave completely writes off the hard to believe that the situation in were off during the dark night of (Amnesty International, 2006). But we died for 30 years ago, which was possibility of the left or pro-worker Britain would be completely different. leftism. Today the monster has been are told the real victims are not girls, abandoned 13 years ago with the forces making headway in the Labour Perhaps it’s time to look more banished by the PCC and children can but young men. signing of the GFA. The Belfast Party. But he has told us himself why deeply at how Labour in Britain is stop hiding behind their fingers. Grant then goes into some detail Telegraph reports from Maghaberry: things seem that way and as a result funded, in particular to what extent Nevertheless, like the apple that concerning the high numbers of “The jail protest is about a number of unwittingly indicates how things can the state underwrites Labour’s total fell on Newton’s head, it either makes what he believes to be completely issues - strip searches, lock-up times be changed. We are unable to make income and expenditure. To do that us frightened or has us thinking in the unjustified complaints and convictions and freedom of movement inside Roe headway at present because the union you’d have to investigate not the right direction. A halfway house is not of rape. This is an absolutely bizarre House, where on two landings more tops choose not to pursue pro-worker party’s official accounts, but the going back to the past in the search interpretation of the facts. In than 30 dissident prisoners linked to policies and instead cooperate with the allocations of parliamentary services, of true Labour. It is going forward anonymous surveys, around a quarter a number of groups are held … Some rightwing leadership. As I have said, or whatever they are called in Britain, at least halfway to where we want to of women say they have been raped. of those prisoners are now involved in that is first and foremost a question of to political parties. be. Since a democratic republic is on The majority (80%-90%) of cases are a so-called dirty protest. Others have union democracy and demonstrates You might just find that, as in New the road to communism, then it too is not reported; of those that are, most been involved in ‘hand-to-hand fights’ the necessity of workers themselves Zealand, the primary ‘organic link’ a clue adding to what Peter started. are not prosecuted, resulting in a with prison officers in recent days” taking control. If we had responsive, Labour has is to the state, just as its A halfway house party must be a conviction rate of about 6%. (May 26). democratic trade unions, the leaders primary loyalty link is to managing republican party. If this is a working I am looking forward to the day The GFA has not improved the would be obliged to fight for change the capitalist system. class party, then it is the republican when I will read something in a socialist relationship between the communities within the Labour Party, not act as Philip Ferguson party of the working class. Therefore, paper written by a man giving his in the north of Ireland. In Belfast, the main block against progressive Christchurch neither the Labour Party nor Tusc are unconditional support to women who according to Henry McDonald in policies. halfway houses. If they are houses at suffer male violence. It is a depressing The Guardian, “There are now So there is no short cut in the fight Hairy monster all, they are prison houses of the old experience to be able to predict the 80 permanent barriers dividing to win a party that really does act in Peter Manson confirms the CPGB’s constitutional monarchy. response of the left press as being a loyalist and nationalist areas of the workers’ interests - and certainly not in ‘dual’ or two-party strategy (‘Give Steve Freeman series of obfuscation, qualification and city, according to a report by the the way the Socialist Party in England up on Tusc’, May 26). I have referred email minimisation; this paper has reported Community Relations Council in and Wales proposes. If the unions to this before (Letters, April 21) and the Slutwalk circus in terms virtually Northern Ireland. In 1994, when the under their current leadership broke nobody has disputed it - one party for Can’t consent indistinguishable from the mainstream troubles were declared over, there away from Labour to form a ‘genuine’ communists and at the same time an Grant Williamson (Letters, June 2) has media. No surprise to find the only were 26” (July 28 2009). workers’ party (in reality a Labour ‘AN Other’ party. Peter suggests an very strong opinions on the definition way women claiming their right to The GFA has legitimised sectarian Party mark two), why would the identity for these two parties: “The of rape. He states: “… forcing a self-determination is made acceptable bigotry. This has made the unification bureaucracy behave any differently? working class needs its mass Marxist person against their will by physical is when its dominant image is one of of Ireland far more difficult. We The new party would just be a repeat party. But a Labour Party that was an force, threat or other coercion to have sexual availability. demand that the participants in this of mark one. ‘instrument of struggle for working sex when they don’t want to. That is More than two women a week are meeting take their responsibilities to Dave tries to convince himself people’ could play a vital role in what rape is.” He relies on a ‘common killed by their male partners in this today’s republican prisoners seriously, that workers “will only vote [Labour] bringing together partisans of our sense’ notion of rape; ‘common sense’ country; all we get from the left is the fight for their political status and that back in if there is no left alternative”. class in the fight for workers’ power.” is notoriously likely to be based on resentful defence of male privilege Sinn Féin cease imposing severe But you only have to look at May 5 This is no abstract sloganeering. reactionary ideas. and some feeble hand-wringing. It is economic austerity on the working to see that this is not so. Sitting left The CPGB’s Ben Lewis calls for The current legal definition rests on insulting to focus on an abstract aim class and the poor, which is bound to candidates were voted out in favour industrial action on June 30, combined the question of consent, not physical of ‘left unity’ when you are prepared exacerbate community tensions. of Labour. Dave says: “We need with the political demand to join the force, because the victim’s willingness to tolerate this level of male violence Gerald Downing alternative left anti-cuts candidates Labour Party (‘Striking together’, to potentially sustain further injury against women in virtual silence. email until the working class come to see June 2). Surely this is not an end in a fight is not on trial. The onus Heather Downs the need for a Marxist party.” But that it itself, but merely a step to some is on the (overwhelmingly usually) email Facts is exactly what we had on May 5 in variation on ‘Labour to power on a man to have a reasonable belief A couple of factual points regarding the form of the Trade Unionist and socialist programme’? that the (overwhelmingly usually) Political status JP Nettl and his political sympathies Socialist Coalition, whose results he No real surprises here. The British woman consented to his actions. This There will be a lobby of Sinn (‘The study of history and the left’s calls “abysmal”. No, Dave, standing road of the former CPGB had a emphasis on consent is why people Féin’s conference marking the 30th decline’, June 2). Firstly, he was in elections is not a panacea. dual strategy. This was rejected by under 16 are described as having been anniversary of the hunger strike at 12 a supporter of the Labour Party. I He is correct on the need to the current CPGB in its ultra-left raped - because they do not have the noon on Saturday June 18 at London heard him address a Labour Party “establish credibility”. But, once phase. Then the CPGB berated the capacity to consent, just as they can’t Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, election meeting in 1959 in Shipley. again, how is that to be done? left for supporting calls for an ‘AN consent to surgery or getting tattoos. London NW1. We will be calling Secondly, he contributed a book Anything less than Marxism is Other’ party. They argued that true But Grant does not discuss Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness review to International Socialism in simply not credible. Just what is our communism stood for one party alone. our attitudes to young people’s to support the demand for political 1964 (www.marxists.org/history/etol/ alternative to cuts? Keynesianism? Fortunately, this stage of ‘one-club sexuality outside of this narrow status now. newspape/isj/1964/no016/nettl.htm). No, that would not take the working golfing’ passed when the Provisional legal framework. He does not define The hunger strike shaped the Ian Birchall class forward one centimetre. The Central Committee ditched it to back what he means by ‘sex’, but, under course of history, says Gerry Adams in email Letters, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 020 8533 6360 l [email protected] l wwwcpgb.org.uk 869 June 9 2011 7 debate The philosophy of history Chris Cutrone responds to Mike Macnair ike Macnair’s critique of Reform or revolution? and The indeed first and foremost the human blinding, was not irrationalism any ‘economic interest’, had failed to Platypus takes issue on mass strike, among other writings, subject: ie, the ‘subject-object’ of more than Hegel was. It does not call overcome. Workers had a subjective, Mthe philosophy of history were not actionist, but concerned transformation. for “myth”, but a different philosophy ‘psychological’ interest in unfreedom of Marxism (‘The study of history with the transformation of the SPD, The question is the adequacy of of history than the empiricist- that Marxism needed to address. and the left’s decline’, June 2). I in which the Marxist left had a the relation of theory and practice. deductive one. Dialectics is not a What this meant to Benjamin and would like to clarify this, and the stake. Luxemburg and Lenin were Metaphysical (‘theoretical’) categories matter of estimating probability, Adorno, following Lukács’s view on senses in which I used the terms not opposed to the formation of refer not to a world extrinsic to human but grasping inherent possibility in reification, was that Marxism had ‘authoritarianism’ and ‘imperialism’ workers’ political parties as necessary subjectivity, but to the world constituted history. failed to address authoritarianism in my letters of May 19 and May instruments of emancipation, but they socially in and through such categories, As Adorno put it, in his 1942 dialectically, as a function of the 26, in response to Macnair’s two were aware of the dangers inherent in which are always eminently practical essay ‘Reflections on class theory’, in transformation of capital. In the articles written after his attendance this, from a Marxist perspective on as well as theoretical. So, in the most response to both Benjamin’s ‘Theses’ Marxian view, the workers’ movement at the Platypus 2011 convention in the historical development of capital, pertinent example, the ‘commodity and Marx’s and Engels’ Communist for socialism is itself the most Chicago.1 in which such workers’ organisations form’ is, for Marxists, a category of manifesto, “According to [Marxian] important ‘self-contradictory’ and self- (including labour unions) were social relations, which gives it an theory, history is the history of class alienated phenomenon of the history inevitably bound up. In other words, effective social reality, different from struggles. But the concept of class of capital. This is why Marx began Historiography of how, for example, the SPD was a physical nature. Macnair seems not to is bound up with the emergence of with the critique of socialism, or, why Marxism phenomenon of the history of capital, have attended to the Kantian revolution the proletariat ... By exposing the the ‘critique of political economy’ First, however, I would like to or, more precisely, how the workers’ in philosophy, from which Hegel, historical necessity that had brought is the critique of the necessary and address the issue of historiography movement for socialism was part of Marx, Lukács, Benjamin and Adorno capitalism into being, political symptomatic consciousness of the with respect to the German Social the historical development of capital, followed. economy became the critique of socialist workers’ movement. Democratic Party in the 2nd and did not somehow oppose it from How this matters for the philosophy history as a whole ... All history is International era. Carl E Schorske2 outside. of history is that history is not a the history of class struggles because Imperialism and James Joll3 are, among others, In this sense, there was an compendium of past facts, but a social it was always the same thing: namely, What I raised in my May 26 letter important historical sources for my affinity of Eduard Bernstein’s views relation of the ‘present’ with itself. prehistory. This gives us a pointer to concerning the changed organic and other Platypus members’ views. on ‘evolutionary socialism’ with The past is not ‘past’ but present, and what history is. From the most recent composition of capital is this: that the But I do not think that what Macnair Luxemburg’s, but they drew the present ‘historically’. So, for Benjamin form of injustice, a steady light reflects ‘mass’ proletarianisation of the core calls a “source-critical” approach opposite political conclusions: where and Adorno (following Lukács and back on history as a whole. Only in capitalist countries was the result, to history should be attempted with Bernstein found the transformation Korsch, who, in turn, followed Lenin, this way can theory enable us to use as Marx discussed in Capital Vol 1 reference to historians’ biographies, of capital through reforms to be Luxemburg, and Marx and Engels on the full weight of history to gain on ‘the working day’, of politically which does not clarify but potentially ameliorative, Luxemburg found this point), the question was how to an insight into the present without variable social conditions of wage compounds the problem of philosophy a deepening crisis. This was reckon the history of Marxism and the succumbing in resignation to the labour that, with increased worker of history. Luxemburg’s thesis in Reform greater socialist workers’ movement as burden of the past. [Marxism has been empowerment, cause a shift from On JP Nettl, I would point to or revolution? - only reformists symptomatic expression of the history of praised] on account of its dynamism variable to constant capital, or from his substantial essay on ‘Ideas, separated social reform from capital, or how the ‘proletariat’ was and ... Dynamism is merely one side of labour-time-intensive sweatshop intellectuals, and structures of political revolution, because Marxism could become the transformed ‘subject- dialectic: it is the side preferred by to automated machine production, dissent’.4 I dispute Macnair’s recognised that reforms deepened the object of history’. Lukács’s term for the the belief in practicality ... The other, requiring ever less labour input and characterisation of Nettl’s concerns. I crisis of capital and made revolution self-alienated character of this ‘subject- less popular aspect of dialectic is its resulting in ever greater value-crises. think Nettl’s biography of Luxemburg not less, but more necessary. object’ condition of the working class static side ... The law that, according This, in turn, affected the was his life-work and not ancillary. in capital was ‘reification’. ‘Reification’ to the Hegelian dialectic, governs the conditions of colonialism. Whereas Nettl was a liberal/non-Marxist, so referred not to the workers’ quotidian restlessly destructive unfolding of the colonies in the classical bourgeois era there are perhaps some issues to be Benjamin and consciousness in capitalism, but to the ever-new consists in the fact that at of the emergence of modern capital taken with his work on Luxemburg, Adorno ‘class consciousness’ of the workers, every moment the ever-new is also the were sites of market expansion, but Nettl’s views as a political I dispute Macnair’s characterisation of as expressed by social democracy (and old lying close at hand. The new does in the late era of ‘imperialism’ or scientist were drawn from his long Benjamin’s and Adorno’s philosophy ‘Marxism’) at its height. For Lukács not add itself to the old, but is the old ‘monopoly capital’, colonies become and close study of Luxemburg and her of history as attempting to generate and those who followed, ‘reification’ in distress.”9 raw material resource-extraction relation to Marxism, not applied by “useful myths”.6 Rhetorical and meant Kautsky. zones feeding metropolitan industry. Nettl to Luxemburg from elsewhere. literary style aside, Benjamin and Authoritarianism The humanity of not only those who For him, the history of Marxism raised especially Adorno were rigorous Abuse of theory This brings me around to the issues were thus colonised, but also of questions about the possibilities of Marxists and Hegelians who engaged Nettl has a great line about how Kautsky of authoritarianism and imperialism, the metropolitan proletariat hence politics per se. Hence, the importance the issues of ‘historical materialism’, attempted to “invest certain observed which have different usage for me became superfluous - not even a of Nettl’s argument. as manifested after the failure of phenomena with the normative than the colloquial ones. Adorno ‘reserve army of unemployed’, but Thus, his article on ‘The German Marxism. Benjamin and Adorno sanction of Marxist theory”. Nettl co-authored the famous study on a fascist rabble, subject to more or Social Democratic Party 1890-1914 were not postmodernists avant la cited Parvus against Kautsky: “All the The authoritarian personality. This less desperate authoritarian politics. as political model’5 argued that lettre, despite their spurious late guts knocked out of [Marxism]. Out followed from the earlier Frankfurt This was already true of the post-1848 Luxemburg’s views, as expressed in pomo popularity. Rather, Benjamin of Marx’s good raw dough Kautsky School Studies on authority and the world Marx addressed in Bonapartism and Adorno, like Lukács and Korsch made Matzes”.8 Kautsky abused family. (also evinced contemporaneously by (from whom they took direct theory, making it serve as justification A commonplace misunderstanding Bismarck and Disraeli), but became inspiration), followed Luxemburg’s or rationalisation - as most ‘Marxists’ of Frankfurt School critical theory even more so subsequently. The and Lenin’s judgments about the do - rather than as a provocation to the is that it attempted to synthesise question is why the workers supported crisis of Marxism as the crisis of self-reflection of consciousness, in the Marxist and Freudian psychoanalytic authoritarian politics, and how the bourgeois society that Marxism Hegelian sense. approaches, but this view is mistaken. workers’ movement for socialism was itself, as part of the ideology and While it may be tempting to oppose Rather, Freudian psychoanalysis was not free of this effect. (In this sense, practical political leadership of such apparent static/immobilised (or itself taken by Adorno et al to be a Hayek’s critique of socialism in The the international social democratic ‘contemplative’) consciousness with symptom of the historical development road to serfdom is apposite.10) workers’ movement, had brought action(ism), Lukács knew well that of capital. Freud’s categories were This is the world in which we about. the opposition of static and dynamic taken to be descriptive and then continue to live today, but without Benjamin and Adorno challenged was an antinomy of capital itself, that resituated, critically, in a Marxian the proximal history of the late 19th- the linear-progressive conception capital moved through a dialectic of view of historical development of early 20th century social democratic of history, recovering from the the antinomy of the dynamic and the society. In this view, Marx was not workers’ movement and its Marxist history of Marxism what might static in history. This is where the ignorant of Freudian insights, but political leadership that, in a appear to be an obscure point, recovery of the Hegelian dimension rather it was only as a function of the ‘dialectical’ (self-contradictory) way, but one addressed, for example, of Marxism was critical: Marxism later social-historical development participated in the history that brought by Plekhanov as history moving itself had become ‘vulgarised’ in its of capital that human ‘psychology’ these conditions into being - producing in a “knotted line,” and by Lenin self-understanding, and had failed in appeared as it did to Freud. the need for world revolution that is as history moving in “spirals” taking a dialectical approach to itself as A contemporary of Benjamin and Marxism’s legacy l of repetition and crisis.7 This a historical phenomenon, as a symptom Adorno, Wilhelm Reich, in his early Hegelian-Marxist approach to the of the history of capital. Marxism had work on ‘Ideology as a material Notes dialectics of history was digested succumbed to the ‘bourgeois’ (pre- force’, published later in his book 1. M Macnair, ‘No need for party?’ Weekly usefully by Lukács, as a discussion of Kantian) view of (linear) progress The mass psychology of fascism Worker May 12; and ‘Theoretical dead end’, May 19. historical “moment” and “process” in through trial and error, the asymptotic (1933), pointed to how Marxism had 2. C E Schorske German Social Democracy ‘Tailism and the dialectic’ (Lukács’s view of knowledge, in which, as failed to apprehend the ‘progressive’ 1905-17: the development of the great schism unpublished 1925 defence of History Benjamin put it, mordantly citing, in his character of fascism; in other words, Harvard 1955. and class consciousness). ‘Theses on the philosophy of history’, how fascism had expressed, however 3. J Joll The Second International 1889-1914 London 1974. Dietzgen as pathological example pathologically, the social-historical 4. Collected in P Rieff (ed) On intellectuals: Hegel and Kant of social democratic progressivism, transformation of capital in the early theoretical studies, case studies New York 1969. The Hegelian - and Kantian - point “Every day our cause becomes clearer 20th century better than ‘vulgar’, 5. Past and Present No30, April 1965. is that the relation between theory and people get smarter.” History has economic-determinist Marxism had 6. M Macnair, ‘The study of history and the left’s decline’, June 2. and practice is not one of empirical proved otherwise. been able to do. Hence, fascism’s 7. See Lenin’s 1915 Granat Encyclopaedia entry deduction from trial and error, in ideological and political victory over on Karl Marx. which an always imperfect theory is Marxism. For Reich, (the failure 8. P Nettl, ‘The German Social Democratic Party Paul Klee’s Angelus novus: corrected, but ‘inductive’, in that the Philosophy of) Marxism was responsible for 1890-1914 as political model’ Past and Present No30, April 1965. according to Benjamin, concrete ‘material’ object of practice is Benjamin’s and Adorno’s challenge to fascism. Fascism expressed the 9. T Adorno Can one live after Auschwitz? A looking upon the unfolding the concretisation of abstractions, and, such a ‘progressive’ view of history, workers’ ‘fear of freedom’, which philosophical reader Stanford 2003, pp93-95. catastrophe with horror furthermore, the object of practice is which they thought was ideologically Marxism, in its false rationalism of 10 F Hayek The road to serfdom Chicago 1944. Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

Platypus debate: a common n Ireland: ULA forum workern CPGB Arab theses language is needed for the left n Post-election Turkey to talk, writes Mike Macnair n IMT offspring rethinks

No 872 Thursday June 30 2011 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union www.cpgb.org.uk £1/€1.10 Assessing the Arab awakening 10 June 30 2011 872 debate Divided by a common language? The Frankfurt school methodology employed by Platypus is worse than useless, argues Mike Macnair

he US Platypus grouping is, in principle, a degree of common can have more than one meaning, aims, as its comrades have ground which could represent a and asked which comrade Cutrone Ttold us before, to “host the starting point for a conversation. was using. I pointed out that unless a conversation” about the past and For it to be a possible starting Bakuninist or libertarian/liberal sense future of the left (in the group’s own point does, however, require us to be is being used, the late 19th-early 20th terms, about the left’s non-existence speaking broadly the same language. century workers’ movement cannot be and necessity). And from comrade Cutrone’s June 9 described as ‘authoritarian’ without Conversation, however, requires article it seems that we are speaking violent distortion. mutual comprehension, or - to put it different theoretical languages. Comrade Cutrone responds that another way - some degree of common he is using Adorno’s co-authored The ground. If I address you in Latin and Imperialism authoritarian personality (1950) and you reply in Japanese, but neither of On imperialism, it is regrettably Wilhelm Reich’s The mass psychology us understands the other language, necessary to trace through the shifts of fascism (1933; translated 1946); in we are attempting to interact, but it in the arguments. In my May 19 article particular, he paraphrases Reich as would be bizarre to call this attempt I used ‘imperialism’ in the way it has arguing that “Fascism expressed the a “conversation”. been used conventionally on the left workers’ ‘fear of freedom’, which We may, for that matter, be since - at the latest - World War I: to Marxism, in its false rationalism of ‘divided by a common language’ (as mean the systematic subordination ‘economic interest’, had failed to is commonly said of Britain and the of some nations to others, connected overcome.” US). For a simple example, the ‘No with economic superexploitation. This response, however, does solicitors’ sign not uncommonly found I argued, first, that as a matter of not in the least answer my question on building entrances in the US bans politics the project of general human about what comrade Cutrone means door-to-door sellers, not lawyers. If emancipation required upfront by ‘authoritarianism’ as a political we use the same words for different public opposition to this systematic phenomenon: is ‘authoritarianism’ entities or processes, we will talk at subordination and not only to domestic to mean a politics which denies the cross-purposes. forms of subordination. legitimacy of political dissent and the I raise this issue because comrade Secondly, I made the point that possibility of the accountability of Cutrone’s response to my criticisms the Hegelian Marxist explanation of authorities to those below? Or a politics concludes by attempting to explain the ‘crisis of Marxism’ was opposed which admits any sort of authority or specialised senses in which he uses to the explanation of reformism in Let’s talk binding collective decisions at all? Or the terms ‘authoritarianism’ and terms of the effects of imperialism any politics in which decisions for the ‘imperialism’.1 In both cases the - in the sense of the ability of states I do not take him as conceding cotton mills - to a considerable extent common good are capable of binding senses he uses are, in my opinion, to redistribute economic gains from the third point, since, though he has worked by the forced ‘apprenticeship’ ‘free individuals’, meaning property unhelpful. the subordination of other countries not attempted to answer it, his new of unemployed youth under the old owners? The underlying problem is to - offered by an important part of the point attempts to reassert the idea Poor Law.4 In fact, it involves him in further find common ground from which ‘Second International lefts’: Lenin, of ‘imperialism’ as a response to the Equally, we would expect to see old difficulties. Following the Frankfurt conversation is possible. I have argued Zinoviev, Trotsky, Bukharin and rise of the workers’ movement in a labour-intensive technology exported school, he claims that “Fascism before that there is negligible chance of Gorter, among others. I suggested different way. to the periphery, where labour is prima expressed the workers’ ‘fear of the left finding such common ground that Bukharin’s version at least had Comrade Cutrone’s new point is facie cheaper; but in fact, though this freedom’”, and, quoted above, that on the basis of seeking philosophical more explanatory power in relation that: does happen, we also see new capital- “The humanity of not only those who agreement.2 This problem is more to the concrete history than Lukácsian “[T]he ‘mass’ proletarianisation of intensive technology exported to the were thus colonised, but also of the acute in relation to Platypus, precisely or other Hegelian Marxist accounts of the core capitalist countries was the periphery (for example, railways in metropolitan proletariat hence became because the Hegelian commitments the ‘crisis of Marxism’. result, as Marx discussed in Capital the 19th century). superfluous - not even a ‘reserve army make the philosophical argument more In his May 26 letter comrade Vol 1 on ‘the working day’, of Why? The answer has two aspects. of unemployed’, but a fascist rabble, ‘closed’ to ideas and information from Cutrone responded to this aspect of politically variable social conditions The first is that the working day is not subject to more or less desperate its outside than more conventional my argument (1) that “Luxemburg, of wage labour that, with increased only subject to social limits, but also authoritarian politics.” forms of Hegelian Marxism. Lenin and Trotsky found that the worker empowerment, cause a shift to a physical maximum; and the wage But these claims suppose that the For this reason, I am not going ‘imperialist’ phase of ‘monopoly from variable to constant capital, or is also subject to a physical minimum workers actually voted for the fascists to engage directly with comrade capital’ and the changing ‘organic from labour-time-intensive sweatshop of subsistence goods. Suppose capital - and that they did so because the Cutrone’s epistemological claims composition of capital’ (at a global to automated machine production, succeeds in driving wages down to Social Democratic Party of Germany about the so-called “Kantian revolution scale) by the turn of the 20th century requiring ever less labour input and this minimum and hours up to this (SPD) had already habituated them in philosophy” (which in my opinion had been the product of the successes resulting in ever greater value-crises. maximum, it will still be the case that to ‘authoritarianism’ (whatever is merely a part of the process of of the workers’ movement in the “This, in turn, affected the improving the productivity of labour that is to mean). The reality is very transition from enlightenment to core capitalist countries” and (2) conditions of colonialism. Whereas will lead to an increase in relative different. The Nazis did pick up counter-enlightenment thought), that “what the Second International colonies in the classical bourgeois era surplus value. working class voters and supporters except very briefly at the end of radicals meant by ‘imperialism’ was of the emergence of modern capital The second is that capitals are, in - from the countryside and the small this article. In addition, to elaborate inter-imperialism, not core-periphery were sites of market expansion, fact, in competition with one another, towns, among atomised workers who on the politics of epistemology and relations. The emphasis on the latter in the late era of ‘imperialism’ or and the first capital to introduce had previously voted for one of the theoretical method from Locke and was the hallmark of the post-World ‘monopoly capital’, colonies become technology which improves labour kaleidoscopic array of rightwing Spinoza to the present would take too War II new left and its derangement raw material resource-extraction productivity will therefore gain not parties in the Weimar Republic. long and too much space for now. on the problem of global capital in zones feeding metropolitan industry. only improved relative surplus value, However, the urban-industrial core of In my May 19 article, ‘Theoretical history.” The humanity of not only those who but also an improved share of total the support of the SPD and Communist dead end’, I attempted to find this My June 2 reply was largely were thus colonised, but also of the profits relative to other capitals. Party of Germany (KPD) was not common ground necessary to any addressed to issues of historical metropolitan proletariat hence became Hence each individual capital has an tempted, even in 1932, by Hitler’s conversation: in the project of general method, which engage the superfluous - not even a ‘reserve army interest in introducing labour-saving rightist demagogy.6 The Frankfurt human emancipation. This is a project epistemological question, and why of unemployed’, but a fascist rabble, technology even if absolute surplus school explanation of the victory of which - as an aim - we in CPGB, these should matter to the political subject to more or less desperate value is already maximised. Hitler is thus hollow at its core. and the whole global self-identified left.3 I responded to the specific points authoritarian politics.” Secondly, the early modern At root, explaining the failure of Marxist left, share with Platypus. on imperialism with the observations This side-step dodges both the ‘periphery’ was already “raw the SPD to defeat Hitler does not in Indeed, in a certain sense the as to point (2) that, though this is a political issue of the attitude of material resource-extraction zones the least require any such theoretical common ground goes further. The commonplace in the historiography, it Marxists to the subordination of feeding metropolitan industry” in fantasies. Quite simply, sometimes self-identified ‘anti-imperialist cannot survive confrontation with the some nations to others, and the issue the sugar-cane colonies feeding the civil war is unavoidable and necessary. left’ advocates de facto alliance of primary sources; and, as to point (1), of the relative explanatory power of late medieval Venetian sugar end- The SPD was unwilling to fight a civil the left with ‘resistance’ to the US that “I would be very interested to see Hegelian Marxist accounts and of the processing industry, and a fortiori war it could have won in 1918-21, even if it is clericalist (the Iranian real evidence for this proposition as a theory of imperialism in relation to in the eastern European ‘second and still unwilling even to attempt to regime) or Stalinoid shading into claim about what Lenin, Luxemburg the ‘crisis of Marxism’ around 1900. serfdom’, which fed raw materials to fight a civil war in 1933. The KPD’s hereditary monarchy (the Gaddafi and Trotsky wrote - as opposed to what It does so by shifting the issue into that the Dutch republic and England.5 fantasies of ‘social-fascism’ and family-led Jamahiriya in Libya, the they might have written.” I went on of ‘authoritarianism’ - to which it will Conversely, however, there is no ‘after Hitler, us’ rendered it equally Assad family-led form of Ba’athism further to argue that the symptoms of be necessary to return separately later. conflict at all between the colonies useless. The world, and in particular in Syria). The self-identified ‘anti- imperialism go back to the beginnings The argument is independently being “sites of market expansion” Europe’s Jews and the other targets fascist left’ (Eustonites, Alliance of capitalist class rule, and to ask the false, for two reasons. The first and “raw material resource-extraction of the holocaust, paid in 1939-45 for Workers’ Liberty and so on) question: (3) “So what is new after concerns the shift from variable zones”. Leave aside the market for the price of the SPD’s pacifism advocates de facto alliance with the the 1870s?” to constant capital. If this were capital goods in transportation and and constitutionalism in 1918-21 ‘western democracies’ against the Comrade Cutrone’s June 9 article primarily a response to the rise of first-stage processing: if a formerly and 1933. But to call pacifism and clericalist and Stalinoid-monarchist does not reply to any of these points. the workers’ movement, we would peasant and artisan population is constitutionalism ‘authoritarianism’ regimes and movements. Platypus Instead, he steps sideways to a different expect to see it first emerging as the forced into wage-labour (or even would be obvious nonsense. comrades say that both sides have argument. I will, therefore, take him as workers’ movement is strengthened merely into putting out production), abandoned the project of general conceding (1) that there is no evidence and begins to make an impact on domestic production of basic goods Evidence human emancipation (though their fire in the writings of Luxemburg, Lenin wages and the length of the working will be reduced and a secondary I say here and in relation to has, at least until recently, been most and Trotsky for his reading of their day. But in fact new, labour-saving market will be created for food, imperialism that comrade Cutrone’s heavily concentrated against the ‘anti- views on imperialism; and (2) technology involving a relative clothes, etc. arguments simply fail to explain imperialist left’). CPGB comrades, that I am correct that the ‘Second increase in constant capital already the historical evidence. In a sense I think, agree that both the ‘anti- International radicals’ were concerned began to develop under conditions of Authoritarianism he responds in advance to this by imperialist left’ and ‘anti-fascist left’ with core-periphery relations, not just wholly unfree labour in the sugar-cane This point can be briefer. I said in my denying the relevance of the evidence, represent political dead-ends. Here with ‘inter-imperialism’. industry, and of semi-free labour in June 2 article that ‘authoritarianism’ when he says that “history is not a 872 June 30 2011 11 11 summer offensive What we compendium of past facts” and that “the bald and unconvincing narrative”, more Notes fight for 1. ‘The philosophy of history’ Weekly Worker June 9. concrete ‘material’ object of practice is the or less arbitrarily selected corroborating n concretisation of abstractions”. This latter material is added. In comrade Cutrone’s 2. ‘Against philosopher kings’ Weekly Worker December Our central aim is the organisation of communists, 11 2008. revolutionary socialists and all politically ad- is a confused version of Marx’s argument account of the SPD this corroborating role 3. For this reason I respond only in this footnote to com- vanced workers into a Communist Party. Without in Grundrisse, chapters 1, section 3, on the is played by Nettl, James Joll’s The Second rade Cutrone’s objections to my comments on Peter Net- organisation the working class is nothing; with the method of political economy. International (1955) and Carl Schorske’s tl, and to Ian Birchall’s points (Letters, June 9) that Nettl highest form of organisation it is everything. To quote just a little of this argument: German Social Democracy (1954) - all was a Labour supporter in 1959 (at the height of the ‘Butskellite’ Labour-Tory consensus) and contributed a n The Provisional Central Committee organises mem- “The concrete is concrete because it is the cold war products, not confronted with the review of Luxemburg’s The accumulation of capital to bers of the Communist Party, but there exists no real concentration of many determinations, post-cold war historiography. This follows International Socialism in 1964. On comrade Birchall’s 8 Communist Party today. There are many so-called ‘par- hence unity of the diverse. It appears in Hegel’s method in the Philosophy of right. points I would refer him to Jim Higgins’ 1966 review of ties’ on the left. In reality they are confessional sects. the process of thinking, therefore, as a The method is, in fact, Hegelian at precisely Nettl’s biography of Luxemburg (www.marxists.org/ar- chive/higgins/1966/xx/luxlen.htm): evidently Higgins did Members who disagree with the prescribed ‘line’ are process of concentration, as a result, not the point at which Marx broke with Hegel. not regard Nettl as in any sense a comrade, though he expected to gag themselves in public. Either that or as a point of departure, even though it is Platypus on June 4 held a discussion thought he had “carried out a useful and long overdue face expulsion. the point of departure in reality and hence of my critique. The blurb for the meeting service”. Nettl’s 1964 review, in spite of where it ap- n Communists operate according to the principles of also the point of departure for observation contains the comments that “Marxism could peared, placed particular stress on Joan Robinson’s left- Keynesian critique of Marxist political economy. Com- democratic centralism. Through ongoing debate we and conception.” (emphasis added); and be considered (today, and perhaps also in rade Cutrone objects to my consideration of the politics seek to achieve unity in action and a common world “Hegel fell into the illusion of the past) as either: (1) a guide to action; of Nettl’s writing apart from the biography as partially outlook. As long as they support agreed actions, conceiving the real as the product of or (2) a guide to history. We would pose explanatory of Nettl’s interpretive choices in relation to members have the right to speak openly and form thought concentrating itself, probing its the latter, Marxism as a guide to history, the SPD. I am not persuaded by this objection. I see no temporary or permanent factions. reason to suppose that the biography of Luxemburg was n own depths, and unfolding itself out of against the typical sectarian ‘left’ rationale Nettl’s “life-work” (Cutrone), as opposed to the product Communists oppose all imperialist wars and occu- itself, by itself, whereas the method of for (or, eg, anarchist or liberal, rejection of) of three years’ intensive full-time research by a man who pations but constantly strive to bring to the fore the rising from the abstract to the concrete is Marxism as a guide to action”; and “We was characterised in Hanson’s memoir of him as both fundamental question - ending war is bound up with only the way in which thought appropriates would, indeed, maintain (controversially) polylingual and a speed-reader, who was otherwise occu- ending capitalism. pied before 1960, and who produced three more books at n the concrete, reproduces it as the concrete that Marxism has always been primarily great speed between 1966 and 1968. I note, moreover, Communists are internationalists. Everywhere we in the mind. But this is by no means the a ‘guide to history’ rather than a ‘guide to that comrade Cutrone responds to this point about Nettl, strive for the closest unity and agreement of working process by which the concrete itself comes action’, or, more precisely, that it has only but offers no response at all to my citation of Breitman’s class and progressive parties of all countries. We op- into being.”7 been a guide to action through being a guide review of more recent literature on the SPD, which offers pose every manifestation of national sectionalism. It 9 other interpretations. is an internationalist duty to uphold the principle, ‘One The problem is that comrade Cutrone’s to history.” 4. Sugar-cane industry: JH Galloway The sugar cane in- “history is not a compendium of past The boot is in my opinion on exactly state, one party’. To the extent that the European dustry: an historical geography from its origins to 1914 Union becomes a state then that necessitates EU- facts” amounts, in substance, to the denial the other foot. It is possible that Platypus Cambridge 2009. Cotton mills: K Honeyman, ‘The Lon- don parish apprentice and the early industrial labour mar- wide trade unions and a Communist Party of the EU. of Marx’s point that the concrete “is the might, by “hosting the conversation”, n point of departure in reality and hence serve a useful anti-sectarian purpose in ket’, www.ehs.org.uk/ehs/conference2007/Assets/Honey- The working class must be organised globally. With- manIIB.doc, which refers to a good deal of earlier litera- out a global Communist Party, a Communist Interna- the point of departure for observation near-future politics. It is also possible ture. tional, the struggle against capital is weakened and conception”. This denial leads to that it serves a useful political purpose by 5. Sugar-cane: JH Galloway op cit. ‘Second serfdom’: B Kagarlitsky Empire of the periphery London 2008, chap- and lacks coordination. starting from the abstractions of Hegel’s hammering home the bankruptcy of both n Phenomenology of spirit. Instead of the ‘anti-imperialist’ and ‘anti-fascist’ left ters 4-9 is a convenient discussion of one example. Communists have no interest apart from the working 6. D Geary, ‘Nazis and workers before 1933’ (2002) 48 class as a whole. They differ only in recognising working up the perceptible concrete “as a (though it needs to step up on its critique Australian Journal of Politics and History pp40-51. the importance of Marxism as a guide to practice. concentration of many determinations”, this of the latter). But as a “guide to history” 7. www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1857/grun- drisse/ch01.htm#3. That theory is no dogma, but must be constantly method works up a fantasy of the concrete its Frankfurt school methodology is worse added to and enriched. l 8. M Macnair, ‘Law and state as holes in Marxist theory’ which is inconsistent with the perceptible than useless (2006) 34 Critique pp211-36. n Capitalism in its ceaseless search for profit puts the and recalcitrant concrete. 9. www.archive.org/details/Platypus future of humanity at risk. Capitalism is synonymous “To add verisimilitude to an otherwise [email protected] DiscussionOfMikeMacnairsCritique6411. with war, pollution, exploitation and crisis. As a global system capitalism can only be superseded globally. All forms of nationalist socialism are reactionary and anti-working class. n The capitalist class will never willingly allow their Summer Offensive wealth and power to be taken away by a parliamen- tary vote. They will resist using every means at their disposal. Communists favour using parliament and winning the biggest possible working class rep- resentation. But workers must be readied to make revolution - peacefully if we can, forcibly if we must. Hitting the big numbers n Communists fight for extreme democracy in all spheres of society. Democracy must be given a social hy hasn’t anyone chased variety of fields - amongst students, this written material is that is talks down content. me for a regular financial in the anti-war and Iranian solidarity what we should be able to achieve. n We will use the most militant methods objective contribution?” PS movements, left cultural initiatives like Perhaps we have unconsciously bought circumstances allow to achieve a federal republic of “W England, Scotland and Wales, a united, federal Ireland wonders in a message to me this week. the new Red Mist website (see last week’s into a culture of low expectations when Despite being “not so despicably rich, paper). We don’t take a narrow approach. it comes to comrades’ commitment, their and a United States of Europe. as my bank balance would prove”, You can help with this work. We appreciation of the role of the Weekly n Communists favour industrial unions. Bureaucracy the comrade - an ex-member of the need comrades to pitch in to build Worker, their partisan identification with and class compromise must be fought and the trade CPGB - is keen to contribute to the this year’s cricket match between the the project of re-establishing genuine unions transformed into schools for communism. paper, which she reads online (along Labour Representation Committee and Marxism as the hegemonic politics of n Communists are champions of the op- with 12,568 others last week, by the Hands Off the People of Iran. (This the entire workers’ movement - and this pressed. Women’s oppression, combating racism and way). Notwithstanding her criticisms has been an annual humiliation for our is even before they start haggling about chauvinism, and the struggle for peace and ecological of the details of the party’s current Labour comrades so far - Hopi activists how much pain their standing order is sustainability are just as much working class questions strategic orientation, PS feels the need confidently predict another long day at going to entail. as pay, trade union rights and demands for high- to show her appreciation for the Weekly the office for the LRC in 2011. Here’s So instead let’s talk some big numbers quality health, housing and education. Worker, the tangible manifestation of hoping …). There are CPGB stalls to be this week, comrades. We are delighted n Socialism represents victory in the battle for the political work of that organisation staffed at some music festivals, pints of with any commitment you can make to democracy. It is the rule of the working class. Socialism and the way the party ‘comes alive’ for beer to be pulled for the Workers Beer regularly donate to the Weekly Worker is either democratic or, as with Stalin’s Soviet Union, the vast majority of the comrades in our Company at others; film screenings - that’s a given. The fact that the vast it turns into its opposite. quite substantial periphery, of course. to be organised in support of Iranian majority of comrades who read us are n Socialism is the first stage of the worldwide transi- LC, another ex-member, wrote in director Jafar Panahi; solidarity music hard-pressed working class people - tion to communism - a system which knows neither response to a mailing of our occasional gigs for Workers Fund Iran to build and again, a given. However, in this week’s wars, exploitation, money, classes, states nor e-bulletin, Notes for action. He admits nations. Communism is general freedom and the real an international contingent of comrades column, I want to emphasise that neither beginning of human history. that he has “been meaning to subscribe running the recent Berlin marathon for are we embarrassed by large - nay, huge n to the paper for ages. It’s just getting the same cause. - regular donations. There are no lower All who accept these principles are urged to join round to it. I will do it immediately and How could you help? Quite apart limits, comrades; and trust me when I the Communist Party. post today.” That’s the sort of response from any direct physical support you write, there are no upper limits either. we want to our comradely cajoling! An could offer, you could advertise these The new standing orders we have instant ‘yes’ and a promise of a standing events on your blog/website if you have received this week, however, all fall in the order in the next day’s post! (So, LC. one - and/or nag friends/comrades to do former category - three £5 commitments Become a You’ve now been ‘name’-checked in the same (we can supply banners and from comrades JC, TP and DL. In the case this column. As you well know, this technical support). You could contact of DL it was a £5 increase - he modestly Communist Party amounts to a solemn pact in our culture. local trade union branches or progressive raised his existing monthly donation from Renege and the CPGB’s ‘Taffia’ - fellow organisations and campaigns for support £15 to £20 without even telling us! The member Welshman Ben Lewis and myself - will and direct affiliation in the case of Hopi, extra regular income that has come in for Name come round and make you an offer you for example. (Or organise a front-room the Weekly Worker since the start of the can’t understand, in the immortal words solidarity screening of a Panahi film, as SO already stands at £74 a month. Address of John Cooper Clarke). groups of Hopi supporters have - a guide In terms of hard cash this week has The drive for an expanded base of will be available on Hopi’s website soon seen £734 come in towards our target regular financial donations to this paper is for ideas on this sort of ‘cottage industry’ of £25,000. We’re over £5k, comrades, the core component of this year’s Summer solidarity work). after just two weeks - outstanding work. Offensive, our annual fundraising drive. CPGB comrades have been getting on Mark Fischer In addition, comrades are planning other the phone for personal follow-ups to the Town/city initiatives to raise cash either directly for blunderbuss SO mailings that have been the CPGB or for political organisations coming from the party office over the Fill in a standing order form Postcode (back page), donate via our and campaigns we are centrally involved past week or so. One initial criticism that Telephone Age in. The SO is a gauge of the intensity has been made about both our comrades’ website, or send cheques, of the work of party members in a wide individual approach as well as some of payable to Weekly Worker Email Date Return to: Membership, CPGB, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX Printed and published by: November Publications Ltd (07950 416922). Registered as a newspaper by Royal Mail. ISSN 1351-0150. © June 2011 2 July 7 2011 873 letters

Letters may have been Theoretical reflection on the subjective national culture. the root of the problem - Zionism. It’s Dave also risks believing class shortened because of must use metaphysical categories that It is no more reactionary to deny the like a solution in Ireland that ignores struggle militancy can be used as a lever space. Some names are not merely handy, but actually existence of an Israel Jewish nation than partition. In fact, British socialists to push the workers along a political  may have been changed constitutive of social practices in which to deny similar colonial phenomena. have long since done just this - eg, the road, towards their emancipation. But one is a subject. The commodity form But, whereas in the United States and Socialist Party. And, in any event, apart how is this possible if the workers do Useful Platypus is not a generalisation from experience. Australia the indigenous people were from political objections, the settlers not understand the political road and I am writing to respond to Mike All of this, however, is largely defeated, if not wiped out, in Israel have long since ensured that there can are only engaging in the economic Macnair’s critique (‘Divided by a beside the point regarding Platypus. the colonists have only been partially be no Palestinian state worthy of the immediate struggles? It can only common language’, June 30) of my For the conversation we seek to host successful. Israel lives in permanent name. be concluded that the answer lies in article on ‘The philosophy of history’ is not between ourselves and others, tension with the Arabs, including its But socialists cannot just ‘leaders in the know’ who will direct (June 9). but much more widely on the avowed own Arab citizens. That this is precisely counterpose an abstract socialist the workers. For revolutionaries to JP Nettl’s biography of Rosa left, and among those with far greater the role that imperialism intended federation of Arab states to the attract support on the basis of reformist Luxemburg can be plausibly considered experience than what is available for this Jewish Sparta seems to have conflict in the here and now. We have policies - on the basis of saying one his life work and not ancillary to his among our own members. We serve escaped the attention of some of the to pose national solutions that are in thing, while really wanting something primary intellectual concerns because only to facilitate, even if we have to most astute Marxist observers and fact only attainable as a consequence quite different - would be quite it was the product of almost 20 years elbow our way in, provocatively, to also those who seek explanations in of the overthrow of the Arab order. dishonest. And then to maintain non- of thinking, not the three years of make the space for such conversation, the ‘Jewish’ or Zionist lobby. This means that the solution of a socialist support, revolutionaries will be intensive writing that produced his otherwise foreclosed. We consider the Nor is it “half-baked or perverted” democratic, secular state in Palestine forced to drop all talk of socialism and book. Nettl’s preface clearly indicates need for such conversation to be more to suggest that self-determination, is the only solution in the socialist become even more openly reformist. this. Immediately after World War II, ideological than practical at present. which you accept as being a question book. Two democratic, secular states Dave’s argument (I stand to be his imagination was captured by the I am glad that comrade Macnair of national equality, does not apply is a nonsense. If they are secular, why corrected) is that the working class is history of pre-World War I Marxism recognises that Platypus may “serve a to a settler nation. Self-determination have two states? only reformist-minded and winning in the German Social Democratic Party useful anti-sectarian purpose in near- simply means the right to be free from Moshé Machover asks reformist battles will give the working and Luxemburg in particular, but the future politics. It is also possible that national oppression, not that nations mischievously, why ‘secular’ and class confidence. Thus the working controversial nature of the subject it serves a useful political purpose have the “right to determine their ‘democratic’? I would have thought the class will learn from its struggles and made him ruminate long on it and by hammering home the bankruptcy own fate”, which is a blank cheque answer was obvious: a democratic state will eventually come to realise that forego available sources of support of both the ‘anti-imperialist’ and for Zionist expansion (as if under can also become a religious tyranny. assuming power is the only way to for his study of it, before publishing ‘anti-fascist’ left.” This is precisely capitalism anyone has such a choice). It is a fundamental precondition that meet its ends, that the working class his 1,000-page book in 1966. Let’s be what we intend, though I think it is It is therefore meaningless to talk of the a democratic state should also be a will realise, through the failure of clear: Nettl was not a Marxist. But that potentially much more. If Platypus right of self-determination of a warrior secular state, precisely in order that reforms to meet its needs, the futility should not anathematise any insights he does successfully what Macnair thinks state, an armed satrap of the west, in there is no subjugation of religious of reformism and will overthrow may have had. it might, I for one will be happy to such terms. It is a capitulation to social minorities. capitalism. Yet, regardless of why or On ‘imperialism’ and ‘authori- allow the “guide to history” through and national chauvinism. Tony Greenstein how the reforms are advocated, the tarianism’, I was concerned to show which we understand our own efforts Israel is an artificial entity. It was email result is the same: confusion in the their interrelated character, which I to be considered a ‘useful myth’. always intended thus. The fact that it minds of the working class instead sketched only in very broad outline: Chris Cutrone has created a civil society should not Here and now of growth of socialist consciousness. the general historical trend of post- email blind us to this. The inability of its We can all sympathise with David Dave desires that revolutionaries 1848 Bonapartism, all the way up to working class to create its own labour Douglass in his plea for action now should change their ideas to be with the the present. As Marx and Engels put Abstract slogan party or even a genuine trade union (Letters, June 30). But is it logical to masses rather than trying to convince it, Bonapartism expressed a situation One has to wonder what the point is of - and the statist Israeli Labour Party argue that world socialism may be the the masses to change their minds and in which the capitalists could no longer theses such as ‘The Arab awakening has all but collapsed - is a symptom of answer, but we’ll have to wait a long be with them. and the workers could not yet rule so- and Israel-Palestine’ (June 30). On this. It is the most rightwing ‘nation’ time for it? It is just that attitude that There is little wrong with people ciety (see Engels’ 1891 introduction even the most basic level, it asserts that in the west and also the most racist. delays socialism and the chance to campaigning to bring improvements to Marx’s The civil war in France). I which it attempts to prove, underlying Its most atavistic religious elements make a real change. There is nothing to enhance the quality of their lives agree with Mike Macnair that, for ex- which is a paucity of analysis, made up are increasingly to the fore in national “now” to be done that will solve the and some reforms can indeed make a ample, Bukharin’s explanation of impe- only by half-digested generalisations. politics and openly argue for the problem. (He is also overlooking that difference. Our objections to reformism rialism’s effect on the socialist workers’ The whole question of an Arab removal and murder, on religious there is an endless stream of issues is that our continued existence as movement, the political compromise of nation is problematic. Arab unity died grounds, of the Palestinians. This is the under capitalism and a myriad of propertyless wage-slaves undermines the metropolitan workers with respect with the Abassid caliphate nearly 800 real Zionist national identity coming to organisations involved in them all.) whatever attempts we make to control to their national states, is better than years ago and arguably long before. So the fore. And it finds its expression in Socialists are not immune to the and better our lives through reforms, the idea that they were economically there is very little tradition of political the Zionist belief, which is part of Israel human tragedies which occur daily. that it throws blood, sweat and tears ‘bought off’ (I disagree, however, that unity. There is a common language, of law, that there is no Israeli nation - only Socialists suffer those tragedies as into battles that will be inevitably the latter was Lenin’s and Trotsky’s es- sorts, but there is no common economy. a Jewish nation. In other words, Israel severely as anyone else. If social undermined by the workings of the sential perspective). I agree as well that What there is, of course, is a feeling is not even a state of its own citizens, activism had solved all the workers’ wages system. All that effort, skill and the virtue of such an emphatically po- that the region as a whole has been but a state of Jewish people worldwide. problems, or were even to be able to say energy could be better turned against litical explanation is that it can account subject to the depredations of western Yes, the French state is entitled that things were steadily improving, that class society. for similar phenomena in the periphery. imperialism, albeit in different ways. to self-determination, should it would argue in favour of the approach It is only when people leave But this raises the issue of what I Although the recent uprisings were be attacked, as in 1940, and its that Dave advances. But that is not the reformism behind altogether that have called ‘authoritarianism’ or willing sparked off in Tunisia, they spread independence threatened. But this is a case. The reality is that the reforms socialism will begin to appear to them support for the status quo and hostility almost entirely to the Arab east. state that was historically constituted, which the social activists promote do not as a vague, distant prospect, but as to alternatives, and the subjectivity Although the people of the region, which underwent a bourgeois not work. The social activists are not a clear, immediate alternative which for doing so, again. Why are the including non-Arab minorities, felt revolution and the battle of the gaining much and the same problems they themselves can achieve. workers more often conservative, a common desire for freedom from Third Republic between democratic continue to appear. It is so often one Alan Johnstone even virulently and self-destructively their US-imposed dictators, these republicanism and the clerical- step forward, several steps back. One SPGB so, than not? The explanation of demands were unsurprisingly focused military-royalist castes, imbued with can pick any problem and sometimes (some) workers’ support for fascism by on the local rulers. Although there is anti-Semitism. It was a fight that was find an improvement has taken place Straight talking reference to their peripheral character a consciousness of being part of an symbolised above all by the trials and but most likely only after a very long Wow! Four great letters in the Weekly (ie, the unemployed or ‘lumpenised’) is overall Arab people, the immediate tribulations of the Dreyfusards. Pray period of agitation. Rarely, if ever, has Worker (June 30). what indeed ‘dodges the issue’. While struggles were of necessity local. To tell me the name of Israel’s Dreyfus? the problem disappeared, and usually David Douglass is pretty much the SPD and KPD’s refusals to fight a raise the demand of Arab unity is to There is no democratic or republican other related problems have cropped as right as someone can be. The left civil war against fascism in Germany in raise an abstract slogan that has no conflict within the Israeli Jewish up to fill the vacuum of suffering left has become all about the fetishes 1918-21 and circa 1933 may have been immediate relevance to the most people. Alone in the world, there are no by the ‘solution’. of metropolitan talking heads and of decisive, conjunctural importance, pressing needs of the Arab peoples at anti-imperialist currents. The majority Socialist activists have claimed chattering professionals. Dave thinks this itself is what requires explanation this particular juncture. That is not to support ‘transfer’ even of Israeli Arab impressive ‘successes’ and ‘victories’ socialists should be talking to and (it also leaves aside the Italian case). It say that the removal of imperialism citizens. By a large majority, Jews in every field except one. History has responding truthfully to the working cannot be laid simply on bad leadership from the region as a whole is not an don’t wish to be neighbours or friends proven beyond any shadow of doubt class concerns. What a revolutionary - on the parties’ bad decisions - without important demand in the future. of Arabs. This is the ‘culture’ of a that they have not remotely convinced practice that would be. reference to the workers’ fear, or lack However, the failure of the United settler people or nation, if you will. the workers of the need for socialism. Pat Corcoran is dead on the of support for better action, which was Arab Republic tells us little. It was a But self-determination? The efforts of social activists have target as well. It’s a shame that the broken, however briefly, in Germany consequence of its own irrelevance How are Israeli Jews oppressed been geared to an attempt to reconcile lumpenproletariat hasn’t gone away - in 1918-19, but precisely as a civil to the pressing needs of the day. other than in their dreams? When you the irreconcilable contradictions of but most Marxist thought about seeing war among the workers. The contrast The theses say: “Evidently, Arab use the term ‘genocide’, it is noticeable capitalism. the real world as it is, rather than how of 1918-19 with 1933 could not be reunification remains a burning but that it is not applied to those who have There are two kinds of reformism. we would wish it to be, has. I’ve always clearer: as Adorno put it, 1919 already unfulfilled task.” Would that it were so. suffered from it, the Arab peoples, but One has no intention of bringing about thought the best way to deal with scum decided what came later (see Those Yes, the Israeli Jewish ‘nation’ instead Jewish Israel. The holocaust revolutionary change; the other being is have the threat of a jolly good kick twenties Columbia 1998). is historically constituted, but so was in Europe, not Palestine! It is not the one Dave appears to favour that in the knackers, not a promise of a hug The issue of Hegelianism is a what? Wasn’t the tiniest principality the hard-nosed Israeli generals and cherishes the belief that successful from a social worker. difficult one: how to include the historically constituted? You can tick all the rabbi Dov Liors, for whom Jewish reforms will somehow prepare the Heather Downs is also right. You ‘subjective factor in history’. I think Stalin’s boxes on territorial contiguity blood is superior to that of Arabs, who ground for revolution. He is seeking the lot (the Weekly Worker/CPGB) remind this turns on how one understands and language, but this does not a nation are in any danger of genocide, but their best of both worlds by both supporting me of the character, Jack, in Fight club. Marx’s critique of Hegel. I don’t think make. Israeli Jewish identity is versus victims. Even the most common and reforms and advocating revolution. He takes solace from those in pain and that Marx’s reference to the ‘real’ is the other, the Palestinians and Arabs. garden settler racist in Israel has a better Reformists always claim how much gives solace by saying he understands in an empiricist sense, but rather in Even within the Israeli Jewish ‘nation’, understanding of these things than the better everything would be if only and feels their pain. In the meantime, Hegel’s sense of the actuality of the there are deep ethnic divisions, over CPGB aggregate. ‘Gas the Arabs’ is they were in power: the NHS, the he does nothing to stop more such rational in the real. The issue turns on such fundamental issues as ‘who is a popular form of settler graffiti. It is environment, the economy, education. desperate cases coming along the the relation of essence and appearance, a Jew’. As to their common culture, no coincidence that a section of the And how is all this to be achieved? production line of society. Now I know or, with what necessity things appear thousands of nationalist Israeli Jews settlers identify their own role with Dave prudently exercises silence, but that you claim to believe in a socialist- as they do. What is essential is what marching through Arab Jerusalem on that of Hitler. we do know the typical left solution: communist society, but, as Dave said, is practical, and what is practical Jerusalem day chanting ‘Death to the The idea of two states is simply not taxing the rich and nationalisation - ie, it’s about the here and now. is subjective as well as objective. Arabs’ is one manifestation of this credible because it does not deal with state capitalism. What a compliment it is for a Letters, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 020 8533 6360 l [email protected] l wwwcpgb.org.uk Paper of the Communist Party of Great Britain weekly

Washington paralysis: n Stock market panics workern Debating Labour Jim Creegan looks at n Israeli demonstrations the politics of division n Chris Cutrone

No 878 Thursday August 11 2011 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union www.cpgb.org.uk £1/€1.10

A fleeting moment of power, a fleeting moment of pure joy, a fleeting moment of fulfilment 14 August 11 2011 878 Debate Defending Marxist Hegelianism against a Marxist critique Chris Cutrone of the US Platypus group takes issue with Mike Macnair

am writing in response to Mike concrete mediations of the historically Macnair’s 2003 critical review of constituted workers’ movement. books by John Rees and David Kautsky failed in this. Lenin agreed I 1 Renton, cited in Macnair’s critique with Luxemburg in her Junius pamphlet of Platypus (‘No need for party?’ (1915) that the problem was Kautsky Weekly Worker May 12 2011).2 I wish thinking that the SPD’s Marxism (that to refer also to my three letters and is, what became Kautsky’s USPD) article in response.3 could “hide like a rabbit” during World I find Macnair’s analysis and War I and resume the struggle for critique of the political motivations socialism afterward. Or, as Lenin put and potential consequences of Rees’s it in his Imperialism: the highest stage affirmative account of Marxist of capitalism (1916) and Socialism and Hegelianism compelling and good. war (1915), contra Kautsky’s theory I agree with Macnair’s conclusion of ‘ultra-imperialism’, the world war that, despite Rees’s former SWP/UK must be seen as a necessary and not leader Alex Callinicos’s anti-Hegelian accidental outcome of the historical Althusserianism, Rees considering development of capitalism, and so “historical experience summed up in a crisis that was an opportunity for theory” was intrinsically connected to revolutionary transformation, and the SWP’s concept of the party as one not merely, as Kautsky thought, which “centralises experience”, with all a derailment into barbarism to be the problems such a conception entails. resisted. This was the essential basis I wish to offer a rejoinder to for agreement between Luxemburg and Macnair’s idea that such problematic Lenin 1914-19. conceptions of theory and political I do not think the separation of the practice have roots in Lenin, pre-World War I Lenin from Luxemburg Luxemburg and Lukács, Macnair’s is warranted, especially considering analysis of whom I find to be false. their close collaboration, both in the Also, I do not think that Macnair quite politics of the Russian movement gets Hegel, although I agree with his and in the Second International more characterisation that “philosophy - generally, throughout the period 1905- as such - is inherently only a way 12 and again 1914-19. Throughout of interpreting the world”, and so their careers, Lenin and Luxemburg limits Hegel’s work for the political (and Trotsky) were exemplars of the purposes under consideration.4 Second International left, or ‘radicals’ Furthermore, I agree with Macnair’s in the movement. They all more or interpretation of Lenin with respect to less mistook Kautsky to be one of the purposes of his polemical defence their own before August 1914. Also, of Marxist approaches to philosophy Kautsky himself changed, at various in Materialism and empirio-criticism points and times - which is not to say (1908). Moreover, I agree with his that Lenin, Luxemburg and Trotsky central point that philosophical never changed. agreement cannot be the basis of But the question is the nature and agreement on political action. character of such change, and how However, as Nicholas Brown these figures allow us to grasp the responded to comrade Macnair’s history of Marxism. It is not about question at the opening plenary on learning from their trials and errors, ‘The politics of critical theory’ of I think, but rather from the example the Platypus convention in Chicago of their ‘consciousness’, not merely on April 29, it is not possible to theoretically, but practically. Moreover, ‘Hegelianise’ Marx, because Marx the history of Marxism must be was more Hegelian than Hegel approached as part and parcel, and the himself.5 That is, Marx tried to achieve highest expression, of the history of the ‘Hegelian’ self-consciousness post-1848 capital. of his own historical moment. The question is, what relevance has Marx’s Hegelianism Hegelianism today, and what is the Lukács’s ‘Hegelian’ point was relevance of taking such a Hegelian that “subjective” struggles for approach to the history of Marxism transformation take place in and subsequent to Marx? through “necessary forms of appearance” that misrecognise their Lukács, Lenin, “objective” social realities, not in terms Luxemburg of imperfect approximations or more I disagree that Lukács’s “subject” of or less true generalised abstractions, history is the point of view or relative but specifically as a function of the perspective of the proletariat as the “alienated” and “reified” social and revolutionary agent that must assert Dialectical spiral political dynamics of capital. Capital its “will”. Rather, I take Lukács to is “objective” in a specific way, and so be following Lenin and Luxemburg voluntarist (and substitutionalist) favour of the mass strike as a tactic, let showed that the world had moved poses historically specific problems for (and Marx) quite differently than conception of the working class and alone strategy, but rather an analysis into an era of revolutionary struggle subjectivity. Macnair seems to think, in that the the political party of communism. of the significance of the mass strike that demanded changes in the The reason for Marxists workers’ movement for socialism is Rather, Lenin consistently criticised in the 1905 Russian Revolution as a workers’ movement for socialism. A distinguishing their approach from the necessary mediation for grasping and politically fought against those historical phenomenon, inextricably contradiction had developed between Hegel is precisely historical: that a the problem of capital in its “totality”, tendencies of Bolshevism and in the bound up in the development of the social democratic party and (its change in society took place between that the workers must not remake the early Third International. I do not think capital at a global scale, and how own associated) labour unions, or Hegel’s and Marx’s time that causes world in their image, but rather lead that Lenin’s newly found ‘Hegelianism’ this tasked and challenged the social ‘social democracy’ had become a self- Hegelian categories, as those of an society more generally beyond capital. after 1914 was the means by which he democratic workers’ movement (the contradictory phenomenon in need of earlier, pre-Industrial Revolution era of Hence, as Macnair characterises the achieved (mistaken) rapprochement Second International and the SPD in transformation. bourgeois society, to become inverted approach of the Kautskyan “centre” of with the ‘left’. particular) to reformulate its approach Furthermore, I take Lenin’s critiques in truth, or reversed in intention. Marx’s the Second International, the socialist The key is Luxemburg. I do not think and transform itself under such changed of Kautsky for being “non-dialectical” idea was that the “contradiction” of workers’ movement must be a leading, she was a semi-syndicalist spontaneist/ historical conditions, specifically with to be very specific. This is not a critique bourgeois society had changed. Thus practical force in democratic struggles voluntarist, or that she neglected issues regard to the relation of the party to of Kautsky ‘philosophically’ (although the dialectical “law of motion” was beyond the workers’ own (sectional) of political mediation: she was not an the unions. it does speak to his bad practices as specific to the problem of capital and interests in the transformation of ‘ultra-left’. I take her pamphlet, The Luxemburg’s perspective was a theorist), but politically. It is about not a transhistorical principle of (social) society as a whole. mass strike, the political party, and neither anarcho-syndicalist/spontaneist Kautsky’s non-dialectical approach to action and thought. Marx’s society was I disagree that Lenin made a virtue the trade unions (1906), to have an nor vanguardist, but rather dialectical. politics: that is, the relation of theory not Hegel’s. The meaning of Hegel of necessity in the Russian Revolution entirely different political purpose and The mass strike was not a timeless and practice, or of social being and had changed, just as the meaning of after October 1917 and adopted a conclusion. It was not an argument in principle. For Luxemburg, 1905 consciousness, in and through the the categories of bourgeois society had 878 August 11 2011 15 15 summer offensive What we changed. Labour-time as value had become socialist revolution was supposed to open The problem we have faced since then fight for not productive (if not unproblematically) - as the door to this transformation. The potential is that the defeat of the workers’ movement n in Hegel’s and Adam Smith’s time, the era for emancipated humanity expressed in for socialism has not meant the stabilisation, Our central aim is the organisation of communists, revolutionary socialists and all politically ad- of ‘manufacture’ - but destructive of society; communism that Marx recognised in the but rather the degeneration, disintegration vanced workers into a Communist Party. Without as a form of social mediation, wage-labour modern history of capital is not assimilable and decomposition, of bourgeois society - organisation the working class is nothing; with the had become self-contradictory and self- without remainder to pre- or non-Marxian without the concomitant increase, but rather highest form of organisation it is everything. undermining in the Industrial Revolution, socialism. the regression, of possibilities for moving n The Provisional Central Committee organises mem- hence the ‘crisis of capital’. As Marx put it, “Communism is the beyond it. This shows that the crisis of bers of the Communist Party, but there exists no real One fundamental disagreement I have necessary form and the dynamic principle Marxism was a crisis of bourgeois society, or Communist Party today. There are many so-called ‘par- with Macnair’s approach, in which I think of the immediate future, but communism as the highest and most acute aspect of the crisis ties’ on the left. In reality they are confessional sects. I follow Lenin, Luxemburg, Lukács and such is not the goal of human development, of capital: bourgeois society has suffered Members who disagree with the prescribed ‘line’ are Marx, is with the idea that the potential the form of human society.”8 This was since then from the failure of Marxism. expected to gag themselves in public. Either that or transformation of capitalist society involves because, according to Marx, “Communism face expulsion. the confrontation of two antithetical social is a dogmatic abstraction and ... only a Crisis of Marxism n Communists operate according to the principles of principles, of the workers (collectivism) vs particular manifestation of the humanistic The ‘crisis of Marxism’, in which Lenin, democratic centralism. Through ongoing debate we the capitalists (individual private property). principle and is infected by its opposite, Luxemburg and Trotsky took part (especially seek to achieve unity in action and a common world Capital, as Marx understood it, is not based private property.”9 Marx was not the in 1914-19, but also in the period leading up outlook. As long as they support agreed actions, on the mode of existence of the capitalists, pre-eminent communist of his time, but to this, most significantly from 1905 on), members have the right to speak openly and form falsely generalised to society as a whole, rather its critic, seeking to push it further. and Lukács tried to address ‘theoretically’ temporary or permanent factions. but rather that of the workers. This is not a Marxism was the attempted Hegelian self- in History and class consciousness and n Communists oppose all imperialist wars and occu- top-down, but a bottom-up, view - shared consciousness of proletarian socialism as the related writings of the early 1920s, was (the pations but constantly strive to bring to the fore the by Smith, for example. As Lukács put it, the subject-object of capital. highest practical expression of) the crisis of fundamental question - ending war is bound up with fate of the worker becomes that of “society As Lukács’s contemporary, Karl Korsch, bourgeois society. ending capitalism. as a whole”.6 The contradiction of capital is pointed out in ‘Marxism and philosophy’ This crisis demanded a Marxist critique n Communists are internationalists. Everywhere we the contradiction of the workers’ - not the (1923), by the late 19th century historians of Marxism, or a ‘dialectical’ approach strive for the closest unity and agreement of working capitalists’ - existence in society. For Marx, such as Dilthey had observed that “ideas to Marxism itself: that is, a recognition class and progressive parties of all countries. We op- capital is a social mode of production and contained in a philosophy can live on not of Marxism, politically, as being a self- pose every manifestation of national sectionalism. It not merely a relation of production. As a only in philosophies, but equally well in contradictory and so potentially self- is an internationalist duty to uphold the principle, ‘One mode of production, capital has become positive sciences and social practice, and that undermining historical phenomenon state, one party’. To the extent that the European Union becomes a state then that necessitates EU- increasingly self-contradictory. As a this process precisely began on a large scale (a phenomenon of history - hence the 10 wide trade unions and a Communist Party of the EU. function of capital’s historical development, with Hegel’s philosophy”. For Korsch, this title of Lukács’s book, History and class n through the Industrial Revolution, in which meant that ‘philosophical’ problems in the consciousness), itself subject to necessary The working class must be organised globally. With- out a global Communist Party, a Communist Interna- the workers’ own increasing demands for Hegelian sense were not matters of theory, “reification” and “misrecognition” that could tional, the struggle against capital is weakened bourgeois rights, to realise the value of their but practice. From a Marxian perspective, only be worked through “immanently”. This and lacks coordination. labour, and not merely capitalist competition, however, it is precisely the problem of meant regaining the “Hegelian” dimension, n played a key, indispensable role, bourgeois capitalist society that is posed at the level or the “self-consciousness” of Marxism. This Communists have no interest apart from the working class as a whole. They differ only in recognising society became self-contradictory and self- of practice. is because Marxism, as an expression of the the importance of Marxism as a guide to practice. undermining. That is, the workers centrally Korsch went on to argue that “what workers’ “class-consciousness”, was - and That theory is no dogma, but must be constantly or at base constituted the self-destructive, appears as the purely ‘ideal’ development remains - entirely “bourgeois”, if in extremis. added to and enriched. social-historical dynamic of capital through of philosophy in the 19th century can in While self-contradictory in its development, n Capitalism in its ceaseless search for profit puts the their labouring and political activity. This fact only be fully and essentially grasped the socialist workers’ movement, including its future of humanity at risk. Capitalism is synonymous development culminated in the crisis of by relating it to the concrete historical Marxist self-consciousness, pointed beyond with war, pollution, exploitation and crisis. As a global world war and revolution 1914-19. development of bourgeois society as a itself, ‘dialectically’ - as consciousness of the system capitalism can only be superseded globally. As Lenin put it in The state and whole”.11 Korsch’s great insight, shared bourgeois epoch as a whole does. All forms of nationalist socialism are reactionary and revolution, the social relations of bourgeois by Lukács, took this perspective from I follow Adorno’s characterisation of anti-working class. society - namely, the mutual exchange of Luxemburg and Lenin, who grasped how the the problem of workers’ consciousness n The capitalist class will never willingly allow their labour as the form of social solidarity in history of the socialist workers’ movement and the necessary role of intellectuals, wealth and power to be taken away by a parliamen- capital - could only be transformed gradually and Marxism was a key part - indeed the which he took from Lenin, in his letter to tary vote. They will resist using every means at their and thus “wither away,” and not be abolished crucial aspect - of this development, in the Walter Benjamin of March 18 1936: “The disposal. Communists favour using parliament and and replaced at a stroke.7 The proletarian first two decades of the 20th century. proletariat ... is itself a product of bourgeois winning the biggest possible working class rep- society ... the actual consciousness of actual resentation. But workers must be readied to make workers ... [has] absolutely no advantage revolution - peacefully if we can, forcibly if we must. over the bourgeois except ... interest in the n Communists fight for extreme democracy in all revolution, but otherwise bear[s] all the spheres of society. Democracy must be given a social Summer Offensive marks of mutilation of the typical bourgeois content. character. This prescribes our function for n We will use the most militant methods objective us clearly enough - which I certainly do not circumstances allow to achieve a federal republic of mean in the sense of an activist conception of England, Scotland and Wales, a united, federal Ireland ‘intellectuals’ ... It is not bourgeois idealism and a United States of Europe. if, in full knowledge and without mental n Communists favour industrial unions. Bureaucracy Set to hit target prohibitions, we maintain our solidarity with and class compromise must be fought and the trade the proletariat instead of making of our own unions transformed into schools for communism. his bumper issue of our paper is T-shirts he designed - including one necessity a virtue of the proletariat, as we are n Communists are champions of the op- Tthe last to appear before our annual featuring our CU logo, which is being always tempted to do - the proletariat which pressed. Women’s oppression, combating racism and school, Communist University, and raffled at Communist University. itself experiences the same necessity and chauvinism, and the struggle for peace and ecological the last before our two-week summer That £189 was part of the £1,522 that needs us for knowledge as much as we need sustainability are just as much working class questions break (Weekly Worker 879 will appear we received over the last seven days, the proletariat to make the revolution.”12 as pay, trade union rights and demands for high- on Thursday September 1). It is also which also included a handsome £550 The problem we face today, I think, is quality health, housing and education. the last before the end of our intensive contribution from comrade TM. Then the opacity of the present, due to our lack of n Socialism represents victory in the battle for fundraising campaign, the Summer there were a number of donations made a comparably acute, self-contradictory and democracy. It is the rule of the working class. Socialism Offensive. via our website (we had 14,852 visitors dialectical expression of the crisis of capital is either democratic or, as with Stalin’s Soviet Union, The SO actually ends in just over a last week, by the way), not to mention that Marxism’s historical self-consciousness, it turns into its opposite. week’s time, when the final total will be the regular gifts to the Weekly Worker in theory and practice, once provided l n Socialism is the first stage of the worldwide transi- declared at our celebratory meal. And we that landed in the WW bank account. As tion to communism - a system which knows neither are looking set to surpass our £25,000 I say, it all counts. Notes wars, exploitation, money, classes, states nor target, with £17,593 already in the kitty. A central part of this year’s SO has nations. Communism is general freedom and the real 1. ‘“Classical Marxism” and grasping the dialectic’ beginning of human history. True, seven and a half grand is a lot to been the drive to win new or increased Weekly Worker September 11 2003. raise in the last week, but we know from standing orders for our paper. We set 2. See also Mike Macnair’s ‘Theoretical dead end’, May n All who accept these principles are urged to join 19; ‘The study of history and the left’s decline’, June 2; the Communist Party. experience that large amounts will come ourselves the aim of raising an extra and ‘Divided by a common language?’ June 30. in during Communist University itself. £300 a month in regular donations. 3. See Letters May 19, May 26 and July 7; and my Many comrades - especially those from And we are very near that target now, article, ‘The philosophy of history’, June 9. outside London - will come armed with following new monthly pledges from 4. ‘Against philosopher kings’, December 11 2008. their cheque books or cash. They will SP (£15 on top of his existing £5), LC 5. ‘The politics of critical theory’ Platypus Review No37, July 2011: http://platypus1917.org/2011/07/09/ Become a hand over their donations, buy food and (a new standing order of £12), AD and the-politics-of-critical-theory/#q+a. drink, and snap up CPGB merchandise. DO (£5 more each) FC (£2) and JB (£1). 6. G Lukács Reification and the consciousness of the Communist Party All the profits count towards the total. The extra monthly income for the paper proletariat (1922) part 1, ‘The phenomenon of reification’ in History and class consciousness: studies Among the goods they will be able to now stands at an impressive £263 - we in Marxist dialectics Cambridge MA 1971, p91: www. member buy this year are two new publications: are almost there (although it has to be marxists.org/archive/lukacs/works/history/hcc05.htm. Name first, Ben Lewis’s and Lars T Lih’s said that we still need to ensure that all 7. See VI Lenin The state and revolution chapter 5, ‘The eagerly awaited Zinoviev and Martov: of those pledges are translated into hard economic basis of the withering away of the state’, part 3, ‘The first phase of communist society’: www. Address head to head in Halle, which describes cash). marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch05. the historic confrontation in October Now we are on the last leg we have htm#s3. 1920 between leaders of the two wings to ensure that we complete the course - 8. K Marx Economic and philosophic manuscripts of the Russian workers’ movement; another £750 right now, plus an extra £40 (1844), manuscript 3, section 2, ‘Private property and communism’: www.marxists.org/archive/marx/ and the CPGB’s Draft programme, as per month for the Weekly Worker. And, works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm. revised at our January conference. of course, come along to CU yourself. 9. K Marx, letter to Arnold Ruge, September 1843, Town/city Also available will be all kinds of Not only can we promise stimulating and ‘Ruthless criticism’: www.marxists.org/archive/marx/ literature, badges and T-shirts. Speaking controversial debate, but an opportunity works/1843/letters/43_09.htm. Postcode of which, comrade AG has added to to relax among comrades … and help us 10. K Korsch, ‘Marxism and philosophy’ (1923), in Marxism and philosophy New York 2008, p39. Telephone Age his own SO target thanks to the £189 meet those targets l 11. Ibid p40. already raised through the sale of Mark Fischer 12. TW Adorno, ‘Correspondence with Benjamin’ New Left Email Date Review September-October 1973, pp66-67. Return to: Membership, CPGB, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX Printed and published by: November Publications Ltd (07950 416922). Registered as a newspaper by Royal Mail. ISSN 1351-0150. © August 2011