A paper of Marxist polemic and Marxist unity

Marc Mulholland evaluates Karl n Letters and debate n Labour NEC elections Kautsky’s thesis on the nomadic n Scottish independence origins of class and state n Socialist Party (Netherlands) No 1320 October 22 2020 Towards a mass Communist Party £1/€1.10 Covid-19 set to destroy the Trump administration? weekly 2 October 22 2020 1320 worker LETTERS

really understand the problem that sugar Since the 1960s, public health bodies have law, for the exclusion of transsexuals from astronauts if they like, and I will do my Letters may have been shortened because of poses to public health, and the aetiology advised us that “the fundamental cause some ‘single-sex services’ - for instance, best to accommodate them. But not to the space. Some names of obesity, we need to move beyond of obesity and overweight is an energy in refuges and prisons. extent of signing in my blood that they  may have been changed such notions from basic physics as the imbalance between calories consumed In the past two years there had been a actually are what they identify as … the first law of thermodynamics, caloric and calories expended” (World Health ‘consultation’ on the table from the Tory ‘self-identifying woman’s’ freedoms are density and so on, and appreciate that Organisation, April 1 2020). In other government, as part of their previous impinging on the freedoms of girls and Irrationality sugar and refined carbohydrates have words, from the point of view of obesity, efforts, begun under David Cameron, women to their own spaces, privacy and I have two corrections to claims made very specific biochemical effects on the the official scientific dogma is that a to show that they are ‘enlightened’ and self-expression.” by James Linney in his latest letter on human metabolism that the two other calorie is a calorie and the fundamental ‘modern’, to amend equalities and gender- So here we see a rather strange the subject of obesity (October 15). He macronutrients - fat and protein - do not. question is the number of calories that one recognition laws in a similar way, that confluence between the ‘socially writes that I display an “uncanny ability to In particular, by stimulating the release of consumes, compared to the number of would allow transsexuals who have not conservative, but economically radical’ misunderstand or misrepresent what he is the hormone, insulin, a diet high in sugar calories that one expends. yet gone through the protracted and often Galloway and a brand of feminism in the saying”. and carbohydrates will tend to cause the The work of Yalow and Berson painful process of gender-reassignment, left and labour movement that, for all the Unfortunately, he bases this on partial body to increase its reserves of fat tissue on insulin, followed by Reaven on including that involving surgery, to rhetoric against ‘identity politics’ that we quotes from my letter, taken somewhat and inhibit the mobilisation of those metabolic syndrome, show this dogma be recognised legally as being of their see from some of those denouncing the out of context. In particular, I did not stored fatty acids for use as energy - over to be nonsense. Yet, due to a combination changed gender/sex on the basis of self- ‘delusion’ of transsexuals about having imply that he attributed obesity simply to time pushing it towards insulin resistance, of commercial and professional vested identification. However, under Johnson changed their gender/sex, exhibit a prime “biological maladaptation by humans”. obesity and diabetes. interests, and professional scientific the Tories have predictably retreated from characteristic of identity politics - smears What James Linney did claim in a letter to James Linney’s main omission in his conservatism, the dogma continues to these promises and Johnson’s government that anyone who does not share their this paper is that humans, in their hunter- correspondence - and this is excusable, stand and misguide every public health now echoes the transphobes in all parties particular form of chauvinist hostility to gatherer past, evolved under conditions of given that that this discussion has been response to the obesity and diabetes who demand the exclusion of trans another group is hostile to the group they caloric scarcity and therefore acquired a taking place in the letters page of the epidemics. women from ‘women’s spaces’ in the identify with. propensity to store energy in fat tissue, as a Weekly Worker - is to overlook the From a political point of view, there is name of supposedly protecting women Thus trans-exclusionist feminists survival mechanism. Under the conditions damaging metabolic effects of modern no willingness in any capitalist society to against predatory male sex offenders who frequently accuse those who do not share of widespread caloric availability that exist commercial processed foods, beyond truly address on a wide scale the real roots decide to ‘identify’ as women. their exclusionism, whether male or under modern capitalism - so his argument sugar and fructose. Quite apart from the of the epidemic of obesity and metabolic What is more odd is that her arguments female, of ‘misogyny’ (hatred of women). went - what was a useful adaptation for fact that carbohydrates are broken down dysfunction, as any one of the measures have been accepted by quite a few on It only takes a moment’s thought to hunter-gatherers in caloric scarcity can into potentially metabolically damaging necessary to address the problem would the left and have become a source of deduce that there is no logical reason to manifest itself as the tendency towards simple sugars in the human digestive be disastrous for the business models significant divisions among those who are believe that those who defend the rights obesity observed today. I disagreed with tract, the consumption of processed and bottom lines of the multi-billion- otherwise opponents of the Labour right, of transsexuals should have any reason this argument and, perhaps unfortunately carbohydrates (such as refined flour) dollar agrifood (disease-causing) and its pro-Nato militarism, pro-Zionism and whatsoever to hate women. It is just as from James Linney’s point of view, acts to stimulate the secretion of glucose- pharmaceutical (symptom-treating) neoliberalism. In Labour there are groups intellectually lazy and insulting as the summarised this supposed tendency dependent insulinotropic polypeptide sectors. like Women’s Place, and the LGB Alliance canard that those who are critical of the as being a biological maladaptation to (GIP) in the upper intestine. GIP acts as Pioneering researchers and doctors (with the ‘T’ - for ‘Trans’ - conspicuously oppressive behaviour and activities of conditions of caloric surplus. a signal to the pancreas to release insulin, like Julius Bauer and Raymond Greene, missing), which contain leftwing people Zionist Jews towards Palestinians hate In the second part of his letter, he putting the body into a fat storage mode, who did not yet have access to the work of who have historically fought hard against Jewish people in general. writes that “the addition of sugar to the with all the consequences that this has for Yalow and Berson on insulin, nonetheless Blairism. It is a tragic regression that such A classic manifestation of identity majority of processed foods makes them insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes. understood that obesity had a hormonal people find common cause with the likes politics, apart from clear cases of outright both calorie-dense and nutritionally Similarly, if he has not done so basis and could not be understood or of Rowling. separatism by an oppressed stratum under poor”. Unfortunately, he makes a already, James Linney may find it explained through the concepts of 19th- This transphobic trend seems to have capitalism (which is generally mistaken notable scientific error and one scientific interesting to read the recent study titled century thermodynamics. However, revived as a result of the adaptation of and counterproductive), is when strata omission here. He has once again fallen ‘Diet modulates brain network stability, thanks to the actions of unscrupulous part of the left to rightwing populism that are not oppressed accuse members into the trap, laid for us by 19th-century a marker for brain ageing, in young individuals like Ancel Keys, and the and its ‘working class’ pretentions - to of a stratum that does suffer oppression calorimetry and thermodynamics, of adults’ (pnas.org/content/117/11/6170). capacity of commercial interests to pollute Trump and Brexit. Though the positions or bigotry simply for demanding basic attributing the metabolic damage caused This study found that destabilisation of both scientific research and public health of individuals may vary considerably rights. So it is when Zionist Jews smear by a macronutrient to its energy content brain networks correlates with poorer policy-making, the understanding of the on such things, there does seem to be their Palestinian victims (and their or density. Calorimetry tells us that sugar cognition and accelerates with insulin aetiology of metabolic dysfunction has considerable overlap between those on sympathisers) as ‘anti-Semites’ for has four calories per gram, whereas fat resistance. Significantly, the stability of actually regressed in the 60 or more years the left who backed Brexit and showed demanding their rights. So it is when the has nine. By this measure, fat has a higher brain networks is increased when the since Bauer and Greene were active. softness on Trump, and those echoing JK small, vulnerable minority of transsexuals energy density than sugar, and so, if brain uses fatty acids (ketones) as a fuel This scientific fiasco, with its disastrous Rowling’s bigotry today. (and their sympathisers), demanding energy density itself is the problem, then source and decreases when the brain uses consequences for public health, stands as On August 17, a US Federal equal treatment to members of the sex a diet higher in fat should naturally lead sugar (glucose) as such a source. another monument to the irrationality of Judge temporarily stayed the Trump they have transitioned to, are smeared as to higher rates of metabolic syndrome, I do recognise that James has been a capitalism. administration’s overturn of the Obama sexual predators and misogynists. obesity, diabetes, dementia and so on. consistent critic of the food industry, its use Gary Simons administration’s definition of sex/gender. The counter-argument from However, we know, for instance, of of sugar, and the damaging effects that this email But Trump’s policy returns to the transphobes is that transsexuality is itself indigenous societies, like the Maasai, who has on public health, and I fully support government’s previous interpretation a form of ‘identity politics’, that the very consume 60% or more of their caloric him in this. However, the misattribution Transphobia of sex discrimination according to “the idea that anyone’s psyche can be at odds intake as saturated fat and show no signs of the damaging effects of sugar and other In the last couple of years there has been plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male with their original biology is a ‘delusion’ of these metabolic diseases, provided modern processed foods to their caloric a retreat on the question of the rights of or female and as determined by biology”. which should not be ‘indulged’, that they do not also consume the displacing content or caloric density has real and transsexuals in the labour movement in We hear similar things on some of the such people are in effect mentally ill, and foods of modern commerce. Therefore, to negative consequences for public health. Britain, and mockery and contempt for left, including from George Galloway: “I should be treated as such, or as in some trans people has become a real problem, stand with JK Rowling. People can wear other way as deviant. Such people can even among a layer of putative left what they like - even their dead mother’s never be fully accepted as female, or male, activists. clothes - and identify as moon-landing no matter what they do, is the logic of this Fighting fund Somewhat strangely, a key inspirer of this has been Jennifer (‘JK’) Rowling, the celebrity author of the Harry Potter children’s books and sometime novelist, Online Communist Forum Keep it flowing and an ideologue of the Labour right. s expected, the usual poor hardware. And there is another Rowling, a long-time Blairite, was an Asecond week of the month advantage: readers will have noticed outspoken opponent of the left in the was followed by an excellent third, that we no longer have to stick to the recent witch-hunts and Blairite/Zionist with no less than £770 coming in usual 12 pages - we can even have destabilisation campaign that brought to boost our October fighting fund an odd number. Yes, that’s right - a down Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, yet running total. This now stands at couple of weeks ago there were 15 remarkably she has gained kudos among £1,362, which means that another pages, and this week there are 14. Of some of the left for a campaign against £638 is needed to make our £2,000 course, 12 will be the minimum, so transsexuals that bears considerable target, with 10 days still to go. You you won’t lose out! resemblance to her pro-Zionist activities. can do it! But it goes without saying that so She tends to fictionalise her obsessions: The reason for that boost was, of many of our readers are just longing during the Corbyn period she wrote course, the usual batch of standing to get that print version back in their a novel called Lethal white about an orders that land in our account at hands, so let’s hope it won’t be that imaginary anti-Semitic anti-Zionist. Her this time of the month. It’s not so long before their wish comes true. latest rendering, Troubled blood, is about much the number we get, but their Once we do restart, we need to find a transvestite serial killer - again crudely size. There were just seven of them, ways of boosting our circulation, serving a political agenda. but they totalled £685 - an average and we’ll be looking for more She has been particularly outspoken in of just under three figures! Thank volunteers to sell and distribute the her attacks on the policy the Labour Party Sunday October 25 5pm you, comrades GS, TR, KB, GB, paper locally. If you want to help, adopted under Corbyn, for extending anti- The Bolshevik path to power MM, PM and SK. On top of that you know what to do! discrimination protections under equalities there were four PayPal donations - But, in the meantime, keep legislation to change the “protected Speaker: Lars T Lih from LC (£50), PM (£25), DO and that cash flowing in. Let’s make characteristic” of “gender reassignment” Sunday November 1 5pm BO (£5 each). sure we reach that £2K target for in the current legislation to “gender The US left: Biden, Trump and the crisis in the Of course, because of the October l identity”. Where previously a medical Democratic Socialists of America lockdown, we are unable to print Robbie Rix ‘diagnosis’ of “gender dysphoria”, if not Speakers: Parker McQueeney and Jonah Martell the Weekly Worker, which means actual surgery, was required for such that much of our income from the Fill in a standing order form recognition (implying that transsexuality If you wish to take part in these Zoom meetings, fighting fund can now be used, (back page), donate via our is some kind of sickness), now “self- email Stan Keable at: [email protected] for instance, to upgrade our office, website, or send cheques, identification” would be all that is Organised by CPGB: www.cpgb.org.uk and including some much needed payable to Weekly Worker required. This change would remove the Labour Party Marxists: www.labourpartymarxists.org.uk legal justification, which exists in current BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX l 07903 054393 l www.weeklyworker.co.uk l [email protected] weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 3

argument, which is heard regularly from trace seems to be the obvious answer - for Greer, after accusations of transphobia. Friday January 8 - Sunday January 10 those on the left who have capitulated in Covid and for all the previous epidemics, Others then accused those endorsing the this way. where is has worked. So far they’ve ban of suppressing free speech, despite Online Communist University This argument is bigoted and inhuman, failed, so maybe we will end up with a lot of it being potentially hateful. and in its logic threatens homosexuals herd immunity - where the vulnerable The UK government recently told as well as transsexuals. For, if biology are sacrificed and who knows how many English schools not to use material from is paramount, if the psyche counts for vulnerable there are? organisations which have expressed a nothing and no-one can ever have a sex- Arthur Bough suggested that “the desire to end capitalism. And here comes the related psychological makeup that is at lockdown be ended and production double standard, because we haven’t seen odds with their strict biology, then how resume as normal, so that society can the same flood of accusations of freedom can homosexuality be a sexual orientation produce all of the resources required to of speech suppression from the usual at all? The biological function of sex, by ensure that the vulnerable 20% of the outlets.Guidance issued by the department the same logic (applied consistently) as population can indeed be enabled to for education maintains that anti-capitalism the transphobes use, is reproduction, and isolate from the risk of infection, and that is an “extreme political stance”. It went on therefore ‘sexual’ activities between those all of the resources required for that can be to compare it with opposition to freedom of of the same sex are not really sexual. By produced” (Letters, October 8). speech, anti-Semitism and endorsement of this reasoning they can only be acts that Does anyone honestly believe that illegal activity. After the US presidential election signify a mental delusion, as with the Britain’s capitalist government is going Critics see the guidance as a further ‘delusions’ of transsexuals, that need to concentrate resources on protecting the step in the culture war and a drift towards ‘treatment’, that even should be ‘cured’. vulnerable? They have shown no signs more Conservative authoritarianism. Consequences and Medical orthodoxy used to say this about of that, before or during the pandemic. Large swathes of British history and gays, as recently as the 1980s. And when Where are the resources for those with politics are all of a sudden off limits. That considerations this is said about transsexuals it can just mental health problems, the young and includes the history of British socialism, as easily be said about homosexuals. And vulnerable, the old and vulnerable? We the Labour Party and trade unionism - Friday 6.00pm it will: if the left retreats on trans rights know their priorities from their treatment all of which have at some point been in in this manner it will open the way for of the Windrush generation victims and favour of getting rid of capitalism. further retreats on gay rights. the indifference to the fate of those living Teachers are now not allowed to The current anti-trans regression on the with combustible cladding on their homes. promote “victim narratives that are left needs to be rejected, on the grounds Jim Nelson harmful to British society”. It begs several Lenin laid out in What is to be done? as email questions: what does the government early as 1902, that the job of a would-be mean by “victim narratives” and is this The crisis in the United States and prospects for the left communist is to act as the “tribune of the Legal murder all part of a plan to stop the teaching of oppressed, who is able to react to every The House of Commons has given a third oppression endured by minority groups? Speaker: Donald Parkinson from the manifestation of tyranny and oppression reading to the Covert Human Intelligence There are already fears that the national US magazine Cosmonaut … no matter what stratum or class of Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill, so it is curriculum has long been whitewashed. the people it affects”. Such unification of going to become perfectly legal for an It’s a fear the government completely Saturday 10.00am the oppressed behind the banner of the undercover agent of the state to murder rejects and yet its new guidance could well working class as the universal emancipator trade unionists. Whipped to abstain, only restrict anti-racism teaching. In response, is the real negation of identity politics. 17% of Labour MPs voted against. the Coalition of Anti-Racist Educators Ian Donovan In response, each of the Labour Party’s (Care) and Black Educators Alliance email affiliated trade unions ought to reduce its (BEA) are threatening the government funding of that party by 83%. with a legal challenge. Racism and the Covid nonsense David Lindsay climate crisis are intrinsically connected System and hegemons - can relative decline be reversed? We on the left are encouraged by Keith Lanchester to and driven by aspects of capitalism. Speaker: Hillel Ticktin Potter to fight against “draconian Movements such as Black Lives Matter, lockdowns” instead of leaving it to the Lessons of Lenin which stand up against racism, have right (Letters, October 15). I guess we Mike Macnair offers three lessons from openly examined the relationship between Saturday 2.00pm should stand not shoulder to shoulder, Lenin on the matter of the political capitalism and inequality. but suitably distanced - politically and party (‘Programmeless liquidationism’, In order to fully understand social socially - from England’s ‘proudest boys’. October 8). He is critiquing ‘Lenin’s theory history and norms, it is essential for Apparently our failure is pitifully hidden of the party’ (Time to Mutiny August 7), them to be given context. This ought to by a “safety versus the bosses’ profits” in which Neil Faulkner supports Lenin’s be happening in our schools and yet the narrative. I must admit, I haven’t seen this. advocacy of vanguardism (What is to be government is now stifling what children Maybe I should read Socialist Worker? done? 1902): parties winning power (this can learn there. The continuing ethnic cleansing of Palestine The government has committed many is not new - all bourgeois political parties At the same time, the former Speaker: Ilan Pappé crimes before and during the pandemic, operate this way) rather than workers as Conservative cabinet minister, Esther which have made things a lot worse for a whole (characterised as liquidationism). McVey, now says that teachers are millions. The release of infected patients Faulkner also supports Lenin’s pushing leftwing views in classrooms. The Saturday: 6.00pm from hospitals into care homes comes to advocacy of democratic centralism, in claim that pupils are being indoctrinated mind. Then there’s the donation of vast which membership can be withdrawn for with leftwing ideology throughout their sums of money to friends and donors for acting against party decisions, attributing education is nothing new and it’s one ‘test and trace’. It matters not that such this to Kautsky’s model. Here it is obvious that has been continually rebuffed as amateurs have failed and are failing - why Faulkner references the correct Kautsky nonsense. wouldn’t they? They don’t really know text and it is totally unfair of Macnair to The fact is, young people are finding what they’re doing. suggest otherwise. Likewise, Macnair’s their political views through their life The bankruptcy of left Labourism Meanwhile professionals in the NHS footnotes include various links, but experiences. Some sincerely question Speaker: Jack Conrad and local authorities who do know what nowhere is there a link to Faulkner’s whether they’ll have children of their own, they’re doing are starved of much needed texts (any of them) - a startling omission, for example, because the future of the Sunday 10.00am funds. Dominic Cummings’ gang of especially because, given the current planet looks so bleak. Others have lived weirdos and dickheads have made a right limitations on publishing, Macnair likely through years of recession and austerity. mess of it and show no hint of making worked from the online version! Mahnoor, a 16-year-old from Stoke- things any better. The whole pandemic Jon D White on-Trent had this to say about the looks like going right out of control. email government’s ban: “This rule goes against They may well be using the pandemic the idea of freedom of speech, and it goes to slip through other criminal activities. Hypocrisy hand-in-hand with censorship. This rule is The Middle East after the US elections The Brexit mess looks like going down There’s a ‘freedom of speech’ crisis. basically indoctrination. The government Speakers: Moshé Machover and Yassamine Mather the pan. We have the treatment of asylum- Didn’t you know? Well that’s what blames schools for ‘imposing leftwing seekers and then there’s an education some rightwing newspapers would ideas’, but it’s the rise in inflation, the Sunday 2.00pm minister who wants to force the IHRA have you believe. We are all the victims cuts in funding, the exploitation and the lack of definition onto universities - and of political correctness gone mad, deterioration of the quality of life that this from a clown who failed to organise apparently, with the ‘loony left’ leading makes the youth anti-capitalist.” returns to schools and universities. All the charge to stifle comment that may The centre-right think tank, Policy sorts of stuff continues to happen, while cause offence. It’s all part of a cunning Exchange, conducted a report into Covid-19 hogs the headlines. plan, you see, to stop us saying what’s academic freedom in 2019. It looked Keith writes that “civil liberties, really on our minds. The blood of at how student opinion on free speech including the right to protest, are being ‘speak as you find’ stalwarts like Katie was reached after Cardiff University Party and programme globally suppressed”. I thought they Hopkins must be boiling over. deplatformed Germaine Greer. Almost Speaker: Mike Macnair were doing that already. Trump, Modi, Universities are being seen as 70% said that they formed an opinion Netanyahu and co didn’t wait for Covid. places that are ripe for this kind of through social media. A meagre 1% said Sunday 7.00pm Wearing masks on public transport and in ‘movement’ to take hold. Centrists and lecturers or teachers had had any impact shops seems quite sensible to me. Social those from the far right alike deplore on their views. distancing too: it does feel a bit strange, the UK’s campuses as being filled with The government’s guidance is the way that people skirt around each oversensitive students unable to accept reminiscent of Thatcher’s anti-gay other as they pass, but it does seem to be differences of opinion. section 28 in the way it has been done quite willingly. It all started several years ago presented. It seeks to prevent “the Just because the government says we when the students union at the promotion” of something that’s at odds Crossroad of civilisation: China and the west should do something doesn’t necessarily University of Manchester banned the with conservatism, something which Speaker: Peter Nolan mean that it’s a bad idea. If we are warned far-right political commentator, Milo it just doesn’t like. The policing of the of an (even more) imminent nuclear attack Yiannopoulos, from a debate. It cited classroom ultimately failed on that issue, Please register your interest by emailing [email protected] I’ll be down there in my Anderson shelter, “various comments lambasting rape but not without the suffering of countless Organised by CPGB: www.cpgb.org.uk and hoping for enough signal to download survivors and trans people”. Many young people. Labour Party Marxists: www.labourpartymarxists.org.uk Protect and survive (1980). students unions also took measures to Peter Markham What should be going on? Test and ban other speakers, such as Germaine Immigration Advice Service weekly 4 October 22 2020 1320 worker USA Covid-19 set to destroy Trump? Daniel Lazare says the excess deaths are not only down to the president’s incompetence here other countries are public face-mask requirement, while preparing for a second wave Doug Ducey, Arizona’s Republican Wof Covid-19, America is governor, prevented cities like bracing itself for a third - a prospect Phoenix from doing the same. In that does not bode well either for US Texas, Republican governor Greg public health or Donald Trump’s re- Abbot banned face-mask mandates election chances. What is worse from outright, as rightwing protestors Trump’s point of view is that, after waved signs reading, “Just say no” ravaging the urban north-east, the and “Don’t mask my freedom!”5 It is virus is now wreaking havoc in the the equivalent of suing the local fire ‘red states’ that in 2016 took him over department to stop the use of water to the top. douse a burning house. The result is a rural-urban divide of growing political importance. Deeply entrenched America has more than three thousand But anti-government hostility like this counties. But of the 1,166 that had is not just something that Americans 500 or more new Covid-19 cases come by, but a political principle per 100,000 residents last month, that is deeply entrenched. The better than 85% - 1,025, to be exact reason is the US constitution, which - were pro-Trump in the last election. is fundamentally ambivalent on the Republican states have nearly twice question of federal powers. While as many cases per capita, while the authorising them in some respects, it increase has been particularly startling sends an implicit but powerful message in pro-Trump agricultural states that federal authority is constantly in deep in the interior.1 Since mid-July, danger of tipping over into tyranny new cases have more than doubled if allowed to go too far. As a result, in Utah, tripled in Oklahoma and virtually all political debate since the quadrupled in Wisconsin. They have document was drafted in 1787 has increased seven times in Wyoming, hinged on the question of ‘how much eight times in North Dakota, and is enough’ - of how much authority to more than 18 times in South Dakota, grant an inherently tyrannical federal where a massive motorcycle rally government, in other words, versus this summer may have generated how much to withhold. The great face- 260,000 additional cases. Masks were mask debate is not about the utilitarian rare among the half-million bikers issue of whether masks are effective who converged on the small town of in preventing contagion, which they Sturgis, Confederate flags and pro- The tiniest microscopic organism has sent Trump’s bombastic claims crashing about his ears clearly are. Rather, it is about the Trump insignia were abundant, while constitutional issue of whether they a T-shirt for sale with the words, Dakota. But that is less than half of after another, “You’re fired!” Brutality be down close to zero”. “It’s going impinge on ancient freedoms that the ‘Fuck Covid, let’s ride’ summed up what the polls indicated this summer.3 was the key to success in business no to disappear,” he added a day later. authorities are constitutionally bound the general attitude of ‘Live free or So if Trump loses, it will not be less than imperial policy. While two “One day, it’s like a miracle - it will to protect. die’. because of Russiagate, impeachment presidential bids flopped, something disappear.” And so on. This is why heavily-armed militias The same rural-urban split is or any of the other issues that rivet clicked when Trump headed out on The disease meanwhile continued have converged on the Michigan state evident within states such as the Washington. Rather, it will be because the campaign trail a third time in its relentless advance, with daily new capitol in Lansing: because they are racially polarised Michigan. In of coronavirus and the president’s mid‑2015. The difference had nothing infections nearing 27,000 by April convinced that politicians are engaged Detroit - a byword for urban collapse complete inability to mount anything to do with Trump himself, whose act 1 and then, following a brief lull, in a deep-state conspiracy to deprive - new cases are about 90% from their resembling a coherent response. was unchanged. Rather, it had to do hitting 75,687 per day as of mid-July. them of their ancient rights by forcing peak of late March. But in Grand Trump’s performance has been the with bourgeois politics in general, Now, after another slide, they are them to wears masks. By protecting a Rapids - a city of 200,000 some 150 worst of any world leader with the which were in a state of collapse. back up at 70,464 as of October 16, private right to keep and bear arms, miles to the west and the centre of possible exception of Brazil’s Jair The litany of disasters that marked just below last summer’s peak. With the second amendment all but enjoins an alleged neo-fascist plot to kidnap Bolsonaro. Yet he continues to insist Barack Obama’s second term is well just 4.2% of the world’s population, citizens to grab their assault rifles and Democratic governor Gretchen that “we have done an amazing job” known, as are the great wars that the US now accounts for 21% of all drive out state legislators the way they Whitmer - new cases started low, but and the disease is “rounding the marked Trump’s first. But after years Covid cases and 20% of all Covid once drove out the redcoats. have since seen a 26-fold increase. corner”.4 The discrepancy is so jarring of Russiagate, plus an impeachment deaths. Per capita, its infection rate is As for the freedom to enter a public Wisconsin, known as ‘America’s that it is hard to see how he can avoid trial that went nowhere as well, the double that of France, two and a half place without risk of contagion - a dairyland’, is no different. Heavily punishment at the polls. bottom line is that Washington was times that of the UK, nearly six times freedom that is only possible if masks black and Hispanic Milwaukee has little more than a battle zone by that of Germany, and five times that are mandated - it does not even register, seen new cases decline by nearly Real blame early 2020, with a by-now victorious of Canada, its supposed twin to the because it raises the possibility that 50% since July, while in Janesville - But is it really all Trump’s fault? If Trump striding across the rubble like north. liberty is not something that citizens a largely white town 75 miles to the Democrats say yes, it is because they a latter-day Coriolanus. So Trump is plainly a fool with must safeguard against government south-west, where thousands of the are eager to put the blame on a man All of which is necessary to no idea of what he is doing. But even intrusion, but something that democratic faithful gathered to hear Trump speak they have been trying to oust from the consider in order to understand why under the best leadership, America’s government can create by acting last weekend - the daily caseload has moment he took office - and because Washington was uniquely unprepared hyper-federal structure would still vigorously and intelligently on its own. more than doubled. they are correspondingly desperate to when the virus washed up on American render it unsuited to the task. The Biden does not dare tangle All this could not be worse, as get the larger political structure off the shores last January. Trump emerged United States has a national health with such assumptions and has far as Trump is concerned. A disease hook. But, from a Marxist perspective, from the impeachment ordeal at odds bureau known as the Department of thus conceded that he would lack that once seemed safely confined to the answer is more sweeping and with his own bureaucracy, which he Health and Human Services, but it constitutional authority to require the Democratic north-east is now complex. believed - not incorrectly - had sided is an agglomeration of specialised the wearing of masks nationwide. “I ravaging a Republican heartland There is no question that Trump with the Democrats in their effort agencies with no control over the can do that on federal property,” he that he desperately needs in order to personally was tailor-made for the to destroy his administration. He population as a whole. Instead, said. “As president, I will do that. stave off defeat. States and localities debacle. Not only is he a monstrous distrusted experts who had touted the power is distributed among 50 state On federal land, I would have the that took his anti-mask message to egotist, but he is also an ignoramus “collusion delusion”, as he put it - the health agencies - all chronically authority.” heart - “I don’t think I’m going to be who, by all indications, has never read baseless conspiracy theory that he was underfunded, with minimal levels But elsewhere he would be doing it,” he said when asked if he a single book in his life and whose in cahoots with the Kremlin. Most of of competence and staff. Toss in a helpless, thanks to 233-year-old would wear one in April - are paying view of the world could not be more all, what he concluded from years of political structure in which legislators constitutional provisions that are all a growing price. idiosyncratic. The chances that he close-quarters combat is that he was and executives are continually at odds but written in stone. So Democrats The political effects are clear. would assemble a team of top-flight the only one who knew how to win. with one another, and the result is have effectively thrown in the towel While core support is holding scientists and professionals to devise The combination of such attitudes - weakness and ineffectuality from the on the question. Trump may well go firm, the evidence is that centrists a rational plan and then implement it disdain for experts and belief in his federal level down. down in defeat, but America’s anti- are peeling away. A recent poll systematically and comprehensively, own gut instincts - proved deadly. To be sure, a few governors have Covid effort will continue to limp found that disapproval of Trump’s month after month, were therefore nil The upshot was a string of statements cut through the cacophony - most along well after he has gone l handling of the pandemic had risen from the outset. about the pandemic that were more notably Democrat Andrew Cuomo in from 60% to 66% since September, But people like Trump do not arise and more ignorant and absurd. neo-Hamiltonian New York, where Notes while another reports that between out of nowhere. Rather, they are by- Two days after his impeachment new cases have fallen from over 1,000 1. brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/10/08/ 25% and 35% of voters now name products of the historical process. acquittal on February 5, he declared per day as of early April to less than 20 as-election-day-nears-covid-19-spreads-further- healthcare, the economy and Trump’s showmanship and love of that the disease would go away as of October 19. But Democrats have into-red-america. Covid-19 - all pandemic-related - as glitz perfectly captured the 1980s as soon as “the weather starts to been less successful in other states, 2. usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-10-15/ among their top concerns.2 Last time mood of financial excess, while his warm”. On February 11, he asserted such as California, while Republicans no-bump-for-trump-after-bout-with-coronavirus- poll; US election 2020 bulletin: brandwatch.com/ around, Wisconsin, Michigan and hard-nosed style reflected the era’s that “during the month of April, the have seized on America’s deep-seated email/us-election-bulletin-007. Pennsylvania provided Trump with growing love affair with tough-guy heat, generally speaking, kills this concept of ‘rugged individualism’ 3. projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/pennsylvania. his margin of victory. But Joe Biden bosses. Following George W Bush’s kind of virus”. Two weeks later, he to oppose any government response 4. The statements were made during a now apparently enjoys a comfortable unprovoked invasion of Iraq, millions said that “the coronavirus is very at all. Brian Kemp, Georgia’s ultra- televised ‘town hall’ meeting on October 15 and the quote starts at 9:15: youtube.com/ lead in the first two, while edging tuned into The apprentice, Trump’s hit much under control”: on February right Republican governor, thus watch?v=rjwWG6kJ6io. ahead in the third. Trump still has reality-TV show, for the sheer joy of 26, he confidently predicted that sued Atlanta, the state’s largest 5. texastribune.org/2020/05/22/texas-coronavirus- a whopping 10-point lead in South watching him bark at one job applicant “within a couple days [it] is going to city, to prevent it from imposing a masks. weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 5 LABOUR Cowardly fake left peddles lies James Harvey presents Labour Party Marxists’ recommendations for the national executive committee elections y the time you read this, Labour voting for the LLA list, whatever Party members will have the severe political limitations of B(hopefully!) received their the candidates, gives rank-and-file ballot papers to vote in the elections members the chance to strike a blow for the national executive committee. against the right and take a stand These elections are always seen as against the transparently fake left. a barometer of opinion amongst the Put the LLA six at the top of ranks of the party’s membership, your ballot paper. Vote for the LLA but the results of this year’s contest candidates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. A good will be even more keenly awaited vote for these comrades would be a for a number of reasons. For the real boost. We should continue to Starmer leadership it will be a test make the NEC elections a political of the ‘new management’ and yet campaign against the witch-hunt and another opportunity to consign the for party democracy. That is why whole Corbyn period to the dustbin urging members to prioritise the of history. For Labour’s right more LLA six above all other candidates generally a strong showing, especially is undoubtedly correct. But we in the Constituency Labour Party believe it is advisable, in order to section, will further consolidate their maximise the chances of getting at grip on the party machine and provide least one anti-witch-hunt comrade yet more weapons in their continuing onto the NEC, that the LLA ranks witch-hunt against the left. its candidates in order of preference, So far, so familiar. Of course, this starting with Roger Silverman. He analysis of the importance of these has won 65 CLP nominations. Given elections could have been written at the circumstances, an impressive any time in the last five years - or total reflecting a militant rank indeed in any of the last 120 years of and file core that, with the right the party’s existence. Every internal leadership and principled politics, election can be understood as a can be strengthened, built and turning point in Labour’s history, but expanded into a decisive, even a this NEC vote is not just a routine determining, force. slugfest - simply yet another round Secondly, we should prioritise in the never-ending battle between the GV slate of six over the various right and left in the party. This is a individual left candidates not crucial test for the failed centre-left associated with any particular left strategy, especially in the light of the group, faction or bloc. The criticisms general election in December 2019 that LLA has made against the way and the ‘landslide’ election of Sir Keir that GV candidates were selected Starmer as Labour leader in April might well be justified, but LPM 2020. For many, these defeats have recognises, as a simple fact, that GV been a shattering blow. Nonetheless, is made up of the most important what passes for the Labour left goes organisations that for the moment pass into these NEC elections with no for the Labour left. We are convinced lessons learnt. The left still believes that the majority of the supporters of that the way for the left to defeat the these groups, like us, want to fight right is for the left to move to the right. back against the right, reject the lies During both the nomination period Fixed the election system to benefit the right ... but it suits the interests of principled left about anti-Zionism equalling anti- and the election campaign, much Semitism and can, over time, be won of the focus was on constructing a dissent and debate, the official left official Labour left in these elections ‘LLA six’ (the alliance’s top-ranked to the politics of Marxism. ‘left slate’ that could mount a real remains silent. The clue is in the name: continues the disastrous strategy of candidates) have received from CLPs. Prioritising the six candidates of challenge to the right and secure whether in the form of Grassroots Voice the Corbyn leadership and its refusal The LLA was also correct in the organised left above individual, at least six of the nine CLP seats (GV) or the Centre-Left Grassroots to seriously respond to the civil war approaching the CLGA to negotiate unorganised left candidates would that are up for grabs under the new Alliance (CLGA), from which GV unleashed by the right. a joint slate. That tactic should not send a clear message to those who single-transferable-vote system. This emerged, the hopes of the official left However, these tendencies towards be abandoned … well at least for the make up GV that the LLA is serious produced a rather convoluted debate remain focussed on building bridges compromise are not simply a product moment. We are not against horse- about wanting to negotiate some kind about the endless permutations of towards a largely mythical ‘centre’. of the electoral defeat of the Corbyn trading behind closed doors. Nor are of joint list. It would also send a clear electoral arithmetic rather than the The price that GV pays for its attempts project and the seemingly unassailable we against hustings and rank and file message to individual left candidates real political questions that are at to build such ‘broad unity’ within position of the Starmer leadership, but votes. The key is open, extended and and their supporters: the left needs issue in the election. Above all, those the party is to completely ignore the rather reflect deeper problems in the honest debate amongst the Labour organisation, not lone rangers. sections of the Labour left organised central issues of the witch-hunt and the politics of the contemporary left. This left to agree a principled programme. LPM argues for this approach in the under the banner of Grassroots Voice struggle to advance party democracy is not simply a temporary issue of Neither the GV approach of providing interests of strengthening the LLA and - most notably the Campaign for and defend free speech. Furthermore morale or loss of confidence but points a career ladder for grubby aspiring taking forward the struggle to form Labour Party Democracy (CLPD), the this unprincipled position is linked to instead to a deep historical pessimism professional politicians, nor the left a politically principled alternative Labour Representation Committee a very flexible definition of the ‘left’, about the potential for building opportunistically adapting to the leadership within the Labour Party l (LRC) and Momentum - argued that which allows those who have either principled and programmatically right-moving politics of the centre- ‘left unity’ was paramount and that kept silent about or indeed actively defined socialist politics. In basing left, offer any way forward. Notes any attempt to stand more than the six participated in the witch-hunt to receive their position around a rather timid 1. ‘Candidates, slates and votes’ Weekly Worker candidates given the imprimatur by GV backing. Recent history shows only set of economistic ‘transitional’ Clear tactics October 8. Grassroots Voice would split the left too well what happens when ‘centre- demands, these forms of ‘left politics’ Nonetheless, LPM supports the LLA 2. See, for example, the Labour Left Alliance 1 website for a good outline of the impact of the vote and let in the right. left’ poachers become witch-hunting are consciously framed to appeal six as the only candidates openly STV system on the left vote in this election: Both on social media and at gamekeepers after their election. to a Labourist or social democratic challenging the continuing witch- labourleft.org/nec-elections-2020/nec-elections- various online face to face meetings This strategy of acquiescence is not consciousness and thus remain hunt and standing up for democracy stv-myths-and-reality. these arguments have been doing the just a ‘clever’ manoeuvre, but rather firmly within a capitalist framework. and free speech in the party. At a time 3. For the history of attempted negotiations see labourleft.org/labour-party-nec-elections-2020; rounds for months - and for months reflects a fundamental weakness in Although these pessimistic politics when individual leftwingers continue and ‘A contradictory formation’ Weekly Worker they have been comprehensively the politics and historical practice of of self-limitation are widespread on to be falsely accused of anti-Semitism July 16. rebutted.2 Whilst some comrades the Labourite left. Both its obsession the left, including in the Labour Left and fast-tracked out of the party, 4. Ibid. may be genuinely confused by the with ‘broad unity’ at all costs and a Alliance, the experience of Labour new voting system, it is clear that strategy that places the election of Party Marxists comrades shows that it the leaders of the ‘official left’ have a Labour government centre-stage is possible to challenge this dominant deliberately muddied the waters. In an above all else mean that, unless the common sense and argue instead for a attempt to enforce their monopoly as Labour left breaks decisively with real socialist programme.4 Candidates the approved voice of the Labour left such sub-reformism, it will continue As well as raising the nature of the We urge Labour members to cast their votes in this order of preference against upstarts such as the Labour to remain symbiotically and inevitably political programme that the Labour Left Alliance (LLA), they refused to entwined with the Labour right. For left needs to adopt, these elections 1. Roger Silverman 10. Mish Rahman even enter into discussions, let alone the sake of such unity and the distant also pose important questions of future 2. Chaudhry Qamer Iqbal 11. Ann Henderson serious negotiations, to organise a hope of parliamentary success, many strategy and tactics. The LLA has 3. Carol Taylor-Spedding 12. Nadia Jama 3 common, principled left slate. on the Labour left remain content to correctly made the witch-hunt and the 4. Alec Price 13. Cameron Mitchell act as a licensed, but impotent, loyal advance of party democracy the centre Broad unity opposition, mounting occasional of its campaign. That important fight 5. Ekua Bayunu 14. Mark McDonald This failure to agree such a slate for the minor rebellions and continually needs to continue after the election is 6. Steve Maggs 15. Steph Shuttleworth NEC elections tells us what is really protesting about a drift to the right, over. The LLA campaign, in contrast 7. Laura Pidcock 16. John Wiseman going on within the Labour left. Whilst but refusing to really carry the fight to the silence of the GV candidates Starmer and the right continue their to our openly pro-capitalist enemies on these issues, has struck a chord 8. Yasmine Dar 17. Katherine Foy fierce attacks, expelling socialists on within. In this way the compromising amongst leftwingers, as can be seen 9. Gemma Bolton 18. Crispin Flintoff trumped-up charges and shutting down approach of the organisations of the in the number of nominations that the weekly 6 October 22 2020 1320 worker SCOTLAND Eyes on exits Paul Demarty examines the rising support for independence, and the tasks of the internationalist left yebrows are being raised politics of Scottish independence might among the British bourgeoisie have looked a little like those of Irish Efollowing the results of a recent nationalism in the 19th century: it was opinion poll on the question of impossible to imagine the Irish masses Scottish independence. coming to solidarity with British In what must be the least shocking workers without the latter making a shock poll result in modern history, gesture of good faith and backing Irish Ipsos Mori discovered the highest national aspirations against their own support for independence ever rulers. The idea of Scottish national recorded: 58% said they would vote oppression is, however, historically Yes if a new referendum were held risible, and frankly insulting to the tomorrow, while 64% agreed that millions of actual colonial subjects there should be a new poll within lorded over by an intimate coalition five years. A crushing victory for of Scots and English administrators pro-independence parties is expected for several centuries. The rise of when the Scots go to the polls in the Scottish nationalism tracks not the Holyrood elections next May. intensification of British imperialism, Partly, of course, this is a function but its collapse (with necessarily of the immediate news cycle. devastating consequences for Though devolution shields Scotland industries like shipbuilding - not somewhat from the staggering unimportant in the great Scottish incompetence of Boris Johnson’s cities), and - despite the ‘remainism’ government in relation to the of Scottish voters - has far more in Covid-19 pandemic, the fact that common with English Brexitism Westminster is embroiled in warfare than it would like to admit. There is with various other devolved bodies no ‘progressive’ nationalism, because in England is an uncomfortable there is no possibility of socialism reminder of the increasingly top- within a single country: there are heavy structure of power in Britain. only alternative strategies to break (Even London itself is viewed with the working class from national suspicion in the Johnson-Cummings sectionalism of various types. bunker, though Sadiq Khan caved in In that connection, the fact remains more readily to lockdown diktat than that there clearly is a national question the Labour mayors of the north-west.) for Scotland (and for Wales, as well Since Scotland has benefited from its as at least two in the Six Counties devolved room for manoeuvre on of Northern Ireland). From that this point, naturally its citizens will Nationalist solutions are illusory solutions perspective, it is the duty of British wonder where else there are gains workers everywhere to fight for real to be made, if only Westminster was to pay for getting rid of Brussels. spends his time spreading Novichok the UK queen as its monarch). It self-determination. That means that robbed of all its direct control of the So long as the Trident submarines conspiracy theories for the Russian would retain its EU citizenship, it ought not to be the prerogative of country. There is also the matter of can be relocated in good order and news outlet Sputnik. and the lion’s share of North Sea oil the crown to permit independence Brexit - a great Tory misadventure the rest of the UK can negotiate the revenues. It would, in short, be not plebiscites; indeed, it means that opposed by a large majority of Scots continuation of its security council The left only a historic step towards ‘national referenda ought not to be necessary, but imposed on them anyway by seat, we rather suspect that a lot of The question arises, more forcefully freedom’, but also so smooth that you and such matters should devolve to English votes. Tory MPs would feel better to be rid now, as to how strong the case for might barely notice anything other the national legislatures by a simple The truth is that support for of a nation that has been tendentially independence is. We must look at than the hangover after polling night. vote of representatives. A coalition independence and pro-independence hostile to the Conservatives for this from the perspective of both the Those promises smacked a little of parties that favour independence parties - critically the Scottish several decades. bourgeoisie and the left, since it is of wishful thinking at the time; but it ought to just be able to declare it, National Party - has been riding high The only obstacle to Scottish simply a matter of fact that the left in is now surely the case that Scotland without engaging in a demeaning fairly consistently since the 2014 independence, at this point, is Scotland has overwhelmingly taken will be out of the EU, along with the kabuki dance with Westminster. referendum. It is usual nowadays paradoxically its popularity. After a pro-independence line, albeit in fits rest of us, before it is out of the UK, Invisible to a left increasingly for establishment politicians and all, Scotland does not have the right and starts, over the last three decades. and presumably will not be readmitted terrified of nuance is the fact that liberal types to scold Johnson and to call a referendum, or to secede From the point of view of the without complicated negotiations. It self-determination does not equal other Tory Brexiteers for putting ‘our from the UK ad libitum. With polling SNP’s bourgeois separatism - aiming will thus be more dependent, by and independence. The only chance of a precious union’ at risk. It was not numbers as they are - the unionists at an independent, but cosmopolitan, by, on keeping good relations with the decent future for humanity - any future him, however, but David Cameron would be absolutely crushed - this capitalist Scotland with close rump UK, which presumably means at all, it seems sometimes - is the unity - his slick yuppie predecessor - who fact makes it rather less likely that economic ties with the rest of the UK, that Johnson or his successor will of the working class internationally, promised vast concessions to Scottish Westminster is going to agree to together with EU membership - both be able to drive a very hard bargain and the establishment of its rule in voters in return for a ‘No’ vote, a rematch. Johnson may not care the strengths and the weaknesses of on things like North Sea oil. More strong polities that can realistically before immediately pivoting towards overmuch about the future of the the case have been accentuated in broadly, Scotland will be born as an survive imperialist revenge. Britain English national chauvinism (the union, but electoral humiliation is the last six years. Despite a limited economically and militarily trivial is not such a polity, never mind West Lothian question and all that), never a good thing for the sort of Tory revival, the political culture of independent power at a moment of Scotland; one may as well declare a inflaming national sentiment north of swaggering, virile leader he aspires Scotland has diverged sharply from chaotic realignment in global politics. soviet republic in Glenrothes. Instead the border still further. It is one thing to be. that of England and Wales - 25% of In other words, it is, from the point of of trying to split apart the historically to win the war, as they say, and quite Depending on how next year’s Scottish voters voted Tory last time view of the Scottish elite, a far riskier constituted British working class, we another to win the peace. He only Holyrood elections go, he may out, compared to 47% of English proposition now even than it was then. ought to have been reaching outwards; needed to make those concessions not be able to hold the tide back voters; in a near mirror image, the Pragmatic questions of this sort are the opposite path was taken, and because the ‘No’ campaign had been (and if, as is often alleged in the SNP got 45% of the vote in Scotland. less relevant with respect to the left, the poison of nationalism therefore so dismally arrogant. The result was press, Johnson is eyeing the exits The 2015 nationalist wave, in other which abandoned realism along with spreads further. that an initial opinion polling lead anyway, that will be a problem for words, turns out not to be a one-off. any residual sense that socialism in one Nevertheless, in order to overcome of 10-20 points was sensationally his successor). Alongside the SNP Nationalist dominance can become country - even a country as resource- growing nationalism and move towards overturned as polling day loomed. and Greens, various other factions self-fulfilling; a UK-wide parliament, rich and agriculturally self-sufficient working class unity, it is the duty of Johnson’s innovation in Tory are lining up to grab a few seats in whose electoral process produces a as Russia was a century ago, never Marxists in England in particular to politics is to barely bother to pretend the proportional part of the complex vast Tory majority at the same time mind a minnow like Scotland - might stress the right of the Scots and Welsh he cares about this ‘precious union’; Scottish electoral system. The SNP as it hands over 80% of Scottish seats not be a good idea. The Scottish left, to self-determination. Meanwhile, it is Theresa May - the luckless premier may even look favourably on such to the Nats, must necessarily raise in its nationalist senility, has adopted the duty of their comrades in Scotland who separated Cameron and Johnson ‘challengers’, having gotten tangled questions of democratic legitimacy. a perspective discreetly abandoned in and Wales to campaign for continued in this shambolic period of British up in the constitutional niceties of The Tories, meanwhile, are drifting public by first-rank SNP politicians: unity across Britain. Both should Tory government - seems really to Holyrood elections last time round: in the direction of the far right, which that Scotland is the victim of centuries demand a democratic federal republic, have believed that the integrity of so overwhelming was the nationalist increases the probability of chauvinist of national oppression. The question with the right of Scotland and Wales the United Kingdom (particularly victory in the constituencies that it provocations (the recent Catalonian of who gets the oil and what trade to secede, as the means of overcoming in regard to the Six Counties) was ended up costing them seats from the crisis is an alarming example of where arrangements can be arranged quickly separatism and building unity. a trump card among her party ‘proportional’ allocation, by a weird that can lead). enough naturally fall into soft focus, A federal republic, rather than a colleagues, but was taught a rude mathematical quirk. One such spill- On the other hand, we should recall since, even if nothing can be done, the top-down constitutional union, has a lesson by the Johnson-Cummings over ticket, Action for Independence, the offer made by Alex Salmond, question of overturning such awful chance of drawing the poison - but not axis. The latter have at least sniffed carries the added bonus for Nicola Sturgeon and co to Scottish oppression remains. As for Milton’s if the left retains its current credulous the air accurately - among Tory experienced left trainspotters of the voters in 2014. An independent Satan, it is better to reign in hell than attitude to separatism l voters, Brexit is a far higher priority, presence of one Tommy Sheridan, Scotland would maintain the pound serve in heaven. and Scotland would be a small price the disgraced former MSP who now sterling as its currency (not to mention If this story were true, of course, the [email protected] weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 7 CLIMATE Disasters at a double rate While the global institutions are offering pseudo-solutions aplenty, the tipping point is fast approaching, warns Michael Roberts n its latest World Economic emissions of concrete. But producing Outlook report, the International cement - the key ingredient in Monetary Fund again tackled concrete - creates so much CO that I 2 the issue of climate change, global if the industry were a country only warming and what to do about it.1 As China and the US would emit more it did last year,2 the IMF recognised over the course of a year.5 that climate change was a burning Moreover, carbon capture is issue for humanity and the planet. still in its infancy - there are only But this time it claimed that there about 20 projects in commercial use were policy options that could stop worldwide, according to the world’s any further heating to a tipping point most authoritative body of energy beyond which there was no turning analysts, the International Energy back. Agency (IEA). And even supporters Global emissions fell by 8.8% of carbon capture technologies in the first half of this year amid (CCT), such as Klaus Lackner, admit: restrictions on movement and “We are at a tipping point and no-one economic activity owing to the knows quite how it will tip”: coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report. But that figure is Lackner said the world was likely coming back up: “Unfortunately, to surge beyond the 1.5C global the climate protection impact will heating limit set out in the Paris be almost negligible” from the climate agreement. “We are living Covid slump, says the report. Even in an overshoot world where 1.5C though carbon dioxide emissions are will be missed,” he said. “We are lower than usual, the concentration going to have to step harder on the

of CO2 in the atmosphere is still brakes and we are going to have to increasing due to continued fossil get carbon back.”6 fuel consumption. “It makes almost More and more fires no difference in global warming. The IMF’s policy proposals are Maybe one-hundredth of a degree emissions comes from India and the GDP in the first 15 years of the workers”, which “will also help to creating a ‘smokescreen’ (literally!) difference, probably even less,” said US. recovery by about 0.7% of global GDP smoothen job transitions to low- to hide the reality that, as long as the the report. on average, and employment for about carbon sectors”. fossil fuel industry and the other big And in a report released this week, Solution? half of that period, leading to about 12 multinational emitters of greenhouse the United Nations forecast that unless The IMF, however, reckons that million extra persons being employed Smokescreen gases are untouched and not brought global warming is stopped the planet it has the answers for avoiding globally. As the recovery takes hold, This all sounds great. Global warming into a plan for phasing them out, the will turn into “uninhabitable hell” for impending disaster: “Unaddressed, preannounced and gradually rising avoided, economic growth and jobs tipping point for irreversible global millions.3 The UN report put it on the climate change will entail a carbon prices will become a powerful continuing - and all through market- warming will be passed. line: political and business leaders potentially catastrophic human tool to deliver the needed reduction in oriented measures and government The IEA found in its latest annual are being “wilfully negligent”, as and economic toll, but it’s not too carbon emissions: investment, without touching the flagship report that the world is headed natural disasters nearly double this late to change course.” Keeping sides of the fossil fuel industry and toward global warming higher than century. In the period 2000-19, there temperatures to levels deemed safe If implemented, such a policy multinational control of energy, the Paris agreement’s most aggressive were 7,348 major recorded disaster by scientists requires bringing net programme would put the global mineral and raw materials production. limit of 1.5°C. The agency reckons events, claiming 1.23 million lives, carbon emissions to zero globally economy on a sustainable path by The first thing to note, however, that getting fossil fuels substantially affecting 4.2 billion people (many by mid-century at the latest, but reducing emissions and limiting is that the IMF model assumes no out of the energy system would cost on more than one occasion) and this can be done, says the IMF with climate change. The net effect financial and investment crises in 25% more than the $54 trillion the resulting in approximately $2.97 two major economic policy tools - would approximately halve the capitalist production for the next world is already expected to invest by trillion in global economic losses. which moreover “can be pursued expected output loss from climate 30 years! It projects average annual 2040. This is a sharp increase over the in a manner that supports economic change and provide long-term real global growth of 3.3% up to 2050. In its 2020 ‘World Energy previous 20 years. Between 1980 and growth, employment and income GDP gains well above the current And yet it also reckons its ‘mitigation’ Outlook’,7 the IEA states: 1999, 4,212 disasters were linked to equality”. This sounds very positive. course from 2050 onward. strategy would knock 1% a year off natural hazards worldwide, claiming What are the IMF’s planet- that rate. On that basis, real per capita The era of global oil demand approximately 1.19 million lives, saving economic policies? The first So it seems we can have our cake GDP growth would be barely above growth will come to an end in the affecting 3.25 billion people and is to reduce the use of fossil fuel and eat it: more growth and zero population growth in many countries next decade, but without a large resulting in approximately $1.63 energy sources and the second is to emissions! of the global south. And the model shift in government policies there trillion in economic losses. reduce energy consumption in total. However, the IMF does admit that, does not really avoid the conflict is no sign of a rapid decline. Based Much of the difference is According to the IMF economists, despite the long-run benefits and an between lives and livelihoods. on today’s policy settings, a global explained by a rise in climate-related this can be done with carbon taxes and initial boost to economic activity, its The IMF also clings to the economic rebound would soon disasters, including extreme weather market pricing of carbon emissions: policies do impose costs along the mainstream neoclassical model of push oil demand back to pre-crisis events: from 3,656 climate-related transition. Between 2037 and 2050, relying on market pricing to alter levels. events (1980-99) to 6,681 such ... a carbon tax makes dirty fuels the mitigation strategy would hold production and consumption. Carbon disasters in the period 2000-19. The more expensive, which incentivises global GDP down by about 0.7% on emissions will be priced in markets to Bringing about a 40% reduction last 20 years has seen the number of energy consumers to shift their average each year and by 1.1% in account for the ‘social cost of carbon’ in emissions by 2030 requires, for major floods more than double, from consumption towards greener 2050, relative to unchanged policies. in pollution and global warming. But example, that low-emissions sources 1,389 to 3,254, while the incidence fuels. Total energy consumption But, says the IMF: economists, who have attempted to provide nearly 75% of global of storms grew from 1,457 to 2,034. falls too because, overall, energy is calculate what that ‘social price’ should electricity generation in 2030 (up Floods and storms were the most more expensive. These costs seem manageable, be, have found that there are so many from less than 40% in 2019) and that prevalent events. The report, ‘The however, considering that global factors involved (and the pricing must more than 50% of passenger cars sold Human cost of disasters 2000-2019’, And, on the other side of the coin, we output is projected to grow be projected over a such a long time- worldwide in 2030 are electric (up also records major increases in other should make “green energy cheaper by 120% between now and horizon) that it is really impossible to from 2.5% in 2019). categories, including droughts, and more abundant (through subsidies 2050. The drag on output could place a monetary value on the social If today’s energy infrastructure wildfires and extreme temperature or direct public investment in green be further reduced if climate damage - estimates for the carbon price continues to operate as it has in the past,

events. In addition there has been a energy)”. policies incentivise technological range from $14 per ton of CO2 to $386! it would lock in by itself a temperature rise in geophysical events, including Countries should initially opt development in clean technologies In fact it is impossible to “approximate rise of 1.65°C. That is beyond the earthquakes and tsunamis, which for a green investment stimulus - through R&D subsidies, for the uncertainties in low-probability tipping point for the extinction of have killed more people than any - investments in clean public instance. Moreover, the package but high-damage, catastrophic or planetary species, destructive weather of the other natural hazards under transportation, smart electricity grids would be neutral for output during irreversible outcomes”.4 Indeed, where and mass migration l review in this report. to incorporate renewables into power that period, if important benefits in carbon pricing has been applied, it has Echoing the IMF report, the UN generation, and retrofitting buildings the form of better health outcomes been a miserable failure in reducing Michael Roberts blogs at said: to make them more energy-efficient. (due to reduced pollution) or less emissions - in the case of Australia it thenextrecession.wordpress.com This green infrastructure push will traffic congestion are considered. was dropped by the government under Currently, the world is on course achieve two goals. First, it will boost the pressure of energy and mining Notes for a temperature increase of global gross domestic product and Also the IMF recognises that “low- companies. 1. blogs.imf.org/2020/10/07/finding-the-right- policy-mix-to-safeguard-our-climate. 3.2 degrees Celsius or more, employment in the initial years of the income households are more likely The other IMF policy is for public 2. See thenextrecession.wordpress. unless industrialised nations can recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. to be hurt by carbon pricing, as they investment in ‘green technology’. com/2019/09/06/climate-change-and-mitigation. deliver reductions in greenhouse Second, the green infrastructure will spend a relatively large share of their Here the IMF turns to carbon capture. 3. undrr.org/publication/human-cost-disasters- gas emissions of at least 7.2% increase productivity in low-carbon income on energy and are more likely While carbon capture can work, at overview-last-20-years-2000-2019. 4. See systemchangenotclimatechange. annually over the next 10 years sectors, thereby incentivising the to be employed in carbon-intensive least in theory, it is prohibitively org/article/%E2%80%9Csocial-cost- in order to achieve the 1.5 degree private sector to invest in them and manufacturing and transportation”. expensive and may even become carbon%E2%80%9D-what-price-existence. target agreed in Paris. making it easier to adapt to higher But governments can use various part of the problem. For example, 5. See theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/ carbon prices. policies to limit the adverse effects of consortiums including Amazon and concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth. 6. theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/07/ While China is the biggest emitter of The IMF has a model that claims higher carbon prices on households: Microsoft invested in CarbonCure carbon-capture-moonshot-moves-closer-as- CO2, mainly because of its population that its strategy to mitigate climate eg, cash transfers and public spending. Technologies - a Canadian firm billions-of-dollars-pour-in. size, the fastest annual growth of change could actually boost global And jobs can be saved by “retooling seeking to slash the carbon dioxide 7. iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2020. weekly 8 October 22 2020 1320 worker POLEMIC Historical muddle, theoretical overkill Continuing his response to Neil Faulkner, Mike Macnair rejects the myth of the ‘Zinovievist’ origin of democratic centralism eil Faulkner in his series on on the role of the Communist Party theories of the party advocates in the proletarian revolution (Second Nthe rejection of a party platform, Congress; Zinoviev’s draft), with the in favour of a broad party, which claim that the party as the advanced attempts to organise the ‘workers’ part has to represent the class, and its vanguard’ - meaning the broad activist 1921 The organisational structure of layer of the workers’ movement.1 the Communist Parties, the methods However, he uses Lenin to support and content of their work (Third the organisational separation of Congress; Kuusinen, Lenin, Koenen), ‘revolutionaries’ from ‘reformists’ - which concretised the idea of the which he attributes to the 1903 split leadership as the most advanced part of in the Russian Social Democratic the party, which ‘represents’ the whole Labour Party: following the myth of against the backward ‘parts’.10 1903, even as he denounces it. But There are many good things in these he completely fails to define what sets of theses, but they both make a ‘revolutionary’ and ‘reformist’ mean fundamental error. The party may be in his argument. On the question of wrong - as against the working class organisational forms, in his first article, masses, or even as against a particular he attributes to Marx the federalism of group. The leadership may be wrong - Proudhon and Bakunin.2 In his third as against the party ranks, or even as article - theoretically on ‘Trotsky’s against a particular branch or fraction. theory of the party’ - he denounces This error has been characterised democratic centralism as inherently by several authors, mainly but not bureaucratic. He argues: exclusively coming from the Cliffite tradition, as ‘Zinovievism’, from ... references to the concept in Lenin’s Grigory Zinoviev: Okhrana 1908 mugshot Grigory Zinoviev’s role in introducing works are few, and most of these few the Second Congress theses and, in the post-date 1917. There are many more 1923-25 (they later became left critics organisational model of the SWP. In in the ‘west’ tolerated a great deal of Fifth Comintern Congress and after, references in Trotsky, but virtually of Trotskyism). It is almost certainly organisations of this type, the leaders informal factional activity. in ‘Bolshevisation’. Faulkner does it, all post-date 1917. Democratic from this source that the Trotskyists are permanently in post, and cannot be The bans on ‘permanent factions’ without much development; Thomas centralism does not appear to have immediately derived attachment to got rid of without a crisis (as is, in fact, and on ‘factionalism’ were not shared agrees. been a preoccupation of the Russian the idea. The Decists’ existence shows the origin of Counterfire, when John by the International Committee’s great The background to the idea seems revolutionary leadership until they that the meaning of the phrase was Rees and Lindsey German and their rivals in the Pabloite International to be Alfred Rosmer’s writing,11 and were confronted by the enormous debatable in the 1920s. co-thinkers were made to carry the can Secretariat of the Fourth International more explicitly that of Max Shachtman, challenges represented by civil Why are there few references to the for the failure of the Respect project); (1953-63) and its descendants in who wrote in 1953, against James P war, economic and social collapse, formula in Lenin’s works before 1917 regional and other organisers are the European wing of the Unified Cannon: and world revolution in the period (there are some such references)7 and appointed from above, not elected from Secretariat of the Fourth International 1917‑23. none in Trotsky (which means virtually below; and, further, behind the official (1964-1980s; now self-identified as … Cannon was not only a product nothing, since very little of pre-1917 structure of formal subordination to the ‘official’ Fourth International). of the American working class He claims that “The concept seems Trotsky is available in translation)? The conference, and to an infrequently- But there is still control of information (and in an even wider sense, of the to have gained prominence during answer is, in fact, simple. People do meeting lay national committee, is an flows by the party centre in these American type of politics - that is, Zinoviev’s stewardship of the early not write at length about issues which independent financial apparatus with organisations, and their factions American bourgeois politics), but Comintern … between 1919 and are not debated. Democratic centralism a very substantial turnover. This is not function in the organisation as also a product of the Comintern of 1923” and it became “a mechanism was adopted by the Mensheviks in financially misappropriated as such, bourgeois political parties do in Zinoviev’s days. This eminent and of Stalinist counterrevolution inside November 1905, pretty certainly but it does provide an unaccountable the parliamentary regime: that is, tragic figure was not only a highly Russia”.3 He goes on: “In the light of on the basis of the commitments of leadership core with possibilities of ‘Whoever you vote for, the government successful populariser of Lenin’s this, it seems highly anomalous that the September 1905 Jena Parteitag handing out jobs and other patronage, will get in’ - the full-time apparat ideas, but also a highly successful democratic centralism should also of the Sozialdemokratische Partei which helps to construct conference has enough ability to manipulate the distorter of them. He taught a whole have become a feature of the Trotskyist Deutschlands to democratic majorities. electoral process to ensure that it generation of communists some of tradition.” ‘centralisation’. It was then adopted by Conversely, ‘permanent factions’ usually remains undislodged. the fundamental ideas of modern There are here historical claims, the Bolsheviks in December 1905, and (existing outside the formal pre- Behind this phenomenon is both a Marxism, whose validity remains but little actual historical evidence. by the April 1906 RSDLP unification conference period) are banned. This practical problem and an ideology. The essentially intact today. But he Faulkner’s argument is mainly congress.8 The point is repeated in the in turn has the effect that horizontal practical problem is the equivalent of also mistaught and ruined most of addressed to modern far-left practice, rules adopted by the (Bolshevik) 6th communication beyond the single local two prongs of a fork. The first prong that generation - some only in part and is (even on that basis) exceedingly Party Congress in July-August 1917, branch, though not formally banned, is is that capital generally offers workers and others completely. More than unclear. The objection seems to be which effected the unification with the liable to be punished as ‘factionalism’. the choice between overwork, on the any other individual, he poisoned to the modern interpretation of the Bolsheviks of the Mezhrayonka ‘Inter- And a sharp line is drawn between one hand, and serious poverty, on the the Comintern’s life with methods, ‘Leninist’ side of the myth of 1903, in district non-faction social democrat what can be published (the leadership’s other. The result is that it is hard to do procedures and party conceptions which Lenin’s proposition that party unifiers’ including Trotsky and others: line) and dissent, which has to remain the work required to publish papers, that contributed heavily to the members have to participate in local internal only. run campaigns, organise meetings, eventual triumph of Stalinism. party organisations is turned into a 5. All party organisations are built The model is ideologically and so on, without full-timers. To the What Cannon learned about theory of party members as hyper- on the principles of democratic characterised as a “Leninist combat extent that we do without full-timers, Lenin’s conceptions of the role activist foot soldiers directed by the centralism. party”. Although the forms vary, this we are generally forced to rely on of the party, of the party cadre, central leadership. (Martin Thomas [Note. Included among “party set-up is the common inheritance of people who have other advantages of the party leadership, of party similarly, but not identically, suggests organisations” are “party fractions the International Committee of the under capitalism - with the same risk democracy, he learned not from in his reply that it is addressed to in governmental, municipal, soviet Fourth International, created in 1953; of inequality as when employing Lenin, but, like virtually all the the recent regime of the Socialist and other institutions”, which are and so was also found in the US full-timers. The second prong is that Communist Party leaders of his Workers Party.4) This conception has further obliged to “subordinate Socialist Workers Party (not otherwise capitalists are generally unenthusiastic time, from Zinoviev: that is, from a connection to the history, but it is a themselves to all party decisions connected to the British organisation), about employing people whose CVs the ridiculous caricature of Lenin’s rather tenuous one. I have written about and to their respective leading in the Workers Revolutionary Party in include periods of full-time work ideas and traditions that flowered its roots before, and some repetition is centres”.] Britain, and in the French Lambertiste for left organisations (or even trade in the disastrous days of Zinoviev’s unavoidable.5 6. All organisations are autonomous trend (repeatedly renamed; originally unions). So it is problematic in human ‘Bolshevisation’ campaign.12 with respect to their internal the Parti Communiste Internationaliste, terms to dismiss full-timers. Anomalous? activities. Every party organisation most recently the Parti Ouvrier Between these two prongs, there is, This approach is very badly misleading. Faulkner’s “highly anomalous” has the right to issue party literature Indépendant). The idea that the full- therefore, a natural pressure of capitalist In the first place, it is personality- comment is again a combination of in its own name.9 time apparatus is the ‘cadre’ - the society on workers’ organisations to cult reasoning: scapegoating Zinoviev silence and historical leaps. Here, indispensable core of the party - was employ long-service full-timers. The for decisions to which, in fact, Lenin what is missed is the Democratic Democratic centralism was thus central to James P Cannon of the US larger the organisation, the more these and Trotsky were unequivocally Centralist or ‘Decist’ faction (their merely conceptions about organisation SWP, and his British and French co- long-service full-timers are needed, parties, in the hope of finding a ‘pure own self-identification) in the Russian that were generally agreed by both thinkers, when they organised a split and also the more they are drawn form’ of Leninism and, or, preserving Communist Party in 1919-21, fighting major factions in the RSDLP (and by in the Fourth International in 1953. into the common political culture of ‘T is for Trotsky, the hero’. I have against over-centralisation and the large majority of the German SPD), They claimed that the (alleged) support capitalist-bureaucratic managerialism. already referred to the Comintern bureaucracy, and the fact that this which did not give rise to significant of the ‘Pabloites’ for opposition This is not a particular problem of theses of 1920 and 1921. In Russia the faction was an important component in polemics and hence were not much groupings in the US SWP, the French far-left groups: the Webbs already turn to military centralism started in the original Left Opposition of 1923- referred to by Lenin. But that also PCI and British ‘Club’ amounted to noticed it in the British trade unions in March 1919 at the 8th party congress. 25.6 means precisely that we have good an attack on the ‘cadre’ and hence to their 1894 History of trade unionism, In the resolution On the organisational This is by no means a nit- reason to suppose that Lenin agreed ‘liquidationism’. and Robert Michels overargued it (as question we find: pick. Faulkner’s argument is that with the formula. He was not shy in General bans on factions were ‘natural elites’) from observation of democratic centralism is a product expressing disagreement with party common to the ‘official’ communists the massive SPD, in his 1911 book 7. Centralism and discipline. The of the degeneration of the Russian resolutions. and the Maoists. They were the Political parties. situation of the party is such that Revolution. The Decists raised the inheritance of the 1921 ban in the the strictest centralism and the most idea as a banner of opposition to this ‘Combat party’ Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik) Zinovievism severe discipline are an absolute development of bureaucratic rule - Faulkner is, as Thomas suggests, and its congeners in the decisions of the The ideology has two threads to it. necessity. All decisions of higher already in the civil war - and they polemicising in a very confused Communist International. In practice, The first - and fundamental to the later echelons are absolutely binding for participated in the Left Opposition of way against the basic frame of the however, ‘official’ communist parties tradition - is Comintern’s 1920 Theses those below. Every resolution must weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 9

first be carried out, and only then is it of this book and its relationship to the I pointed out in my first article in this having to struggle to hold themselves actually require self-censorship; and permissible to appeal the resolution 1903 split in the RSDLP.17 But what series,23 the case for centralism against above their subordinates, isolated in consequently, apparatus censorship to the appropriate party body. In this we are concerned with here is later federalism made by the Communist their local, regional or sectoral/office of the press, which produces the same sense regular military discipline radicals’ reading of the book out of League and other radicals in 1848-52, domains, they are a species which results as the more obviously top- is necessary for the party in the context. And here the core was the and the use of federalism in the Second has less collective life, more agonistic down bureaucratic groups. present era. All party undertakings idea of ‘professional revolutionaries’ Reich to secure the interests of the competition among themselves, What Faulkner has offered us to susceptible of centralisation - understood not as meaning landlord class. than urban petty-proprietor artisans. argue against democratic centralism (publishing, propaganda, etc) must ‘revolutionaries who are skilled at the This stuff is not old, dead history, Hence, they are driven just as much as is thus badly muddled history and be centralised for effectiveness. work’ (as Lih reads Lenin’s argument), but live, present politics: the federalism peasants to seek a man on horseback, theoretical overkill l All conflicts are resolved by the but as ‘full-timers’. of the European Union as a block on a representative who “must at the appropriate higher party echelon.13 There is a link here to the idea of anything other than neoliberal/ordo- same time appear as their master, as [email protected] ‘cadre’ - originally a military term. The liberal policies; the federalism of the an authority over them, an unlimited Corresponding with this turn, the cadre of an army or particular military USA as the constitutional basis on governmental power which protects Notes party rules adopted by the 8th party unit consists of the officers, specialists which Donald Trump was elected; the them from the other classes and sends 1. Time to Mutiny August 1: timetomutiny.org/post/ conference in December 1919 and instructors, who train up the federalism of the Labour Party and them rain and sunshine from above”.25 the-marxist-theory-of-the-revolutionary-party; abolished the right of local and incoming short-service conscripts. the British trade union movement as It can thus be seen that Faulkner August 7: timetomutiny.org/post/lenin-and-the- bolsheviks; August 11:P timetomutiny.org/post/3- sectoral organisations to publish their The expression was in communist a structural defence of the trade union cannot account for the problem of the trotsky-s-theory-of-the-party. own literature, which had been in the use by 1930 at the latest - presumably and Labour Party bureaucracy against ‘self-perpetuating’ leadership, which 2. For Proudhon’s federalism see my review of Ian August 1917 rules.14 having spread from the Red Army to ‘outside’ critics; on a much smaller is as much a problem in mass ‘official McKay’s 2011 Property is theft! A Pierre-Joseph Secondly, the ‘scapegoat Zinoviev’ the cadres (specifically trained and scale, the federalism of the Committee communist’ parties, trade unions and Proudhon anthology in ‘No guide to revolution’ approach leaves out the reasons for the specialist industrial workers, villager for a Workers’ International as a similar the Labour left as in small groups. Weekly Worker July 19 2012. For Bakunin’s 18 federalism, see marxists.org/reference/archive/ decisions taken (even if those decisions leaders, and so on). They were still protection for the Peter Taaffe-Hannah Equally, the cult of the personality of bakunin/works/various/reasons-of-state.htm can be seen in retrospect to have been not full-timers, though, and way below Sell regime in London. The claim to Lenin grew up in the mass CPSU and (1867); and in relation to the workers’ movement, mistaken). the ‘top leadership’ level. represent the silent voters against the is merely imitated by the cults of the M Enckel, ‘Bakunin and the Jura Federation’ in F Bensimon, Q Deluermoz, J Moisand (eds) ‘Arise The original idea that the class has It is James P Cannon who seems to unrepresentative activists, so as not personalities of Healy, Cliff and so on. ye wretched of the Earth’: the First International to be ‘represented’ by its advanced have been responsible for the idea that to be bound by conference decisions, Finally, Faulkner throws in a casual in a global perspective Leiden 2018, chapter 23, part, the party, flowed from the the ‘cadre’ of the organisation meant is the routine practice of pro-capitalist claim about coercion: pp362-63. Bolsheviks’ loss of majority support its full-timers. Already in 1931 Cannon professional politicians. 3. An odd end date. Zinoviev was chair of Comintern between March 1919 and November in spring 1918 as a result of the peace wrote that the Communist League of Faulkner then leaps to “what, in It is not the party, but the working 1926. The arguments Faulkner is using (indirectly) of Brest-Litovsk - and as a result, America’s conference should practice, is the meaning of democratic class and the oppressed in struggle to blame Zinoviev for ‘democratic-centralism’ and their rigging of soviet elections at centralism”. He claims: “It comes who sometimes have recourse to ‘Bolshevisation’ rely on Zinoviev’s conduct of the same period, and then the turn begin the actual formation of a down to this. Power is concentrated ‘democratic’ coercive force. There Comintern mainly after Lenin’s disabling illness and death: ie, in 1923-26. of the Left Socialist Revolutionaries cadre of professional revolutionists, disproportionately and inappropriately are many examples. Scabs may be 4. I will deal with Martin Thomas’s side of the to terrorism against the Bolshevik who put themselves entirely at in the hands of a (largely) self- physically prevented from crossing argument next week. regime, and the Bolshevik response of the disposal of the organisation. perpetuating leadership, or even in the picket-lines during strikes … 5. See more in my ‘Full-timers and “cadre” Red Terror.15 They now had to justify Select a group out of the younger hands of a single guru figure.” Democratic coercion, then, is ‘Weekly Worker April 25 2019. Also (on the Counterfire split from SWP) ‘Bureaucratic what had become a dictatorship over and foot-loose elements, and train From here he jumps briefly into the a weapon in the struggle between centralism and ineffectiveness’ Weekly Worker the proletariat. them deliberately for full-time valueless psycho-babble explanation classes, between oppressor and February 25 2010. The drive for ‘military’ discipline professional work.19 of sects, elaborated later in the article oppressed, not something to be 6. There is an outline in D Priestland Stalinism in the party flowed from the problem (which I gave reasons to discount last deployed against dissidents inside and the politics of mobilisation Oxford 2010, pp107-10. Noa Rodman has translated some of military insubordination by local I guess that this peculiarity reflects week). He goes on: the working class movement (the Decist material: links at leftcom.org/en/ leaderships, notably in the Tsaritsyn Cannon’s pre-Communist Party correct term for which is perhaps forum/2011-12-14/decists-russian-communist-left. affair in autumn 1918, and the political background as an itinerant organiser But they are not revolutionary- ‘Stalinism’ rather than ‘democratic 7. LT Lih, ‘Fortunes of a formula’ Weekly Worker struggle round the ‘military opposition’ for the Industrial Workers of the World socialist parties, for these must centralism’). April 11 2013; ‘Further fortunes of a formula’ at the Eighth Congress of the party in - which he himself later saw as a proto- be rooted in the vanguards of the Weekly Worker July 25 2013. See also my own 16 ‘Reclaiming democratic centralism’ Weekly Worker March 1919. party formation, but which operated working class and the oppressed, This is, of course, Kautsky’s May 23 2019. The decision to ban factions, as is through itinerant organisers, with a and therefore in the living and others’ argument against the 8. The resolutions are quoted in ‘Reclaiming well known, was part of the turn to very low stability of the rank-and-file experience of mass struggle; Bolsheviks’ October 1917 ‘use of democratic centralism’ (note 6) from R Carter 20 Elwood (ed) Resolutions and decisions of the the New Economic Policy in 1921: membership. and this, in any remotely healthy force against a socialist government’. Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1898-1917 the expectation was that economic Cannon was not himself fully organisation, can be guaranteed to And it is the Blairites’ claim that they Toronto 1974, pp83, 87, 94; I was led to Carter liberalisation would strengthen the consistent in using this concept in this generate a ferment of debate. were ‘intimidated’ and ‘bullied’ by Elwood by P LeBlanc Lenin and the revolutionary hand of small capital, which would way. He did, however, use it to justify the Corbynites finally rising up against party New Jersey 1990, pp128-29. 9. C Elwood op cit pp251-52. naturally find political expression; in split of 1953, which reverberated down “Remotely healthy” is a get-out clause: their tyranny over the Labour Party. 10. Both available at marxists.org/history/ the circumstances, if the proletariat the subsequent history of Trotskyism. mass socialist and communist parties, Imagine for a moment a communist international/comintern/index.htm. The discussions - a small minority in Russia - was to It also fitted in with the enthusiasm of and trade unions, may have violently or ‘revolutionary’ party on the scale in J Riddell (ed) Workers of the world and hang on to political power until the late 1960s-early 1970s radicals - not bureaucratic regimes. A “ferment of of the old German SPD or the Italian oppressed peoples, unite! (second congress) New York 1991, Vol 1, pp185-260, and J Riddell (ed) To expected revolution in the west caught just Trotskyists - for What is to be debate” can, on the other hand, be Communist Party at its height (which the masses (third congress) Chicago 2015, pp809- up, opposition parties had to be more done?, the myth of 1903 and the image found in the British Conservative party is the sort of scale of party we would 34, 874-83, add little to the text of the theses. On systematically banned, as did factions of the ‘professional revolutionary’ as at any time in its 20th century history. need for a workers’ revolution). There the authorship see Lenin’s notes at pp1101-04. within the Communist Party. a sort of virtuous outlaw.21 The image He continues: is not the slightest doubt that capitalists 11. A Rosmer (and others) Trotsky and the origins of Trotskyism London 2002. Given that Rosmer Meanwhile, in the west, the social provides ideological support for the and the capitalist state would seek to was politically active down to his death and democratic parties, and the ‘centrists’ ‘party dominated by full-timers’ and The world cannot be understood buy or win over leading officials and shared, broadly, Shachtman’s hostility to the like the German Independent Social the duty of hyper-activism within the by reference to a father-figure, a elected representatives of such a party. ‘orthodox Trotskyists’, Rosmer’s account has to Democratic Party (USPD) had failed ranks. sacred text, a party programme or Would it not be legitimate for the party be seen, in spite of his eyewitness status, as just as much a retrospective assessment as Shachtman’s. to create workers’ power; and had an eternal dogma. It can only be ranks to demand of these officials that 12. ‘Twenty-five years of American Trotskyism’: failed at least in part because they Objections understood through a living process they stand down, and threaten them marxists.org/archive/shachtma/1953/11/25years. baulked at the necessity of civil war Neil Faulkner’s objections to this of analysis that is (a) collective and with force if they refuse to do so? html. (that necessary was to come back to regime are curiously narrow. It is that (b) ongoing - collective because It is again unlikely that comrade 13. R Gregor (ed) Resolutions and decisions of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1917-1929 them all the same, in the form of one- “The concept has no real meaning the revolutionaries must pool their Faulkner actually means what he says Toronto 1974, p86. sided capitalist-initiated civil war, outside the framework of some sort experiences and impressions if they here. It is also totally unclear what it 14. R Gregor op cit p91 (no11). And going back to in Italy in 1920-22, in Germany and of coercive apparatus.” Majority are to make sound generalisations, is addressed to. Have the SWP, or the 1906 Unification. Austria in 1933-34, in Spain in 1936, decision-making, he argues, is just and ongoing because everything Counterfire, leaderships been using 15. This can be found at various points in A Rabinowitch The Bolsheviks in power Indiana in most of the rest of Europe in 1939). democracy: “Except that people is in motion, ever-changing, never physical force to maintain control (as 2008. It was then natural for the Russians imagine that something more is implied ‘fixed and fast-frozen’. the Healy leadership certainly did)? 16. There is a convenient discussion in G and their co-thinkers to imagine that by democratic centralism: namely, that Faulkner does not offer objections to Lonergan, ‘Where was the conscience of the the solution was to remake the western all members are expected to carry out “A party programme” is merely the ban on factions, or on “permanent revolution? The military opposition at the Eighth Party Congress (March 1919)’ Slavic Review communist parties along the lines of the policy, regardless of whether or not thrown in here as part of Faulkner’s factions”, which means the same thing; No74, pp832-49 (2015). the Bolshevism adapted in 1919 to they agree with it.” general argument against programmes, or to the centralised party control of 17. LT Lih Lenin rediscovered Leiden 2006. civil war. But, he argues, there are actually no without real relevance. “A sacred text” publications and information. His 18. Oxford English Dictionary ‘cadre (n)’, numbers With the benefit of hindsight, all of sanctions in practice for not carrying and “an eternal dogma” are merely part solution to the problem of sectarian 2 and 3. 19. marxists.org/archive/cannon/works/1931/sep/ these decisions were mistakes. They out the decision: “Does anyone of the same spin. A programme is not divisions on the left is the same as the discussion02.htm. were mistakes made under conditions actually get expelled for voting against a way of understanding the world, but Mandelites have been arguing in this 20. marxists.org/archive/cannon/works/1955/iww. of war, counterrevolutionary foreign and then not turning up? And how is a platform: of ways the supporters of country since the late 1970s: separation htm. intervention and civil war - and in an this any different from what happens the party aim through their collective from the “mass movement” produces 21. But it was not just Trotskyists: compare M Elbaum Revolution in the air for the US Maoists of overwhelmingly peasant-majority in a reformist, liberal or conservative action to change it, where Faulkner’s sectarianism, engagement in the “mass the same period. country. organisation?” complaint is that it is not a way to movement” and “learning from” it will 22. See Ben Lewis’s translation of Karl Kautsky’s But the Bolsheviks would not have The short answer to this claim interpret the world. “Philosophers overcome the problem. ‘Constituency and party’ with an introduction had these problems if they had adopted is that in the German origins of have hitherto only interpreted the This approach has produced a by myself and references to related debates in these organisational methods, and ‘democratic centralism’ the point is world in various ways; the point is to remarkable record of Mandelites ‘Origins of democratic centralism’ Weekly Worker 24 November 5 2015. thereby adapted their party to the needs to reject the claims of the ‘revisionist’ change it.” playing the role of left flank-guard 23. ‘High politics and the working class’, of civil war in a peasant-majority right wing Social Democrat Reichstag “Father-figure” is part of the psycho- for bureaucratic ‘lefts’, right down October‑1. country, before they obtained political deputies (MPs) that their mandate from babble. The actual materialist basis of to the point at which the relationship 24. K Marx Theses on Feuerbach [1845] No11: marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/ power. In that case they could not have the silent-majority electors of their the problem is that the turf defence of collapses: Democracia Socialista in index.htm. built a serious workers’ party in the constituency justifies their voting for the monopoly control of information the Brazilian Workers’ Party, Sinistra 25. K Marx The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte first place, or obtained political power arms budgets and not being deselected; in the individual interests of full-time Critica in Rifondazione Comunista [1852] chapter 7: marxists.org/archive/marx/ in October 1917. and of the revisionist Social Democrat bureaucrats (or their intelligentsia in Italy …26 and in this country the works/1852/18th-brumaire/ch07.htm. Compare also Marx’s critique of Hegel on the state majority in Berlin that the party paper substitutes), as against the ‘civil Fourth International Supporters bureaucracy in the Critique of Hegel’s philosophy Cadre Vorwärts was their local paper and the society’ of the ranks, demands the Caucus in Arthur Scargill’s Socialist of right: marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1843/ The second thread of the ideology is national party majority was not entitled ‘single person’ as the final authority to Labour Party; Socialist Action in Ken critique-hpr/ch03.htm. from 1960s-70s radicals’ readings of to reorganise the editorial board of settle the bureaucrats’ turf wars among Livingstone’s London mayor’s office 26. More in my two-part review of New parties Lenin’s 1902 What is to be done? Lars the paper to remove the revisionist themselves. The top-down appointed and hence in the London European of the left: experiences from Europe: ‘The Fourth 22 International and failed perspectives’ Weekly T Lih has written at great length in his majority. party or union bureaucrats are a Social Forum; Socialist Resistance Worker June 4 2012, and ‘Strategy and freedom of attempt to dispel the standard readings The conceptual background was, as species of petty-proprietor. Constantly in various initiatives. These tactics criticism’ June 13 2012. weekly 10 October 22 2020 1320 worker NETHERLANDS

Left will not be silenced Amplify the voice Loes Muller reports on the first meeting of the Marxist opposition in the Socialist Party (Netherlands) ust under 60 comrades took part debates during the last congress, when makes clear that there is no strict internal comrade suggested that we should, as the PvdA and GroenLinks). in the first meeting of the Marxist the party leadership claimed that Tribune discipline, but MF participants are asked the MF, bring together comrades with The mover of the second amendment JForum (Marxistisch Forum) on and Spanning (the more theory-oriented not to sabotage collective action (for union experience. That can be helpful claimed that participating in a coalition September 26. They had come together bimonthly publication) are not the right example, the distribution of leaflets at a in showing other SP members what a can pave the way to power, but other on Zoom to discuss the political line places for such a discussion. party congress). political party can do in relation to trade comrades gave examples of multiple and type of organisation we need in the While the issue of participation in a Three motions had been submitted unions. historical cases, which illustrated that an Socialist Party. coalition government was the main topic - on internationalism, participation in a alliance of Marxist parties with liberals The initiators of MF are from the of the day (see below), many comrades coalition government and trade union Coalition and even social democrats have always Communist Platform1 and the meeting thought it essential to discuss how we strategy. The mover of the motion on The motion against participation in a harmed the organisation concerned and began with an introduction about the are going to organise the workers’ internationalism stressed that socialism coalition government was extensively ultimately led to failure. In the end, both importance of such a project. The movement, without which there can be in one country is not possible, that debated. Two amendments were amendments were rejected by a narrow Socialist Party (SP) is in crisis, divided no advance towards a socialist society. It leaving Nato is a crucial demand (often submitted, and the first in particular - majority. between, on the one side, those who is quite ironic that ROOD sells T-shirts deliberately ‘overlooked’ by the SP) and about joining a governing alliance with There were also two discussion want to make the party more acceptable bearing Marx’s image, even though that the freedom to migrate is essential other ‘left’ parties, such as the PvdA papers that were not voted on. The as a government coalition partner, Marxist theory and the concept of class - with the necessary trade union control (Labour Party) and the GroenLinks first one was about the importance led by the parliamentary faction, and, struggle are absent from the party’s to prevent issues such as strikebreaking. (Green Left) - generated a lot of of fighting against discrimination, on the other side, various opposition programmatic documents. The need The last point especially was criticised by argument. adopting an intersectional approach and groupings. This is exactly the moment for an international vision was also some, who claimed that many workers The mover argued that the SP does being aware of the danger of reducing when we, as Marxists, have to argue mentioned by many - some were of the are against free movement because of not have a vision for the future, but our struggles to class-based exploitation for a party offering an alternative to view that the European Union, although the limited amount of houses, jobs, etc in it is the responsibility of Marxists to alone. The second was put forward in the undemocratic bourgeois state - the neoliberal, could be a fertile ground for the Netherlands - not to mention cultural pave the way for a ‘transfer of power’. response to the first one; the comrade Marxist Forum aims to achieve that international organisation. differences with refugees. In order to achieve that, it is important moving it argued that the concept of through organised discussion and But others were strongly against not to rule out participation in such intersectionality had been coopted by cooperation between critical party Draft declaration these arguments. They highlighted a government coalition. The idea capitalism and neoliberal society, and members. During the introduction on our draft the international nature of capitalism, currently proposed within the SP - that had therefore served the status quo After the introduction, other declaration one of the initiators of the together with the international character we can join any possible government, by diverting attention from the class participants voiced their opinions. Most Marxist Forum spoke about the four of the working class, which is why we even with the centre-right VVD and struggle. In fact, class struggle can talked about the lack of open discussion pillars on which the working definition have to organise globally. It is true that the Christian Democrats of the CDA actually connect various social groups within the SP and the positions we would of ‘Marxist’ is based: social revolution, there are cultural differences, but the - has to be strongly rejected, the - the commonality of the working like to promote within the party. Some democracy, the independence of the Dutch working class is hardly driven by comrade continued. But we can make class allows us to fight all forms of called on people from the various critical working class and internationalism. MF socialist ideas at the moment. That is why substantial gains as part of a coalition oppression. These arguments won the groups within the SP to take part in the has been founded to provide a forum for we have to increase class-consciousness with other leftwing parties. It is already support of many present, but the mover MF, including on its leadership. In that the formation and exchange of critical - in solidarity with workers from other a big challenge to persuade the SP that of the first discussion paper was not able way we can create a force in opposition and diverse opinions, but it needs an countries. Furthermore, there are socialist we should only form an alliance with to attend to defend it. to the well organised parliamentary executive committee, which would be movements all around the world, as well ‘progressive’ parties, not the likes of the Even though many issues were faction. responsible for practical matters. It was as reactionary world views espoused VVD and CDA. extensively discussed during the first The meeting was characterised by proposed that this committee should not in the Netherlands (for example, in the Many comrades were strongly MF meeting, there is still much we open debate. One of the participants be elected until the next meeting, when Dutch ‘Bible Belt’). opposed to this amendment. One insisted have to arrange and consider. The next talked about how the SP leadership is we would know more about the various One of the participants also that, as Marxists, we have to be clear meeting has already been announced: it trying to exert its influence over ROOD, groups and opinions within MF. commented that the lack of jobs, houses, that we only want to govern in order to will take place on Zoom on November the youth organisation, by, among other During the discussion about the draft etc, is actually a problem exacerbated aid the transfer of power to the working 8. All (current or expelled) SP members things, blocking various decisions made declaration, one comrade remarked that by border controls - open borders would class. We cannot, therefore, become who share our principles are welcome by ROOD independently (for example, the point is not diversity, but unity in lead to a greater flow of resources. Others the managers of the capitalist state - we to join the Marxist Forum. Especially in a motion against participating in a precise Marxist analysis. Moreover, the stressed that our internationalism must want a totally different model, which is the build-up to next year’s parliamentary coalition government2). Other comrades executive committee should be more be global, not just relating to Europe. In fundamentally democratic. Moreover, elections, it is crucially important to gave examples of censorship within accurately called the secretariat, which response to this, a statement emphasising the PvdA and GroenLinks support unite and amplify the Marxist voice the party; one case was when ‘The is more fitting for a body responsible for that Europe is just the starting point imperialism, class-collaboration, the within our party l Group’ (party members organised in organisational tasks. Another suggested (the EU is the context within which we reactionary retirement policy, etc. opposition to the leadership’s stance on that candidates for the committee should operate, after all) was drawn up. Another participant said that we can Notes the refugee crisis) wanted to publish an each draw up a programmatic document, The motion about trade union strategy only take part in a coalition government 1. communisme.nu/about-us. article in Tribune (the monthly magazine to make it clear to the less experienced called for democratic and militant unions, if our socialist principles are shared by 2. In the Dutch parliamentary system, being a part of the party), which turned out to be MF members which groups and internationally organised and with a the other participating parties (highly of government de facto always means participating impossible. This was related to one of the opinions they represent. The declaration strong cadre. During the discussion, one unlikely, to say the least, in the case of in a coalition. weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 11 HISTORY Overcoming group identity Marc Mulholland evaluates Karl Kautsky’s thesis on the nomadic origin of classes and the state

Sumerian state relied on war, tribute and class exploitation

arl Kautsky, the leading Marxist and Engels suggested, because women class.5 external attack was commonly the If classes are based upon technical or intellectual of the Second wanted some security in their domestic There are a number of problems responsibility of “all who were old managerial leadership roles, then the International, always had the arrangements. If so, it proved to be a with this view. First, it is quite clear that enough to bear arms” rather than a end of class society would require K 7 ambition to write a ‘universal history’, fatal mistake on their part. Women Morgan’s and Engels’ concept of the specialised elite. Complex societies either a very radical erasure of the uncovering the evolution of prehistoric were now tied to a privatised child- ‘gens’ was simply mythological. While in their internal aspect can also do division of labour or a universalisation and historic society. rearing, while their male partners not exactly monogamous, humans are without a distinct state structure, with of leadership capacity across all If anything, his first interest was could still roam freely. Given this a naturally pairing species. Although functions of public authority falling spheres; if this was even possible, anthropology - obviously the base male advantage, monogamy inevitably the ‘family’ can take various socially by rote to citizens or maintained by it would be unimaginably wasteful line for any such work. His doctoral evolved into the patriarchal family, in mandated forms, it is not itself a social hereditary families nominated by of human capacities and onerous on thesis - completed in 1881-82, but which the man owned and subjugated creation - still less the outcome of a custom. The self-governing tribe, human inclinations (we recall Paul never submitted for bureaucratic his women and children, giving him pre-historic ‘revolution’ that overthrew horde, polis, túath, mir, zadruga Lafargue’s ironical but serious demand reasons - was on the pre-historic origin control over household production: the ‘mother right’. It is a biological and or commune is not the same as a for the ‘right to be lazy’). of marriage and the family.1 Kautsky basis of agriculture. So, as Engels put psychological imperative for the ramified state and has no endogenous More fundamentally, leadership was for many years distracted by it, patriarchal society “develops from purposes of sexual companionship and tendency to turn into one. This is roles are not in fact a side-effect of polemics and theoretical ‘firefighting’, the pairing family”.2 child-rearing. why anthropologists have minimally technical development, but inherent developing a programme for the From this point the expansion of Second, once we accept the family defined states as socially stratified and in human social organisation. In ‘Marxist centre’ against anarchism and patriarchy into generalised private as a naturally occurring basic unit, bureaucratically governed societies any social setting, whether it be for semi-anarchism on the left, reformism property, classes and finally the state as then Engels’ making this unit the with at least four levels of hierarchal work or leisure, individual leaders and revisionism on the right. This put the “official expression of antagonism fons et origio of class actually only settlement (usually large capital city, best suited for the task in hand his ‘universal history’ on the long in civil society”3 was a process of serves to naturalise class stratification. cities, villages, hamlets). ‘Primary will consciously or unconsciously finger. adaptation to the requirements of If Engels was right that the pairing state formation’, pace Engels, was not present themselves and they will Another reason for long delay, production and ‘civilisation’. This was family leads to class society, it would a seamless evolution from societal self- be consciously or unconsciously however, might have been his because the surplus that was required strongly suggest that a classless society regulation, but a revolutionary rupture followed. If spontaneous leadership unwillingness to explicitly reject to maintain the directors of production is entirely unrealisable. However, it is under very particular circumstances: must inevitably crystallise as class Marx’s and Engel’s dicta on the and creators of higher culture could abundantly clear that a high degree of there are only 10 more or less certain society, then it is hard to see how class “origins of family, private property only be accumulated by pumping it out social equality and common property examples in the prehistory of Eurasia, society could ever end, and we are left and the state”. It was only in semi- from direct producers (peasants, slaves - a classless society - did actually the Americas and the Pacific. with the nagging conundrum: why retirement that he finally published his and so on) for the benefit of a minority. coexist with the ‘family’ for most of then did class society emerge so late in magisterial Materialist conception of While the seed of private property, human history. Formation homo sapiens’ habitation on earth? history (1927) - the summa of his life’s classes and the state was to be found in Third, while a class society may We are left then with a problem: if we Kautsky did not consider all these intellectual work. This substantial the family, their growth was necessary be necessary (if not sufficient) to reject the Morgan-Engels argument points in his Materialist conception piece - derided or ignored by the for the expansion of productive forces develop the productive forces until (logically more feminist than of history, but certainly did not feel Hegelian ‘western Marxist’ tradition and the development of civilisation. As they have reached a certain advanced Marxist) that class and state unfold constrained to accept arguments put and long untranslated into English - Marx put it, development is possible level, productive forces do not, of spontaneously from the pairing family, forward by Marx and Engels without has never had the attention it deserves. themselves, have agency.6 They cannot if we refuse a fetishistic technological dispute. In his alternative theory for Here I will look at just one aspect of it - only if some persons satisfied make people do things. It is both determinism and if we accept that the emergence of classes and the Kautsky’s theory as to the origin of the their needs at the expense of rational and historically the norm for complex societies can self-regulate state, he was clearly much influenced class state - and attempt to evaluate its others, and therefore some - the people of all classes to prefer leisure, without a “terrifying parasitic body by Franz Oppenheimer - a German cogency as a contribution to Marxist minority - obtained the monopoly freedom and self-development to which enmeshes the body of … anarchist sociologist, who in a book theory. of development, while others - the sacrificing their personal welfare for society and chokes all its pores”,8 how first published in 1908 argued that Engels had seen the development majority - owing to the constant the sake of advancing the productive do we then explain the origins of class “the state, as a class state, can have of private property and the state struggle to satisfy their most forces. In practice, direct producers society and the state? However did the originated in no other way than as having its point of origin in the essential needs, were for the time have developed productive forces exploiters get their foot on the neck of through conquest and subjugation”.10 family. Following the American being (ie, until the creation of new only when it will benefit themselves the direct producers? Oppenheimer was a non-Marxist and it anthropologist, Lewis H Morgan, he revolutionary productive forces) and their family within a very short One possible argument (suggested was Kautsky’s ambition to amend his hypothesised that the primitive social excluded from any development.4 time range, or when ruling classes by Nicolai Bukharin in his 1921 thesis for Marxist purposes. organisation of humanity was the can maximise their own welfare book, Historical materialism) is Kautsky’s intellectual formation ‘gens’ - a matrilineal descent group, For Engels, as he elaborated in various by coercively exploiting the direct that emergent technology requires a was as a Darwinian. He rejected in which marriage was communal, writings, the state is an essentially producers. dedicated leadership to utilise it and Hegelian dialectics as metaphysical children were raised collectively and protective carapace spontaneously Fourth, the state as such is that humans will naturally subordinate and preferred an evolutionary dialectic, women largely controlled common generated by society to preserve itself something qualitatively distinct from themselves to such leaders, who are based upon the interaction of the property. The first social revolution, from external attack and internal class those mechanisms of self-regulation then able to shape themselves into individual and the environment. From therefore, was the emergence of the tension: a protective apparatus that is and defence evolved by a sufficiently a ruling class.9 This might seem Darwin Kautsky took the view that ‘pairing family’. This arose, Morgan then easily captured by the dominant complex society. Defence from appealing, but it is very problematic. mankind is inherently sociable. This weekly 12 October 22 2020 1320 worker

sociability, however, was originally distributed among free households, an unequal amalgam of two tribes physique fitted them to be vehicles of the means of production. Numerous limited to the kinship group. Humans however, a class state was not required or more. The larger the number of a superior language”.17 Unsurprisingly, opportunities exist for able men and spontaneously organise into tight-knit to hold them in subjection. Slaves conquered tribes, the easier it was for given the rise of the Nazis, Childe women to advance themselves. The and closed-off societies, loyal to each were not, as such, a class, but ‘unfree’ the conquerors to divide and rule. Once went on to disown this book. main resource competed over is other, but hostile to outsiders. The individuals probably on their way a state is in existence, all-out warfare Nonetheless, the Aryans have survived prestige and influence, and to maintain development of articulated language, to absorption into the polity if they becomes endemic and state structures in anthropological thought - not as a themselves elites must continuously which in some senses defines survived. Classes did not, therefore, spread by conquest. ‘racial group’, but as a language (Indo- prove themselves able in war, observant humanity, actually made human develop from the distinction between The nomads, Kautsky argued, European) that spread, it was surmised, of custom and open-handed with the societies more aggressively tribal than the free and the unfree within the were the creators of the class state. by trade and diffusion rather than material surplus they nominally ‘own’ animal societies. It tightened in-group polity. Nor were they a spontaneous He was quite aware that his view conquest. (potlatch). Any leaders with ambitions bonds, for mutual protection and for development of the sexual division of was at variance to that of Marx and, Childe went on to lay the framework to tyrannise are always exposed to work, and allowed for genealogical labour, even as this was accentuated in particular, Engels. Indeed, it had for our understanding of the two most assassination if they press too far. relationships to be recorded and with the development of horticulture something in common with Eugen significant social transformations Though social equality can be seen recalled. Common language ultimately (women being more involved in food Dühring’s ‘force theory’ of history before the industrial revolution: the in rudimentary form in the chiefdom, develops into common culture. production, men in hunting). So long polemicised against by Engels. transition to agriculture (the Neolithic the class state is quite a different The metalogical power of shared as individuals are free to move from Nonetheless, Kautsky felt that he had Revolution); and the appearance of matter. Territorial reach is much more ideas, usually in magical form, was one occupational group to another, retained the underlying determination the state and sharply class divided extensive and populations - only very oppressively powerful within the clan Kautsky argued, the exploitation of of the socio-economic base: society (what Childe called the “Urban rarely reaching 15,000 in simple group. one occupation by another, exchanging Revolution”). Childe argued, no doubt horticultural societies - now range from As human societies bound by more labour for less, will not Consideration of the conditions of correctly, that these hierarchical, hundreds of thousands to millions. An language emerge, they form a ‘polity’ crystallise. All participants in labour production and of life of herdsmen centralised societies - with a ruling elite, usually hereditary, effectively (Gemeinwesen) rather than a state. will insist on a roughly equivalent and of agriculturalists suffices to class and a large number of non-food controls the means of production via The polity has leaders, but they are exchange of effort. comprehend the peculiarity of the producers in the form of craft workers massed private property and through functional, maintaining their authority mentality of the ones and of the - could not have been possible without an organised bureaucracy. Wealth by championing the interests of the Class-based others. The capacity of force, of the surpluses produced by agriculture. is systematically extracted from the tribe more vigorously and effectively Full classes, therefore, did not arise war, for creating states is thereby How this transition happened, producers and monopolised by the than rivals. (Kautsky did not add, but within polities, according to Kautsky, completely explained by its however, nonetheless remains obscure. elites. Grandiloquent temples and could have, that they were usually but rather from contact between them. economic conditions.12 Why would the peasant majority allow palaces appear in the archaeological role-limited: different leaders for the Some polities will find themselves the emergence of an exploitative and record. Slavery becomes common, hunt, the trek, the ritual, childcare, concentrated in highly fertile Kautsky rejected Marx’s famous entrenched ruling class? Where does as does usually much more important herb-gathering, and so on). As social ecologies, others spread themselves remark that “no social order is ever the Kautsky thesis stand? tribute exacted from conquered effectiveness was key, these offices over wide-open spaces. This spatio- destroyed before all the productive Very clearly, there are mechanisms peoples. tended not to be hereditary in practice. economic distinction, Kautsky argued, forces for which it is sufficient have against the spontaneous evolution What accounts for the change? ‘Property’, as distinct from was crucial. been developed”.13 On the contrary, he of the class state in hunter-gatherer Most archaeologists have preferred ‘possession’, Kautsky argued, is In the riverine polities - off the insisted: society. Certainly, there are ‘leaders’. to see class division and the state specific to humanity. It requires social Nile, Euphrates, Tigris, Indus, Ganges, Anthropologists of modern hunter- arise more or less ‘naturally’ from sanction, and exists only in and through Yangtze and Hoangho - cultivation Historical materialism must not be gatherer societies have found particular agricultural communities, but there society. The Lockean idea that man of the soil by ox-drawn plough and understood to mean that a mode honour and respect paid to the old and has always been reason to doubt owns what he creates or obtains through irrigation works relied increasingly of production cannot be overcome venerable, individuals gifted with this. From the 1950s to the 1970s, his labour (whether personal or owned) on male labour, which was drawn as long as it remains economically supernatural powers, those most skilled the Lithuanian archaeologist, Marija is not ‘natural’. Because primitive away from hunting. Such agricultural vigorous. Let us recall our discussion at hunting and combat for the tribe, Gimbutas, maintained a (non-racist) hunting and fishing is unreliable, for polities tended not to be expansionist of the original formation of the and any who are considered equable version of the ‘Aryan’ thesis. Drawing example, the perpetuation of society - their population being bound to the state and of classes … The peasant and wise. Fractiousness, arrogance on both linguistic and archaeological actually requires a common rather tasks of cultivation, lacking in military economy remained technologically and vain ambition, however, attract evidence, she identified the Proto- than a private claim. Food must be skills honed by hunting and coveting at the same state of development, ire and contempt. Social inequality Indo-Europeans with the Kurgan redistributed for society to survive. little that could be found in the arid … but its economic position was is discouraged by putting a high culture of the Russian steppe. The When a large kill was made in the hinterland. They become peasant changed. The free peasant … premium on leisure-time activities, Kurgan lived as nomadic pastoralists, hunt, the meat would be evenly shared societies, fearful of and disgusted by became a serf subject to taxation … such as sleeping, dreaming and with an economy based on sheep, around rather than kept or sold by the nomadic ‘barbarians’ roaming outside This new mode of production was storytelling. No-one is permitted, even goats, cattle and pigs. Gimbutas argued individual hunters. their river valleys. not a consequence of the decline of by excess ‘graft’, to set themselves up that the Kurgan were a warlike and Contrary to 19th century Nomads in the wildernesses, the peasant economy that preceded as hereditary rulers by engrossing a male-dominated society, worshipping speculation, Kautsky argued, there in contrast, were equipped for it …The new mode of production superfluity of material goods. masculine sky-gods. They were highly likely was never a stage of pure mobility and rapid concentration of was a product of force.14 Hunter-gatherer societies certainly mobile, using ox-drawn wagons and ‘primitive communism’. Common force, and ultimately developed as had and have leaders, but they are horses for transport, and terrifyingly property always coexisted with private skilled horsemen. As their mode of Kautsky could argue, nonetheless, that functional, maintaining their authority well-adapted to military expansion. property in some objects. Land, in subsistence was uncertain and heavily he was actually applying Marx’s mature by championing the interests of the Gimbutas’ work was controversial, the form of the hunting ground, was dependent on changeable climate, they methodology, as expressed in his work tribe more vigorously and effectively but recent genetic-lineage research always held in common. At the same were permanently tempted to raid and on the ‘primitive accumulation’ of than rivals, and liable to be changed has highlighted the extreme violence time, tools, weapons and ornaments as rob those settled peasant polities they capital, to the original formation of at any time. Anthropology of modern migrating nomads could inflict on objects of personal use were usually scorned as cautious and unadventurous. state authority and classes.15 hunter-gatherer cultures suggest peasant peoples. The Yamnaya (what private property. Forest, pasture and Nomads subsisted partly by Kautsky’s view of the origin of that most are bound by a more or used to be called Aryans) - a culture water long continued to be undivided regularly raiding and pillaging the state, creditable enough at the less democratic council. Chieftains of axe-wielding livestock herders who common property. Family houses and agricultural polities. With more time, soon sank from respectability. and headsmen usually have specific occupied the Eurasian steppe north of horticultural plots, such as fruit trees, overwhelming victory over their The reason for this is obvious. responsibilities rather than general the Black Sea and the Caucasus - rolled would usually be private property. peasant neighbours, herdsmen would Rampaging nomads, ‘blonde beasts’, authority and they enjoy virtually no across swathes of Europe between Different forms of possession, impose regularised robbery on the conquering peasant societies and tenure. They lack the wealth that might 3000 and 2000 BC, exterminating therefore, arose out of economic agriculturalists. The peasants would setting themselves up as a ruling class, allow them to pass advantages onto the largely peaceable and communal practice, but acquired property status be left to organise themselves, but was central to the Nazi mythopoeia.16 their children. Leadership is a matter Neolithic cultures as they went.18 only by social sanction. Which required to pay over regular tribute to As might be expected, Kautsky was of recognised talent rather than class About 90% of the gene pool in Britain category possessions fell into was their nomad neighbours. A proto-class at pains to dismiss racist fantasies, privilege. was entirely replaced.19 These horse not at the discretion of individuals. relationship had emerged. and did so in Materialist conception It seems reasonably clear, however, warriors descended into India, similarly Society would determine what would True class-based societies appear, at some length and to good effect. that the emergence of agriculture imposing themselves as a ruling and become private property and what however, only when one polity not Nonetheless, pre-historians and (between 13,000 to 10,000 years ago) destroying caste, monopolising power, would be common property. Due to the only subordinates, but unifies with, anthropologists from the 1940s have of itself helped propel greater social prestige and sexual partners. As the conservatism of human psychology, another. In this case the entire labour generally much preferred models of differentiation. Peasants, tied to their geneticist David Reich notes, however, and the enormous weight of the vanquished polity is put at cultural contact and diffusion to those farms, find it more difficult to move of tradition, laws of property tend to the service of the conquerors and a of migration, conquest and exploitation to escape oppression. But this should The descendants of the Yamnaya become untethered from calculations coercive apparatus is put in place to as being not only less amenable to the not be exaggerated. So long as ample or their close relatives spread their of social usefulness. hold and discipline the conquered perversions of fascist racialism, but unoccupied land existed, as it certainly Y chromosomes into Europe and The human development of tools agriculturalists. also conformable to liberal capitalist did in pre-historic agricultural society, India, and the demographic impact facilitated a concordant division of This is the form, Kautsky argues, in ideology. the peasant could simply leave an of this expansion was profound, labour, collaborative working and a which the state first develops: oppressively unequal polity. as the Y-chromosome types they common plan. In contrast to animals, Transition Still, agriculture does see a limited carried were absent in Europe and the acquisition of food was for humans Where it occurs, the division into V Gordon Childe - not only a Marxist, growth of social inequality. While India before the Bronze Age, but are a social activity. A limited sexual classes appears not through the but the most influential archaeological bands (hunter-gatherer societies) predominant in both places today.20 division of labour is probably innate. splitting of a polity into different theorist of the 20th century - in and tribes (enlarged bands, with The rearing and protection of infants subdivisions, but through the union 1928 published a monograph on elements of horticulture) are broadly This looks like a prehistoric genocide. fell especially to women, aided by of two polities into one … The The Aryans, in which he argued egalitarian, agricultural ‘chiefdoms’ The origin of the state would not men. Concerned with care of infants, coercive apparatus imposed on the that these blonde nomads, on swift are ‘ranked’ societies, able to support be found in such extermination by women were less likely to participate vanquished by the victors develops horses and bearing battle-axes, had a specialised warrior caste, and usually nomads, but rather in their subjugating in hunting expeditions. Human into the state.11 swept into Mesopotamia in 1600 BC, with a hereditary head supported by and systematically exploiting more technology probably began as a sexual expanding thereafter to India, Iran henchmen. In theory, a considerable advanced peasant cultures. division of labour, with men using When warrior peoples conquer a and the Mediterranean. Though they number of key offices in chiefdoms tools as weapons, women as a means pre-existing class society, they either conquered more advanced peoples, are transmitted as ‘property’ from ‘Primary states’ of production. Women tended fire, exterminate the native ruling class they laid the basis for Greek, Roman one generation to the next, as in the The problem with explaining the learned to plait and weave, fashioned or employ it to its own ends. There and post-Roman civilisation. case of the North American Hasinai nature of the first states, and the period clay vessels and ultimately cultivated appear, in the latter case, distinct but Though Childe discomfited the chieftainship. of ‘primary state formation’, is, of plants. ancillary ruling castes - one of warriors German ultra-nationalists by locating In practice, however, it is clear course, the lack of historical records In early warfare any enemies drawn from the conquering polity; the the origin of the Aryans on the that certain controls operate to which might allow us to identify their captured, if their lives were spared other a collaborationist, indigenous southern Russian Pontic-Caspian prevent abuses in chiefdoms. There origin. We have here a ‘chicken and (which was probably rare enough for priesthood. steppe, he nonetheless conceded “the are no gross inequalities in material egg’ problem: such records only exist males), would be enslaved. As slaves While the primitive polity was truth underlying the panegyrics of the possessions and few capital goods when a state is already entrenched and were relatively few in number and limited to one tribe, the state was Germanists: the Nordics’ superiority in that can be monopolised to control able to generate its own (self-serving weekly worker 1320 October 22 2020 13 What we fight for and usually mythological) scribal some determinate human psychology. Rather, groups are formed and interact Notes n Without organisation the accounts. If it is not in the pair-bond family, as on the basis of mutual benefit or working class is nothing; with Nonetheless, indications that Engels (and most modern feminists) mutual antagonism. An ‘out group’ 1. See K Kautsky, ‘Development of a Marxist’ the highest form of organisation these ‘primary states’ emerged by suspected, it may be in the human may be looked upon with a prior (1924) in B Lewis (editor and translator) Karl Kautsky on democracy and republicanism Leiden it is everything. ‘backward’ but mobile cultures instinct to readily form powerful heuristic of suspicion, but only until 2019, pp284-85. n There exists no real Communist conquering advanced but stationary ‘group’ identities. As Kautsky pointed a basis for cooperation is established. 2. F Engels Origins of the family, private property ‘peasant’ cultures are not absent. The out and anthropology confirms, the Evolutionary psychologist Pascal and the state (1884): marxists.org/archive/marx/ Party today. There are many ‘Sumerian problem’, for example, pre-state human polity is broadly Boyer writes that “groupishness is not works/1884/origin-family/ch02d.htm. so-called ‘parties’ on the left. In 3. K Marx Poverty of philosophy (1846): marxists. continues to bedevil debates regarding egalitarian within itself, but generally a blunt instinct to follow the herd, so reality they are confessional sects. org/archive/marx/works/1847/poverty-philosophy/ Members who disagree with the the origin of the very first states in hostile to those whom they see as to speak. People behave in ways that ch02e.htm. Mesopotamia from around 3500 BC. the ‘other’: Homo homini lupus est. seem to favour the in-group because 4. K Marx The German ideology (1846): marxists. prescribed ‘line’ are expected to It remains an unproven but intriguing Relations must exist with the out- they implicitly use a social exchange org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ gag themselves in public. Either 31 ch03abs.htm. that or face expulsion. thesis, based primarily upon philology, group of course, for trade and sexual heuristic”. 5. F Engels Anti-Dühring (1878), Ludwig that they formed when a relatively exogamy (‘marry out or die out’), but This “social-exchange heuristic” Feuerbach (1886), Housing question (1887). n Communists operate according sophisticated indigenous culture was the ‘stranger’ is seen as fundamentally means that there is no absolute limit to 6. I say ‘not sufficient’, as periods of basic to the principles of democratic conquered by nomadic Sumerian inferior. The psychological basis of the aggregate size of a solidaristic bloc. technological development have been rather few in centralism. Through ongoing debate the history of civilisation: the earliest river-valley invaders (origins unknown, but class oppression arises, therefore, not It is probably the case that the ‘natural’ civilisation of Neolithic Egypt, Sumeria, China, we seek to achieve unity in action perhaps the Caspian region).21 within, but between, polities. Slavery, maximum size of the close-bonded the ‘west’ in the 11th century and from the 16th and a common world outlook. As The origins of the Egyptian for example, begins as an imposition human primate group is about 150.32 century stand out. long as they support agreed actions, civilisation is likewise much debated, on the ‘stranger’: “Whilst little regard But, as the historical purchase of world 7. However, see Tacitus Germania (98 AD), on the members should have the right to pre-state tribes beyond the frontier of the Roman but recent work suggests that Saharan is paid to the liberty of strangers, religions, imperial citizenships (Civis principate: “The woman must not think that she speak openly and form temporary pastoralists, fleeing aridification, custom everywhere, as a rule, forbids romanus sum), national identities and is excluded from aspirations to manly virtues or or permanent factions. encountered and subjugated a peasant the enslaving of tribesmen.”27 class-consciousness clearly shows, exempt from the hazards of warfare” (facultystaff. n Communists oppose all impe- farming society in the long, narrow The antagonism between nomadic the ‘solidaristic group’ shows no such richmond.edu/~wstevens/history331texts/ barbarians.html). For the quote in the text, see rialist wars and occupations but strip of productive land in the Nile and peasant polities is heightened absolute limit. It is likely that none Caesar Gallic wars (58-49 BC): classics.mit.edu/ constantly strive to bring to the fore Valley, giving rise to the extreme class beyond even this by the sharp cultural such exist. Caesar/gallic.mb.txt. the fundamental question–ending war inequalities and state structures of difference between two forms of In prehistoric society, outright 8. K Marx Eighteenth Brumaire (1852): marxists.org/ is bound up with ending capitalism. ancient Egypt.22 production (peasant agriculture and aggression was probably not the archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/ch07.htm . 9. Bukharin argued that only “a colossal n Communists are internationalists. The Indus Valley (or Harappan) pastoralism). Settled societies feared norm, either between or within overproduction of organisers” could “nullify the Everywhere we strive for the closest civilisation from about 2600 BC and despised the nomads as sub-human groups. Stephen Pinker has argued stability of the ruling groups” in Soviet Russia unity and agreement of working class extended over a wide area of Pakistan, or terrifyingly powerful demi-gods. that primeval man is murderous and and prevent the crystallisation of a new ruling and progressive parties of all countries. southern Afghanistan and northwest The Greek myth of the Centaur - man only ‘enlightenment’ (for which, read class”. As he put it, “The increasing production of technologists and of organisers in general, out We oppose every manifestation India. So far as archaeological remains and beast so at one as to seem welded capitalist rationality) has gentled our of the working class itself, will undermine this of national sectionalism. It is an suggest, this was a remarkably together - gives an idea of the horrified condition. However, there is little possible new class alignment. The outcome of internationalist duty to uphold the egalitarian civilisation, with none of the awe in which pastoralist warriors were doubt that he extrapolates unacceptably the struggle will depend on which tendencies turn principle, ‘One state, one party’. bombastic monuments characteristic held. Nomads for their part scorned from certain contemporary hunter- out to be the stronger.” NI Bukharin Historical materialism: a system of sociology (1921): n The working class must be of an exploitative ruling class. the peasantry as degenerates who had gatherer societies subsisting in those marxists.org/archive/bukharin/works/1921/ However, climate change degraded given up their freedom to roam. “You few niches left to them. These are histmat/8.htm. In fact, the Stalinist and post- organised globally. Without a global the civilisation until it was overrun in look forward to eating, drinking and forbidding ecological wastes, where Stalinist regime was rather effective at producing Communist Party, a Communist about 1500 BC by Aryan horsemen sleeping, but not to accompanying the harsh conditions for survival technologists and organisers out of the Soviet International, the struggle against working class. There were about 23,500,000 capital is weakened and lacks from central Asia, and a highly unequal me?” a nomad asked rhetorically in maximally accentuate frustration/ beneficiaries of higher education by 1984, which caste society came into existence. 1770 BC. “Sitting or sleeping will not aggression. From our evidence of compared very well to the capitalist west. The coordination. The first attested dynasty in China, redden you from the sun. As for me, if prehistoric hunter-gatherer society, problem was that as a caste these leaders were n Communists have no interest the Shang, ruled from 1600 to 1046 BC. I keep myself inside just one day, until living in conditions of ‘primitive never efficiently brought under societal control, either by terror or by bribery, and they were the apart from the working class It certainly looks like a nomadic empire I leave the city walls behind to renew affluence’, a very different picture vanguard of capitalist restoration in the 1990s. The as a whole. They differ only in dominating settled agriculturalists. In a my vigour, my vitality ebbs away”.28 emerges.33 The absence of depictions point is not to eliminate ‘leaders’, but to control recognising the importance of manner characteristic of a pastoralist The Hindu Mahabharata, the of warfare or interpersonal violence them by limiting their strategic control over the Marxism as a guide to practice. ruling elite, its ‘capital’ moved at least Hebrew Bible, the Chinese political in prehistoric cave paintings, created affairs of others. 10. F Oppenheimer The state: oll.libertyfund.org/ That theory is no dogma, but eight times. theory of the Mandate of Heaven, and between 4500BC and 2000BC, is very titles/oppenheimer-the-state. must be constantly added to and An apparent problem for Kautsky’s the epics of the Iliad and Odyssey all striking. Recent work has even done 11. K Kautsky The materialist conception of enriched. ‘nomadic conquest’ theory is pivot around the conflicts between much to diminish the idea that these history (1896 - abridged, annotated and introduced n Capitalism in its ceaseless Mesoamerica, which lacked the kind nomadic warrior elites and settled elaborate creations must have been the by John Kautsky; translated by Raymond Meyer and John Kautsky) London 1989, p274. search for profit puts the future of animals that could be domesticated tribes. As the Islamic scholar, Ibn monopoly of a male shamanistic elite: 12. Ibid p282, my emphasis. 23 of humanity at risk. Capitalism is for a typical pastoral economy. Here, Khaldun, famously observed in 1377, 13. 1859 preface: marxists.org/archive/marx/ synonymous with war, pollution, however, hunter-gatherer and nomadic history is replete with the collision of Today … analyses of the hand works/1859/critique-pol-economy/preface.htm. exploitation and crisis. As a global Chichimecas, issuing from the the settled and the nomadic, by land stencils left by these Palaeolithic 14. K Kautsky The materialist conception of history, op cit pp425-26. system capitalism can only be mountains, seem to have conquered and by sea. Nomadic warriors spread artists have shown that men, women 15. Ibid p277. superseded globally. horticultural cultures in the valleys. At a world religion (Islam) and with the and children all played a role in 16. Oppenheimer was Jewish and vehemently n any rate, it was from the Chichimecas Mongols created the largest contiguous producing the works. In fact, one hostile to the Machtstaat, so naturally his book The capitalist class will never that the Toltec and Aztecs ruling classes land empire in history. Only by the 18th study of rock art in various French was one of those added to the Nazi bonfires. willingly allow their wealth and 24 17. V Gordon Childe The Aryans New York 1928, power to be taken away by a claimed descent. It looks plausible, as century, Edward Gibbon observed in and Spanish caves showed that 75% p212. 34 parliamentary vote. Oppenheimer speculated, that “in the his epic Decline and fall of the Roman of the hand stencils were female. 18. C Barras, ‘Story of most murderous people of new world the contrast is between the empire, were the settled European all time revealed in ancient DNA’ New Scientist n We will use the most militant sedentary and the roving tribes”.25 states at last more or less sure of being Even the great megaliths of Neolithic March 27 2019. methods objective circumstances 19. I Olaldeet et al, ‘The Beaker phenomenon and When we move into the historical able to defend themselves against Europe such as Newgrange and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe’ allow to achieve a federal republic period proper, we see state formation “savage conquerors” from “the deserts Stonehenge - built when agriculture Nature Vol 555, pp190-96 (2018). of England, Scotland and Wales, by emulation, by splits in pre-existing of Tartary”.29 And, as Kautsky pointed had already displaced the hunter- 20. D Reich Who we are and how we got here a united, federal Ireland and a states and by colonisation. Clearly out, well into the modern era warfare gatherer mode of production - Oxford 2018. United States of Europe. 21. JR Ziskind, ‘The Sumerian problem’ The settled states can ‘reproduce’, as it (and hunting) was almost the exclusive are no definite evidence of tribal History Teacher Vol 5, No2, January 1972. n Communists favour industrial were. Nonetheless, the frequency of function of the ruling class, and purity egoism or proto-class stratification. 22. T Wilkinson Genesis of the pharaohs: unions. Bureaucracy and class state formation through the conquest of blood their reigning arrogance. The archaeologist, Mike Pitts, has dramatic new discoveries that rewrite the origins compromise must be fought and of settled peoples by nomadic warriors The aristocracy owed much to the suggested that peoples across a large of ancient Egypt London 2003. 23. Kautsky waves away the problem: “Under the trade unions transformed into - the latter imposing themselves psychology of the nomad. number of tribes probably provided different geographic conditions, other kinds schools for communism. as a ruling class - is remarkable. their labour freely and willingly, in the of states emerged … all based on the rule n over sedentary agriculturalists of a tribe or an Communists are champions of Oppenheimer gave a loose list: ‘In group’ context of rituals, traditions and social the oppressed. Women’s oppression, Group identity and, at a minimum, customs. The Indus Valley civilisation, association of tribes coming from without. As for the formations of states by natives in the Americas, combating racism and chauvinism, Everywhere we find some warlike suspicion of the ‘out group’ is likely mentioned above, may have been the …their influence on general human development and the struggle for peace and tribe of wild men breaking through a hard-wired human predilection - highest level of cooperative labour is so slight that we disregard them here” (K Kautsky The materialist conception of history, op ecological sustainability are just the boundaries of some less warlike no doubt a necessary evolutionary ever reached by pre-class state society. as much working class questions people, settling down as nobility and adaptation for a ‘social animal’, which If Kautsky was right, the class state cit p341). 24. CM Gradie, ‘Discovering the Chichimecas’ as pay, trade union rights and founding its state. In Mesopotamia, relies upon ‘in group’ cooperation. emerged not as a natural consequence The Americas Vol 74, issue S2, 2017. demands for high-quality health, wave follows wave, state follows Certainly, those peoples far away, of human psychology and economic 25. F Oppenheimer The state: oll.libertyfund.org/ housing and education. state - Babylonians, Amoritans, about whom we know little, inspire development, but rather through the titles/oppenheimer-the-state. Assyrians, Arabs, Medes, Persians, less empathy than those close to us. collision of settled peasant societies 26. Ibid. n Socialism represents victory 27. E Westermarck The origin and development of in the battle for democracy. It is Macedonians, Parthians, Mongols, Hostility whipped up against migrants and predatory nomadic warriors, the moral ideas New York 1906-08. Seldshuks, Tartars, Turks; on the - even cold-blooded indifference to the latter becoming the ruling class. 28. J Coatsworth, ‎ Cole, ‎MP Hanagan Global the rule of the working class. Nile, Hyksos, Nubians, Persians, refugees, risking their lives to cross This is one solution, perhaps more connections Vol 1, Cambridge 2015, p76. Socialism is either democratic or, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks; St George’s Channel - demagogically satisfactory than that advanced by 29. E Gibbon, ‘General observations on the fall as with Stalin’s Soviet Union, it of the Roman empire in the west’: sourcebooks. turns into its opposite. in Greece, the Doric states are plays upon a probably indelible part of Marx and Engels, for the conundrum fordham.edu/source/gibbon-fall.asp. typical examples; in Italy, Romans, human psychology. However, it would of how humans - social animals - 30. For the ‘minimal group paradigm’ see n Socialism is the first stage Ostrogoths, Lombards, Franks, be quite wrong to see this as making came to internalise within their own psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/ of the worldwide transition to Germans; in Spain, Carthaginians, either hostility to foreigners or class polities the deeply asocial structures group/minimal-group-paradigm. 31. P Boyer Minds make societies: how cognition communism–a system which Visigoths, Arabs; in Gaul, Romans, stratification as inevitable or ‘natural’. of class. explains the world humans create London 2018, knows neither wars, exploitation, Franks, Burgundians, Normans; in Group identities are not at root Kautsky was of the view that p41. money, classes, states nor nations. Britain, Saxons, Normans.26 based upon any actual characteristic the capitalist state was not so much 32. ‘Dunbar’s number’: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Communism is general freedom in common other than ascribed the apogee of the class state as the Dunbar%27s_number. and the real beginning of human 30 33. See RB Ferguson, ‘Pinker’s list: exaggerating Nomads tend to leave little trace in the membership of the group. The idea beginning of its transcendence. This prehistoric war mortality’ and the other chapters history. archaeological record. The evidence that either an inherent race solidarity may have reflected his increasingly in DP Fry (ed) War, peace and human nature: the convergence of evolutionary and cultural views The Weekly Worker is licensed by for primary-state formation through or race hostility underpins human blithe reformism by the 1920s - but November Publications under a Creative nomadic conquest of peasant cultures group consciousness - or, for that that is a question for another day. For Oxford 2015. Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 34. ‘Fingerprints studied at rock art site in 4.0 International Licence: is not definitive, therefore. But it is matter, an inherent division of groups now, one can say that the Kautsky Spain’ Archaeology World September 16 2020: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ highly suggestive. along such lines as sex, intelligence, thesis on the origin of classes and the archaeology-world.com/fingerprints-studied-at- legalcode. ISSN 1351-0150. The class state must have a root in skills, managerial role - is baseless. state is unproven, but compelling l rock-art-site-in-spain. No 1320 October 22 2020 Brexit: who will blink first?

Gambling on chlorinated chicken Boris Johnson seems to be playing a high-risk game of poker with the EU. Eddie Ford looks at the latest Brexit developments here is no doubt that the economic given by Michael Gove to resolving detailing how much additional money yourself. See what happens.”2 downturn caused by the Covid-19 key areas of disagreement, saying the would be required to try to mitigate the There is also the background of the Tpandemic is one of the most meeting “demonstrated the political will immediate impact of a hard Brexit. The decline of British imperialism, the turn devastating in capitalist history. It has to move at pace on both sides” - though number of large new expenses is almost to finance capital, deindustrialisation, to be compared to the great depression he did warn that “much work remains incalculable, ranging from managing absolute resolve to break the power of of the 1930s and the South Sea Bubble to be done by the UK” in relation to the the colossal traffic jams to laying on the trade unions, and the continuation by crisis that peaked in 1720 - the reasonable Northern Ireland protocol. emergency air transport to try to ensure Tony Blair of the regime and policies put expectation being that the downturn will According to one EU insider, the that supplies of life-critical drugs could in place by Margaret Thatcher. Hence, last for a considerable period of time. seeming progress at the joint committee still get into Britain. The sum apparently ironically, the so-called ‘red wall’ For instance, in August the UK meeting represented “a turning point”, asked for by Gove has been described as constituencies turning in significant economy plunged into the deepest coming just weeks after the UK “eye-watering”. numbers to Boris Johnson on the basis of recession since records began in 1955, threatened to sabotage the process getting Brexit done, two fingers up to the with GDP falling in the second quarter with the UK Internal Market Bill’s Unravelling metropolitan establishment and putting by 20.4% compared with the previous powers to “disapply” many of the main Now, all this might be clever poker a bit of the ‘great’ back in Great Britain three months - the worst of any G7 provisions in the withdrawal agreement tactics by Boris Johnson and his - plus some extra cash as a reward for nation in the three months to June and - technically breaching international law. government - not to mention the devilish voting Tory. even before the onset of a perilous Both sides agreed a number of issues, genius of Dominic Cummings. But with Sure, it is an illogical perspective - second wave of the virus. Then last including access to EU databases and poker it is not just about the cards you which does not mean that the EU should week, hyperbole or not, many industry IT systems, for the UK to implement hold, but how many chips you have in be viewed as a progressive force or a bosses were predicting that 200,000 jobs the protocol. The Irish broadcaster RTÉ front on you - how much can you afford beacon of civilisation, as the more stupid in the hospitality sector would be lost also reported that the EU had asked Was banking on Trump to lose? If so, Johnson is playing a highly campaigners for a second referendum by the weekend due to London coming to have 15 border officials present in risky game. It is certainly the case that would have had us believe. Both under a ‘tier 2’ lockdown - doubtlessly Northern Ireland to ensure EU rules are cope with a massive and very expensive the EU does not want to lose Britain in Brussels and London represent forms we will find out soon. Other sectors of maintained in relation to customs and logistical challenge. terms of a trade deal. Nevertheless, that of capitalist rule, when what we need the economy are being hammered, with veterinary checks. Everything looked on If we do end with an “Australian- would be manageable, not a disaster. But is independent working class politics. only worse to come, due to increasing track, more or less. type” future for the UK, rather than you cannot say the same for Britain - it But, if there is some sort of underlying restrictions and lockdowns - whether However, the Downing Street the glories of Canada, that will be would be far harder hit than the EU by rationale for a hard Brexit, it is to be regional or national. knockback means the Brexit stand-off a euphemism for the total failure of the impact of a hard Brexit, whatever found in the shape of Donald J Trump On top of that, compounding the continues, with just four weeks left in Boris Johnson and his government - idiocy you may read in the Daily Mail. and the project of ‘making America misery, the government seems prepared which worthwhile negotiations may be not sun-kissed beaches and barbecues Therefore, in that sense, it is all up to great again’ by basically reversing US to go for a hard Brexit. The Boris conducted in pursuit of a comprehensive on Bondi beach. What happened to Britain - make your move. The suspicion decline, reshoring industry to the US, Johnson deadline of October 15 to trade deal before the parliamentary the “oven‑ready” deal promised by the is that Johnson’s bluff will soon be called. decoupling from China, and all the rest strike a deal with the European Union ratification process will need to begin. An prime minister? Colleagues of Michael However, having said that, the of it. Of course, none of this can be done came and went, leaving nobody sure extremely daunting timetable - maybe Gove report that, in reality, he has country that will suffer the most from a in any total sense. Nonetheless, under whether the talks were off or not. Was near impossible. As things stand now, become steadily more alarmed about hard Brexit is the Irish Republic - which those circumstances, Britain distancing the British government about to “move with state aid being the stumbling block, how badly Britain will suffer in the event is well aware of that fact. Maybe the EU itself from the EU and repositioning on” and go for the so-called ‘Australian we have the strange spectacle of what of a hard Brexit. Beef and lamb farmers will bail out Eire if the worst comes to diplomatically and strategically towards solution’ - apparently based on the appears on the surface to be a Tory prime would face tariffs of 40% to 100%, the worst, but you would be forgiven the US starts to make a certain sense. “simple principles” of global free trade minister prepared to blow up a free trade which would obviously put many out of for being sceptical, looking at the Johnson would be going with the new under World Trade Organisation terms? deal in order to defend the right to prop business. The same essentially goes for treatment Brussels meted out to Greece normal. Then, adding to the confusion, Michael up businesses with subsidies. Otherwise dairy products - especially cheese.1 Car for its ‘profligate borrowing’, ‘fiscal If Trump remains president after Gove sent out contradictory messages Brexit would not mean Brexit. manufacturers would find themselves irresponsibility’, and so on. Austerity November 3, there you are - bingo. Boris on October 19. He declared that the talks Finally beginning to get impatient, having to pay export duties of 10%, on stilts. Ireland, of course, has been Johnson gets his trade deal with the US had “effectively ended” - only to praise Paris on October 21 said there will be which would make the viability of some busy selling its soul to transnational and Britain then perhaps has a relatively the EU a few minutes later for making “no new approach” coming from the of their factories highly doubtful. corporations on the basis of its cheap tax privileged position in relation to other a “constructive move”, after Michel EU - it is up to Britain “to tell us now, The government’s own “reasonable regime, and hence is in an extraordinarily countries in the dog-eat-dog world Barnier appeared to agree to all the beyond tactics, if they want to continue worst-case scenario” suggests that up to vulnerable position when it comes to pecking order. Maybe that involves British government’s demands for the negotiating”. Similarly, the EU Council 70% of lorries travelling to the EU might being bossed about by the EU. Ireland opening up the national health service resumption of negotiations - mainly the president, Charles Michel, warned “time not be ready for new customs checks, may not be a British neo-colony any to American companies, and perhaps offer to “intensify” the talks, based on is very short” - it is up to the UK to and the flow rate across the Channel via more, but it is definitely a neo-colony of chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated legal texts. decide whether talks should resume. Dover and the Eurotunnel could be cut the EU - fundamentally meaning France beef - a price worth paying no doubt, if But despite Gove’s finishing remarks Even if a barebones ‘thin’ EU deal is by up to 80%, as drivers will now have to and Germany. you are not too fussy. But, from where about needing to “work on the basis scraped together at the last minute, this negotiate the new ‘Brexit border’ in Kent Clearly, there are number of different we sit at the moment, the plan seems of the proposed intensification”, not will act as “dead weight” on Britain’s - ie, make sure they have an access permit factors behind Brexit - particularly if it to be unravelling, with opinion polls long after he had left the chamber a ability to trade - at least according to the if they want to continue their journey. turns out to be a crash-out exit. You could showing a clear lead for Joe Biden and No10 spokesman said the government former boss of the Brexit department, Gove had previously warned that queues say that it is down to Boris Johnson’s perhaps the Democrats securing both “continues to believe there is no Philip Rycroft. He points out that, while of up to 7,000 trucks could form in Kent sheer determination to become prime houses of congress. basis to resume talks unless there is a a deal is certainly better than no deal, it unless businesses “do more to prepare”. minister no matter what, which obviously Boris Johnson may well live to regret fundamental change of approach from is worth remembering that “all of the Unfortunately, it seems likely that huge has some truth. The new biography of his gamble l the EU”. That is, an approach “consistent panoply of a border applies if we get the waves of disruption could engulf vital Johnson by Tom Bower portrays him as with trying to find an agreement between deal” - customs declarations, security commerce in mid-winter - a season when a chaotic personality and compulsively [email protected] sovereign equals” and “with acceptance declarations, regulatory checks, rules Britain is particularly dependent on food wild gambler who seems to enjoy that movement needs to come from the of origin, compliance, etc. Either way, imports from the continent. dancing with danger. Bower quotes him Notes EU side as well as the UK”. says Rycroft, the Brexit negotiators are There are also widely shared stories as once saying: “There comes a point 1. ahdb.org.uk/eu-and-uk-import-tariff-rates-for- This response caused bemusement essentially hammering out “the extent that Michael Gove recently made a where you’ve got to put the dynamite selected-dairy-products in Brussels. 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