The Praxis SSSuuurrrpppllluuusss VVVaaallluuueee Network A Journal of Independent Marxist Theory & Practice Issue No.04 May 2010 Contents of this issue include: By Louis Proyect, March 16, 2009 n the latest issue of What Next?, an and it would be difficult to distinguish Editorial: From little things… The Editor reflects on the state of the online socialist magazine based in between futurist art in Soviet Russia peoples movement in Australia 2 I Great Britain, there’s an article and Mussolini’s Italy in the early 1920s. titled The Prophet Misarmed: Trotsky, Capitalism & the Environment Irvine also charges Trotsky with Ecology and Sustainability by Sandy Magdoff and Foster detail upholding the kinds of “stagist” Irvine. The gist of Irvine’s criticism is capitalism’s impact on the conceptions that were characteristic of that Leon Trotsky was clueless on the environment 3 the Second International in its decline: environment based on a passage in Putting Social into Socialism “Literature and Revolution”, as well as In Ninety Years of the Communist Humphrey McQueen writes on socialist other writings, that includes the Manifesto, Trotsky duly refers to the values 16 following: lands of Asia, Latin America and Africa Nurturing Nature as “backward countries”. Not for him Stephen Jay Gould provides a materialist The present distribution of mountains any pause to consider whether their view on nature versus nurture 18 and rivers, of fields, of meadows, of cultures – or at least aspects of them – steppes, of forests, and of seashores, Poetry 21 might offer equally valid paths of cannot be considered final. Man has Topic Records development and perhaps more already made changes in the map of sustainable ones. Not surprisingly, then, Alexis Petridis reviews the legacy and on- nature that are not few nor going vitality of Topic Records 22 he refers to Ghandi as “a fake leader insignificant. But they are mere pupils’ and false prophet” (Open Letter to the practice in comparison with what is Workers of India, 1939). Indeed, his coming. Faith merely promises to move writings often display a deep contempt mountains; but technology, which takes for non-urban ways. “The entire future nothing ‘on faith’, is actually able to cut work of the Revolution will be directed down mountains and move them. Up to towards … uprooting the idiocy of now this was done for industrial village life”, he writes in Literature and purposes (mines) or for railways Revolution. He similarly sneers at (tunnels); in the future this will be done “peasant-singing intelligentsia”. on an immeasurably larger scale, Urbanism is the only future: “the city according to a general industrial and lives and leads”. (For some reason, he artistic plan. Man will occupy himself even takes a swipe at “home-brew”: with re-registering mountains and presumably the only politically correct rivers, and will earnestly and pint is one served from giant state repeatedly make improvements in breweries!) nature. In the end, he will have rebuilt While I would be the first to take the earth, if not in his own image, at least according to his own taste. We umbrage at the suggestion that “non- have not the slightest fear that this taste urban” ways should be condemned out will be bad…. of hand, you have to put Trotsky once again in his historical context. The According to Irvine, this kind of Russian countryside was not something Promethean hubris can be found across to be idealized. Peasants were illiterate, the ideological spectrum, something in poor health, and worked like mules. Contact us at: undoubtedly true. Keep in mind that the In the context of the 1920s, the drive to The Praxis Network broad cultural context for the Russian socialize farming was progressive just PO Box 2063 Revolution was futurism, which lent as it was in Cuba after 1959. Health Ashgrove West Qld 4060 itself to all sorts of grandiose schemes AUSTRALIA improved, literacy was achieved, and about mechanizing the entire world. It the conditions of work became more Email: [email protected] was also the context for Italian fascism Website: www.surplusvalue.org.au (continued on Page 2…) From Louis Proyect: The Unrepentent Marxist http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/category/ecology/ Surplus Value Page 2 No. 04 May 2010 The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas – we must therefore change the ruling class FROM THE EDITOR passionate commitment to what they see (continued from Page 1…) as a better and more sustainable world. humane. The real issue, however, From Little Things,… Some approach it like a religion, with is not about life-styles over blind faith in the pronouncements of its “home-brew” but how to ay Day provides us a good leaders and gurus. Some want to offer integrate the town and the occasion to reflect on the state of their own expertise, whether in science or countryside. Trotsky was not Mpeoples movements in Australia. publishing or campaigning. Some want to noted for understanding the spend their energies on making their own Consider the great resurgence of issues raised by Karl Marx in his lifestyle sustainable and then educate environmental struggle. During the 1970s examination of the problems of others from their experience. Others want and 1980s, people were active around a soil fertility (not the “soil to build political networks to gather multitude of environmental issues. They erosion” alluded to by Irvine) but parliamentary votes for what they see as came from many different backgrounds – his urban prejudices are almost achievable public policies. In short, the trade unionists, conservationists, besides the point in coming to movement is a growing and widely varied communists, church members – and they grips with the underlying movement, focussing not only on small established literally dozens of campaigns problems. Being tolerant of rural and achievable targets, but more often on around ecological issues such as the effect ways will not get us out of the a longer term and more radical social of supersonic airplanes on ozone in the intractable problems facing change. st atmosphere, around conservation issues such humanity in the 21 century. The as the campaign to save the Barrier Reef, What this movement does lack as yet only solution is abolishing the around environmental issues such as are voices raising dialectical questions distinction between town and uranium mining. Whilst these movements about the underlying social causes of the country, a goal that is not given were many and varied, their active current environment “crisis”. Where is its proper weight in Irvine’s membership was relatively small. Yet their the discussion of the rule of capital and its analysis. long term effect was dramatic. It led to the necessity for endless expansion? Where Irvine’s main complaint with “environment” as being taken as an are the debates over the nature of class Trotsky, and Bolshevism in important issue by everyday people, young power in Australia? Where are the general, is the genuflection to and old. The forces of capital are endlessly prescriptions for overturning the class industrialization and Progress: resourceful, and governments and political relations as a part of the solution? parties had to respond to the successes of The new USSR proudly many of these campaigns. These grassroots This edition of our Surplus Value displayed its new symbols of this stirrings about the environment were journal contains a few articles that may be model of Progress. They accommodated within the structures of the of value to raise these questions. The first included lines of electricity state, and whole government departments is an extract from a journal worth reading pylons striding over hill and dale were established to concentrate on regularly – Monthly Review. The authors (Lenin once defined socialism as environmental issues. make the argument that for environmental “Soviets plus electrification”). It problems to be fully resolved, we need to was also embodied in massive The negative side of this development was establish socialism, a society where dams that sought to tame once of course that this grassroots environmental capital is not in control. Our second wild rivers. The virtually useless activism was deflated and defused by its article by Humphrey McQueen, reprinted White Sea-Baltic Canal, opened very own success. For close to two decades from Australian Options last month, helps in 1933, was another such there was relatively little people’s activity to elaborate both an understanding of symbol, one costing tens of around environmental concerns. Marxian analysis; and an appreciation of thousands of lives. The towering socialist values. We conclude with a book skyscraper building too Today it is a different story. People are review by Stephen Jay Gould, who symbolises this model of again taking up the reins of activism around reviews an important book about the Progress (many Russian and East the environment. Workers are calling on perennial question of “nature or nurture”. European cities are still scarred their trade unions to take environmental We strongly suggest that those unfamiliar with giant emblems of Soviet activism and climate change seriously. with Stephen Gould’s writings seek them Gothic architecture). Trotsky did Local suburban groups establish networks of out – a multitude of well crafted strongly criticise certain means food coops, alternative energy installations, collections of essays and books from a used by Stalin but he made fewer film and discussion sessions. Students working scientist, on palaeontology, criticisms of the goals. gather together to establish networks across ecology, evolution – all written with a universities, across cities and around the Once again, Irvine packs dialectical approach, a materialist outlook, world. People establish campaigns to press contradictory elements into the and a Marxist understanding, without in for transition to sustainable economies in same critique.