A paper of Marxist polemic and Marxist unity David Cameron and Greensill: all n Letters and debate n Iran negotiations perfectly proper and above board n Royal family Nazis - according to the authorities n Nationalist nightmares No 1342 April 8 2021 Towards a mass Communist Party £1/€1.10 LOYAL SERVANTS OF LIBERAL BOURGEOISIE weekly 2 April 8 2021 1342 worker LETTERS Letters may have been This is a strange argument for agricultural commodities (wages) and extending them becomes manifest with the repeal of shortened because of space. Some names for a Marxist to make. Capitalist and so commodity production in back into history, rather than the Corn Laws. may have been changed production begins in the towns in agriculture. analysing each historical period Arthur Bough the 15th century, as the towns grow, Even, then, of course, as in its specificity. It is even more email creating the minimum size of market Marx describes - and Lenin also incongruous to do that at the same Blind alley required for capitalist production to establishes in ‘On the so-called time as trying to claim that the law Gramsci Writing in Weekly Worker, Ammar be able to undercut the independent market question’ - this commodity of value, as a natural law, only exists Debates over how Gramsci’s writings Kazmi asks me to “promptly handicraft producers. It’s why, as production in the countryside is not under capitalism, or indeed that the have been interpreted and deployed explain” and “correct” what I Marx describes, capitalism has capitalist production, unlike that concepts, value and surplus value, can be helpful in clarifying important wrote in my article, ‘Defend David to begin in the towns and such already established in the towns. only exist under capitalism, when questions of left strategy. But David Miller’, about the professor’s industrial production rather than in But, the commodity economy now it’s quite clear that they operated Broder makes a disingenuous and “alignment with pro-Shia groups” agriculture. But it’s precisely for implanted in the countryside creates for thousands of years prior to misleading point in his article, ‘The (Letters, March 18). I am very this same reason that the number of the basis for the differentiation of capitalism, in different forms - each misuses of Gramsci’ (February 25). happy to respond - not to correct or wage workers employed in capitalist the peasantry into proletarians and of which has to be analysed in its Broder states that “Gramsci retract, but to further emphasise the production remains tiny, compared bourgeois, just as the differentiation own specificity. That indeed is the had ended comradely relations main points. to the number of petty-commodity of the independent commodity real lesson and foundation of the with Togliatti in October 1926, The thrust of the article was producers, and peasants. Indeed, as producers in the towns had done Marx-Engels theory of historical when the latter refused to pass on to defend David Miller, his rights Marx writes in Critique of the Gotha previously. materialism. to the Russian leadership his letter to free expression and broader programme, even in the middle The increased pressure from To say “The development of critical of the tone of exchanges academic freedom in the face of a of the 19th century in Germany, rising feudal rents on the peasants capitalism in agriculture and in trade with the Left Opposition”. Broder’s concerted assault. The defence of peasants comprised the majority sharpens this process, as Lenin’s laid the basis for the introduction intention is to suggest a fundamental free speech is essential, especially of society. So for the majority of analysis of it in Russia illustrates. of industrial technology that led to divergence between Gramsci and given the current attempts by the society wages can play little role in The peasants with more fertile land, the so-called Industrial Revolution Togliatti from this point, so as to Johnson government, the Labour relation to living standards during or otherwise better placed, are able and industrial capitalism” is back support his argument that Togliatti leadership and sections of the this period. to meet these rents, by expanding to front, as the analysis of Marx misrepresented Gramsci’s politics, media to undermine it, such as in Roberts’ analysis seems similar their commodity production, and and Lenin demonstrates. Simply when developing the PCI’s post-war their attacks on the left and their to that of Friedrich Lange, which vice versa. The poorer peasants, throwing peasants off their land strategy. witch-hunt against anti-Zionists and was criticised by Marx, and of more dependent on domestic cannot lead to capitalist production, Of course, what really “ended supporters of Palestinian rights. Petr Struve, who utilised Lange’s production, find themselves unable because, as Marx describes, that comradely relations” between the However, in defending his right argument in relation to Russia. to compete with the capitalist has happened throughout history, two friends and comrades from to free speech, it is also important Struve was criticised by Lenin, who production of commodities in the going back to antiquity, without Sardinia was that, at the beginning for Marxists to point out the political also dismissed Lange’s argument. towns. They become wage workers resulting in capitalism. Instead it led of November 1926, Gramsci was differences we have with David Even if we assume that the number under the ‘putting out system’, and simply to various forms of slavery, imprisoned by Mussolini’s fascist Miller: we defend his right to speak, of non-capitalist wage workers become increasingly incapable of and a sinking back of the level of regime. Further direct debate but we do not support his political increased - in other words, workers devoting enough time to their own development. Capitalist production and dialogue became impossible. position and alignment with the employed by the feudal lords as land even to produce their own can only become established if it is Nevertheless, there are multiple Muslim organisations, whether Shia retainers, etc, and paid wages - this subsistence. more efficient than existing forms pieces of evidence that Gramsci’s or Sunni, that Ammar cites in his still represents a small proportion of In Russia, as Lenin illustrates, of production, which means it has views in prison anticipated key letter. society. they then rent out their land to richer to take place on a large scale to take elements of Togliatti’s post-war As I argued in my original article As Lenin points out, dismissing peasants, becoming themselves advantage of economies of scale leadership approach. (and which Ammar quoted in his this same argument from Struve increasingly proletarianised. Some and division of labour, even prior Furthermore, as detailed in letter), this is because Marxists and Lange, it’s not wages that become full-time agricultural to the introduction of machines. chapter 20 of Andrew Pearmain’s are opposed to “a sectional determine the living standard of the day labourers; others move to the But, such large-scale production can new book, Antonio Gramsci: and religiously sectarian form direct producing peasant, but (a) towns to become industrial wage only occur when sufficiently large a biography (IB Tauris, 2020), of politics” and instead stand the fertility of their land and (b) the workers. As the richer peasants markets have developed - otherwise Togliatti made serious attempts to for the universalist, “radical, proportion of their product taken now are able to employ such day the produce cannot be sold. contact Gramsci in prison, so as to secular traditions of the workers’ from them by the landlord in feudal labourers, their money revenues, Those large markets can only seek his views on developments movement” (my emphasis). Our rents, by the church in tithes and by which previously only acted as develop in the towns first on the within the movement. In June 1930, working class politics must be the state in taxes. money, can now become capital, basis of the development of urban Togliatti asked Gramsci’s brother, based on the independence of the What does happen during employing wage workers to produce industrial producers. There is no Gennaro, to visit him to request his workers’ movement from bourgeois this period of growing capitalist surplus value. It’s by this process, basis for such to occur in agriculture opinion on Stalin’s move against the and religious ideology and industry in the towns (especially as Marx and Lenin describe, that first, because the peasants, even ‘right opposition’ in the Soviet party, organisations, whether state, church as the growing merchant class also capitalist production, which starts the poorest peasants, are able to and the implications that this had for or mosque. brings in exotic products from in the towns, becomes transferred to eke out their subsistence from the the Communist International. That does not mean that we overseas) is that, as global trade agriculture. land without any requirement to Gramsci’s scope to feed back his do not support the freedom of expands - also creating a basis for But, this occurs a long time go to market to meet their needs. views was limited by his lack of conscience of religious believers capitalist industrial production, as after the capitalist development of If they are dispossessed of their access to reliable information, and by or fail to welcome them into the Marx sets out in the Communist industrial production in the towns, land, they become slaves or serfs, the strict supervision of his meetings ranks of the workers’ movement: manifesto - the feudal lords find as Marx also describes in Capital. not wage workers employed by with Gennaro by the fascist prison we stand alongside oppressed themselves requiring a larger The urban capitalist production capitalist farmers, because there guards, but there is no evidence groups internationally, and support surplus product, as the commodity places increasing demands on the is no basis for the latter to exist.