From: "Dave Coull" <coull2-AT-btinternet.com>
Subject: Vanguardism - Reply to Roger
Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 03:05:23 -0000




Roger asked


> what is the role of 'Scottish Anarchists' for example?


The role of anarchists in Scotland should be much the same
as anarchists anywhere else. This doesn't necessarily mean 
that anarchists in Scotland should  _copy_  what anarchists 
somewhere else are doing   -   some anarchists somewhere else 
may be doing the wrong thing  -  but the  _role_  of anarchists
almost anywhere should be guided by the same principles. 
Of course these principles do have to be applied taking
into account the particular circumstances. And of course
all of this applies the other way round; anarchists elsewhere
shouldn't necessarily copy what is being done in Scotland,
etc. But the principles applying to the "role" of anarchists
are universal. Anarchists should play an active role in 
the class struggle. They should play an active role in
opposing racism and imperialism. They should play an active 
role in opposing war. They should seek to play an active role
in all of these things, to the best of their abilities, but 
without letting these things push everything else out of their 
lives. Anarchists should not be revolutionary monks (or nuns) 
but individual human beings with their own lives and their
own desires who happen to be involved in these things.  


> how far 'out front' should anarchists be?  


Since, except at times of actual revolution, most of
the population at any given time are in basic acceptance
of the regime they live under, it stands to reason 
that anarchists are "out front" of most people most
of the time. However, although it is only natural 
that anarchists should be "out front" of most people, 
they shouldn't be so far "out front" they completely 
loose touch with everybody else. To be specific, 
the formation of "ultra-revolutionary" guerrilla 
or terror groupings is in fact a dead end 
which does not lead towards revolution.


> and how vanguardist is this all?


It is a tricky thing to get right, being a bit 
"out front" but not too far. But if you can
get it right, if you can guage the mood of
the people as a whole and of large disaffected
sections of the people as a whole, then 
the answer is, hopefully not too vanguardist.


Dave Coull