File spoon-archives/marxism-general.archive/marxism-general_1996/96-11-06.061, message 45


Date: Wed, 6 Nov 1996 01:56:49 +0100 (MET)
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: Re: M-G: Letter to Richard Pithouse


For your info! And my reply!
Bob
>
>Dear Richard,
>
>Thank you for your illuminating posts from South Africa. They expose
>the *real* and *concrete* conditions prevailing in your country as opposed
>to the Trotskyian fantasies of Robert Malecki (see below) who has
>been vociferously corresponding with you on this thread. Malecki (whose
>politics I have only recently begun to understand although warned about
>them sometime back) wants to build pure parties of the "Leninist
>Bolshevik" model which will be independent of all "bourgeois formations",
>"rotten blocks" and "coalitions" in ALL parts of the world no matter
>what concrete conditions actually prevail there. Any party or movement,
>which does not satisfy all of the Trotskyian criteria in toto, will be
>condemned as traitors and sellers of the revolution.
>
>All evidence and arguments to the contrary will be in vain for Trotskyism
>is a fanatical idealism which relentlessly tries to fit the world to
>its theory instead of the other way around. It is true that many comrades
>that subscribe to this ideology are honestly mistaken but one will note
>that in no part of the world has a Trotskyist party ever led a revolution
>which has involved the masses of people. All they can do is stand on
>the sidelines and condemn or criticize mass movements as Malecki's
>shrill accusations against the ANC show. Previously, on the M1 list,
>he had dismissed the deaths of the Turkish hungerstrikers as being
>inconsequential. Another remarkable fact is their overt pre-occupation
>with industrial workers - the peasant question does not exist for them,
>which is of paramount importance in third-world countries. They have
>a snobbish attitude towards the peasantry and do not consider it a
>revolutionary force.
>
>If you try to refute their idealist preconceptions of the world (as your
>example of the material conditions of a South African township woman
>compared to those of a western worker showed), they will answer that
>today capitalist relations have penetrated the whole planet, so we are
>all in a sense "workers" who sell our wage labor. Actually, there were
>workers during the feudal and slave economies who were also exploited.
>Since the fact of exploitation existed in all pre-capitalist class
>societies, slavery = feudalism = capitalism. This is the great historical
>soup and dialectical logic taken to its luminescent heights! 
>
>They fail to recognize the great uneven nature of capitalist development
>as Lenin did decades ago. The great gulf between people living in the 
>villages and slums of the third-world and the western proletariat escapes
>them completely. From their vantage point in the cool Northern lands,
>they draw fairy-tale caricatures and fantasies of the revolution to come.
>
>Long ago, Lenin said that Trotskyism was left in rheoric and right in
>essence. They indiscriminately hurl the adjective
>"Stalinist" at anyone who challenges or counterposes their view from
>a materialistic viewpoint (you have so far escaped this designation
>since you are new and also feathers are unruffled for now). Note that
>this same adjective is routinely hurled by the bourgeoise and the
>right-wing and even "left" intellectuals at revolutionary and even
>social-democratic movements that challenge the rule of capital.            
>
>Mahatma Gandhi was one asked what he thought of "Western Civilization".
>He replied that he thought it would be a good idea. Similarly, Noam
>Chomsky commented in one of his talks that the concept of "Free-Market
>Democracy" was a good idea. To complete the Holy Trinity, "Trotskyism ....
>.......... would be a good idea". 
>
>
>Finally, you ask Malecki for the names of groups that he favors. They
>don't exist, my friend, except in his head. It is all a fantasy you see.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>SC

Ahh it is quite interesting that SC has turned up. Glad that you are finally 
understanding ? my politics? Usually SC has been hanging out at the labor 
party forum and newly ? returned to Jefferson Village. Or have you been sent 
over by the opposition to Trotskyism. As there is not One political 
arguement in his letter except "hate Trotskyists", "Hate Bolsheviks" I leave 
it to others to decide who is making political arguements and who is 
throwing shit.

Off hand I would say that above the hate stuff what SC is most bugged about 
is Proletarian Independence vs the popular front or coalition with reformist 
and bougeois forces. But then again SC has been away for so long I do not 
really know his positions as of today. But if i remember correctly it was 
along the lines of right wing reformism, however i could be wrong as it has 
been quite a time since you ran off with your tail between your legs. 
However I am quite sure that in the archives of M1 one can find reams of 
both SC's politics and the politics of Malecki.

Oh and then the "Trotskyists" have never led anything. How about the Russian 
Revolution for one. Spain2. Vietnam 3. The United States under Cannon etc 
and so on..

I think that they should be the judge along with a few others like Hugh, PO 
and our Russian friend Vlad. I think that they can certainly verify that 
Malecki has been fairly consequent in his political positions. And as far as 
groups not existing SC. I mean really! In fact today i was just suggesting 
to one of those groups publishing a long document in Cockroach..

Take a look at "Cockroach". I think there is quit enough proof that groups 
exist. Or even the archives of M1. Or perhaps a look on Usenet "alt. 
socialism. Trotsky" for example. I am quite sure that their are lists all 
over the place about groups and organisations. By the way the provacative 
way of putting the organisational question brings up the question of at best 
a clear provacation on your part. Do you really think that one is as stupid 
as the ultra reformists on the organisational question?

Ho Hum, but i assume that you don,t hang out their, now do you?

I find it extremely interesting however that their appears to be a solid 
"United Front" against the Trotskyists on the lists. And the United Front 
appears to agree on slander and "Holy Mary"  and even more drastic measures 
as arguements instead of the concrete political positions of the Bolshevik 
Leninists and the Left Opposition including the founding documents of the 
FI. And exceptional hostility has been shown to the Proletarian wing on the 
lists if one were to go into the archives at M1 and read a bit. But I think 
Vlad will be coming with something soon about all this. But as I understand 
it, he is busy with babies at present.

Bob Malecki





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