Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 12:22:08 -0400
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-G: Reply from a trotskyite-bukharinite gangster! (1)


Part one...

Vlad wrote;

Dear Bob, thanks for your comments.  The "orstrich tendency" in regard  
to the former SU, shared by all denominations of the Western left, is 
indeed scandalous.  I must say though that occasional pronouncements on 
this subject aren't much better. I recall a recent instruction from some 
big trotskyist in London who promised eternal damnation to all those who 
refuse to work within Zuiganov's KPRF.  With friends like these we
don't need Jeffrey Saks and IMF to build capitalism in Russia.

Well, who was the "big Trotskyist" in London? Anyhow if my 
information is correct Zuiganov's KPRF is doing all kinds of
political blocks with the extreme right wing (zyernovski?) nationalists in 
another Stalinist unholy alliance against the Yeltsin regime.
And naturally on principle blocks with ultra rightwing nationalist
groups who's program fundementally is to the far right of the
present counter-revolutionary misleaders in the Yeltsin regime,
will not help the Soviet workers one bit. In fact these kinds of
rotten opportunist blocks could lead to the ultra right taking power
and a real fascist solution to the woes of the former Soviet Union 
being not to far off. Never mind the International consequences of
this kind of stuff which would open the door to and imperialist
intervention and occupation of the former Soviet Union.  

Vlad continues;
Unfortunately, as your own reading of my modest paper shows, I don't see
any possibility for a fruitful discussion of "Russian question." It
appears that you already know everything worth knowing about it, as well
as of any other country in the world.  Also, discussion implies at least
a bourgeois respect to what your opponent says.  It means that it is bad
to misrepresent or to twist his argument.  It means that one puts at
least a modicum of reflection between naming and denouncing one's
opponent.  In short, communist discussion is impossible, without 
upholding the bare minimum of conditions established long ago by 
the bourgeoisie and even prior to that.  One of the terrible 
consequences of Stalinism was the obliteration of these simple
principles from political discourse. 

Well Vlad, I am not interested in bougeois respectability, nor does 
"having respect" for a political opponents arguements have anything 
to do with it. If you want to talk about table manners I suggest you 
join the M-I and people like the neo-Stalinist yellow journalist Proyect
and his "delete their messages" crony Carrol who appear to be experts
on turning political issues facing the International Proletariat,
in this case the Russian proletariat, into some sort of personal
vendetta with and exclusionist bureaucratic "special rules and banning
committee. In other words stop the whining Vlad about poor you being
attacked by that horrible prolo Malecki who doesn't "even" have
any "bougeois respect" for you. The only respect you get from me
is the statement that your shit stinks--just as much as mine! And this
is a counter purposal to "bougeois respectability" which by the way is
determined by who?  

Vlad continues;
And this indicates a deeper affinity between
you and Stalinism.  Namely, the one between the empirist (Stalinist) and
the metaphysical (Trotskyists), the fatalistic and the voluntaristic 
polarities of the bourgeois consciousness.  Here is one example. 

Bob writes:

> The above is quite a lot of stalinist baggage that you want to take
> down the road along with the Russian proletariat. In the first place
> you are mixing up capitalist counter-revolution with the possibility
> of a fascist solution to the woes of the former Soviet Union. Naturally
> the one (capitalist counter-revolution) is a reality whereas the
> fascist solution is only a possiblity. It is the classical Stalinist
> motivation for popular front politics that Stalinists used for years
> in order to defend there bureaucratic priviledges. 

Let's leave aside your ignorance of the ABC of Marxism (your "mixing up"
counter-revolution with restoration, and the view that fascism is a
solution
to the "woes" of countries, not classes). Let's look more closely what
you understand by "reality."  For marxists "reality" is not a fixed
state 
of affairs but a *process* of development of its inherent
contradictions.  
The reality of the Weimar Republic bore within itself the contradictions 
and tendencies that resulted in fascism, as the reality of  the
restorationist 
France contained those that resulted in 18th Brumaire.  When one, like
you, does not understand this, one is destined to Stalinist politics. 

Bullshit Vlad! You are just trying to justify your own confusion. 
You sound like you are trying to apply Darwin and his theory of
evolution to the political evolvement of countries. And in the
final analisis say that fascism for example in Germany was inevitable
rather then the conciously implemented political course of the 
Stalinist counter-revolutionary line of the COMINTERN (red front
period) which led to the fascists comingto power. Ha what a joke! 
Why don't you draw the line the whole way 
Vlad and say that the "inherent contradictions and tendencies" in the
former Soviet Union led to the Bolshevik Party taking power and
the October revolution or even futher on the backwardness of
Russia led to a Stalinist Bonaparte coup which a number of decades
later made the former Soviet Union disintergrate through an
internal capitalist counter-revolution done in the name of the
Russian CP! Sure and pigs fly! What about the concious factor
Vlad the party and the leadership. You know the Leninist conception
of a combat party that fights everywhere internationally in the
interests of the International proletariat..By the way the 
Stalinists buried themselves in all kinds of arguements like the
above in order to justify there various twists and turns through
the years. The point here being that you are trying to justify
a political course of a Russian version of the Stalinist 
anti-fascist front which you claim is some fucking conspiracy
going on between Yeltsin,the generals the maffia, and a whole
long list of other components of society. And in fact fail to mention
the real fascist threat that does exist! in the ultra nationalists
that the Stalinists like your pal  are "Zuiganov" blocking with
at present. In fact the Russian CP at present is blocking with
those forces who really could become the future fascists of
the Russian state! 

Vlad continues;
  
>It is the classical Stalinist
> motivation for popular front politics that Stalinists used for years
> in order to defend there bureaucratic priviledges. 

Every word here is pure rubbish both in its own merit and in relation to 
what I wrote.  The "classical"  Stalinists (i.e. not of your imagination
but real) used exactly the same logic as you do now re Russia.  They 
"motivated" the popular front in France precisely by separating the 
"reality" of the bourgeois France from French fascism as only 
"a possibility."  They did the same in China.  To say that they did it
"in
order to defend their priviledges"  is another piece of vulgar marxism 
that puts you, as a Marxist, in their company. 

More Bullshit Vlad! You are turning the arguement upside down. 
And then inside out. The point being that the one solution that
the Stalinists never brought up was in fact the correct one of
the independent mobilisation of the working class. It was always
making backroom deals with either bougeois or fascists parties
depending on which period of Stalinism we are talking about in
connected to the theory of building "socialism" in one country
and in fact the bottom line was defending the bureaucratic caste 
and its priviledges at the expense of the International Proletariat
and sabotaging just about every revolutionary and pre revolutionary
situation and turning them in to defeats. Nor do the russian 
proletariat need a new round of reformed neo-Stalinists politics
which critisise Stalin and all the various clicks that led to
handing over,dismantling and the destruction of the former
Soviet Union to capitalist counterevolutionary, in the form
of some bizaar form of anti-fascist front which you argue for. 
In fact what is needed is reforged sections of a 
Bolshevik/Leninist/Trotskyist which not only brings the entire
historal struggle of the left opposition to the Stalinists in
the light and conciousness of the Russian Proletarian vanguard
but puts forth a program of new Social Revolutions to smash
the new capitalists states being created from Moscow to the
Urals!


Vlad continues;
But your Stalinist alter ego goes much further than that. You actually
offer the Russian workers the "solution" that Stalin imposed on the 
German workers before 1933.  This is what you are saying to them: 

You have to fight "counter-revolution" which is "real" instead of
fascism
which is not.  This is why you need to isolate yourself from the
absolute
majority of the country (70%).  Don't even try to take a political
leadership over the petty-bourgeois mass.  Let them do what they want. 
Your
real enemy are all other classes of Russian society. Just be
"independent" 
and the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours.  Well, Bob, theirs will be the 
Kingdom of Hell should they follow your advice. 

More Bullshit Vlad! You know that I do not say that fascist tendencies
need to be fought against. The problem is that the Russian CP do
not even not what a fascist is! Never mind a program to
fight fascism. In fact the Russian CP is blocking with the real
potential fascists of the ultra right wing nationalist sort against
Yeltsin today. But the weapon is not providing leadership 
or rotten blocks with bougeois components or ultra right wing nationalists
under the guise of a struggle against fascism. In fact the scenario
you paint up in your original thesis puts Yeltsin, the generals, the maffia, 
the lumpen intelligensia all in the same boat as a fucking fascist
conspiracy of some sort. Whereas the closest thing to a fascist party
in Russia today is the right wing nationals which the Russian CP is 
blocking with... 

Vlad continues quoting me;  

>Only now you want
> to use this kind of stuff, and alliance of capital,the bureaucrats,
> the mafia, the generals, the lumpen intellectual, (did I miss any?)
> as some sort of fascist conspiracy against "all classes". Then you come
> with the classical Stalinist popular front program of a program of
> "National Salvation" and to rally around it the "petty bougeois strata".
> You reasoning is if the workers and their party don't do it then the 
> fascists will!

Right, this is what happened in Germany. and this may well happen in 
Russia unless the proletariat attracts the petty-bourgeois layers on
its side.  There is no contradiction between the cause of proletarian
struggle and that of national salvation, i.e. the salvation of the
vast majority of the nation from social degradation.  Moreover, this 
salvation can come about only from the hands of the proletariat. 
And only if it proves its ability to lead the the petty-bourgeoisie.  
Bob twists my description of the simple dilemma faced by Russian society 
and misrepresents is as a call for a struggle not against the 
regime of restoration, in which fascist tendencies are inherent, but as 
a call for a "popular front" (his idee fix) against some "possibility"
of fascism. Here's what I wrote:

>Against the criminal organization of
> the bourgeois dictatorship, the proletariat advance its own
> revolutionary organization.  Any delay in creating it can be 
> lethal.  If Russian workers fail to advance their own program 
> of national salvation and to rally around it the petty-bourgeois
> strata this will be done by a program of fascism."

More bullshit Vlad in the classical Stalinist variation! National
salvation my ass.And what happened in Germany was that Stalin blocked
with the Nazis against the "social fascists" in the form of the reformist
Social democracy. When you talk about "National salvation" you are
talking about blocks with the ultra right nationalists like Zyronovsky
wno certainly have a program of National salvation! And in fact opening
the way for real fascists to come to power in Russia today. The following 
lines from the beginning of your letter here expose your real appetite
for rallying the "petty bougeoisie"..You wrote above: "I recall a 
recent instruction from some big trotskyist in London who promised 
eternal damnation to all those who refuse to work within 
Zuiganov's KPRF.  With friends like these we don't need Jeffrey 
Saks and IMF to build capitalism in Russia."

The only rallying these days by the Russian CP is with the ultra 
right nationalists like Zyeronosky in a rotten block against 
the Yeltsin regime. Hardly any independent mobilisation of 
Russian workers in this.

Vlad continues;
Do I "propose a program?"  By no means.  Programs without real class
organizations behind them exist only in the deluded mind of trotskyists 
like Bob. I do not propose.  I state a simple dilemma faced by Russian
society.

Oh yeah Vlad! The real dilema faced by the Russian workers is fairly 
simple. No Bolshevik/Leninist/Trotskyist leadership!

Vlad continues; 
The regime of restoration is taking the society to the brink of an
abyss.
Either the proletariat advances its own program and attracts to its side
 the petty-bourgeois masses or they will be
carried away by the forces of fascism.  Again, this is the ABC of
Marxism.
from Lenin's "Infantile Decease" to Trotsky's TP.  Who in his right mind
can read into this a call for a "popular front?"  Nobody, except Bob
Malecki...and Adolfo!  Again the same paradox, as I've noticed above. 
Once Bob
is compelled to deal with *conctrete* problems of class struggle, he
finds
himself in the same boat with Stalinists vis-a-vis orthodox Marxism. 

Anybody in his right mind can say the above without blinking! But it
takes a neo-Stalinist to apply popular front tactics as you did a 
year ago and now in building and anti-fascist front against the
Yeltsin regime with the Russian CP and their pals in the form of
ultra right nationalists! Because that is what has been really 
going on and what you supported when I said.


> I remember quite well Vlad when you over a year ago or so were begging
> the "left" here in the west to help you build a "anti fascist" front
> against the impending fascist catastropy! And basically this is just
> another slick version of the same thing you were purposing a year ago.
> The Russian workers do not need a program of "National Salvation", nor
> do they need and anti-fascist front. They need a Bolshevik Party of
> the Leninist model and a program of Proletarian International Revolution.
> Fundementally a Trotskyist Party in a reforged Fourth International
> which can lead the Russian workers towards a new October Revolution
> and setting up a real dictatorship of the Proletariat. And this must be 
> done independently of all other classes.

Vlad continues; 

Again, this is a blatant misrepresentation of what I wrote back then.
It was an appeal for solidarity with Russian workers on the eve of
the presidential elections when the ruling clique threatened to unleash
a civil war should they give their votes to Zuiganov.  To call this 
act of solidarity a "anti-fascist front" or any "front" is to degrade 
conceptual language and make any social analysis impossible. 

Bullshit Vlad. On the "eve of civil war" in reality a pathetic
attempt by a wing of the Stalinists to take the White House
in controll and the Yeltsin forces quickly smashed with
tanks and some elite troops just because the Stalinists have
no mass support or work involved in independently mobilising
the Russian Proletariat to smash the Yeltsin regime. This
"civil war" was a patrhetic palace parlimentry coup which
failed miserably and shows that the Russian CP has no
real interest in mobilising workers to seize power but
want to make back room deals with all kinds of ultra
right wing forces to regain their power and bureaucratic
priviledges...Besides that calling for a vote to Zuiganov
whoi then was quite openly allied with some real fascist
elements in the form of ultra right wing nationalists is
despicable. 

What was at stake back then was a program not of rotten
electoral blocks but a program of defense of collective property
forms, and the welfare state connected to a call for
massive organisation of trade unions and Soviets against 
all attacks by the new regime. Not to mention the construction 
of a Bolshevik/Leninist party..

Continued in part 2... 

Warm Regards
Bob Malecki
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