Date: Tue, 13 Jan 1998 11:48:18 -0800 From: DSU <jwalker-AT-fs1.li.man.ac.uk> To: marxism-thaxis-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu Subject: Re: M-TH: Manifesto destiny James Heartfield wrote: > I tend to agree that the idea of a vanguard party doesn't make a lot of > sense right now. There is some strong argument in this, and knowing now that the RCP is no longer makes much of your previous mailing more coherent. The present conditions for a Communist movement do not look very healthy, even though evens in the far East and central America may improve thing in the near future, we have to work in the here and now. I think that our first consideration should be to preserve the Communist tradition through this political down turn and make all efforts to encourage and support any new movement which is could lead in the desired direction. At first these will be small and limited and perhaps often not very successful but we have to start somewhere. But I do think that the aim should be to work within this movement in order to bring about the condition for the proper existence of a Party which could offer leadership. I fear that the timescale will be longer than we may hope depending on international events beyond our influence. >Marx and Engels' party, > like Lenin's party was an intervention into mass democratic politics as > they were emerging. As such it was and was not a political party. Correct me if I'm mistaken but in similar circumstances in the 1880s the Socialist League which was the main party Engel's supported in Britain was far from entering mass democratic parliamentary politics. It was a small largely propagandist group more concerned with shortening the working week and other agitational politics than with challenging the other political parties. Also the Chartist movement which M & E supported when first coming to Britain and which had such profound effect upon them was far more than parliamentary movement even though suferage was one of its demands that was far more a matter of challenging the political power rather than any direct interest in partaking in it. Moch like Sylvia Pankhurst Women's sufferage movement which was all for the vote but not for using it. I could go on (but I won't) Regards John Walker Anti-parliamentarian Marxist Leninist --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- --- from list marxism-general-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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