Date: Thu, 27 Mar 1997 08:03:07 GMT
From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: M-I: Law of value and labour vouchers


I felt in sympathy with Carl Davidson's latest contribution,
which crossed with mine. In support of his remark about
how labour vouchers would get used, an old non-political
friend of mine, remembers as a young lieutenant in the 
British occupation zone of Germany just after the end of 
the war, how coffee and American cigarettes had a special
value as commodities. He recalls purchasing a good quality
camera with their use. 

But Lew's latest contribution brings us straight up to 
the question of whether these discussions about models 
are inherently utopian. Thank you very much for giving the 
quotes so promptly from Marx. Is it possible, as we all
have different editions, to give them again, with the 
chapter and section headings, if possible even the paragraph
number? The reason why I increasingly think the context of 
these sort of remarks needs to be made is to be sensitive to
Marx's method of abstraction which if taken concretely 
can distort the meaning in a mechanical way.

Neil's latest post promises to continue the battle which
could be very instructive, but I would put to him that
those interested in market socialism do not necessarily 
worship the market anymore than anyone else, but in 
appraisal of the balance of class forces think there may be
a possibility of getting to something like market socialism
just, and of restricting the market, but abolishing the 
market is a bridge too far this century. After all don't we 
all enjoy the market? How do we come to be indulging in this
correspondence list if we had not been seduced by the market
and encouraged to choose from a variety of goods and 
services?

And I do not want to throw an unfair charge, because I do 
not think there is a *direct* connection, but I do think there
was an indirect connection -

Cambodia was one of the few experiments this century at
abolishing money and
really I think we have to assume that not all the loss of 
life in Cambodia was due to the appalling US bombing. Some
appears to have been associated with commandist, and brutal
implementation of a radical rural communistic society in 
which money was abolished. Unless a people are ready to move
to the high level of voluntary co-operation that left-
communists might urge, the effort to abolish the market is
itself utopian and runs the risk of arbitrary and rough
justice in imposing these social values. 



Chris Burford

London.




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