Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 07:45:44 GMT
Subject: M-TH: Re: "Against Capitalism"


I was interested to see Hillel Ticktin is subscribed to 
this list, and I am glad he has ignored the status
jostling and needling remarks.

I once put to him in a Critique forum rather mischeviously,
for which I apologise, my impression that he has so 
extended the concept of "Stalinism" that it weakens itself
by being totally explanatory. In particular when this is
extended to mean the behaviour and policies of all
traditional communist parties in the West, which
in most but not all countries left smaller Trotskyist 
groups struggling against larger organisations that appeared
to occupy orthodox marxist space but excluded them.

The argument *in favour* of this type of analysis seems to me
that it is very close to the Leninist strategy of identifying
opportunism and revisionism in the working class movement as
the principle enemy, and to exposing its economic 
base as well as its political and ideological manifestations.
But it seems to me that the concept is still too all- 
embracing in explaining away the difficulties in most 
countries of Trotskyist groupings engaging effectively
with even a section of political practice.

Now the cards have all been thrown up in the air, is perhaps
a constructive time to ask for a review of basic positions.

If Hillel Ticktin thinks it wise to comment on this question in 
this forum, as is willing to ignore macho posturing about
Stalinism and Trotskyism, I would be interested in his comments.

I would also be interested in a brief summary
of the position he argued against Schweickart on markets as
that too seems to me to be a fundamental question that 
might usefully be explored here, and perhaps he has in 
any case wanted to move on to this question.


Chris Burford
London



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