Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 23:58:37 +1000
From: rws-AT-comserver.canberra.edu.au (Rob Schaap)
Subject: M-TH: Centrism


G'day Thaxists,

I've been peeking at the archives and I saw someone asking about
'centrism'.  I don't know if this helps (as I don't know the context in
which it was used) but here is what Trotsky had to say (from 'Centrism and
the 4th Int.'; Feb '34):

'A centrist always remains in spiritual dependence on rightist groupings
and is inclined to cringe before those who are more moderate, to remain
silent on their opportunist sins and to cover up their actions before the
workers ... frequently covers up his dawdling by referring to the danger of
'sectarianism', by which he understands not abstract propagandist
passivity, but an active concern for purity of principles, clarity of
position, political consistency, organisational completeness.'

Sounds like the sort of thing Trotsky would say (and the sort of thing
you'd find in *Spartacist* - in an attack on the freshly dead Ernest
Mandel, in issue No. 52 to be precise).

Me, I reckon 'abstract propagandist passivity' is a beaut definition of
'sectarianism'.  I'm not sure 'purity of principle' is the natural
corollary of 'political consistency' though (the real world has a way of
throwing competing/mutually exclusive 'goods' at the principled purist) -
and I have no idea what 'organisational completeness' is.  Sounds a bit
rationalist/static/unrealistic/dictatorial, doesn't it?

Or am I being ungenerous?

Hello to all (and hello again to some),
Rob.




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