Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 15:22:58 +0100
From: m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se (Hugh Rodwell)
Subject: Re: struggle, ideas & movements


I declared and Nick commented:

>> I take it for granted that there is a continuity of revolutionary
>>socialist theory and practice from Marx and Engels through the
>>Bolshevik-Leninist October Revolution by way of the Left Opposition and the
>>founding of the Fourth International to today's struggle to reunite this
>>Bolshevik-Leninist International and integrate fighters within it from
>>other revolutionary traditions.
>
>Wow! On this list, you take that for granted? I thought I'd been naive to
>take for granted a shared understanding about Marxists relations to the mass
>parties of the class, and have had proved to me how much disagreement still
>exists.
>
>I think you'd struggle to get the above paragrph put into the list's
>constitution, Hugh. If it had one, that is.

A slight misunderstanding, Nick. I don't take this position for granted as
one the list shares. I would in fact be crazy if I did. Some of my
occasional lashings out (eg highlighting the Stalinist tradition of
'schooling' that Richard B represents) reflect this awareness of
fundamental disagreements.

I take it for granted because it is such a fundamental part of my grounding
in Marxism. So I don't always stop to consider how to justify my axiomatic
principles to people who don't hold them to be axioms, or who haven't
thought about the problem in these terms.

The various levels of debate on the list cause trouble in relation to the
different things different subscribers take for granted in this way.
Fortunately, most contributors to most discussions are experienced in
handling differences of this kind (the tone varying from friendly and
tolerant to hostile and vituperative -- read Adolf-O's latest piece on
'Absolute and relative surplus value' for yet another sample of the
latter), so very often the basic disagreements are not very far from the
surface, ready to be focused on when we feel ready for the next round.


>> Those who don't share this foundation will obviously not experience much
>> immediate 'resonance' when I present my arguments. The hope I have is that
>> the quotes I use will help an idea 'resonate' better and strike root.
>> Carrol's response shows this doesn't always happen, but as the Swedes say,
>> one time is no time. Or put another way: Dogged does it.
>
>Keep plugging away.


Yup. Nil carborundum!

Cheers,

Hugh




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