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Just finished the article. I'd agree with the overwhelming majority of it, a great mixture of principle and flexibility. I have to admit his repeated use of the term "historic bloc" bothered me; far as I can tell it's meaningless Gramscian fluff. Plus I was bothered by his dissing of the classics (workers' control, self-management, councils etc. as part of a Leninist theory of the state) in favor of his Poulantzian advocacy of struggling both in parliament and in the streets. Finally, he, like many, gives a nod to Daniel Bensaid's alleged strategic thinking, but I've never read anyone who could say exactly what that constituted. But again, his totally nonsectarian critique of Syriza, and his wonderful insistence on working in genuine democratic united fronts, is key. On Fri, Apr 17, 2015 at 6:50 PM, Ralph Johansen via Marxism < marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu> wrote: > ******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** > #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. > #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. > ***************************************************************** > > Andrew Pollack wrote > > Subject: Jacobin interview with Antarsya leader > > > https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/04/antarsya-syriza-communist-party-greece-euro/ > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Several things struck me as I read this discussion, not comprehensive or > in any particular order but maybe central in many respects. First, the > tendency to speak of the student movement and its twists and turns in terms > that did not relate it to the lives of actual working, struggling people in > the midst of a deep depression - their hopes and their fears in light of > their experiences and assessment of the situation, the alternatives and the > prospects as they see them, and how that relates to the feasibility of any > specific program, to the left of Syriza especially; second, the lack of > detail or responsive analysis when asked to identify the strains of > Althusserianism that he saw in parts of the student movement and their > perceived significance - in effect, he shined it on and it wasn't pursued > (although possibly in view of avoidance to use time most productively); > third, the absence of any engagement with the real problems, in detail, in > working within a hostile capitalist structure to effect socialist > transition, effectively foiling the bankers' rigid ploys in a way that at > the same time engages the strengths of the Greek working class constituency > - this discussion is absent here, and it has to underlie elucidation of any > viable program of transition, every step of the way, or it's all about > organizational leftish muck; and fourth, absence of a detailed critique in > whatever thumbnail form of the tactical strengths and weaknesses and the > resulting prospects for Syriza, and how Antarsya would better it. > > I have another question that has not been adequately dealt with to my > mind: the significance for the prospects for a radical outcome of the > presence of a somewhat uniquely large small business component in the Greek > economy. > > > > --- > This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus > protection is active. > http://www.avast.com > > _________________________________________________________ > Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm > Set your options at: > http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/acpollack2%40gmail.com > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
