Re: [Marxism] A specter is haunting...

[Thomas via Marxism]

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Information most welcome.

In Solidarity,

T

-Original Message-
>From: Gary MacLennan via Marxism <marxism@lists.csbs.utah.edu>
>Sent: Aug 10, 2016 9:22 PM
>To: Thomas F Barton <thomasfbar...@earthlink.net>
>Subject: [Marxism] A specter is haunting...
>
>  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.
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>*
>
>My trawl through Twitter last night has established that the latest on the
>Corbyn campaign, is the allegation by Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader, that
>Trotskyists have entered the Labour Party and are twisting the arms of the
>young people to get them to support Corbyn. In response the #TrotksiteTwist
>sprang up and made great fun of the allegations.  This is a sample
>
>
>@*Antonineone1* <https://twitter.com/Antonineone1> 'Well, I was lookin'
>everywhere for them gol-darned Reds I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked
>under my bed Couldn't find 'em'
>
>*Pauline Lane* ‏@*Antonineone1* <https://twitter.com/Antonineone1>
>
>Pauline Lane Retweeted Heard they've all gone out dancing doing #
>*TrotskyiteTwist* <https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrotskyiteTwist?src=hash>
>
>
>On a more serious level, Bastani   <https://twitter.com/novaramedia> was
>clinical in his approach to demolishing Watson’s case while the *ARTIST
>TAXI DRIVER* ‏@*chunkymark* <https://twitter.com/chunkymark> went off the
>deep end in almost inarticulate rage at the palpable ludicrousness of the
>claims. All hugely enjoyable and come highly recommended.
>
>
>I myself was forcibly reminded of three things.  First and most obviously
>the great opening of the Communist Manifesto
>
>A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. All the powers of
>old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope
>and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.
>
>Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic
>by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not hurled back
>the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition
>parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?
>
>In a tweet I substituted ‘Trotskyism’ for Communism and you get the idea.
>
>The second thought that came to mind was the scene in Petersen’s film Air
>Force One, where General Radek is being released and the prisoners begin to
>sing the Internationale. We cut to the Pentagon where there is total dismay
>and then to the Kremlin where the terrified leader is drinking.  Back on
>board Air Force One the sound is turned up and the President is forced to
>listen to the voice of revolution. The film is of course standard Hollywood
>fare, but just for a few minutes Petersen allows the specter of revolution
>to come on the stage and it is a great moment.
>
>My third (& final!) thought was of the passage in Deutscher’s *The Prophet
>Outcast* where he tells of the French Ambassador’s attempt to dissuade
>Hitler from aggression because he might end up benefiting Trotsky. Hitler
>it seems ended up screaming at the very prospect. Trotsky’s own response is
>very interesting, he said ‘They are haunted by the specter of revolution
>and they give it a man’s name’ (Deutscher, p. 515).
>
>All of which brings me back to Watson and his stupidities.  Beneath the
>silly allegations is the fear of change, the fear of losing control and in
>a way that represents a fear of revolution. There are no Trotskyists and
>Watson knows it.  But instinctively he has grasped the truths of
>ontological depth.  The surface is at times no guide at all to what the Old
>Mole of revolutionary change is doing underneath.
>
>As things were in Watson’s world they will never be again. And his
>desperate efforts to preserve the, already vanished, status quo are
>transparently ridiculous and pathetic, but in his nightmare there lurks the
>question ‘What rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards
>Bethlehem to be born?’
>
>
>comradely
>
>Gary
>_



_
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[Marxism] A specter is haunting...

[Gary MacLennan via Marxism]

  POSTING RULES & NOTES  
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My trawl through Twitter last night has established that the latest on the
Corbyn campaign, is the allegation by Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader, that
Trotskyists have entered the Labour Party and are twisting the arms of the
young people to get them to support Corbyn. In response the #TrotksiteTwist
sprang up and made great fun of the allegations.  This is a sample


@*Antonineone1*  'Well, I was lookin'
everywhere for them gol-darned Reds I got up in the mornin' 'n' looked
under my bed Couldn't find 'em'

*Pauline Lane* ‏@*Antonineone1* 

Pauline Lane Retweeted Heard they've all gone out dancing doing #
*TrotskyiteTwist* 


On a more serious level, Bastani    was
clinical in his approach to demolishing Watson’s case while the *ARTIST
TAXI DRIVER* ‏@*chunkymark*  went off the
deep end in almost inarticulate rage at the palpable ludicrousness of the
claims. All hugely enjoyable and come highly recommended.


I myself was forcibly reminded of three things.  First and most obviously
the great opening of the Communist Manifesto

A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. All the powers of
old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope
and Tsar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.

Where is the party in opposition that has not been decried as communistic
by its opponents in power? Where is the opposition that has not hurled back
the branding reproach of communism, against the more advanced opposition
parties, as well as against its reactionary adversaries?

In a tweet I substituted ‘Trotskyism’ for Communism and you get the idea.

The second thought that came to mind was the scene in Petersen’s film Air
Force One, where General Radek is being released and the prisoners begin to
sing the Internationale. We cut to the Pentagon where there is total dismay
and then to the Kremlin where the terrified leader is drinking.  Back on
board Air Force One the sound is turned up and the President is forced to
listen to the voice of revolution. The film is of course standard Hollywood
fare, but just for a few minutes Petersen allows the specter of revolution
to come on the stage and it is a great moment.

My third (& final!) thought was of the passage in Deutscher’s *The Prophet
Outcast* where he tells of the French Ambassador’s attempt to dissuade
Hitler from aggression because he might end up benefiting Trotsky. Hitler
it seems ended up screaming at the very prospect. Trotsky’s own response is
very interesting, he said ‘They are haunted by the specter of revolution
and they give it a man’s name’ (Deutscher, p. 515).

All of which brings me back to Watson and his stupidities.  Beneath the
silly allegations is the fear of change, the fear of losing control and in
a way that represents a fear of revolution. There are no Trotskyists and
Watson knows it.  But instinctively he has grasped the truths of
ontological depth.  The surface is at times no guide at all to what the Old
Mole of revolutionary change is doing underneath.

As things were in Watson’s world they will never be again. And his
desperate efforts to preserve the, already vanished, status quo are
transparently ridiculous and pathetic, but in his nightmare there lurks the
question ‘What rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards
Bethlehem to be born?’


comradely

Gary
_
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