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I agree with you Louis and like the way you put it. I say at the end of Kimber's piece, posted on my blog:: 'A comment from John: This has some interesting points and while I think in the abstract it is OK, in terms of the current situation I wonder if it is correct. Id like some good comments yea and nay on this.' John Passant ------------------------------------------ From: Louis Proyect <[email protected]> To: [email protected]; [email protected]; Subject: Re: [Marxism] Is electing socialist Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party the way to beat austerity? On 7/29/15 8:04 AM, John Passant via Marxism wrote: > > Is electing socialist Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour > Party the way to beat austerity? > > The support for Jeremy Corbyn?s campaign is a very good sign but > British Labour isn?t the answer, argues Charlie Kimber, national > secretary of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) in Socialist Worker > UK > > http://enpassant.com.au/2015/07/29/is-electing-socialist-jeremy-corbyn-as-leader-of-the-british-labour-party-the-way-to-beat-austerity/ > Charlie Kimber: "We and others have made a start towards this with the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition. The UCU, FBU and Bfawu union conferences all called for meetings, talks or a conference on working class political representation." The TUSC appears to be the latest attempt at a Socialist Alliance type formation in which "Leninist" parties coalesce (the SP and SWP in this instance) around the idea of a broad electoral initiative. The record on such formations is dismal to say the least. The problem, as it was in RESPECT et al, is that the "Leninists" make decisions about strategy in party headquarters and present them as a fait accompli to TUSC members. It is the Achilles heel of democratic centralism, something that will prevent TUSC from ever having the influence people like Kimber seeks. People join parties not as second-class citizens. They fully expect that the highest decision-making body is inside the group they joined, and not outside it. In terms of the Corbyn bid to be Labour Party chief, it is easy to write him off as a faker in the same way that the SWP treats everybody outside their ranks. As is the case in most questions involving British politics, I defer to Richard Seymour's judgement: http://www.leninology.co.uk/2015/07/project-fear-versus-corbyn.html In short, the state of the Labour Party is not something that can be changed in one leadership race, as it is the accumulated result of decades of class struggles and their outcomes. However, that tactical point doesn't change the overall situation, and it doesn't mean we don't have a responsibility to support Corbyn's bid, and undermine Project Fear, in whatever ways we can. It's not just the Labour Left that is weak. It is the Left as a whole. Yes, Corbyn would be relatively isolated at the top, and top-heavy successes are extremely vulnerable. Yes, he will be trying to shift the balance of forces in favour of the Left, in a situation in which our forces are incredibly depleted. But it is a structural aspect of today's situation that in the growing vacuum created by the breakdown of the old party-base relationship, individuals and groups can suddenly project influence well beyond their actual social basis, if what they say finds an ideological resonance in lived experience. We don't get to change that just be force of will. So we have to work with the grain of our few advantages. Corbyn has made a breakthrough, and that presents opportunities that it would be stupid and irresponsible to opt out of. _________________________________________________________ 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
