As Mark Baugher pointed out, the Jacobin criticism of degrowth is not a class analysis. It makes several correct criticisms of degrowth, the unreflective reliance on "redistribution," the often uncritical adoption of assumptions from orthodox economics, and the lack of a theory of political transformation. Unfortunately, Driscoll's "theory of political transformation" involves foregoing political transformation and making alliances around the fantasy business-as-usual but ecologically sustainable. There is no such thing.
What Driscoll offers in lieu of class analysis is the "structural leverage" of "organized workers in strategic sectors like electricity and auto." What does that even mean? Sixty years ago, André Gorz put forward a "strategy for labor" that advocated the adoption by unions of demands that addressed environmental and social issues. From time to time there are wins. But these are often in areas where it doesn't cost the employer in exchange for good public relations. Often social and environmental demands become bargaining chips that are withdrawn when a suitable wage and benefit package is negotiated. Organized workers in the electricity and auto sectors are not the "revolutionary proletariat." Pretending they are is not a strategy for political transformation. Sixteen years after publishing his *Stratégie Ouvrière et Néocapitalisme, *Gorz bid *Adieu au Proletariat. *Gorz had not abandoned the idea of radical social transformation but had come to see the conventional assumption of the *industrial* working class as the subject of history as no longer applicable -- if it had ever been -- to late 20th century capitalism. Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29111): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29111 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/104541381/21656 -=-=- 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. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
