Thanks for your reply Cde Xoli. I think it brings us closer to the heart of the matter.
The value that is extracted from mining is surplus value of labour-power, and nothing else. In that respect mining is not qualitatively different from any other kind of exploitation of workers' labour power. If nationalisation of mines is not going to change this, then what is nationalisation for? It will not by itself change the exploitative relationship with labour, which is a capitalistic relationship. There will not be a gradual conversion to socialism. There will be a proletarian revolution, or not. The communist parties have their origin in precisely this opposition to "gradualism". The NDR is about democratisation. It is a necessary revolution, and a prerequisite for socialism. We are not talking about two stages, but of many stages, and of many prerequisites. Another prerequisite is the planning of the economy, and the challenge that planning makes as against the tyranny of the "market", or to the fiction of the market, which under monopoly capitalism is not a free market, anyway. In this regard the ANC is indeed, and must be, "progressive", if that word means anything at all. The ANC was made to lead, and it must do so. It must plan and it must lead the whole country, including the capitalists. The communists have been as responsible or more responsible than any others for the building of the ANC, and it must do what we built it for. It must lead, or it is a waste. So it must lead. The planning of the economy can proceed before the demise of capitalism. That much is clear from history, including the history of South Africa. Capitalism was not always "neo-liberal" and "globalist", and it does not have to be. The planning of the economy requires a concrete grasp of the whole of it, and not a wild grab at one part of it. In the present circumstances, it also means the encouragement of capitalists to employ more people, which is a long-standing demand and actually the principal demand of organised labour in this country. The historic role of capital is to employ and create a proletariat. If you find that there are contradictions in the above, that is because there are contradictions in reality. Lenin was very good at understanding such contradictions. Lenin did not denounce "stageism". On the contrary, his language is full of reference to "rungs on a ladder", "links on a chain", and other such similar metaphors. Joe Slovo in "The SA Working Class and the NDR" wrote that the main thing about a stage is that it is followed by another stage. Like all other kinds of human work, a revolutionary process is conceived of in this way: short term, medium term and long term. It is characterised by short term tactics and a long term goal. As communists, our immediate tasks are, I think, to continue the work of democratising the country, especially in mass democratic formations, all the way from national to local and even street level, and including women and old people as such. At the same time we push for a rational ordering of the bourgeois economy, and the expansion of secure employment. All of these constitute the building of a basis for socialism, and tend towards the socialising of the country as a whole nation (and not a "sack of potatoes"), but they do not by themselves constitute an actual proletarian revolution. These are my views. By the way, we are still awaiting the full, published resolutions of the Special National Congress. Only two of those resolutions have as yet been published, as well as the Declaration that went out immediately following the SNC. VC On 3 February 2010 10:52, Xoli Dlabantu <[email protected]> wrote: > Cde VC, > Well doesn't that offer us a chance to transform those institutions to > bring them under workers, control. I mean which one is easier to transform : > A state led institution , or a privately owned enterprise?...I think we've > got lot to learn from the 1996 class project...if we can look and adopt the > projects buy-in approach we can be able to make giant strides...thats the > essence of alliances...the ANC from a Marxist perspective is inherently an > anti-progressive structure, but because we are in alliance with it, we are > able to stretch our hegemony towards it...othrwise anything else is > tatamount to saying...we shouldn't as ASCP members addressed the Natioal > question in the first place... > > This is what I suggest that the SACP should do( and I've long outlined that > in the proposed economic policy document I long posted in the CU website): > 1. Pilot the joint ownership of the State Owned Enterprises. > 2. Form sector associations in every industry to lobby the government to > unpack to the socialist agenda. > 3. Model the rural development Strategy along socialist lines. > 4. develop a Time-compressed catch strategy that will rake -in > Universities, Csir, Pic as well as the Department of Science and > technologies to duplicate our economy and the give the technology to the > working class. > > Up to som far, no one has really commented on the proposals...it is in tha > t light that i have always been of the view that we need a more independent > platform to develop these percpectives... > > We are now at the tresh-hold of socialism..and we shouldn't really expect > to come across any huge Chinese Wall...the two stage revolution theory is > but a theory...to simplify issues...Socialism starts today...now is the > time... > > Xoli > > On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 8:42 AM, Dominic Tweedie <[email protected] > > wrote: > >> Nationalisation by the bourgeoisie is nationalisation for the >> bourgeoisie. >> >> In history, most of nationalisation has been of this character. >> >> It is not true that nationalisation, as such, automatically leads to >> benefits for the working class. >> >> Now, tell me truly, is not Julius Malema part of an Mvela group that is >> sponsored by Tokyo Sexwale, a big mining businessman? >> >> So what is going on? >> >> By the way, we have had this debate before. No way can the communists be >> accused of silence. When the communists did speak, they were met with >> screaming rage and insults. Why do people forget so fast? The insults, which >> I will not repeat, but there were many of them, and they included all of us, >> are the reason why comrades objected to the impertinent presence of Julius >> Malema at the Special National Congress. >> >> Or have you been blinded by Tokyo Sexwale's "report", which somehow fails >> to mention that Malema had been publicly insulting the communists, and I >> mean all the communists, for weeks prior to the moment when Tokyo pretended >> to notice for the first time that something was happening? >> >> Comrades, you are getting a lesson in something called demagogy. >> >> >> VC >> >> >> >> >> On 3 February 2010 07:40, <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Qabane, cde mantashe articulates the decisions of the ANC as ANC GS and >>> articulates the views of the SACP as SACP chairperson and let us not >>> confuse his different roles. Infact I agree with the view that we need to >>> have more radical approach but that can not be done by Gwede alone as ANC >>> GS. That can be done by being more influencial to ANC NEC at large, >>> become >>> more influencial in all structures of ANC in particular and ultimately to >>> have more radical change in ANC policies during ANC policy conferences >>> and >>> congresses. >>> >>> Cdes im very worried by the silence of SACP, COSATU AND YCL in issue of >>> nationalisation of mines even if we dont agree with ANCYL version we must >>> put more flash on it. May that is why we hear likes of Shabangu so strong >>> about impossibility of nationalisation of mines and i wonder why. Infact >>> cdes, there might be a reason beind the ANCYL call which we might not >>> know >>> but one will ask what is our position. >>> >>> Malemas say that Gwede is a goner might not be undermined maqabane. >>> Malema >>> thinks he is the POWER HOUSE of this ANC led movement and we must teach >>> him a lesson. Cdes if we allow Gwede to be out voted, that will mean we >>> are not at all ready to start building socialism. >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> South Africa's premier free email service - www.webmail.co.za >>> >>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> For super low premiums, click here http://home.webmail.co.za/dd.pwm >>> >>> -- >>> You are subscribed. This footer can help you. >>> Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply >>> to this message. >>> You can visit the group WEB SITE at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery >>> options, pages, files and membership. >>> To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email >>> [email protected] . You don't have to put >>> anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the >>> message part. 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