198 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
198 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
Red & Black Revolution
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A magazine of libertarian communism
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Issue 1 October 1994
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Produced by Workers Solidarity Movement
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...Comment...
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Over the last two decades anarchism has
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returned from the edge of extinction. At
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a time when the rest of the left has been
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in decline anarchism has grown, re-
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establishing itself in country after
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country. However anarchism as a movement
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has never had a significant foothold in
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any of the English speaking countries
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(ES). There were movements in the USA and
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London around the turn of the century but
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both of these were limited to the
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immigrant community and failed to survive
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after World War I. Now that the
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authoritarian left has collapsed, the
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alternative that anarchism offers should
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be more attractive than ever. However
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because of the perceived weakness of
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anarchist theory, and the fact that in the
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ES those using the label 'anarchist' are
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commonly anti-organisational and counter-
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cultural in outlook, anarchism is not yet
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looked at seriously by those seeking
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alternative politics.
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In addition many of the small anarchist
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groups that exist are going through a
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mini-crisis. For too long they have seen
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themselves solely as an opposition to the
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rest of the left, a voice in the
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wilderness. There has been no real
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thought of how to become the major
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organising force for revolution. This has
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generated a lack of seriousness reflected
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in sloppy politics and the absence of co-
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ordinated intervention in struggles.
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These are the audiences we are seeking to
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address in this new publication, Red &
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Black Revolution. We will be talking
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about the sort of politics the left needs
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in order to succeed in changing the world.
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We will be arguing for anarchism with
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those looking for a new direction for the
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left. We will be advocating a particular
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tendency in anarchism, most commonly
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called 'Platformism' after the 1926
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publication "The Organisational Platform
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of the Libertarian Communists". We will
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be discussing our concrete experience of
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campaigns in Ireland, experiences we feel
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have lessons for activists everywhere. We
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will be bringing in-depth features on the
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international movement, that will attempt
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to give a flavour of the broader picture
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of the anarchist movement. Through the
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combination of this work we hope to
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encourage a new direction not only in left
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politics in the ES but also of anarchist
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politics.
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In this issue we look at the state of the
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left today, why it is in this state and
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how to get out of it. Describing the
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crisis of the left is the easy part and
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has been done elsewhere by ourselves and
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others. Uprooting the causes beyond the
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superficial ones is more difficult. We
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identify the cause in the authoritarian
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practise and theory of the left. Freedom
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is identified as a key concept much
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neglected by the left but one that is
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central to change. The right has managed
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to appropriate the buzzwords of freedom,
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choice, and democracy despite the fact
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that these are things few of us encounter
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in our day-to-day lives. For the left to
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reclaim them it is first necessary to
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demolish the 'free world' edifice
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constructed by the right. We start this
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process by examining the role of
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parliamentary 'democracy' in the
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developing world.
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A movement capable of overthrowing
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capitalism is yet to be built. But there
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are movements arising or continuing that
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incorporate some of the necessary
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features. These are powerful indicators
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of the possible. Anarcho-syndicalism
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represents perhaps the oldest surviving
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example available. The rebellion in
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southern Mexico would seem to represent
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the most recent. We also look at an
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attempt to challenge the domination of
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Irish trade unions by bureaucratic deals.
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It is by understanding the potential and
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also the problems of such movements that
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we can begin to see what is required.
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So welcome to a new publication. We hope
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you find our work useful, we don't claim
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to know all the answers, rather we are
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exploring with you the possibilities of
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change. Change is our goal, not just of
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the left but of the world.
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************'
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Contents
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Ashes to Phoenix
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It has become something of a cliche is
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say the left is dead. But few have
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explained this supposed death. New
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organisations have arisen in recent years
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that claim to be avoiding the mistakes of
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the past. How true is this claim? Andrew
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Flood examines the evidence and comes up
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with some disturbing conclusions.
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Time to be constructive
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The left to-day, demoralised by its
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collapse is without focus or direction.
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Anarchism given its anti-authoritarian
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tradition should be able to offer a way
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forward. But many are reluctant to take
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up anarchism, Andrew Flood looks at some
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of the reasons why this is so and suggests
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the key organisational ideas needed for a
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new anarchist movement.
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Lessons of Trade Union Fightback
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Following the vote on the Programme for
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Competitiveness and Work at the end of
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March, the Trade Union Fightback (TUF)
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campaign was wound up. Here Gregor Kerr,
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an INTO member who was secretary of TUF,
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looks at the history and lessons of the
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campaign.
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Freedom & Revolution
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Does the end justify the means? Many on
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the left belive so. Aileen O'Carroll
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argues that the means used play a part in
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creating the end that is achieved. The
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best example of this is the Russian
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Revolution of 1917.
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Marx & the state
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Some Marxists claim Marx was a
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libertarian, and Leninism and social
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democracy are not really Marxist. But in
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doing so they ignore the anarchist
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critique of Marx's political ideas on the
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state, the party and the organisation of a
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socialist revolution. Conor Mc Loughlin
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looks at the contradictions within Marx's
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political writings.
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Syndicalism : Its strengths &
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weaknesses
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The main organisational form in
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libertarian politics today is syndicalism.
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Alan MacSimon, a delegate to Dublin
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Council of Trade Unions who has also
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attended a European gathering of
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revolutionary unions looks at the
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potential, and limits, of syndicalism.
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Review:
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Democracy has broken out in a range of
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countries in recent years - Guatemala, S.
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Korea and Argentina to name but a few.
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But, what is the reality? Kevin Doyle
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looks at a book that takes a more critical
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eye.
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The EZLN
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On New Years Day of '94 people awoke to
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the news that four towns in the south-
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eastern state of Chiapas had been taken
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over by a group calling itself the
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Zapatista National Liberation Army.
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Dermot Sreenan, who recently presented a
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talk on the EZLN and organised a picket of
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the Mexican embassy in January '94, looks
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at the politics and history of the EZLN.
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