MIM3 has a point

["Chris, London" <100423.2040@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

MIM's catechism is for Maoists and raises so many fundamental
questions, that  the majority of the l'st will have to be
excused from answering them.

Nevertheless although arguably they are unbalanced and one-sided,
they are not trivial.

The post coincided with my dusting off the fruits
of a previous second hand book raid. I was startled to see this
quote from Lenin:

"economic data show that a *larger* percentage of the workers of the
oppressed nations become "skilled workers" than the workers
of the oppressed nations, ie a *larger* percentage rise to the
position of the *labour aristocracy*. This is a fact."

(Oct 1916, "A Caricature of Marxism and 'Imperialist Economism'"
about one page into section 5 'Monism and Dualism')

The arrival of the Maoists I would suggest has not only invited
us to examine Maoism, but also requires us to re-examine the
legacy of Lenin. Lenin in his attacks on "revisionism"
as the major obstacle to the revolution in the West, clearly
was arguing here that even *skilled* workers were privileged and
benefitted from imperialist exploitation.

His remedy, was the one of going down lower and deeper to
the "real" masses, ie defining a pure proletariat, uncontaminated
by being intellectual workers or skilled manual workers, in an
imperialist country.

"C" in Australia, by referring to the 1960's Polemic
in the International Communist Movement and by criticisms
of the CPAML for addressing the *whole* of working class
in its relation to the Australian Labour Party,
would also appear to place his/her hopes in that strategy.

But as Louis P has pointed out in his interesting overview, we
are still waiting for that revolution in the West, that Lenin
said was so essential.

I would suggest that this l'st needs to address the legacy
of Lenin, in whatever form subscribers have inherited it.

To the extent that Trotskyists regard Trotsky as co-equal
with Lenin, and fundamentally at one with him, that could apply
to them too.


Chris
London.


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