The list: What is to be done?

[Gary MacLennan <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Comrades

I know it has become distinctly unfashionable to comment on the state of the
list.  The war with the PCP and the subsequent split has left us all with
scars.  However the recent comments by Louis P. about the need for
moderation were sincerely meant and I really wish they could be taken up.
so the following post is meant  in the same spirit.  I do not wish to offend
anyone, but I also realise that there is a danger this post will do just that.

Adolfo is opposed if I interpret him correctly to any change in the present
status of Marxism1.  He wants it  seems a Marxism3 where he can do his
serious work.  I think that this is a shame.  I am committed in my own way
to marxism1 but speaking with total frankness it has declined sadly.  In my
library I have a stack of articles from my early days on this list.  The
wealth of knowledge and theoretical sophistication and commitment to
struggle that these contain are impressive indeed. And that is not as Ken
has suggested previously empty nostalgia.  If Ken cares to repeat his stroll
through the archives he would surely agree now.

Nowadays there is extremely little which I wish to read and even less I wish
to save.  I do not say that out of any sense of arrogance, I hope, nor to
open up any conflict with people on this list.  But the endless Malecki wars
are driving me to distraction.  Louis P. promised to ignore  Robert and
unfortunately he has gone back on this. Adolfo too is over willing in this
case to stoop to  conquer.

The Maoist wars too have left me extremely alienated.  It has been pointed
out to me that there is a lot at stake here.  Adolfo is under sentence of
death and he is playing for extremely high odds.  I think I can appreciate
that, but surely he can now see that his case against Quispe is made to most
people on this list and he can leave it at that?  Because of Adolfo's post
and Ken's reports I now delete automatically everything that Quispe posts.

There are of course still real positives about being on this list.  The
arrival of Zeynep and Vladimir has been wonderful. It still contains the
possibility of spreading marxist ideas and revolutionary  thought in a very
accessible way.  But I do wish we could attempt again the kind of
organization that we exhibited during the fascism seminar.  Quite simply
that was the list at its best.

Now if I may I  would like to suggest that a possible continuation of this
would be to take a country and explore the political issues involved.  Cuba
has been well covered in current threads, but I would like to propose that
we attempt something say on India.  I  know next to nothing about this
country but it is beginning to impinge on my consciousness through
post-colonial theory.  Besides we do have on the list three (?) brilliant
scholars who could organize and lead the discussion.

So what do I want for Xmas?

1. Louis P. & Adolfo to  refrain from contributing to the Malecki phenomenon.
2. Adolfo to simply ignore Quispe.  I know that is hard, but in this forum
Adolfo's case has been won, of this I am sure.
3. Rakesh & Rahul to nominate a series of topics on India and to call for
volunteers to submit posts, or someone to come up with an alternative.

Impossible?? I hope not.

Regards

Gary



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