Re: Barnesite bombast

[Philip Ferguson <plf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Louis Pr pasted from the Militant:

>"Communists are not organizing an antiwar campaign," Barnes said. "As the
>Bolsheviks put it during World War I, we don't have a revolutionary policy
>in peace time and a peace policy in wartime.
>
>"Instead, in the midst of Washington's war, we are organizing a stepped-up
>campaign against imperialism, against what Lenin taught us is the final
>stage of capitalism--the stage we're still in. We keep our eyes focused on
>the class struggle."



Actually, the only stepped up campaign they're organising is to sell more
of their overpriced books and get more bucks out of their members, while
parasitising off the actual anti-war movement.

In Christchurch, the Barnesites have been the largest left group in the
city since the collapse of the Maoists and the Mandelites a decade ago.  On
anti-war protests, however, they have been noticeable by two things:  1)
Having a lot less of their members present than 'revolution' supporters and
2) Setting up their bookstall.

While doing absolutely nothing to build the protests, two or three of them
simply show up, to walk along with their usual depressed expressions/zombie
demeanour, and then set up a bookstall at the end-of-march rallies to
parasitise off people who do the organising work.

On the march here on Friday - there are marches each Friday - 'revolution'
supporters got a chant going which was taken up by much of the march and
resounded through the streets.  It was just a simple thing, "One, two,
three, four; we don't want your dirty war" - but the Barnesites couldn't
even join in that.  Instead they just loped along, silently, with that air
of depression/the living dead which characterises their members.  Still,
perhaps the speaking tapes that are plugged into their vocal chords hadn't
arrived from New York that week.

The idea of these deadbeat parasites doing any campaigning against
imperialism can only be described as surreal in imagination.

Philip Ferguson






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