Re: Query posted to Marxmail home page

[Greg Schofield <gschofield@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Comrade I may well be in a minority in this but anyhow.

At 09:51  14/05/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Is it beneficial to organize small community based economic development
>projects (NGO's type) in poor areas?

If they work and people can be sustained by it with some hope for the
future - then I am all for it both politically and personally. Politically
such small level things are not a solution in themselves but who said they
have to be, anything that demonstrates that people can by their work and
minds build something that is relatively good to live in and maintains
their dignity is to be praised.

>Is it a step toward buiding economic independence (creating alternative
>ways) or is it just a way to minimize the negative effect of the capitalist
>(unemployment, poverty, etc...)

I doubt very much that it is overly viable for long periods, but we can be
born and die in a short period. In some places, such as those using
permiculture techniques to raise agricultural productivity and diversity of
food sources - it may well persist for some time to come. Minimizing the
negative effect of the capitalist is on all fronts what the struggle is
about as far as I am concerned.

Communists are not here to teach people the harsh realities of life (they
know this already). especially if they themselves are in a comparatively
comfortable position.

There are some local projects amongst aboriginal groups in Australia's far
North which provide a ground for growing dignity and work, they are on the
whole fairly small, but they have stimulated other things in an area that
once provided very little (conditions are still not acceptable by any
standard). Most of these are managed, designed and implemented by
aboriginal people themselves with some initial backing, for want of
anything better I hope there are all the more such projects

>Some of my marxist's friends are divided about those.
>
>If we shall build political independence (control of local governments),
>social and cultural (own media and art), why economic independence is not
>possible, and only the control of the production means is the unique goal?

Everything is relative, struggle goes on in many forms, the only care that
should be taken is not to elevate on particular form into a cure-all,
nothing is until the vast majority of the people control their own lives
and society.

Lots of luck my friend and don't bother yourself about those who make harsh
judgements dressed in theory - there are more ways to skin a cat.

Greg Schofield
Perth Australia