[Marxism] RE: SWP and the turn to industry

[dwalters@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

While I think Joaquín might be overstating it a big with "totalitarian", it is,
however, closer to what a *cult* needs in order to control it's membership. But
let me point out the real problem that Howard Beeth raises, and  the issue of
average member of a party vs that of the 'cadre', the latter having something
of a rather vague definition.

The SWP made/makes no difference between cadre and member, thus it has a
counter-cultural view of party membership, making it necessary for the
worker-contact to abandon his own working class way of life and agree too, in
essence, "work for the party": hit the road, abandon 20 years of seniority,
sell their house, probably get divorced and otherwise ruin their lives. No
revolutionary party I've ever heard of ever treated it's members like this.
Fortunately, the actual number of workers to be fooled into joining such a cult
is very, very small.

Groups like this have to believe that the revolution is around the corner in
order to justify such nonsense. Or, as Barnes has argued, the class is moving
to "center stage".

One cannot be a member of the SWP and not be "in a union fraction of the party's
choosing". I work right now with a "ex-member" of the SWP who simply wanted to
live by their home instead of commuting an hour and half each way through Bay
Area traffic to a steel mill. This person has zero differences with the SWP and
even agrees with this decision. But this has nothing to do with any party I've
ever heard of. It makes recruiting actual workers nearly impossible and makes
the party seem like a cult that controls 100% of their members lives. It is the
opposite of communist practice in working class.

The SWP does not, as Howard suggests, "sits down and discuss" this since there
is no room for discussion. Thus, the SWP's 'actual' membership is probably
closer to double what the technical membership is since sympathizers are very
active, almost as active, as regular "voting" members. But of course the can't
vote nor formally discuss or suggest changes.

David



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