my impressions was Re: [Marxism] China Drafts Law to Boost Unions and End Labor Abuse (NYT)

[<g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have no wish to spark off a debate about Stalinism etc but would like to 
throw in some personal observations. In the year I spent in China in 1990 I 
traveled very widely and met many memebers of the CCP.  I did not however meet 
anyone with the slightest interest in Marxism. Of course I am aware that there 
may well be Marxists in China but I think that they have long since ceased to 
have any influence.  In the sixteen years since I lived there capitalist 
development has been spectacular and very revolutionary- indeed like something 
out of the Manifesto.

I think by now we should have some understanding of the trajectory of so-called 
"already existing socialism" - however one labels or even defines it.   It is 
theoretically possible for these countries to collapse to the left and to have 
the kind of "political" revolution that Trotsky dreamed of for his beloved 
Russia.  But in practice it would seem that they collapse to the Right, if for 
no other reason than that the entire left has generally been murdered.

So China will continue to be a scandal for any residual Maoists.  There will 
not be any dirty reactionary cause that the Chinese leadership will not embrace 
if they think they can line their pockets more. 

Of course the Right may be overthrown and the workers' state may emerge in 
China but only I fancy after a successful revolution somewhere else.

regards

Gary

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