[Marxism] Re: Gowans fires back on Zimbabwe

[Greg McDonald <sabocat59@xxxxxxx>]

Patrick Bond wrote:

[Still in the whole scheme of things, progressives in ZCTU have to be  
supported, against the neolib wing of the MDC.

SA is working through the contradictions of Bad Nationalism fused  
with neoliberalism, and Zim in that sense is at least a decade ahead.

The point is to celebrate signs of left analysis and action in ZCTU,  
not to belittle them, right comrade?

The rhetoric of Zimbabwean progressives in civil society is ever  
stronger. At the various regional and continental social forums, they  
are often the leading cadres, and have gained enormous respect,  
notwithstanding the very difficult terrain on which they struggle.
Respect!]
Right, comrade. Allow me to show some respect. Patrick, you're  
correct to call me on the tone of my posting. The "belittling", as  
you call it, has to do with a feeling of being misled about a call  
for solidarity, upon discovering that the opposition to Mugabe is  
operating on behalf of U.S. policy. That might have been old news to  
you, but for someone like myself, who obviously does not have a  
finger on the pulse of internal Zim. politics, as you indeed so  
obviously do, it was new information. You're also saying that there  
are different formations within the opposition, and that a  
progressive wing of the ZCTU exists which is advanced in rhetoric as  
well as practice, and which could teach the COSATU some lessons about  
opposition to neoliberalism. Such a formation deserves our support,  
and my apologies!

So how do we tease out a supportive line and a solidarity practice  
which will indeed support the progressives in ZCTU against the neolib  
wing of the MDC? How can Eric Lee and others fine tune such a call  
for solidarity? And how can it be most effective in combating  
imperialist manipulation of internal Zim. politics? How can we help  
progressives within the ZCTU gain ground against both imperialist  
intervention and Mugabe's thuggery?

OBU,
Greg

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