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Authoritarians

Anti-Authoritarian | 22.05.2003 10:38

I want to know what you all think of the authoritarian nature of comments like this...

There has been a debate raging on the url below in response to the Mark Thomas article slagging the SWP. THe debate is now more broadly anarchist/communist/statist. Whenever i have seen things similar posted here many have just slated it at stupid in fighting. the response below taken from the debate is to an authoritarian communist, making exsuses for mass murder, execution of anarchists etc.

Basically id like to know wheter all you anti-war and anti-capitlaist types still feel like this is merely 'in-fighting' and whter you have any problem with the authritarian nature of this type of thing

 http://uk.indymedia.org:8081/front.php3?article_id=68674&group=webcast

>I do not believe that authority, discipline, order, and >heirachy and a centralised state are bad in themselves.It >just depends on who is in control, and yes we Marxists >would like to have this power.

And that is why you are authoritarian and it is completely pointless for people fighting for liberation to build any links with you or people like you.

>Yes, things need to be imposed on others, especially the >ruling class.If you side with the ruling class, either >consciously or mistakenly, like the Krostadt sailors, you >deserve to be crushed.

Once more what more evidence do people need NOT to work with the likes of YOU and the SWP? Anarchists, dissidents and other 'undesirables' would be labeled 'counter revolutionaries' and ruthlessly killed.

>If you are serious about change you have to ask yourself >how is it going to come about? You cannot answer this. You >know in your heart what i say is true, which is why you >try so hard to deny it.

Absolute crap!

>You do not want to give up your 'freedom' and join a party.

I do not want to join a pary because my revolt isnt a single issue revolt against 'capitalism' but about ALL manisfestations of oppression and power. The State (all states) are my enemy as, centralised power is my enemy, and a system that oppresses nature is my enemy - not JUST CAPITALISM or the CURRENT ruling classes. YOU would be the NEW RULING CLASS.

>Would you rather have Cuba as a US puppet state than a >socialist state, however imperfect?There is no anarchist >alternative in the case of Cuba. I think it would be hard >to argue that Cuba would be better off as a US puppet >state and still be an anti-imperialist. China, Cuba, USSR >and others have been a great success especially if you >remember the situation of those countries before >socialism.

I waht way has communism been a success for these countries and the people in them? Are you saying the murder of Stalinetc was justified? Part of a long term strategy?

> anarchism does not exist as a serious alternative in any >3rd world countries.

Anarchy has been practised for milennia by variosu stateless indigenous socieites.

>Anarchism is not a threat. Why? Because it cannot deliver >the goods.

Authoritarian communism is NO threat, what world do you live in? the left is dead...

>anarchist has become a communist, but never has a >communist become an anarchist.

Murray Bookchin has.

I do not respond to your comments re the 'classical' anarchists you mention because i see my theories or narchy and those of my closest comrades very differently. You mention 'morality' but all the anarchists around me are ANTI morality.

The most important past of being an anarchist to me is being ANTI AUTHORITARIAN and fighting authoritarianism - this is whether if is state capitalism, state communism, or wankers like you that would have people wgho strugle for more than a new set of bosses shot, and who say that the mass murder of stalin etc was a good thing (implied in your comments on USSR etc).

I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT DEBATES ABOUT THE SWP AND OTHER AUTHORITARIAN STATISTS think of the comments made this guy. Do you still see it as 'in-fighting' is your critique of capitalismyour only critique?


Anti-Authoritarian

Comments

Hide the following 17 comments

Stalinist not SWP

22.05.2003 10:56

To be fair, the post you quote wasn't from an SWP supporter but from an old-style Stalinist. They hate the SWP probably more than anyone else.

kurious


Sorry

22.05.2003 11:06

Sorry-i didnt make that very clear. you're right. i just wanted to gage peoples reactiosn to cooments like this and see whether is is still 'in' fighting or at what point something/one becomes part an oppostion.

Anti-Authoritarian


The trouble is

22.05.2003 11:18

I'm an anarcho-socialist myself, in the Chomsky/Kropotkin mould, but that's not important right now.

The trouble is that mindless knee-jerk anti-authoritarianism, with no left wing progressive and yes, *moral* analysis, simply ends up as a childish "no i won't tidy my bedroom you're not the boss of me" attitude.

Anarchists should be free *and* co-operative, not a bunch of selfish types who reject all and any advice/organisation as "authoritaah."

Any utopia founded on such principals is unworkable, 'cos without a shared humanity all that will happen is that the hardest bloke with the biggest stick will dominate and terrorise all around them.

Mad Max - a great movie, but a lousy basis for an anarchist society.

More thought is needed!

Axel Foliage


we all kno the arguments

22.05.2003 11:26

so let's not start that debate again, at least not
on place which is meant to be for NEWS. It could soon
drown the newswire in a flood of flaming.

tired


free speech! free speech!

22.05.2003 12:20

no but don't you see? we must debate endlessly for hours and hours, otherwise we are against free speech and debate

only kidding, you're right ;-)

-


the SWP undermine our 'movement'

22.05.2003 12:45

The SWP are counter productive.

It is their involvement in groups that gives governmental intelligence agencies such as the special branch an 'justifiable' excuse to infiltrate.

Globalise resistance is a case at point, most of the people who are against globalisation and the current non representation of their views in politics are anti-party politics be they anarchists or whatever. To me it is party politics at the root of our problems, a party can be bought or swayed by a charismatic leader (look at Neo Labour), and in my eyes I can no more believe in the doctine of a party than I can believe the doctine of a religious text.

The last thing I wanted was the SWP dressing itself up in yet another guise and hijacking (ie destroying) the movement, if it could be called that. They did it with anti fascism and they will keep doing it with every new movement that appears. The SWP had to hide itself to be part of the stop the war movement, that shows how dishonest they are.

I am neither Left nor Right, I guess I would cal myself a communitarian democrat if that didnt sound so twee, so I dont want to be co-opted by an organisation with any doctrine bourne from the 20th century political smokescreen, especially one so evasive.

sqoo


Re: Stop SWP bashing - Organise in Europe!

22.05.2003 13:48

Don´t be ridiculious, the Special Branch doesn´t need the SWP as an excuse to infiltrate social movements. Also the SWP doesn´t want to destroy movements - their attitude towards movements is utilitarian: they see it as a recruting base for their party. But what´s wrong with it? A movement is not an end in itself, it´s a means.

Movements tend to dwindle away once they have (NOT!) achieved their goal. Then activist get frustrated, but before they can retreat to their individualist anarchist little lifestyle playing grounds. Then a revolutionary party comes in and hoovers all the lost souls up. Happened to me after the ´91 Gulf War, didn´t do me any harm, then left the SWP, didn´t do me any harm either. Yes, they are authoritarians, yes some people in it are shitheads; but there are also some fine working class comrades in it which makes it worth to fight with them.

Parties like the SWP, the SSP or LCR and Lutte Ouvriere in France are authoritarian - but so is Labour and any other bourgois party, my little naive communitarian democrat!

We need to build out of these (revolutionary) parties a European federation, a new socialist current to fight the united capitalist attack on all of us at the moment.

And I don´t see any anarchists able to get their act together - they are just great talkers, they´ll get us nowhere!. Hey, any of you individual anarchists and communitarian democrats, have you ever worked in your life - apart from the odd job selling the Black Flag in your little anarchist book shops in Hull or London? I know you very well, you´re loosers!

Any workplace is organised on authoritarian principles, it´s hell! Life under capitalism is hell. But the trouble with all you SWP-bashers is that you are not really concerned! Being one of those middle class moralists in a movement is just a phase in your life, before you turn to nice jobs. You don´t really want to get involved.

Movements appear and they dissapear. But we need to build an organisation in Europe that is permanently going to grip the ruling class by their collar and shake them well.

At the moment a considerable dissident current of the German rotten reformist Party of Democratic Socialism (the reformed stalinist party at present in coalition governments in some regions of Germany) is debating publicly breaking away from their party. They are discussing with LCR in France to build a European socialist federation standing in the next European elections. I sincerely hope that the SWP and the SSP are joining in, - in a fraternal manner! That´s a concrete step for the near future.

And to all of you who are always first when it comes to slinging mud, and trying to wreck those groups who fight back, those of you who smear Galloway, you dedicated followers of fashion who write in fashion magazines of the life-stile left - stand out of the way!

swoke


This has gone on too long!

22.05.2003 14:16

Zzzzz.....

Miss Point


The Struggle Continues!

22.05.2003 14:24

Don't you see comrades?

The centuries-old war will never be won until the left has defeated it's age old enemy - the left!

The bosses must be pissing themselves.

MM

Mad Monk


A-ha, but...

22.05.2003 14:54

A-ha, I gotcha! What if people were already exausted, tired of all, and indiferent to revolutionise !? They won't last much more working for the bosses "Fairy Monkey". Do they still laugh at this dis-union ?... Everybody sain otherwise knows that s/he doesn't want to work.

Our culture is exausted and only other people -not "Europeans"- will take over capitalism or destroy it altogether.

ianus


Sigh

22.05.2003 15:16

As I asked before, if the SWP is so crap why it it a 100 times bigger than any anarchist group?

Here is Scotland the SWP are part of the SSP, and that is going just fine thanks.

Sonic


Huh?

22.05.2003 15:29

"Anarchy has been practised for milennia by variosu stateless indigenous socieites."

Where? When? Do inform me. Note that in many such socites, they tend to embrace quite nasty things like oppression of women, and religious intolerance for example. Do you really want that in your anarchist utopia?

Anyway, this endless bickering is getting boring, it's all about the stuck-up, 'my flag's blacker than yours' anarchists slagging off anyone who has the nerve to have an alternative view. They moan about the SWP 'monopolising' their movement, take a look on the Indymedia newswire, all I see is anarchism this, anarchism that, like they are the only ones in the world that matter, and that it is the only way. Meanwhile they are bitching about anyone who doesn't subsrcibe to anarchism, or their paritcular twisted brand of it, and accusing them of being 'authoritian', 'dogmatic' (talk about the pot calling the kettle black), blah blah blah blah. If that what anarchism is, give me the SWP/STWC/Socialist Alliance/Green Party/whatever any day, at least they realise there is more to activism than trashing up a McDonalds, or hurling molotovs at the police.

For f--k's sake, stop this endless whinging, we have a world to save! :-P

Thomas J


More intelligent comments....

22.05.2003 15:56

"Anyway, this endless bickering is getting boring... [slag off anarchists for ages] ...at least they realise there is more to activism than trashing up a McDonalds, or hurling molotovs at the police."

If this bickering is boring why put such a long response? Cor blimey nice intelligent comment about all anarchists wanna do is smash McDonalds.

If we are gonna have an anarchism/communism debate lets have an intelligent one, rather than reduce ourselves to mud slinging.

Brighton Resident


Theres no I in Anus

22.05.2003 16:01

But seriously "I, Anus" is making no sense at all.

I suspect ketamine.

Gratuitous


People just don't get it

23.05.2003 16:38

Like our friend Mr Brighton Resident, who doesn't even seem to take a look at what i have to say, just dismisses me as 'slagging off anarchists for ages'.

Just answer this, when was the last time any anarchists got in the mainstream press, apart from when they are being arrested for smashing up another McDonalds, or chucking molotovs around (hence frightening away the moderates), or getting into fights with the police (or people who aren't extremeist enought for them)? When was the last time anarchists MADE A DIFFERENCE?

Give me Greenpeace, the Stop the War Coalition, Oxfam, ActionAid, etc., any day. At least they have some crediblity, and actually do make a difference.

Thomas J


as usual...

23.05.2003 18:38

As usual, none of the Marxists actually bother replying to the political arguments
raised here. Instead we just personal attacks. Significant.

> As I asked before, if the SWP is so crap why it it a 100 times bigger than any
> anarchist group?

And since when did size automatically make something right? Presumably the fact
that the labour party is much bigger than the SWP proves its not crap?

anarcho
mail e-mail: anarcho@geocities.com
- Homepage: www.anarchistfaq.org


Authoritarians?

24.05.2003 22:22

You anarchists have no serious point with which to reply to. You have no serious political analysis of anything, or any coherent solutions. Only cliches and platitudes. You anarchists pretend you're so hardcore, but you're only infantile.

Iron Mike


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