Cuba's Destiny

[Rakesh Bhandari]

Hi Doyle,
I have been feeling terrible about the ad hominem nature of my comments on
Mad Max. Max had just pissed me off by his suggestion that criticism of
the Democratic Party was best left to the Republicans (Max, I accused
you of certain self induced powers of delusion and mischief). At any rate,
I rather like the (fellow) troll, but it seemed that he wanted to hole up
us anti parlimentary types so we will never have any influence. And I
don't like the idea of being quarantined. 

Now to this topic of political strategy. 

One very interesting book is Zelig Harris' The Transformation of
Capitalist Society (Chomsky's world famous teacher of linguistics and
political radical--see discussion in
David Barsky's bio of Chomsky). It develops a transition between the here
and now and the Pannekoekian post capitalist vision of workers' councils
(it's been a year since I read it; don't miss the section on the collapse 
of the Soviet Union).

 The strategic emphasis is on the development of ESOPs as islands of
workers' power, made possible by a myriad of factors: socially necessary
branches of production being abandoned by capital on grounds of their
uncertain profitability; the increased importance of workers' intellectual
participation in the workplace and thus the need to tie them in via
incentives; workers own interest in escaping top down control. Harris
reasons carefully and systematically and there is hardly an objection
which he has not anticipated.  This is a very important book and presents
a different emphasis on short term reform, rooted in the actual
organization of the production process, than Doug's targetting of
rentier power at the level of tax and  social security policy. 

But it is up-to-date development of the council communist tradition if you
are interested.

But as I said, I got to lay low.
Best, Rakesh