Louis,
I have learned to respect your posts and heed what you have to say a great deal, mostly out of my wise admission of ignorance on a lot of these matters discussed on the list. However, let me play devil's advocate. You mention France's May '68. Was it not the French Communist Party who decidedly blew an opportunity created by the non-communist left? Is(was) there a correlation between Eurocommunism's policy of "peaceful coexistence" and its partyss autocratic makeup?
Methods and rationalizations of "democratic centralism" during times of emergency have a way of establishing themselves as administrative means in dealing with all opposition. This was Luxemburg's criticism of the Leninism.
You summon the name of Che Guevara. The Luxemburg topic was brought up in a fascinating interview given by Guevara to the American socialist academic Maurice Zeitlin on September 14, 1961. In this discussion, the new minister came out firmly for "democratic centralism," praised the Soviet example, and flatly opposed the right of factions or dissidents to make their views known even within the Communist Party itself. Asked by Zeitlin about Luxemburg's warnings on this score, Guevara replied coolly that Luxemburg had died "as a consequence of her political mistakes" and that "democratic centralism is a method of government, not only a method of conquering power." It was clear, in other words, that his authoritarian stance was taken on principle and not in response to "tactical" considerations.
Of course, for the left to be successful it needs discipline, a program and (gasp) hierarchy - hierarchy both in prioritization of goals and methods and in party/coalition structure. Here's where one might find the differences between anarchists and "council communists" as I understand them.
Thank you for your post on the non-racist skinheads. Unfortunately some of the young ska bands and fans -fans moreso- are losing touch with their roots, but the heavy hitters like Rancid are unabashedly non-racist. BTW, earlier I had mentioned Steely Dan's song "Black Friday." Was it Max "Rumplestilskin" Sawicky who you said had been at Bard (Barnard?) college with Donald Fagen? Along with the Dan of Steel, one of my all time favorite musical groups is Stereolab. This groovy song, Ping Pong, is from their '94 album Mars Audiac Quintet:
Ping Pong
it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown how the economical cycle tends to revolve in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
you see the recovery always comes 'round again there's nothing to worry for things will look after themselves it's alright recovery always comes 'round again there's nothing to worry if things can only get better
there's only millions that lose their jobs and homes and sometimes accents there's only millions that die in their bloody wars, it's alright
it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing it's only their lives and the lives of their next of kin that they are losing
it's alright 'cos the historical pattern has shown how the economical cycle tends to revolve in a round of decades three stages stand out in a loop a slump and war then peel back to square one and back for more
bigger slump and bigger wars and a smaller recovery huger slump and greater wars and a shallower recovery
don't worry be happy things will get better naturally don't worry shut up sit down go with it and be happy
dum, dum, dum, de dum dum, de duh de duh de dum dum dum... ah ah dum, dum, dum, de dum dum, de duh de duh de dum dum dum... ah ah