USSR

Jim heartfield Jim at heartfield.demon.co.uk
Sat Jul 18 08:03:03 PDT 1998


In message <35B0AA83.49A38574 at netcomuk.co.uk>, Mark Jones <Jones_M at netcomuk.co.uk> writes
>This is surely senseless. What does Lew, or James, suppose the workers
>wanted? Is anyone suggesting they want what they've got now? The problem
>Lew/James have is that their cheerleading for hurrah-capitalism and its
>'progressive' potential (this is James's leitmotif), flies in the face of
>bitter realities. Why does a plurality of Russians hanker for the past,
>according to the polls?

A string of non-sequiteurs.

What do I or Lew suppose that workers' wanted? What has that got to do with anything?

Is anyone suggesting that they want what they've got now? No. Did you think that anyone was? Why did you think that? Have you lost your ability to read?

Is the problem a 'cheering for hurrah-capitalism'? Only to someone who replies to what he thinks he has read, instead of what he has read. A spectacular failure of simple logic on Mark's part:

To assess the performance of the soviet economy in the Stalinist era in no way indicates any judgement whatsoever of the performance of the CIS economy in the market era.

This demotic attempt to silence any criticism of the soviet economy on the basis that it gives succour to capitalism is the origin of all self- deception and lying on the left.

It is all the more laughable when by their actions the Russian people have made it clear that they want no return to the Stalin era.

How is the Communist Party doing in Russia today Mark? -- Jim heartfield



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list