rc-am wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alf Heben" <aufheben99 at yahoo.co.uk>
> To: <aut-op-sy at lists.village.virginia.edu>
> The articles in this pamphlet on reforms already
> taking place in Europe show very clearly how
> apparently radical demands, such as working-time
> reduction, have been co-opted as part of the post
> social democratic project.
I'm a little unclear as to the thrust of this post. Are you (Angela) affirming the apporach described in it? It seems off hand to be merely a typical ultra-left attack on all struggles within capitalism, of the sort Marx tried to repudiate in *Wages, Price and Profit*. It is true that most if not all reforms *can* be co-opted, but the realistic alternative seems to be mere quietism. There is a difference, however, between a reform that *can* be co-opted and one which is co-opted in its genesis.
For example: Demand that the IMF be dissolved is a demand for a reform that undoubtedly *could* be co-opted. Demand that the IMF be nicer or make certain changes in its mode of operation is a demand that by its very nature is already co-opted -- a demand the very purpose of which is to be co-opted.
Carrol