>What is, in your opinion, a non-elitist form of planning practicable --
>given the existing domestic and international social relations -- in China
>now? And what body is supposed to plan? How is such a body to be formed?
>Or is planning, by virtue of being planning, necessarily undemocratic?
>What's a practical form of democracy in a country of China's size, under
>the conditions of being surrounded by the capitalist world market and
>imperialism to shore it up?
>Yoshie
These arguments/questions -- a defense of "democratic centralism" -- would have worked much better way back then in the Maoist era, when both the CCP and the form of cold-war neo-imperialism (competitive, more like Lenin's than kautsky's imo) were rather different. Obviously, there was much more "grass-roots" activity and leadership under Mao et al.
The CCP isnt so much interested in resisting the "capitalist world market and imperialism" as it is in shoring up its position within these things, as major player. Lookit, this notion that it is or has been building socialism with capitalism is totally bankrupt. Jiang and Zhu have gone further towards "liberalization" and "opening up" to global capital than even Deng or Liu Shaoqi would have (these last represent the true Stalinists of that generation, or the "line" Mao et al struggled against for 20+ yrs). Even the economists working for the CP now admit that there will be 200 million unemployed by the end of 2000. This, and total de-collectivization, and the police-state, and the smashing of the iron rice bowl (welfare), and the ban on independent unions, etc., are not legacies from the Maoist pd, or necessary "corrections." It is kind of bizzarre to see cyber folk who, whilst quite happy in attributing false consciousness to all and sundry, will take the leadership of the CCP at its word, all manner of hard evidence to the contrary. Or will mouth its slogans in re the impracticality of democracy, of dissent, etc. Seems to me that it would take more democracy to reverse the above reversals, to fuind some "third" or alternative way, etc.-- i.e., more direct participation by the majority of men and women in the creation of socialized markets, of co-op.'s and of "society."
As the man said, and in an effort to check the fratricide amongst the red gaurds: You say you are continuing the revolution, but you dont even know where the bourgeoisie is-- they are right there, in the CP, taking the capitalist road.
------------------------------------------------------ Daniel F. Vukovich Dept. of English; The Unit for Criticism University of Illinois Urbana, IL 61801 ------------------------------------------------------