Hi Doug! I'm new to your list. So perhaps there were ruled I did not know. I thought Lotta's piece on Socialist planning was a wonderful contribution to leftist debate on alternative societies.
As for context: Doesn't this go deep into issues debated around us? The idea that socialism has proven impossible? That planning doesn't work, and that the best we can hope for is some loosely directed market system of capitalism?
I'm a little confused about your "start debate or end it" question -- but let me just answer as best I can: I think this debate over socialism, markets and planning is ongoing -- it has started and is raging pretty much everywhere, including on your great IBO list, but also lots of other places. I want to continue that debate, but I also want to see socialist ideas content in that debate and win over more people.
Lotta's piece originally appeared in another left discussion site (http://2changetheworld.info) where it certainly spurred a lot of debate (and also spurred *my* interest -- leading me to study a lot more seriously the different real world experiences with socialist planning in the last century.)
Thanks for all your work, Doug, and for creating such a great space for left and socialist discussion! I Looking forward to learning from everyone here.
Windy
>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Subject: Re: Socialist Planning -- Liberation from the Market
>Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 10:33:34 -0400
>
>windy storm wrote:
>
>>Socialist Planning -- Liberation from the Market
>
>That's all very nice, but why join a list and post a long screed from a
>sectarian party to a list, with no context at all? Is this supposed to
>start a conversation or end one?
>
>Doug
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