Conspiracy theory is either explicitly rightwing _or_, when allegedly leftist, is grounded in despair of ever politicizing masses of people in struggle and the consequent hope in the magical power of conspiracy revealed.
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Isn't that exactly right?
None of the discussions on conspiracy theory, the bombers and the anarchists in SF have had anything to do with socialism. In fact, it all that stuff gets in the way. Socialism requires 'politiciz[ed] masses of people in struggle' against the heartless world that uses them as resources for the production of profits.
How do we get 'politiciz[ed] masses of people [to] struggle'? About my patch, I haven't a clue any more. But I meet few on the left who seem to focus on this. Instead, the spew radical talk about times past or far off places [Where one can be as gauche as one will. Paper has never yet rejected ink.] That can be educational. Usually it isn't.
But I do know how to divide the weak working class movement there is and how to crush internationalism. For example, to think London wage workers are more like the British State than they are like the international working class is a good place to start.
In that point of view, the workers in every advanced country are 'the enemy' in some sense as, because they have not overthrown capitalism, they have accommodated to it. Therefore they are pro-imperialist. The have elected Blair, Bush, Chirac, Schroeder (of course there are other groups than the workers doing that).
Of course some workers, no, most of them have. Why? Some have been beaten into numbness by the cops, or by the mortgage, or by the daily agony of scraping a living. Perhaps most cannot see outside the box. At the moment the box is strong. Mention socialism and they do not think of freedom and equality and democracy. There is research on this - http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/000000005552.htm (This does not cover my point but gives the key points of the publication that does.)
The issue is: Are you for the working class, or are you just anti-imperialist? (And in my view readily stay within the intellectual, moral and economic confines of capitalist society. The working class are not just our stage army, are they?)
Richard.