[lbo-talk] May Day in Slovenia

[michael perelman]

I just returned from Slovenia, where I had the privilege of giving a
plenary lecture, as did Michael Lebowitz and David McNally.  The experience
went well beyond my wildest dreams.  Some 16 years ago some economics
students organized the Workers and Punks University.  The staying power
alone of this organization deserves great credit.  I have no idea how well
the Workers and Punks University operated in its infancy, but its work
today is incredible.  During the conference, the organizers held a press
conference to announce the beginning of a new political party.

In the United States, such an event would have been ignored, except perhaps
for a few snide comments.  In Slovenia, from what I understand the press
corps took the party seriously.  Even more surprising, much of the
reporting seems to have been relatively positive, according to what I was
told.  The goal of the party is to create an alliance with each of the
states that made up Yugoslavia.  The only other regions that were in
attendance, as far as I know, where Croatia and Serbia.  Unlike the United
States where lasting regional resentment about our Civil War continue after
a century and a half, I saw no sign of anything similar at the meeting.

In the sessions devoted to the strategy for the party people differed with
one another, but they did so with respect.

Finally, the level of political and intellectual sophistication I saw was
absolutely amazing.  The young people were intensely interested in ideas,
especially those relevant to building a new society.

-
Michael Perelman
Economics Department
California State University
Chico, CA
95929

530 898 5321
fax 530 898 5901
http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com