MORE MATTERS BLOGISH:

Molly forgot a few things in her last post (too much catnip on a Saturday night). One that should be added to the 'Best of the Blogs' section is a repost on Pierre Ducasse's blog Ecodema titled 'Workplace Representation for All is a Human Right'. this is a reprint from a previous article by Roy J. Adams. Molly's flirtation with social democracy is over 30 years in the past when she was perhaps the most consistent writer for The Commonwealth, the Saskatchewan NDP paper. Her present anarchism is little different from what she believed then EXCEPT that she believes that the state cannot create the conditions for democracy, freedom, equality, etc.. What she presently believes is that the role of the state is to "stand aside" and create the "playing field" for truly popular initiatives. Molly sees the need for a "flanking action" within the parliamentary system, but she knows that this action is not anything related to the creation of real socialism. It can merely "clear the field". This is where Molly disagrees with her comrade, Larry Gambone, about events in Venezuela. The creation of real "peoples' power" in that location essentially depends upon either the stupidity or the inefficiency of the new managerial ruling class represented by Chavez vis-a-vis intelligence and efficiency on the part of the popular movements. Also even more importantly proper scepticism as to the new rulers. I simply don't see any of that there in any great manifestation. It will be there in 10 or 20 years but not now.

But back to Canada in 2007. One of our local MPs, Pat Martin, has expressed the opinion that the NDP is in some sort of "crisis" (I don't know if I agree with him because Green Party "votes" in opinion polls are very much of a "blip"), and that it should respond with "imaginative policy" (here I do agree with him, and I can think of no better source than the section of the party represented by Pierre Ducasse.). Howzabout the word "socialism" actually comes to mean something once more rather than a "fuzzword" for conservative commentators ?

Oh yes, one more thing "blogish" (not exactly but I want to be brief), I'd like to draw people's attention to a recent article on the Anarckismo site. It's titled "Fundamentalism, Nationalism and Militarism in Turkey". It's produced by some of our Turkish anarchist comrades, and it gives a corrective viewpoint to the tendency of too many anarchists to equate Third World nationalism with anything libertarian. Have a look.

Molly