Re: Moscow "Libertarian Communism 2010" Forum
jos boersema
On 2010-01-03, Dan Clore <cl...@columbia-center.org> wrote:
> News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
>
> http://cia.bzzz.net/invitation_to_the_libertarian_communism_2010_forum_in_moscow
> Invitation to the �Libertarian communism 2010� forum in Moscow
> Yak, Sob, 2010-01-02 11:21 English
>
> Invitation to the �Libertarian communism 2010� forum in Moscow from the
> 6th to the 8th of March 2010
>
> From time to time, we should meet to discuss perspectives of our
> movement in the framework of global capitalism, evaluate successes and
> failures of our fight and plan new struggles. For this purpose, we
> invite you to the �Libertarian communism 2010� forum to be organised in
> Moscow.
>
> Ten years ago, in November 1999 in Seattle the anti-authoritarian
> movement manifested itself during demonstrations against a meeting of
> the WTO. This new phenomena was named the �Anti-globalization movement�
> by the mainstream media, which resulted in a lot of confusion and
> unclarity in terms of the perceived goals and methods of the manifold
> movement.
>
> The insurrection in Greece, which started in December of 2008, and its
> support around the world proved, that the anarchist and
> anti-authoritarian movements, which were only one of the many parts of
> the �Anti-globalization movement�, have now grown and can challenge
> the existing order of things on their own.
No, they can not. They are next to nothing. I hate to bring the reality
of things to you but that's just a fact you will have to deal with when
making strategy and tactics. If you go from the premise that you have
any cloud whatsoever, you are deluding yourselves and setting yourselves
up for failure.
Even if you can lay Greece to ashes or build it up into a worker
paradise (not exactly the same goals are they): the world is very
very big. How long before, if you succeed, Greece is attacked and
bombed back into capitalism ?
Notice this very usenet group ? Anyone who understands the Internet
knows that there is no better place then Usenet. Yet these groups are
empty. So who go to meet in these 'forums' ? If these groups are
spilling over with activity and content, maybe i'd believe these forums
matter. But it's empty here, so where are the people (who don't have
time or money or interest to hear live what they could just as well read
in letters and discuss here) ?
I've seen this kind of over-estimation before. Communists where a
tiny tiny minority, next to nothing right here in Groningen (Holland).
It's a marxist party, from the old times I guess (one wonders what
percentage is agents). But they got interviewed by a local
establishment paper, and then some functionaries said: "they can't go
around us." Eh ? They're playing with you, like a mouse with a bug.
Think they'd interview you if you'd be a viable force ? Maybe, maybe
not, as such it proves nothing. 'Look, here's 1.5 communists left!'
As in 'look, we've beaten them back to nothing.'
The ability to cause mayhem and chaos in the streets also proves
nothing. It proves that this "movement" is not a viable force for good I
guess, if that's all that it is accomplishing. Rioting proves nothing,
except the immaturity and lack of support.
My guess is: many of these anarchists and far left wing people will
prove to be enemies in the revolution, who do the dirty work of painting
positive change black with senseless violence (unless/until we can fold
them into a better way forward, but many are children, they can't think;
they are at risk of persuing contra-productive violence).
> If the first decade of 21st century was a decade of neo-liberalism,
Why don't call capitalism by its name.
> government strategy during the second decade will be reaching for a
> governable state capitalism, with all the consequences: the
Seems highly likely, in the face of this crisis. The aim will be to
destroy democracy and move from private power to corrupt semi-Government
power. A very close relationship between the state and business: losses
go to the taxpayer, profits to the corporate dictators (aka fascism.)
> strengthening of control mechanisms, and escalation of wars over control
> of natural resources under the label of the �war against terrorism.�
Well, true, and I guess this happening and has been so it's more of a
noting the facts then predictions.
> Those leftists who have integrated into the system will hail the
> increasing role of the state, even if there are no new social benefits
> to be expected by emptying coffins of the system. However for us,
> libertarian communists, there is nothing to be happy about. We always
Indeed, a capitalist bank with de-facto government powers is only that
much more dangerous.
> knew, that when the good days would end, capital would be screaming for
> the state to rescue it. Even though the immediate result of the crisis
> will be increasing repression, we will also see new possibilities
> emerging before us.
>
> If ten years ago we were few, today in Russia we have numbers comparable
> to any other oppositional tendency outside the parliamentarian
> framework.
But are they people-council advocates, or do they want to rebuild the
Stalinist form of Tsarism ? How are their parties organized, as absolute
democracies ? Or is it the same faces year in year out. Is it the old
'unite' slogan again, where we should all unite under one boss, the
"most perfect communist(s)" ? Does matter, doesn't it. What happened in
the Russian revolution ? The predictions that an absolutist unity party
would transform into an absolutist unity Government came true (under
outside pressure of capitalist war, but still.)
> In Belarus and Ukraine, the situation is the same. Besides
> the increasing independence, inside the anti-authoritarian movement we
> can see the lines between anarchism and anti-authoritarian marxism
> vanishing.
That's a good thing, we do need /ideological/ agreement (as opposed to
organizational unity, which we DO NOT NEED, and should avoid like the
plague.) Ideological agreement is also sufficient, we don't need to
believe the exact some thing, as long as it is a working sufficiently in
the same direction to achieve actual results that we all like as better
then how it is now.
Obviously I'm positing this: www.socialism.nl as something that we would
probably favor as better then how it is now. The great thing about that
proposal is that it is pro free trade. This will have the potential to
pull in everyone who is pro-free trade. If you'd say that 30% of the
people would vote for left parties that are very critical of free trade,
but would not be able to break off enough people of the remaining 70%
who find free trade very important, then under that proposal you could
pull in another 40% of the people. Actually break all free trade people
away from the capitalist/bank free-investment club, they could all agree
to that system as well. Then you have a 70% agreement, and that's a
winning number.
Beside that: free trade is not a bad thing, it is a good thing. But you
have to do it properly (spread power to all, through permament soil
distribution and democracy in all businesses, ...). Though being
pro-trade is a winning strategy, it is also actually true (imho), it's
not a shell game for supporters.
> There are more and more political groups and websites, where
> anarchist and anti-authoritarian marxist texts are found next to each
> other, and although differences of appraisal still exist, we believe
> that we can now talk of a single movement, which we call libertarian
> communist.
I would classify my site as 'libertarian communism/socialism,' even
though it is pro-trade, because it proves trade is pro-labor making it a
socialist/communist goal/principle (or rather, discovering that it alway
has been that, but not how it has historically been done).
> We do not pretend to establish a new theory - it was a widespread
BUT I DO PRETEND THAT !!! You may have no theory, none of the other
sites either, but I do. That's why you people love to ignore my work.
You're upset you didn't come up with it, you're jeaulous.
Who made you a spokesperson for me anyway. 'We do not pretend' ?! Who
are you ? WHere did I vote for you being my spokesperson ?
This is just the same marxist SHIT again 'we do not propose a new
solution, we just want to rule the world ...' Exactly the old marxist
theme 'we will win the power, and then we will finally come up with
answers.' No, come up with answers now, not then: now. Talk this thing
through to the end right now: you have the time, talk, debate, solve
the problems in theory, then do it.
> mistake amongst theoreticians of the �Anti-globalization movement,� that
> they pretended to be something very new. The more they claimed, the more
> they wrote banalities and nonsense. The basic criticism of capitalism is
> about as old as capitalism itself.
That part most people understand, what's wrong with capitalism, Marx
was pretty good on that issue. The 'what else' question is not so clear.
With you at leat, on my site it is more then a little crystal clear.
> But from time to time, we should meet
> to discuss perspectives of our movement in the framework of global
> capitalism, evaluate successes and failures of our fight and plan new
> struggles. For this purpose, we invite you to the �Libertarian communism
> 2010� forum to be organised in Moscow.
I'm here: what do you have to say ? Write it right here. I got no money
to go to Moscow. If we can't talk here, I assume there's nothing to say.
Right here where everyone can see it.
> The main themes of the conference
>
> * Uprisings of the 21st century. The end and assessment of the
> alter-globalist movement. Media-activism and other inheritances of the
> �anti-globalization movement.� Five years since the uprising against the
> monetarization of free social benefits in Russia, Russian experience
> with coordination councils and coordination of the protest movement.
> * Modern alternatives to capitalism. Directions and the history of
> libertarian communism. Assessment of the first year and a half of the
> global crisis. The coming ecological crisis and libertarian alternatives
> to it. Experiences from the struggle against climate change and
> ecological protest camps.
Easy: http://www.socialism.nl There is the alternative, the question is:
who really wants a different world, not just set up another charity but
the big overwhelming questions ?
> * Migration and work in the 21st century. Struggle for the rights of
> migrants. Resistance against the old and new right, against racism and
> fascism. Work in the 21st century, exploitation and oppression.
> * The commons of today. Struggle for urban spaces (social centres,
> urban gardening, struggles against urban development in the former
> Soviet Union),
Too little, too late. Constitutions is the real power, not fiddling with
gardens in run down neighborhoods. We do that after we solve the big
questions, right ?
> * experiences from different countries. The role of the state in the
> new world order. Experience from the struggle against wars and army, and
> resistance against state repression. Privatization of education and
> alternatives to it.
How about: there is no role for the state in the NWO, because we're
going to take down that NWO.
> * The role of anti-authoritarian culture and lifestyle �positive or
> negative�
> * Demonstrations of martial arts
SIGH !!!
Fucking hell man. Well that's definitely not on my list of places I'm
going.
> * Concert
SIGH. Typical, this smells of elites trying to control a side of the
game.
> Terms of participation to the forum
>
> -The fee will be either 400 rubles (around 9.50 euros) for the whole
> forum, or 150 rubles (around 3.50 euros) per day, with the exception of
> the concert. The fee covers lunch on the 6th, 7th and 8th of March.
Sure, make some money, good thinking.
Resistence to capitalism is a business opportunity, can we find some
investors already ?
> -We will provide housing in the flats of local activists. We guarantee
> sleeping places from the 6th to the 8th of March, on the condition that
> you announce your arrival by the 10th of February 2010.
> -Traveling costs can be partially refunded for participants from inside
> the former Soviet Union. Priority will be given to refunding the travel
> costs of those who will contribute to the organisation of the forum.
> -If you want to organize a lecture, discussion or workshop, you should
> let us know the topic by the 1st of February 2010. Please also enclose a
> short thesis. These will be passed to other participations of the forum,
> so that they can prepare for the discussion in advance. After the forum,
> the thesis appended with commentaries from the discussion will be
> published, online or in print. If you want to organise a lecture, we
> would be happy to receive that as a whole in written form, if possible.
And then all the 'established' bulletins of all the world far left
parties can print those result, and pretend to really represent a
'movement.' Meanwhile, alt.politics.socialism, the best, freeest,
unmoderated forum in the world ever, total immediate access from
anywhere, is dead. What's wrong with that picture ?!
Elites positioning them on the left field, for power.
Typical naive leftists not to distrust the people they call bosses.
And then that's 'anti-authoritarian' oh yeah sure, just do what the Big
Organizor Bosses want and it'll all be ... grandiose and rebellious.
Martial arts, to pick fights with the police that can be brandished
magnificantly on the TV journals for the masses/people, to show that the
left has no answers, only violence ?
Also a nice way for agents to infiltrate movements BTW, nice work.
> -If you want to come just as a participant, you should register by the
> 10th of February 2010. Registration also means a commitment to pay a
> registration fee, and we have to know the exact number of participants
> in order to make the budget accordingly.
> -In case of serious financial difficulties, guests of the forum may have
> the fee waived (priority will be given to people from the former Soviet
> Union).
>
> The principles of organisation of the forum
>
> Learning from the experiences of previous similar events in Russia (The
> Libertarian Forum in Moscow 2006, annual Black Petrograd-festival in St.
> Petersburg since 2004, annual Deserter Day festival since year 2005),
> our forum will be organised based on the following principles
>
> 1)Openess
>
> During the last several years, there has been a constant growth in the
> anti-authoritarian movement of the former Soviet Union, but our
> infrastructure has yet to be adapted to this growth. Before, it was no
> problem to organise an event with 50-60 participants, whereas now we
> must expect 200-300 people to join. Until recently a number of events of
> national scale were either underground or restricted, not due to the
> elitism of the organisers but due to problems with the infrastructure.
> This time we will attempt to solve the infrastructure problems, without
> compromising the openness of the event.
>
> 2) Self-financing
>
> Due to the aforementioned infrastructure problems, recently
> anti-authoritarian events have become either very costly for the few
> organisers, or have been organised with some money from outside sources,
> meaning grants. Due to the crisis, grants are more and more difficult to
> receive and the scale of our event is becoming so big that it is more
> and more difficult to find grants to cover all of the costs, and in a
> few years it will become all together impossible. Thus we should find
> other ways to finance our events which do not depend on the availability
> of outside sources or the salaries of organisers. The budget of the
> event will be open, it will be announced to participant after the event.
>
> 3) An increase in the level of debate
>
> In the last years, the main efforts in the organisation of inter-city
> events were directed towards the organisation of concerts or actions,
> thus the theoretical part remained weak. The �Libertarian communism
> 2010� forum may or may not be accompanied with action(s) or concert(s),
> but the main focus will be directed towards the organising of
> discussions, which will be on interesting and actual topics with
> speakers who have something to say.
I guess that is the main issue with these things: most people have no
clue whatsoever, none. And then they're going to debate answers to the
age old questions of society which really aren't that easy all in all.
Result: nothing. The intelligence difference would also hamper things a
lot in my idea, though I admit I've never been to such a rebellious
martial arts marching Concern combination event (or any such other).
The outcome of the debate was given when it was organized ? How can
someone who knows things, talk to some child of 23 years who knows
nothing ? Been there done that: result is that though child thinks she
is a radical left wing because of the organization she's part of, she is
/exactly/ repeating the official line of the bourgeoisie, just doesn't
notice it. Just doesn't notice it ! 'More social world, people not
sleeping on the street anymore, Obama should ... Banks should lend
more readily to ...' Result: nothing.
The revolution is for grownup people, old people. Fascists target small
children who know nothing, who don't talk back to the bosses. We should
target primarily the old people, the 50+ people. Children ? Let them
worry about cleaning the dishes every day, they're children, they know
nothing and can't figure out anything. Tools for the slaughter is what
they are if put to use for revolutions. Where is our responsibility ?
> 4) Approach towards an outcome
>
> In recent years, hundreds of hours during national events on the
> territory of the former Soviet Union have been wasted on talks which
> gave no concrete results whatsoever.
heh
> During �Libertarian Communism
> 2010,� any discussion should aim to reach some concrete results,
> which will be published either on various websites, or printed press
> such as the �Avtonom� journal. People, who are not ready to work towards
> that should not ask us to be included in the program. Besides that,
> discussions and lectures on the concrete problems of organising should
> not start from zero, but should include an assessment of past results in
> the field.
I'm sure that you as organizers have a lot of ideas. Why not be honost
and come forward with it ? You know what you want, so propose it for
discussion right now. Don't play this shell game as if you have no
ideas, obviously you're loaded with ideas because if you organize
something like this you don't do it with a blank mind (and neither
should you).
> 5) A non-partisan approach
>
> The �Libertarian communism 2010� forum is initiated by Autonomous
> Action, but prepared by a group which is not linked to any concrete
> collective. We wish for participants in the conference to leave their
> conflicts with other members of the movement outside the event. Our only
> condition for joining the conference is that we will not accept
> anysupporters of authoritarian ideas.
>
> Registration form (please send to libco...@gmail.com)
>
> * Name (or pseudonym), city, state
joshb
> * On which days you will participate (forum will take place the 6th,
> 7th and 8th of March)
Every day of the week, year in year out.
See also
http://www.socialism.nl/irc For IRC chatting about it.
> * Are you interested in organising a discussion, lecture or other
> event? If yes, please write us the topic, preferred date and time, how
> much time you need and if you need some special equipment.
Sure, send it to: alt.politics.socialism
> * Do you need sleeping place? If so, for which nights.
I'm covered, costs me or you nothing extra.
> * Do you need partial refund of the travel costs? (Only for people
> joining from the xUSSR).
No.
> * Do you need to have your participation fee waived (and on which
> basis)?
> *
>
> If you need any clarifications, please write to libco...@gmail.com
> Let the second decade of the 21st century be a decade of libertarian
> communism!
Indeed !
Good luck though, I hope it will be nice.
Don't fight with the cops or military, we need them too.
> Source: http://avtonom.org/en/node/6327
--
http://www.socialism.nl