Sun, 13 Apr 1997 03:36:50 -0400 COCKROACH! #52 (BIPARTISAN ANTILABOR SUMMIT 4/27/97) A EZINE FOR POOR AND WORKING CLASS PEOPLE. WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS. It is time that the poor and working class people have a voice on the Internet. Contributions can be sent to Subscribtions are free at Now on line! Check out the Home of COCKROACH! http://www.algonet.se/~malecki How often this zine will appear depends on you! Back issues of Cockroach and my book at http://www.kmf.org/malecki/ -------------------------------------------------------- 1. More Bordigists-sheep in wolves clothing! 2. Sweden--Moral and political dilemma! (Part 2) 3. BIPARTISAN ANTILABOR SUMMIT 4/27/97 -------------------------------------------------------- More Bordigists-sheep in wolves clothing! Neil writes; >RE: Your political "dodge ball' reply to Aaron S.1/27 >Your Trotskyist "Crisis of leadership" mantra >has gone rancid. You call this a 'programme'? >A party serving ANY exploiter class and reaction could >prate this stuff! And the ruling class parties >are a lot better at this demagoguery than are even the >trots! Interesting Neil. The latest round really stirred up a hornets nest for the ultra lefts. You openly admit that the bougeois democracies were and are better better then the ex-degenerated Soviet Union and the deformed workers states former east block countries,China Vietnam North Korea and Vietnam. This little secret which slipped out (in fact it has been known for years) puts the ultra lefts like yourself and friends squarely on the side of imperialism in any and all confrontations with these countries. And then you have the balls to counter with this meager "party who serves the exploiter class" shit. On this particular question Trotskyists have been very clear in saying that we are for Social revolutions in capitalist and imperialist countries and political revolutions in the deformed and former degenerated workers state! I have usually met your arguements and the arguements of other "State caps" with the plague on both your houses arguement. Which is the classical Schactmanite position on this question. But your little group no longer fits in the above when you quite clearly now throw yourself into the arms of the "western bougeois democracies" (the latest example being Australia!) a greedy little imperialist state with very much blood on its hands. Not only in Vietnam, but at present Bougainville, as well as and appetite to get a piece of the action in Indonesia and perhaps China when the day of counter-revolutionary overthrow of the Stalinist regime their is opn the order of the day. One of your co-thinkers even paints a rosy picture of "how wonderful" children have it in Australia compared to the former Soviet Union. While at the same time the Australian welfare state which is a product of the cold war is being dismantled (just like in Sweden) before his very fucking eyes! And not only that the Australian "democratic" bougeoisie that our lefts are praising in Australia is a strike breaking anti-union government and even the Stalinists i know in Australia would never go as far as our ultra lefts on this list do! And the bottom line is that any of the gains that Australia might have gotten depended on the fact that these horrible degenerated and deformed workers states existed! The "welfare" state came to be with the Social Democracy, with the implicit good wishes of the "democratic bougeoisie" in order to gain time to turn the tide. > BM, Yours is not a programme for mass organization in > struggle for workers liberty, nowhere do you ever >expound on any kind of politica/educational work for > communists at the base of the working class in >the day to day struggles. To you workers class- >consciousness and essence of organization >infused by the power of the class itself at the >point of production and thru revolutionary party >work with the class in general is all "ultra-left" >or "going into the desert' etc. ad nauseum. Oh bullshit Neil. All of the vanguard parties train their people or at least try to. Naturally this includes workers. But the point is winning the most militant elements to the vanguard party and not building a party of the whole class. And the above is leraning towards this Menshevik idea. It goes stick in staff with ultra left romantism! But even Adolfo and the Maoists are into this Prolo shit to the extreme! > > Why you trots have have all the schemes and shortcuts >now don't you. >Now lets see, first your brilliant "Transitional Program" >Surely the "WORD" from above, never mind it came out in ---1938! >Now lets get the rrrrrevolutionary mantras ready Bob! > Trotskyists all Shout and stomp together "Bosses >open your books, now ,we want to see your profits" >Bosses to trots:"But which set of books do you >want comrades trotskyists, we have 3 or 4 different sets" >Wow that will really help solve your "crisis of leadership"! >Why you will be 2 decibels to the left of the CPUSA! >Rrrrrrrolutionary! Very funny coming from a group who has put a halo around the Bordigists of the 20ties! And they probably were far more serious then this crowd that you belong to Neil. In fact I am beginning to re access what I thought about you "wanting to make a revolution" after the latest antics of bowing to imperialist bougeois democracy these last days. Because it puts you to the right of the America CP and makes them look like centrists! > > >What about your brilliant tactics for entering bosses parliaments! >Now lets see, if we look at trot theory and practice the scenario >goes like this...... "we trots don't have any support now" >So this means well.......... >1) We trots "critically' support the Lambertists on the first round >2) We support the stalinists on the 2nd round ! >3) Then we really get down building a militant struggle >by.........supporting the SP (Mitterand) on the 3rd round. >'Of course WE trots know that all these groups are >counterrevolutionary and careerists but we want >the workers to support them anyway, that way they >get materialist understanding because when these >parties in power openly attack the workers will see that >it is really a trotskyist "crisis of leadership' problem. >And why?' Because we trots gave all-out "critical" support >to the misleaders and denounced the real communists >as "ultra -left"! Sure Neil! What is your line although the above line is not Trotskyist but more like the Mandelites it is better then yours who abstain from giving any kind of critical support at all in elections. And when the critical support does come from the mouths of our ultra-leftists it is in the form of support to the western imperialist bougeoisie! How quaint Neil. I am so angry that I could almost not even defend you any more on the LP list from the reformists! > >Wow BM , thats a programme , a real programme of trotskyist >leadership --in practice! Gee, no wonder the trots have been >so successful in their work. They are so brilliant! >Workers will never have to think and act for themselves, >the brilliant trots do all the work and the workers follow >the leaders, how original! >Bourgeois think tanks will never think of that! Geez! Neil is accusing me Malecki of being a "think tank". Well there is a first time for everything. But you are right about Trotsky he was really brillant and in a class all by himself along with a few others like Lenin, Marx and Engels.. Bob Malecki --------------------------------------------------------- Sweden--Moral and political dilemma! (Part 2) Hugh writes; > >Your problem with the work practice thing is not straightforward. No it certainly is not either personally or politically. > >While Dave and your ex-wife have valid points about this system of free >labour as a subsidy to the local authorities and business there are a >number of other aspects to it. > >The most important question regarding whether you're scabbing or not seems >to me to be whether there's a concrete struggle under way. This is a valid arguement to take into consideration. However it is more complicated then a question of "concrete struggle". Concrete struggle in this case involves tactics in trying to make the best move, in regards to what is going on both in the public sector as well as other sectors connected to ALU which in general is seen rightly by unions and the working class as "free" labor for the bosses and the state and commune. > >You were very scathing about the political impact of individual heroism >when it came to the Turkish/Kurdish hunger strikers. And their struggle was >in full public view and made a big impact on people throughout the world. Yes I was because these people though that the heroic starving to death line which literally meant killing yourself as a viable tactic! I think there are better tactics that can be used. And in my case I will still starve to death because the amount of money I will recieve does not change whether I do this particular ALU project or not. Because the whole system is based on cheap labor based on unemployment benefits which are constant no matter what you do. Thus it is not a question of putting your own head on the block as the militants in Turkey did. > >Since there's no picket line drawn up against these work practice positions >in Sweden, either official or unofficial, and since no-one will see your >stand against it if you don't turn it into some kind of demonstration, I >think the practical impact of your stand in terms of heightening class >awareness among teachers will be very limited. This is not true! Everything that somebody does up here publicly is both seen and discussed. And in my case everything I do is both seen and discussed. This is because I have a history as and outspoken militant. So it is fairly important to wheigh carefully things in a bowl before taking and action. Because the opposition certainly wioll use any arguement like "union busting" to go after your ass.. > >Also you would be strangling your own limited supply of money for your >agitation on the Net and elsewhere. Not true! If I go on welfare I might even get more money! Because in the public sector wages are so low . Thus my unemployment pay might not even be up in the level of welfare! > >I would tend to advise you to go ahead and use the concrete contact you >would have with kids and teachers to spread information and a correct line >on the important environmental issues you name. I will certainly try to do that. And a couple of teachers have already invited me in to talk about "Bougainville" and envionmental questions. But I think also what is needed here is to start a debate about ALU. In a recent report (an ALU project) shows that ALU and welfare mean being poor! The one you work basically free with the threat of having your unemployment drawn in if you do not do this 5 month period in order to get a new unemployment period. The other is that you get about the same kind of money only it is called welfare and you don,t have to do anything other then go down to the local welfare station. But the one is connected to membership in the unions and the other is total dependency on the handouts from the Commune. And naturally one should try and make this a union struggle and not a fight over handouts from the state. The report says that "the new poor" is a fact today. That we are back in the 30ties again and the victims are familes with children and especially families with children where the parents are divorced. People actually no longer have money to go to a doctor when they are sick nor the dentist. In fact in the first nearly 75% said that only the kids get to go to the doctor and 65% say they no longer can afford the dentist. The last I understand well. My teeth are in the process of decay. Two are completey broken off and a front tooth that is hanging sort of loosely in my mouth. There just ain,t no fucking money to fix this stuff. And in Sweden where medical costs are relatively cheap this says a lot about the new class society that is developing in the wake of dismantling the welfare state. So things are getting really bad for those people who are unemployed and on the dole. >In particular I would try and get teachers to realize what a mistake it is >on their part *not* to have a picket line or a rank-and-file movement >against this work practice parasitism. When their awareness reaches the >level of a demand for action, then it will be time to talk about >barricades. For the time being, use every chance you get to try and bring >about this demand. The problem above is not just the teachers! But the general fear and conservatism in the working population that do have jobs. Especially in the public sector where everyone appears to be looking over their shoulder and saying who's next to get the axe at present. What is needed is a mass mobilisation to bring down the present anti-working class Social Democratic government. A good start towards that goal would be not letting the government and bosses pick us off in a isolated situation. Like the stuff going on in Arboga now. Or putting those who have work and those that are unemployed in seperate little corners. This kind of stuff should be met with a massive mobilisation by the working class. However it appears that it will be neccessary for a lot more to happen before the workers break out of their lethargy and fears but also old loyalties to the reformists that always fixed everything for them in 60 years. And the teachers could either be the first or the last. > >As for teachers in Sweden, they're waking up very slowly to the fact that >they've been trapped, skinned and put in a pot to cook. The wages you cite >for your ex-wife are higher than the norm by far. Teachers in junior >schools, particularly young, recently trained ones, get very poor pay >considering the length of their education and the huge study loans they >have to pay back. The aim of the government attacks on teachers (involving >tremendous reductions in conditions and relative salaries, and a transfer >of responsibility for Swedish education from central government to the >(broke) local authorities) has been to smash the teachers as a powerful >social and political base supporting the public sector and the old >Social-Democrat speech-day ideals of equal opportunity. This has been >achieved, but only at the cost of turning teachers against the politicians >wielding the knife, and before long, against the system (though we're not >there yet). International experience (let's take Argentina as an example) >shows how even a privileged profession in a prosperous country can in a few >decades be turned into a major source of revolutionary militancy by the >ravages of right-wing bourgeois and fascist policy serving the interests of >capital and imperialism. Let us hope so! > > >Remember the example of Engels running that cotton mill to keep the party >funded and Marx alive to work on Capital and carry out his other political >commitments. Well, I can,t say anything about the above quote. And in the present situation I think that I took a correct principled stand. Against scabbing and filling the gaps in the education system with "free" labor power. Very important if you are and outspoken militant and in the long run a principly correct position. While at the same time leaving open the possibilities of fighting on both sides of the fences. Thus I can now go out and talk about ALU as a bankrupt anti trade union anti worker program. And on the other hand say to the teachers look this Bougainville stuff is important. So invite me to your class so I can talk about it. > >PS You might be able to convince me I'm wrong on this, but I'll need to see >more concrete arguments than have been put forward so far! The whole question is trying to not to be right or wrong but correct on the basic principles without making them a hamper to struggle in or outside of the unions. And in this case the opposition woul love to paint Malecki as a scab on teachers. By the way the Greens are really pissed off because of all of this. And are trying to save this project saying that even the higest "cheifs" in the commune are for this project and it is just that some of the teachers are jealous or incompetent. Finally this is all really a storm in a water class.I think that the major issue to be confronted is ALU, mass unemployment, the new poor connected to the dismantling of the welfare state and the anti-union legislation. And the Bougainville stuff should be linked to the miners unions up here in the north and the Australian companies who are prospecting here. Besides the Bougainvilleans control the island and got the guns and are doing fine at present. The kiddies and envionment come second place. However linking in to class struggle like the Bougainville issue is important. Because the main thrust of the envionmental stuff in schools is on sorting your garbage and saving milk cartons to make paper of. So a class perspective would certainly be better then the "greenies" who are trying to reform capitalism. More later perhaps.. PS: Can Neil or one of the Bordigists send this to aaron. I deleted his address by mistake. Bob Malecki Adolfo writes; > >Malecki is - I bet - not too happy at all to get this advice: Take the money >and run and screw the fat Swedish teachers in 18.000 a bloody month! This >actually involves some work, albeit basically emitting gases, he does still >has to actually go thru the motions! > > >However, yes. I agree with the gist of the advice without having to bring >Engels into it (I may be over suspicioss, but it occurs to me that Rodwell >is fishing for some unearned and unearnable cash here by threatening in a >suggestive manner to write volume VII of Das Capital (The Next Intergalactic >Generation) with malecki's dosh). Get the job malecki, do something instead >of vegetating, but use the money to catch up on some wives and children >support instead! > >Red Auntie Deirdre >your beloved heart-break >column for "bolshie" connundrums. Despite Adolfo's hostility to the Trotskyists and in this case very funny coming from a guy who advocates making a "deal" with the progressive wing of the Peruvian bougeoisie as the classical Stalinist-Menshevik line of the stage theory of revolution and the popular front linked to militant rhetoric of the glorious armed struggle of the PCP as the leading star of betrayal of the Peruvian Proletariat.. I like the attitude of his letter. To bad that Aldolfo is playing footsy with the professors here on M-I. But I guess Aldolfo is more interested in being seen as one of the serious professor types with a pipe in his mouth and for a change verbally licking their boots instead of the kicking boots he reserves for the Trotskyists. Trotsky always said that the professors had a soft spot for Stalinism. I guess in this case it is the other way around. Aldolfo is kissing the "ivory tower" gangs asses these days. And as a sop he gets patted on the head as part of the gang or "Comrade that think Stalin" was just a great guy. Suck!! To bad Adolfo! I liked you much better on M1. But I guess the lesson is that anybody who would make a deal with the liberal wing of the Peruvian bougeoisie must feel more comfortable in the sandbox with the ivory tower! It sort of fits. I mean look at it this way Aldolfo. Now you don,t have to live with a split personality. You can suck up to both the "ivory tower" gang here and the liberal wing of the Peruvian bougeois along with the PCP. It is like a complete cozy world you have created for yourself after the demise of M1. In fact Detcom Detroit writes more serious stuff these days then the new aldolfo. But honestly I liked the old Aldolfo better. I think that a purge in the WMC might be neccessary. Expell Aldolfo for being soft on M-I so he can bath in the shadows of the "Ivory Tower" gang! By the way Aldolfo I noticed it is below your dignity to write on M-G. Is it because of your new found love for the "Ivory Tower" gang? Just curious... Bob Malecki -------------------------------------------------------- BIPARTISAN ANTILABOR SUMMIT 4/27/97 PRES. CLINTON (DEMOCRAT), FORMER PRES. GEORGE BUSH (REPUBLICAN), GENERAL COLIN POWELL (1991 PERSIAN GULF MASSACRE PERPETRATOR) FORMER PRES. CARTER (DEMOCRAT), AND FORMER PRES. FORD (REPUBLICAN) PLUS 100 MAYORS (MOSTLY DEMOCRAT) WORK TOGETHER FOR "THE PARTNERSHIP FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE", PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 27, 1997 In case you thought having a bipartisan cabinet was bad enough (Republican Secretary of War/Defense), we now have a bipartisan strategy session, sponsored by Shell Oil, American Express and AT&T (the people who actually elect the Democrat/Republicans) taking place in Philadelphia, April 27, 1997. This comes immediately after the April 1 cutoff of food stamps to legal immigrants to 1 million people. Some states have obtained extensions of the deadline; a reversal of the welfare law is mandatory if we are to avoid a catastrophe. Also scheduled is the loss of Supplemental Security Income disability payments in August to 500,000 people. In Michigan, General Assistance was already eliminated as was SSI for thousands, and they now face loss of food stamps. They number 49,000 people, in the labor state of Michigan. All workers who are threatened with layoffs face the prospect of having to cope with the lack of a safety net; lack of a welfare program. The competition between union labor and slave labor in the form of workfare will decrease union wages, unless union labor demands not only the restoration of all previous welfare benefits, but improvement in same. When we talk about welfare, we are talking primarily about children. We are also talking about women with children in a society that has no adequate child care and no national health care system. As to immigrants, the hardest hit are the old, who came here legally, and were told by the American government that they could receive the very small but necessary benefits to survive in their last years. In San Francisco, they are the Russians and Russian Jews (primarily the latter of that group) and many other nationalities, all of whom came here legally. (The Russians, by the way, have a very high level of political consciousness amd culture, and take voting seriously when they become citizens. It is refreshing to talk to them in the course of local campaigns.) The old simply cannot learn English, or if they know English, take the civics courses, to become citizens. It did not take long for the anti-immigrant hysteria of Prop. 187 against illegal immigrants to spread to legal immigrants, and infest the US Congress to allow for this anti-welfare bill to pass on a bipartisan basis, and no repeal has been done yet. The protests planned for Philadelphia on April 27, 1997 might change that. The Northeast sector of the US is the most heavily populated and most heavily unionized. Every union in that area should send as many of their members as possible, with their union banners, to protest this bipartisan attack on the workingclass. Every union member in the US should be given a fact sheet on the scope of this anti-welfare law, which reverses 60 years of labor struggles. One source for information is the March issue of Atlantic Monthly, in an article by Peter Edleman, entitled, "The Worst Thing Bill Clinton Has Ever Done." According to the article, the Urban Institute estimates that 2.6 million people, including 1.1 million children, will be moved into poverty. Also 11 million people or 10% of American families, will lose income due to this law; 800,000 immigrants will lose Supplemental Security Income and food stamps; and 200,000 disabled children will lose SSI. Philadelphia is also the city were Mumia Abu-Jamal was sent to death row, and the struggle to free Mumia is on the agenda of the demonstrators, as well as opposing the capitalist system in general. California, of course, will do Philadelphia in full force. The web site for such an event is Cheetham's Progressive Calendar for the San Francisco Bay Area: http://www.emf.net/~cheetham/ THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL! tyler ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Check Out My HomePage where you can, Read the book! Ha Ha Ha McNamara, Vietnam-My Bellybutton is my Crystalball! Or Get The Latest Issue of, COCKROACH, a zine for poor and working-class people and now starting the "Never Ending Story"... http://www.algonet.se/~malecki Back issues of Cockroach and my book at http://www.kmf.org/malecki/ --------------------------------------------------------