Date:	 Tue, 30 Jun 1998 19:16:11 +0100 (BST)
To:	 marxism@lists.panix.com
From:	 George Goldstein [gg@gn.apc.org]
Subject: Re: Political rights under workers' rule

Dear Ben Seattle,

Your discussion on the 'rights of workers to use the internet under the
future "dictatorship of the proletariat" ', seems strange. I agree generally
that 'the muck of ages' as Marx/Engels would call it, ie, the dominance of
bourgeois ideology within the working class will take time to 'whither
away', or, be educated away; and revolution itself will play a massive
kick-start in removing this muck (which is also in you and I today).

But you talk of a 'modern stable society', future socialism, the transition
period to communism, in which not only remnants of bourgeois ideas exist,
but also it seems considerable commercial use of the net and significant
bourgeois resources. This surely cannot be a stable world. The coming world
revolution (which is a must against human extinciton) will not happen
evenly, but patchily, and this time such is the development of the
productive forces, the possibility of socialism is more than over-ripe. As
such, from the beginning the bourgeoisie in many countries will find, after
the first revolution, no choice but to impose immediate bonapartist rule
which in may places will quickly move into fascism. It is not 1917.

As such, phone and internet communications will not be in one united camp,
but separated, and all 'left' talk under capitalism will quickly be forced
underground. Now, let us talk about that future underground, because that is
relevant and, for the bourgeoisie, very difficult to stop with modern
technology.

>From this small e-mail of yours, it seems you are trying too hard to predict
the future world (something the likes of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Luxembourg,
Trotsky, never spent too much time on simply because it was beyond their
brilliant reach) and perhaps we should discuss how we utilise the internet
now to enhance and build class struggle, build a new world party of
socialist revolution in these very dangerous time we live in.

Oh, and why do you end with:

>Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, the most esteemed and expert
>"marxists" on these lists will not touch this topic with a ten foot
>pole.

Regards, George.
WorkersFIGHT - London

[repost of Ben Seattle's post]