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]