From: ken howardTo: marxism-international Subject: Re: M-I: Reformism or sectarianism ? (Ben replies to Louis Proyect) Date: Tuesday, April 07, 1998 4:26 AM For most of this century revolutionaries have been grappling with the 'problem'of reformism and the need to expose and destroy it. In the heyday of the revolutionary grouplets obviously anyone who was not a member was in one degree or another tinged by the evil of reformism or worse still, horror of horror centrism. Well the heyday is over and all that remains are the sects who are now smaller and more marginalised then ever. I would suggest that the 'unrelentless'pursuit of reformism wherever it shows its head is in fact a gross waste of both time and energy. I say this not because reformism has in any way become acceptable, but rather because the singleminded war against reformism has cut a path of devastation through the ranks of the working class and alienated many more who would move towards solutions to the problems of everyday life that the bright future of communism would solve.What has to be recognised is that the notions of the 'advanced sections of the class' being there just waiting for the correct anti-reformist line of the revolutionary left are well gone, and the fact is that the working class movement is as fragmented and marginalised as it was at the begginning of the century. The need is not to politicise the vanguard but rather to rebuild a workers movement capable of changing the system of capitalism. So, how can that be done? Obviously there are no magic answers, but I would suggest that it does involve those of us who consider ourselves to be marxists focussing not on on how to build the revolutionary party par exellence, but rather on how to relate to involve and engage those whose consciousness and experience takes them into conflict with capitalism and alienation at every level. By this I mean that the test for revolutionaries and those who call themselves such is not whether an activity, formation or event is reformist, but rather can consciousness be effected.And this means getting away from party building and as Louis Proyect posits exploiting the fault lines in capitalism. And of these there are many both nationally and internationally. It seems that a part of this process can be facilitated by Ben Seattle notion of electronic news. It is estimated that there are some 17 million trade unionists now capable of involvement in the internet, There are many good sites and news pages. The problem I see is one of cyberalienation, i.e information overload and management. For myself following cyberpolitics is both an exiting and overpowering thing, as unlike the seemingly outmoded forms of knowledge accumulation, i.e. books and pamphletts, speakers etc. the computor is both singular and forgetfull,( push the back button and its gone) It seems to me that this is a problem that any electronic news facility must grapple with it --- from list marxism-international@lists.village.virginia.edu ---