====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ======================================================================
On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:31:21 +1000 Gary MacLennan <gary.maclenn...@gmail.com> writes: > > I admit to a prejudice against Hobsbawm based on his writings on > Ireland. > But this stuff on that crop of right wing vipers, the Milliband > brothers, is > simply sickening. The great old Irish insult of 'moderate' springs > instantly > to mind. > > *Hobsbams: Well, as a father, he [ Ralph] obviously couldn't help > but be > rather proud. He would certainly be much to the left of both of his > sons. I > think that Ralph was really identified for most of his life with > dismissing > the Labour party and the parliamentary route and hoping that > somehow it > would be possible that a proper socialist party could come into > being... > None the less, I think Ralph would certainly have hoped for > something much > more radical than his sons have so far looked like doing > * > How could anyone think that there was anything but the deepest > shame > possible over the kind of politics the Milliband Brothers have > pushed and > will push? In Hobsbawm's case this reflects his long standing political opinions, which were shared by much of the old CPGB when it still existed. Their emphasis was on working within the Labour Party, and when New Labour emerged with Blair and Brown, they were quite happy to support that too. The governments of Blair and Brown had many operatives who came right out of the old CPGB. And if you look through the interview, Hobsbawm is casually dismissive of the student radicalization of the 1960s. If you go and look back at his writings from the 1960s, he was then not only dismissive of the student radicalization going on at that time, but was often quite hostile towards it. For instance, after the May-June events of 1968 in France, Hobsbawm penned vigorous defenses of the PCF's role during those events. Jim Farmelant http://independent.academia.edu/JimFarmelant www.foxymath.com Learn or Review Basic Math > > But Hobsbawm is old and has grown into respectability and golden > opinions. > All while the working class suffer the most brutal attacks. > > comradely > > Gary > ________________________________________________ > Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/farmelantj%40juno.com > ____________________________________________________________ Weight Watchers® Official Site. Discover Weight Loss Freedom with Weight Watchers Today. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4d32df417701c2a010st06vuc ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
