What is so brilliant about Richard Seymour’s piece? It looks more like a cheap
shot, I would say, since the IS Network engages in “infantile realpolitik” all
the time. After all, infantile realpolitik is one of the hallmarks of the
International Socialist tradition, going right back to, yes, Tony Cliff, to
whom the ISN does try to be faithful and devoted nevertheless, disowning all
false prophets.
Or maybe Richard is just trying to ward off suitresses who want his baby, I
don’t know really (you never really know with Irish choirboys who have
renounced the Church, and entertain satanic thoughts!). Still, in a blog you
can say anything to the world, and be yourself, and isn’t that a good thing?
Let’s get serious. What are the elements of the Seymour brand? My hunch is
something like this:
- I am always a bit to the left of you, but that’s allright.
- The left, I believe, should be more to the left, and if possible join the
International Socialist Network, but if they don’t do that immediately, that’s
allright too.
- It is important, that the Left should talk frankly and frequently about the
Left, and pass moral judgement on other people, but obviously not like Alex
does it, because that would be wrong.
- People cannot agree about why we left the SWP, but that is not our problem.
We are just advancing the International Socialist tradition as we know best.
- Capitalism is really very, very nasty. This is no joke, and if you really
think it is, I will roast your ass on Leninology blog.
- Liberals are not nice people. They like to get other people to do their
murders for them, instead of doing it themselves.
- A true revolutionary above all hates the hypocrisy, cant and perfidy of his
competitors.
- We are not tail-endists, and try to assess carefully where we are, with
regard to the period, to work out our tactics and strategy. A bit of entryism
is allowed (that’s alright), but let’s not make too much of it.
- We don’t rule out regroupment, in fact we do not rule out most things, but we
do believe in self-activity first.
- Imperialism is a bad thing, we are opposed to it, but we haven’t got a good
theory about it yet.
- We should be prepared to say some things that would be shocking to some
people, such as “we are all reformists now”, even if that doesn’t sound very
revolutionary Marxist, because it is better to be in touch with what is really
happening.
- We don’t believe in souls and spirits, except over a pint of Guinness, but we
do try to leverage socialism up to the spirit level, because we really believe
this.
- Revising the International Socialist Tradition is allright, but we should
always do so consistently, and not willy nilly. We did not leave the mother
party for nothing, after all.
- People are entitled to how they want to imagine their own sex life, but there
are limits! It is important not just to be cool, but to stay cool. I am going
to write more about all this, in a future book.
- Middle class people are a bit silly and soft really, but sometimes they have
an idea we should pay serious attention to, not just to get a good mark but
because it matters politically.
- It is important to put the post into post-modernism, but we can only really
do that by engaging with it.
- Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg... Lest we forget.
- You wait till I have finished my Phd! I am only just beginning!
Of course I could be wrong about this. It just occurred to me in the reverie of
a daydream.
J.
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