Re: [Marxism] Scottish independence

2014-09-04 Thread Richard Fidler via Marxism
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I am not sure what you mean by obscurantist. 

In the paragraph you cite, below, Davidson says (1) socialists are not
nationalists, (2) Scotland is not an oppressed nation, and (3) socialists
can in some situations support a national movement even when the nation in
question is not oppressed. These propositions strike me as correct. 

I leave aside his specific examples of Pan-Slavism in 1848... Serbia in
1914 and ... the Iraqi Kurds today. We are talking about Scotland in 2014,
and each national question must be assessed on its own merits.

Richard

-Original Message-

Richard Fidler: Neil Davidson ... the correct standpoint of revolutionary
socialist strategy...:

http://www.socialistproject.org/the-left/for-a-yes-vote-without-illusions-on
-the-scottish-independence-referendum/

You mean obscurantist correctness like this:

We need to begin with what I regard as fundamental principles. Socialists
cannot be nationalists for any nation, but especially not their own, even
if their nation is oppressed. What they can do is support certain national
movements and demands, up to and including secession. The basis for
deciding which-if any to support in any given situation is political, which
is not to say that it can be determined by the blunt instrument of the
'oppressed/oppressor' formula: there are situations where even oppressed
nationalities cannot be supported if their objectives are essentially part
of a greater imperialist strategy, as was the case for Pan-Slavism in 1848,
for Serbia in 1914 and for the Iraqi Kurds today. And Scotland is not, and
has never been, an oppressed nation.

As one commentator to Davidson's piece quite rightly wrote about his
argumentation:'For a yes vote without any illusions there is any point
voting yes?'



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Re: [Marxism] Scottish independence

2014-09-04 Thread Richard Fidler via Marxism
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In addition to all the excellent arguments advanced by Wainwright, Monbiot
and Davidson -- and so many others -- here's more to underscore their point
about the political crisis of government in the British state that would be
unleashed pursuant to a successful yes vote and the beneficial break-up of
Britain that it might entail: http://tinyurl.com/khjwwa8.

Richard

-Original Message-
From: Louis Proyect [mailto:l...@panix.com] 
Sent: September-04-14 8:32 AM
To: Richard Fidler; Activists and scholars in Marxist tradition
Subject: Re: [Marxism] Scottish independence

Forwarded from Sandy McBurney:


http://tinyurl.com/nml4ufn

Useful response to the Neil Davidson article



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Re: [Marxism] Scottish independence

2014-09-03 Thread Richard Fidler via Marxism
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Sandy posted his (her?) own article at http://tinyurl.com/na5azzm

Neil Davidson has replied with this, an important article that approaches
the question from the correct standpoint of revolutionary socialist
strategy, something that is largely overlooked by many radicals today:
http://tinyurl.com/mny9otu

Richard

-Original Message-
From: Marxism [mailto:marxism-boun...@lists.csbs.utah.edu] On Behalf Of
sandy McBurney via Marxism
Sent: September-03-14 6:41 PM
To: rfidle...@sympatico.ca
Subject: [Marxism] Scottish independence

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For a No Vote without Illusions: On the Scottish Independence Referendum

  
 
For a No Vote without Illusions: On the Scottish Indepen...
The working class in Britain has been created in over two hundred years of
common struggle against the British capitalist class and the British
capitalist state...  
View on www.socialistproject... Preview by Yahoo  

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Re: [Marxism] Scottish independence

2014-09-03 Thread Ratbag Media via Marxism
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Richard Fidler: Neil Davidson ... the correct standpoint of revolutionary
socialist strategy...:

http://www.socialistproject.org/the-left/for-a-yes-vote-without-illusions-on-the-scottish-independence-referendum/

You mean obscurantist correctness like this:

We need to begin with what I regard as fundamental principles. Socialists
cannot be nationalists for any nation, but especially not their own, even
if their nation is oppressed. What they can do is support certain national
movements and demands, up to and including secession. The basis for
deciding which-if any to support in any given situation is political, which
is not to say that it can be determined by the blunt instrument of the
'oppressed/oppressor' formula: there are situations where even oppressed
nationalities cannot be supported if their objectives are essentially part
of a greater imperialist strategy, as was the case for Pan-Slavism in 1848,
for Serbia in 1914 and for the Iraqi Kurds today. And Scotland is not, and
has never been, an oppressed nation.

As one commentator to Davidson's piece quite rightly wrote about his
argumentation:'For a yes vote without any illusions there is any point
voting yes?'

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