Re: [Marxism] Hobsbawm interviewed about Marx, student riots, the new Left, and the Milibands
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 09:54:09 -0500 "Richard Levins" writes: > == > Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a > message. > == > > > I object most strenuously to attributing Hobsbawm's politics even in > part to his being old! Some of us keep the red flag flying! Dick I don't think that age, has much to do with the political views that Hobsbawm holds, except in the sense that he, like the rest of us, is the product of a particular time and generation. In his case, the generation that became of age politically in the 1930s and 1940s. So his most formative experiences were associated with the Great Depression, the rise and later defeat of fascism, and the rise of the Soviet Union into a world superpower. And in any case, those of views that Hobsbawm has held for decades, as can be seen if one peruses his 1973 book, "Revolutionaries: Contemporary Essays," where he gave his evaluations of the movements of the day, and in which he provided his apologetics for the PCF and other Moscow-oriented CPs. And pretty much from that time onwards, he was closely aligned with the Eurocommunist wing within the CPGB, and as such, would later become a strong supporter of the "modernizers" within the British Labour Party like Neil Kinnock, and then, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In that regards, its probably useful to look at Hobbsbawm's famous 1978 essay, "The Forward March of Labour Halted?" to get some insight into his later political views. http://www.amielandmelburn.org.uk/collections/mt/pdf/78_09_hobsbawm.pdf Jim Farmelant http://independent.academia.edu/JimFarmelant www.foxymath.com Learn or Review Basic Math > > > > = > Richard Levins > > Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/farmelantj%40juno.com > Equifax Special Offer Click to get Unlimited Equifax credit scores & 3 reports & monitoring http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4d3316aaee2ff6d2296st05vuc 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
Re: [Marxism] Hobsbawm interviewed about Marx, student riots, the new Left, and the Milibands
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == I object most strenuously to attributing Hobsbawm's politics even in part to his being old! Some of us keep the red flag flying! Dick = Richard Levins 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
Re: [Marxism] Hobsbawm interviewed about Marx, student riots, the new Left, and the Milibands
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == On Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:31:21 +1000 Gary MacLennan 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
Re: [Marxism] Hobsbawm interviewed about Marx, student riots, the new Left, and the Milibands
== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. == 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? 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/archive%40mail-archive.com
