Sexytarian

One thing that always bugged me when I was involved in student politics (which I regret and my involvment causes me many moments of self-loathing) was that, if one chose to criticise a leninist (that's a communist, to those readers not interested in disecting that particular corpse), one was accused of being 'sectarian'. I am not sectarian. I just don't truck with red-lacquered fascists.

While it is true that there are a number of areas where the activities of anarchists and leninists would seem to overlap but, as I'm fond of pointing out, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. Regular readers might remember my admiration for Maurice Brinton's pamphlet The Bolshviks and Workers Control. Recently I found a video on YouTube that perfectly summarises the Bolshevik/Leninist approach to the working class and the seizure of state power.



Thought provoking indeed.

@ndy published this amusing piece on his (very popular) blog on a dispute between the Sparticist League (the one true party of the communist left in Australia [M-L]), and the Democratic Socialist Party (the other one true party of the communist left [formerly M-L]*). It's hard to explain how whacky the Sparts are, but they're very consistant, if nothing else. And the DSP? Well, they're a bit like the unpopular kid in class who really wants to be popular. In lieu of anything of interest to say in this post, I thought I'd publish my comment that I left on @ndy's blog.

I had a weird interaction with a DSP-oid at the Industrial Relations rally earlier this year. I was talking to a group of anarchists and we were standing around, trying to look tough in our black hoodies. He came over and tried to sell a paper. I snorted (rude, I know, but it did seem strange) and said “No, thank-you.” I was actually very polite considering they support oppressive regimes and aspire to be one themselves.
The guy started to walk away, then turned back quickly and said, “What’s so funny?”

I said, “You trying to sell me a copy of Green Left Weekly.”
Then he said, “Why don’t you get it printed on a t-shirt!?” I have no idea what this meant, but I slowly started to undo my jacket as I replied, “As a matter of fact, I have my ‘Don’t try to sell me things, you dickhead’ t-shirt on today.”
He walked off, but still had his head in my general direction, muttering obscenities.

I choose to believe this was “Alex”.

If we go back even further in history, there was an incident at La Trobe University in the early 1970s, when a Spart was pushed through a plate-glass window by some Maoists. The incident caused a fracturous split in the Left, prompted a rapid descent of Maoist power and helped the Anarchists to become a very influential group on campus.

The lesson? Sparts are the leprechauns of the Left. Punching them is bad luck.

Sigh. Remember when I used to publish cool shit like interviews with pop stars and such?

*If you get that joke I hate you.