De Leonism

[Chomskyan]

I just came across the Socialist Labor Party, and I was initially surprised they still existed.

My question is whether De Leonism is defunct as a tendency, whether it's a serious force on the Left?

My understanding, a very basic one, is that De Leonism is essentially a kind of Marxist Syndicalism. Given that Anarcho-Syndicalism has sort of monopolized Syndicalist tendencies, should I seriously consider De Leonism as a tendency or not?

[Q]

Moved from /theory to /learning.

[Blake's Baby]

Are you sure the SLP (I presume you mean in the USA here, the UK SLP though it exists is really not the same organisation as the SLP 1903-1980) still exists? Last I heard they'd been inactive for more than 5 years. Last update to their website was 2007 or 8 the last I heard (though I haven't bothered to check recently).

No, De Leonism is dead, is where I think this is going.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

My question is whether De Leonism is defunct as a tendency, whether it's a serious force on the Left?
It's defunct for all practical purposes, in that there are no parties or organizations representing it, and only a tiny number of people who still identify with it.

As a former member of the SLP, I'd guess most De Leonists simply died. When I was a member in the early 1990s when I was in my early 20s, I was the only member of the local branch who wasn't elderly.


My understanding, a very basic one, is that De Leonism is essentially a kind of Marxist Syndicalism.
Yeah, there's some truth to that description.


Given that Anarcho-Syndicalism has sort of monopolized Syndicalist tendencies, should I seriously consider De Leonism as a tendency or not?
If you think there are good ideas in De Leonism, there's nothing wrong with being influenced by them.

[newdayrising]

Chomskyan, which aspects of De Leonism do you like that are absent from organisations/tendencies you presently identify with?

[The Idler]

Yes the Socialist Labor Party still exists. And yes, it is nothing to do with the awful Socialist Labour Party (UK). Although the existence is depending on what you mean by exist. The website is still being updated as you will see if you google terms such as 2014 site:slp.org
https://www.google.co.uk/search?&q=2014+site%3Aslp.org
However, new publications have long since ceased and electronic correspondence is not returned from any member, not even from the National Secretary Robert Bills. Try e-mailing [email protected]
There are a couple of Yahoo groups.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/deleonism-list/
and
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/deleonism/info

As a tendency, De Leonism was not a term used during the lifetime of De Leon and was something a subsequent national secretary used for his own ends (as noted in an article in Frank Girard's Discussion Bulletin available on scribd).
You can read a brief history here
https://archive.org/details/slpus-history-girard-perry

As a tendency, it's more akin to impossibilism. It is distinguished by seeking common ownership, with a mass party seeking to make workers reach socialist understanding above all else.

[karlbrosky]

The revived Workers International Industrial Union (WIIU, not to be confused with the new Nintendo thing!) carries the torch of DeLeonism in their ideas, although I don't really see them emphasize his name much if at all. Don't think I can post links yet but if you google the name you'll find them.

[Chomskyan]

Chomskyan, which aspects of De Leonism do you like that are absent from organisations/tendencies you presently identify with?

I don't think I mentioned overtly that I identified with them. I am just aware of their history, and I respect it. I like traditional Marxism (i.e., not Vanguardism) and Libertarian Socialism.

[newdayrising]

You didn't but I assumed you currently identify with some other group or current you're not completely happy with, possibly the IWW, since they're in your profile.
My question is, what are you looking for in De Leonism that you can't find in whatever it is you've been involved in so far?
Just curious.

[Chomskyan]

You didn't but I assumed you currently identify with some other group or current you're not completely happy with, possibly the IWW, since they're in your profile.
My question is, what are you looking for in De Leonism that you can't find in whatever it is you've been involved in so far?
Just curious.

I'm not looking for anything, I just happened to stumble across them and wanted to know more.