Die Neue Zeit

By any chance, would you know anything on the CPGB's policies on the EU? From this - http://web.archive.org/web/200812220...cpgb/what.html - I really quite like the whole document there, but it seems they're in favor of forming the United States of Europe and a CPEU. They also criticized No2EU. That's a pretty maverick position among left parties. If you're in favor of that, do you have any kind of articles on it?

Also, Mike Macnair was mentioning Trotsky's transitional programme, but I didn't really catch what the flaws of it were. Macnair seemed to suggest that some aspects of it would have a tendency to lead towards reformism, if I heard correctly.

Well I wouldn't blame you if you had done so. Though supposedly the SPGB and SLP have a common tradition(rejection of a minimum programme), but they really aren't too much alike in practice. In some ways I think the SLP was on the right track, but it seems that the party never executed its strategies in the way De Leon had conceived of them.

I also started watching some of the CPGB's videos from the 2011 Communist University which further explained the concept of immediate demands, and then transitional demands. I'm quite impressed by what I've seen so far.

I agree. In fact I think DeLeonism, in terms of how it views the party, is on the same strategic level as we are.. which is why I suggest to people that for whatever reason are dogmatically opposed to the working class taking power in the form of a party read De Leon.

The SPGB seems to construe itself as impossibilist, similar to De Leonism, but at the same time, it seems to view the party as a mere electoral machine, and not as a movement as we have proposed.

I can see what you mean about there being a right, left, and center of the Kautsky Revival now; I guess I wasn't reading closely enough earlier. What would count as its left wing, the neo-DeLeonism displayed by the likes of the WPA; or is that too far left?

I thought he had some salient comments on other subjects as well, he seemed to be quite critical of the nascent left-communist fetish for internationalism(which emphasizes form over function).

I had been wondering where you got the inspiration for the now infamous TWCS from.

I see that on available on Amazon.. it's a bit pricey for a 120 page book, but I can probably pick that up at the same time I order Lenin Rediscovered.

Have you ever looked into Gramsci's works? I was reading the excerpts of some his writings, and was quite impressed. I've got about 2,500 pages worth of his writings in books sitting around here, but I haven't had the time to get started reading them yet. He seems to be one of the more underrated Marxists of the 20th century.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check that out.

I went to the library today to collect some books to further my political education, and I was disappointed(and surprised) to hear that Lenin Rediscovered was checked out. I guess there may be another enterprising communist around town. I planned on purchasing it in the future regardless, but it seems my reading will have to be pushed back for a few weeks. Is there anything that you would consider vital reading before starting on it?

I was going to go through MIA's old translation of What is to be done? as well as Kautsky's The Class Struggle.

Comrade, I recall you saying once that Lavrenti Beria had dengist inclinations. Do you recall the sources which suggest this?

I am curious to investigate this, though my interest is primarily historical, rather than political in nature.

Do you know Noa? He seems to be an interesting fellow. Anyone who has the guts to ask "is there something of value within social-democracy post-1917" on a site like this has my respect.

He also seems to be doing a translation of the early theoretical journal of the Soviet Union, unfortunately it seems as though only the bibliography and table of contents is done.