Even if a communist can colloquially describe themselves as being on the left, there’s a distinction between communism and “the left.” This is implied right in the title of Lenin’s Left-Wing Communism: an Infantile Disorder. Whereas the left, a big tent term for a myriad of incompatible ideologies, aims merely to act as an opposition towards the present order for the sake of it, communists have a coherent vision for how to defeat the system: by advancing history’s development to the next stage. The left, because of its lack of commitment to that central Marxist goal, naturally takes on an opportunistic role. Because when you want only to build a movement as an end in itself, rather than use this movement as a means for defeating the system, you become nothing more than an actor who benefits from discontent without helping solve the problems behind that discontent.
Would be better if he made more explicit what the alternative to this “anti-colonial” liberal trend was. I can see his practical argument but I also still don’t know if the settler proletariat will not be in contradiction with the colonized proletariat yet.
I still think that, unfortunately, class-consciousness will be low in the imperial core as long as imperialist extraction allow workers to consider themselves lucky. Solidarity between the two sides of the international proletariat is materially sacrificial, it’s hard to imagine building a movement on sacrifice
Especially when we are so alienated from each other and put in competition with each other through market forces.
Precisely
I agree.
It won’t be sacrificial once BRICS finishes their assault on the petrodollar as world currency and the trillions in debt become due. We cannot do all ourselves and thankfully we do not have to.