Anarchism or Marxism debate - London, November 19th

Sacha Ismail | 05.11.2003 19:14 | Analysis | London

The Alliance for Workers' Liberty is debating a comrade from Freedom newspaper on anarchism and Marxism - details here.

ANARCHISM OR MARXISM?

a debate hosted by the Alliance for Workers' Liberty

7.30pm, Wednesday 19th November
University of London Union, Malet Street

(nearest tubes: Euston, Goodge Street, Russell Square)

Speakers: Chris Hickey (AWL); Iain McKay (Freedom newspaper and Anarchist FAQ website)

All welcome!

For more details 07796 690 874 -

office@workersliberty.org - www.workersliberty.org

Sacha Ismail
e-mail: sacha@workersliberty.org
Homepage: http://www.workersliberty.org

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

oooh...

06.11.2003 12:10

this sounds like it'd be interesting.

I hope the AWL have better arguments than the SWP in their annual (but not this year...) Anarchism + Marxism talk at Marxism, where they just make up what "anarchism" is and lie about it!

blacknred

AWL

06.11.2003 12:21

AWL are the most honest of the Trot sects.

They print some pretty loopy stuff about Israel/Palestine, but at least you know where you stand with them. Unlike SWP etc.

random

in what way?

06.11.2003 13:15

Workers Liberty "more honest" than the SWP? Not sure what that means. Both are standard Trot organisations with the centralised structure + discipline that entails.

The main differences are over policy, in that WL defend Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state whereas SWP call for a single secular state in all of Israel/Palestine. This reflects deeper disagreements over the nature of imperialism, Islam etc.

ageing hack

this is why

07.11.2003 13:02

Two points, one incidental and one important:

1) You need to clarify what you mean by "defend Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state". The AWL doesn't support the ethnically exclusivist features of Israel (immigration laws etc) - we want it to be a legally and to the greatest extent possible practically a state of its citizens, as we want every state to be. But we do support the right of the Israeli-Jewish national entity to self-determination, up to and including the right to exist as an independent state. "Two nations - two states" means two democratic, secular states side-by-side; this is what we advocate as a campaigning demand to unite Jewish and Arab workers in Palestine.

2) Yes, the AWL has a "centralist" structure, meaning that decision are taken by responsible committees (and in the last instance our conference, which all members can and are encouraged to attend) and then carried out. But where the SWP's centralism is based on an unelected bureaucracy which stifles minority views, prevents debate and ultimately cannot be held accountable or removed, ours is a democratic centralism (if you like) with both institutional arrangements and a political culture conducive to debate, minority rights and accountability.

Might seem like an unimportant difference to some anarchists, but there you go!

Ruthy

Ruth Cashman
Homepage: http://www.workersliberty.org