h.moss@swansea.ac.uk
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This is the reply to Peter Joseph I’ve put on his substack page:
What you are saying is basically what the Socialist Party of Great Britain and the World Socialist Movement say about the ’57 varieties of socialism’, none of which are socialism as we understand it (i.e. a non-market, free access society) and all of which tend to distract people from the idea of that society. The difference between us is that you’re concerned to construct a model of the specific details of that society, i.e. precisely how it will work. But such a model will only make sense once it is clear that there is increasing support from the world’s people for a non-market society and we are therefore relatively close to bringing it in by democratic action and can start to plan for it. That’s why Marx who, somewhat contrary to what you say, did advocate that kind of society, warned against ‘recipes for the cookshops of the future’. He was quite right and any recipe you may produce at this point may well look entirely irrelevant at a later stage of capitalist deveoplment and social consciousness.
What he’s saying basically is the same as we say about the 57 varieties of ‘socialism’, none of which are socialism as we understand it and all of which tend to distract people from the non-market society which we would like to see and which he also appears to want. The difference is that he’s concerned to construct a model of the specific details of that society, i.e. precisely how it will work. But such a model will only make sense once it is clear that there is increasing support from the world’s people for a non-market society and we are therefore relatively close to bringing it in by democratic action. That’s why Marx warned against ‘recipes for the cookshops of the future’. He was quite right and any recipe Peter Joseph may cook up at this point may well look ridiculous at a later stage of capitalist deveoplment and social consciousness.
Let me recommend in particular from this period these three 1969 articles by Dave Steele (he’ll love me for it):
The Myth of Man as a Killer
Man: Ape in Wolf’s Clothing
Hippies. An Abortion of Socialist Understanding
Yes, Their newspaper called the’The Communist’, which I picked up a copy of recently, has a hammer and sickle emblazoned over the front and advertises 3 volumes of ‘Trotsky’s Writings on Britain’ inside. On page 2, it has their ’10-point programme’ which includes such things as nationalisation of big business without compensation, free education and ‘living grants’, repeal of anti-trade union laws, ‘don’t simply tax the rich but seize their wealth’. It’s obviously trying to be very young person focused, which of course isn’t a bad thing in itself, but leads it to advocate meaningless campaigns like ‘Kick capitalism out of universities’. I seem to remember it changed its name and the name of its newspaper some time in 2024 but can’t remember what these were called before then.
That’s a terrific collection, Darren. Thanks very much. A pity there’ve been no film reviews in the most recent times. But then, like all voluntary activity, it needs someone to want to do them.
‘A serious socialist perspective therefore avoids both personal hero-worship and moral panic. Intellectual contributions should be evaluated critically and independently of personal reputation, while recognizing that meaningful change cannot come from reforming elites but from conscious democratic control of social production by the majority itself.’
Excellent. Says it all.
‘A serious socialist perspective therefore avoids both personal hero-worship and moral panic. Intellectual contributions should be evaluated critically and independently of personal reputation, while recognizing that meaningful change cannot come from reforming elites but from conscious democratic control of social production by the majority itself.’
Excellent. Says it all.
