I thought I’d start a topic about the various ‘Occupy’ camps that are happening in cities across the world.
Now typically a cinic about such things, obviously they have no clear programme or direction, I think it is too easy to be overly dismissive.
Peoples understand of the capitalist system and their position in it doesn’t develop immediately and all at once. For instance my own personal ‘political’ awaking has its roots in the ‘Reclaim the Streets’ / direct action movements of the late nineties. The existence of things and a questioning attitude on my part (eg ‘why do I have to spend my time working at a job I don’t like so someone can make a profit out of me being there?’) led me into a journey through various strands of anti-capitalist literature. Through the situationists, who where the source for many RTS slogans, I came across Marx and through the internet eventually stumbled onto the SPGB.
I think an encouraging thing about the ‘occupy’ slogans is that they show some sort of class consciousness ‘We are the 99%’ unfortunately for most I think the 1% means bankers, not the capitalist class in general.
So what should we be doing? I think it is important that site of the ‘communist horizon’ is not lost again. There will be umpteen reformormist ‘solutions’ presented by this movement. Our job, as always, is to make sure that socialist world communism remains on the agenda.
Anyway, there’s some short thoughts. Anymore?
The Invisible Hand?
