OscailtSome reflections on libertarians in Chile and electoral participationThe recent presidential election in Chile, where abstention - more than 50% - was the overall winner, was predictable if not for the emergence of a sector claiming to be revolutionary and left libertarian in the political and electoral scenario. The Red Libertaria (Libertarian Network - RL) firmly and enthusiastically joined the "Todos a la Moneda" platform (Everyone to La Moneda) platform, whose candidate was Marcel Claude. As can be imagined, this decision produced a feeling of unease, discomfort and disorientation in sectors recognizing themselves as part of the libertarian movement, producing splits, recriminations and discouragement. [http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26576] [http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26589]2013-12-30T21:08:11+08:00Anarkismoanarkismoeditors@lists.riseup.nethttp://www.anarkismo.net/atomfullposts?story_id=26584http://www.anarkismo.net/graphics/feedlogo.gifCommunists are now Libertarians?http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26584#comment153442013-12-30T21:08:11+08:00Eric Donderoericdondero at yahoo dot comYou all are the complete opposite of Libertarians. Communism, Fascism, Naziism, ...You all are the complete opposite of Libertarians. Communism, Fascism, Naziism, Obama-nism the philosophy of Big Government that you all represent, could not be further on the political spectrum from libertarianism. <br />
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Kindly stop shitting on the good name of libertarianism, with your government knows best, kill free market capitalism, philosophy. <br />
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Why are you so afraid to call yourselves Communists? Too unpopular to do so? You think "golly geez, if we attach ourselves to the libertarian label people might like us..."<br />
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Only problem is, real libertarians will smell you out. Your scent is rather pungent. libertarian means communisthttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/26584#comment153452013-12-31T01:15:42+08:00Paul BFrom wikipedia.
"The use of the word libertarian to describe a new set of polit...From wikipedia.<br />
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"The use of the word libertarian to describe a new set of political positions has been traced to the French cognate, libertaire, coined in a scathing letter French libertarian communist Joseph Déjacque wrote to mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in 1857, castigating him for his sexist political views.[26] Déjacque also used the term for his anarchist publication Le Libertaire: Journal du Mouvement Social, which was printed from 9 June, 1858 to 4 February, 1861. In the mid-1890s, Sébastien Faure began publishing a new Le Libertaire while France's Third Republic enacted the lois scélérates ("villainous laws"), which banned anarchist publications in France. Libertarianism has frequently been used as a synonym for anarchism since this time"<br />
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In fact in the letter castigating Proudhon for his reactionary misogyny, Déjacque actually coined the phrase "libertaire" in the process of criticising Proudhon's economic views as "libérale et non LIBERTAIRE" ("liberal but not libertarian). In the historic sense then, libertaire already includes the communist critique of mutualism or any other pipe dream based on a non-exploitative system governed by exchange value. In other words, strictly speaking, libertarian communism is a redundancy.<br />
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Déjacques' 1856 letter to Proudhon: <a href="http://joseph.dejacque.free.fr/ecrits/lettreapjp.htm" title="http://joseph.dejacque.free.fr/ecrits/lettreapjp.htm">http://joseph.dejacque.free.fr/ecrits/lettreapjp.htm</a>Very goodhttp://www.anarkismo.net/article/26584#comment153472014-01-01T00:33:58+08:00KdogHello José -
I just wanted to express my appreciation and solidarity with this...Hello José - <br />
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I just wanted to express my appreciation and solidarity with this article.<br />
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I think it is important to warn off the confusion, paralysis, and drift into games that electoralism represents. (I liked that description quoted from Arturo López.)<br />
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And it is also vital to present our altenative to all that as a way of unifying the radical anti-authoritarian resistance, "proposing in place of the rhythms of bourgeois politics our own alternative for building from below". The framework set out by CUAC is the right one I think: Unity from Below and in the Struggle.<br />
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Of course we need to deepen our participation and the influence of anti-authoritarian ideas and approaches within the working-classes and the social struggles to make that Unity more real and more of a threat.<br />
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In the U.S. the electoral "breakthrough" of Socialist Alternative (affiliated to trotskyist CWI) into municipal government in Seattle (and a near-miss in Minneapolis) has caused similar confusion. First of May put out a critique this Fall: <a href="http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26392" title="http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26392">http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26392</a><br />
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Solidarity and Happy New Year!<br />
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Kdog<br />
First of May Anarchist Alliance<br />
good questions!http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26584#comment153512014-01-03T04:53:33+08:00klas bataloi really enjoyed this article. it is refreshing to see this critique of the demo...i really enjoyed this article. it is refreshing to see this critique of the democratic rupture analysis, especially with the realistic appreciation for the level of the struggle existing, and the point to which the construction of popular power is actually at in it's development in Chile. <br />
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in total though i really appreciate the questions towards the end of the article, and think they are some of the most essential ones libertarians and anarchists of all tendencies must deal with:<br />
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how to approach the fight for reforms beyond reformism; how to articulate those struggles in a comprehensive and liberating socialist project; how to build processes of unity without giving up class independence; how to advance the construction of popular power but avoid cooptation; how to qualify these struggles with more political debate and not hide our political credentials as if we were ashamed, how to forge mass movements without fear if our positions are not always in the majority?<br />
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that is how can we fight for reforms but from below in a self-organized/managed way while still building unity but unity in workers' autonomy, not left unity in a united/popular/democratic front sort of way. how to advance this towards a dual power genuine workers' control type situation, how to do this and remain open and not afraid of being deemed ultra-leftist...how to move forward on the mass terrain even if we are the minority.<br />
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thanks for this!Anarchist groups are not electoralist!http://www.anarkismo.net/article/26584#comment153592014-01-10T03:09:58+08:00Larry Gamboneredlionpress at hotmail dot comFeliz Año Nuevo, José Antonio !
First off – right wingers who claim the word "l...Feliz Año Nuevo, José Antonio !<br />
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First off – right wingers who claim the word "libertarian" for themselves are hisorically ignorant. It is our word, so bugger off!<br />
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As for anarchist organizations running in election slates? José Antonio is absolutely right. This is something that should never be done. By running in elections, we are operating in the bourgeoisie's own territory and thus at a distinct disadvantage. Our strength comes from outside the parliamentary arena – with popular power in the streets, neighborhoods and work places. This is where our focus should be. Let the reformist parties of the left run in elections – support them AS INDIVIDUALS if you wish, but do not drag the movement as a whole into this swamp.<br />