Suggestions for an immediate programme if the working class takes power

by Link

Extract from “Bordiga and the Big City”, International Review no. 166:

“We refer to the text written by Amadeo Bordiga in 1953 and published in Sul Filo del Tempo, “The immediate programme of the revolution” […] A listing of these demands looks like this:

a. “De-investment of capital”: means of production are assigned a smaller proportion in relation to consumer goods.

b. “Increase of production costs” - so that as long as wages, money and the market still exist - more remuneration is exchanged for less labour time.

c. “Drastic reduction of labour time” - by at least half as unemployment and socially useless and damaging activities will shortly become things of the past.

d. A reduction in the mass of what is produced through an “under-production plan” which is to say the concentration of production on what is necessary as well as an “authoritarian regulation of consumption” by which the promotion of useless, damaging and luxury consumption goods is combated and activities which propagate a reactionary mentality are violently prohibited.

e. Rapid “dissolution of the boundaries of the enterprise” whereby decisions on production are not assigned to the workforce, but the new consumption plan determines what is to be produced.

f. “Rapid abolition of social services” whereby the charity hand-outs characteristic of commodity production are replaced by a social (initial minimum) provision for those incapable of work.

g. “Construction freeze” on the rings of housing and workplaces around major and small cities in order to spread the population more and more equally throughout the land area of the country. With a ban on unnecessary transportation, limitation of traffic and speed of transportation.

h. “A decisive struggle against professional specialization” and the social division of labour though the removal of any possibility of making a career or obtaining a title.

i. Immediate politically determined measures to put the schools, the press, all means of communication and information, as well as the entire spectrum of culture and entertainment under the control of the communist state.”

Comments:

I was very interested by the ICC article on “Bordiga and the Big City” and by Marin Jensen’s comments on it on the Breath and Light website. Particularly because, after the series of meetings by the ICC and the CWO on the Russian and German revolutions and the formation of the International, I had suggested the next topic logically should be the Period of Transition. Members of both organisations rejected this idea, probably thinking I was simply meaning to dredge up the old discussions on the state and the argument about what is marxist/non-marxist.

Maybe, maybe not. But it’s this idea of an immediate set of tasks that really takes my interest, primarily because of the discussion on Germany 1918 where nobody, not even the Spartacists, seemed to have an idea of what to do when the old state collapsed and the working class were able to take power. The consequence of this was that the left wing of the social democrats were left in charge and everyone became victim to its right wing.

We are now 100 years on, and the world is a very different place. In this period of quiescence of the working class, then should we not be discussing, dare I say it, ‘what is to be done’ in the event of a revolution?

Bordiga’s comments and proposals are relevant but now outdated even where they are right. So what I want to do is not offer a completed programme but maybe to provoke some ideas and discussion about ‘what is to be done’.

What are the practical issues in society that the working class will have to address in the early phase of power?

The general tasks worldwide:

Working class organisation worldwide, regionally and locally – assemblies/councils but will commissions be used?

• Role of the Party as advisor. Should it increase in size? Will its role be purely advisory? Will it be needed in full communism?

• Policing the middle and upper classes.

• Redressing the environmental damage done by capitalism

• Poverty and famine across the world.

• Migration (which won’t just stop, in fact could get worse if the working class is reorganising things successfully and doesn’t pay enough attention to the ‘third world’)

• Work and the age -old discussion of labour time vouchers

Specific tasks of management and reorganisation regionally and locally (which maybe an artificial distinction as these problems exist worldwide):

• Debt – at the top of the list as it is a major burden on the working class; immediately write off all debts, household, business and national.

• Housing – empty houses (of the wealthy and second homeowners), empty offices, armed forces locations, country houses, palaces must be taken over and used for something useful, eg homeless, childcare, health care, education; payments for rent and mortgages should be stopped immediately.

• Private property – industry should be managed by the workers and products provided to support social needs; financial industries and finance that need expropriating but family housing and personal possessions shouldn’t be at risk as that would be a fear for many.

• Homelessness and poverty – empty offices, religious buildings can be used temporarily to start providing support in terms of shelter food and clothing; unused housing could be made ready to be used in medium term.

• Wasteful industries – need to be run down and the resources diverted to constructive use, probably social welfare.

• Prisons – release everybody or select inmates for release dependant on crime; all political prisoners to be released? Use the prisons for those who fight back against workers’ power.

• Food supply – agriculture will need regional planning to maintain supply, distribution networks need to be maintained and workers in these industries need to be supported with tools and resources as well as personal subsistence.

• Family – how will the nuclear family change? Initially widespread creches will need to be provided for all if all men and women are expected to work at least part of the week; local childcare workers may have a big role in family and educational support. Again tools, resources and personal subsistence are needed.

• Education – two issues here are resources and subjects that will need revision; a programme of indoctrination is not wanted, but initially some subjects can be dropped in favour of a programme of discussion, social review and above all practical social participation. Resources will have to be locally determined initially.

• Health Care – again I think this starts with regional planning re social need; pharmaceutical companies need redirecting into social care research and changing to non-profit structures asap while hospitals and doctors need resources and equipment and supplies must be maintained.

• Childcare and older people’s care – creches and support will be needed; services by health visitors and social welfare workers will need to be maintained at least initially to help new systems develop.

• State institutions – some could be useful such as scientific research, social services, health, education and will need support and restructuring rather than dismantling.

• Industrial planning – I’m not convinced this can start at a global level; regional needs vary and planning could be integrated eventually.

• Maintaining services that the world needs eg communications and energy including expansion of renewable energies.

• Gangs and crime - would these wither away with the improved meeting of social needs?

• Drugs – stopping production of illegal drugs may be easier in a world without money?

• Religion – I’ve been told religion is a personal matter that can’t be eliminated immediately and hence religious buildings cannot just be expropriated; they could however be given responsibilities to perform socially necessary tasks such as food distribution, temporary accommodation, etc.

• Transport systems including car traffic – I’d say public transport systems will be more of a priority in ‘third world’ countries.

• Discrimination and prejudice – current issues of racism, sexism and prejudice mean these will be raised quickly and so a step by step strategy will be needed to compliment social changes being implemented.

I’m sure this is not an exhaustive list but one thing that strikes me in writing it, is that worldwide (we’ll have to stop saying internationally) is that priorities will vary significantly and my list is probably euro-centric. Parts of Africa and Asia and South America will have very specific problems relating to their existing living conditions so superstructure projects and food supplies to raise the level of social development will be a priority and may well draw resources away from more developed regions.

How can all this be made to happen? Party members will not be specialists but the workers and technicians and probably academics will have to be tasked with planning and redirection of systems.

Link

October 2020