Which left is your favorite?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Old Left, ie those who actually got sh*t done.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Old Left, ie those who actually got sh*t done.

I'm always surprised by how much you and I agree when it comes to this sort of thing, but I feel like we honestly are on the same page, policy-wise, we just totally disagree from a tactical standpoint.

Yes, I've always thought the same. The economic policies that I would advocate (if they were feasible in the current context) are probably not too far from yours. Especially as I think I've moved slightly to the left over the past 5 years. I just think that, while keeping sight of our major goals, the left should also strive to improve the condition of the working classes here and now, on a more incremental basis. Like Bernstein, I care about the movement more than about the end result.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Personally, my chronological and ideological distinctions would be a bit different. I'll give it a try:

- The Original Left: Lasting from the foundation of the Second Internationale to the end of WW1 and the foundation of the Third Internationale. Marked by a distrustful if not outright hostile relationship with the State, by a prevalence of labor activism (but also strong local politics in many countries), and by an enduring debate between vulgar Marxism and revisionism. Its main figures include Karl Kautsky, Eduard Bernstein, Jean Jaurès, Eugene Debs, etc.

- The Transformative Left From 1921 to the 1959 (the Bad Godesberg Programme seems like a good cutoff point). Marked by the divide between Communism and Social Democracy, with the latter adhering to the Soviet model while the former learns (with varying success) to exploit the tools of parliamentary democracy to advance its policies. Eventually, the latter is responsible for the rise of the Welfare State and an unprecedented improvement in living standards. Main figures include Vladimir Lenin, Antonio Gramsci, Léon Blum, Clement Attlee, Per Albin Hansson, etc.

- The New Left 1959 to 1989 (fall of the Berlin Wall). Marked by an effort to expand Social Democratic appeal beyond the traditional class barriers and include the middle classes in a broad progressive coalition. This attempt entails emphasizing issues beyond the traditional "bread and butter" ones, such as racial and gender equality. Its success has generally been scarce and temporary, insofar as, for every middle-class vote gained, there usually was a working-class vote lost. Nonetheless, this era saw the rise to power of the Left in countries where it had been marginalized for several decades (France, Spain, Portugal). Main figures include Willy Brandt, Olof Palme, Robert Kennedy, etc.

- The De-ideologized Left 1989 to... this day? Its end might be close, but it's not dead yet. This left is marked by the "end of ideology" feel that followed the fall of the USSR, as well as by the scars inflicted by the rising neoliberal movement. As such, it has given up to a lot of its previous goals and generally tried to rebrand itself as a "pragmatic" alternative to the right. It de-emphasizes its historical legacy and outright denies its roles as the representative of a social class. Main figures include Tony Blair, Gerhardt Schröder, Felipe Gonzalez, and possibly Matteo Renzi.

[Antonio the Sixth]

old left despite blank slate/egalitarian cancer. of course 'cultural marxism' frequent have very little to actually do with marx. if he was alive now all the social justice and antifa losers would be crying about how racist and antisemitic he was. same goes for che. actually i kind of like che, he was fairly intellectual for a latino

Racist much?

If the phrase "egalitarian cancer" didn't bug you already, yes, Mint is an ass who tries too hard to be edgy.