And the Winner IS.................

awwww shucks.

libcom - bigger than Bakunin!

hmmm, the CGT of spain.

I dunno...

CNT-vignoles too. I think this person is just trying to enrage libcom with their other choices.

Let's face it calling us the best 'anarchist' website is damning with faint praise in the first place.

to be fair if the alternative is some free floating, 'we break down genres and labels, man' Hegelian 'the real movement of communism" nonsense you've seemed to have moved towards, I'd rather be an anarchist.

IWW doesn't claim to be anar....

nah fuck off. Merry xmas john

aha. I see what you mean.

More people have beef with the CGT cos of the history and the fact they call themselves anarchist so it leapt out a bit more then CNT-V and IWW.

I've managed to completely forget the CNT/CNT-V thing, is there a link to a thread somewhere? Does only the CNT-V operate as a union?

Hi, Mollymew here,
I guess as the originator of the subject of this thread I should explain myself. First and foremost I AM independent while at the same time being "quite obviously" of what is to
some the "social anarchist" trend, to others, particularily in the UK, "class struggle" , to my own favourite "socialist anarchist" to "libertarian socialist" or to "whatever". The picks for my favourites were personal picks which were guided, as I said in the blog, by considerations of public presentation, practicality, worth of imitation and general organization. Some may, and perhaps they should, quibble about some of the choices from a viewpoint of ideological purity. Once more I am independent !!! When I quit the NDP (our social democratic party here in Canada) back in 1971 and became an anarchist I became quite fixed in the idea that I would NEVER surrender my own conscience to Party considerations. That's still my opinion today. Despite the fact that many of my choices are oriented to what might be termed "platformism" it should be understood that what I admire in that current is the commitment to organization and consistancy- NOT the idea of "ideological unity" which I think is a VERY bad idea. So accept the choices for what they are; the choices of an outside observer with few great ideological axes to grind beyond a general commitment to effective political action.

Hence the CGT. Hence the IWW. Etc. In my younger days I was actually a delegate for the IWW. What such unions are are homes for anarchists who, once they tire of simply declaming ideology, look for an organization where they can put their ideas into practice. Unions are hardly the ONLY such home, but they are an important one. My own viewpoint is that practical effect is one of the most important things that we shoudl look towards.

As anybody who wants to explore the original blog- Molly's Blog- will find out I have my own opinions, but these opinions are NOT graven in stone. In particular I WILL change them if circumstances change. If I can end up disagreeing with myself- WHAT A HORRIBLY UN-LEFTY IDEA TO THOSE WHO THINK THEY CAN SOLVE ALL THE WORLD'S PROBLEMS IN A MANIFESTO- can I be expected to hold to ONE "pure" ideology? Of course not. Accept the list for what it is- the preferences of an independent sceptic. This is one of the reasons why LibCom "won" in my list. It has no organizational axe to grind. To my mind it's too bad that one of my picks 'Schnews', which was picked for the virtue of "consistancy" wasn't "jumped on" like others were for reasons that I can see as little more than Party loyalty.

Finally, as you may gather from the above I take a "long view" of anarchism, having been such since the early 70s. Yeah, there's a lot that is distressing about some of modern anarchism, particularily in the USA, but there is a base of long term growth, and the tendency of many who espouse foolishness when they first come to the movement to graduate to much better things later. If I compare the movement today it is light years ahead of where it was when I first told the NDP to kiss my ass.

My own point is that I think it is "possible" that, with enough skill and effort, that anarchists in a large number of countries could replicate the success of the Spanish CGT today- to have an sustained influence on 5% of the population. This may seem to be a rather limited goal, but it is orders of magnitude ahead of what purist dreams will achieve. It is also a basis for REAL influence on society, and the basis for further growth, a growth that I am unlikely to see in the years left to me on this Earth. Things can actually be done with this sort of organization, which they can't by being "pure".

So here I stand. But enough of this seriousness. One of the great attractions of LibCom is that your forums give proof that you are real living, breathing people with a sense of humour. Did I mention this before ? Compare what happens here (inluding those who think I am an asshole) to what is spewed out on the humourless primmie or "anti-oppression" sites. Keep it up guys and have hope. Things may appear bleak to new-comers who are frustrated with some idiots who call themselves anarchists, but in the long view that I can take the growth, both in terms of numbers and maturity, is truly spectacular. No revolution is around the corner, but I, for one, am very hopeful.
Mollymew gives the Cheshire cat grin here and fades.