Libertarian Municipalism
Apr 24 2006 01:40
I just read a bit about this the other day. Do LMers see particpating in local elections as something which could be called 'revolutionary activity' or is it just a means for easing day to day life?
Apr 24 2006 10:33
#2
Right... but i got from the article i read (skim) that by particpating in the elections it was a step to creating libertarian municipalities in the first place and therefore nessecary for 'a revolutionary project' as it where.
Are the IWCA LMists?
Apr 24 2006 10:58
#3
Other people here know more about this than me, but I think it was meant to be revolutionary, the intention being that the local governments could gradually assume greater powers and use more direct democracy.
However Bookchin only wanted involvement in very small scale local government such as the US has outside of the big cities. He was against German greens running in Federal elections.
IWCA are not LMists, although are in favour of stronger local democracy.
Apr 24 2006 11:00
#4
Cheers afraser... that makes it a bit clearer 
Apr 24 2006 14:46
#5
I think they see taking over local governments as a part of changing society. From the website of the local Bookchinites here in Norway:
Quote:
From Here to There
Social change must be fought for at the grassroots level. We will strengthen municipalities and work for the initiation of local forums and new democratic institutions, gathering a truly democratic counter-force in boroughs, towns and neighborhoods. We will participate in municipal elections, continually radicalizing our demands for drawing political and economic power down to the municipal level.
Apr 24 2006 15:27
#6
rkn -
here's a link to the institute of social ecology library, http://www.social-ecology.org/staticpages/index.php?page=library&topic=online_library plenty of material on lm.
Apr 24 2006 15:31
#7
I think Libertarian Muncipalism is a great idea, what with the death of the proletariat as THE revolutionary agent, the recuperation of unions by capital and their role in assimilating the working class into capital.
That's exactly why we need to seize the skull fucked corpese of local government. 
Apr 24 2006 15:50
#8
Quote:
That's exactly why we need to seize the skull fucked corpese of local government
it turns out that sarcasm isn't the lowest form of wit. it's badly-spelled sarcasm
Apr 24 2006 15:52
#9
ftony wrote:
Quote:
That's exactly why we need to seize the skull fucked corpese of local governmentit turns out that sarcasm isn't the lowest form of wit. it's badly-spelled sarcasm
an extra letter is a typo, anyway spelling is a babylonian plot, white boy rasta.
Shabba!
Apr 24 2006 16:50
#10
shabba indeed
what's so wrong with babylon anyway? it had lovely gardens. although it wasn't a libertarian municipality.
Apr 24 2006 17:01
#11
revol68 wrote:
I think Libertarian Muncipalism is a great idea, what with the death of the proletariat as THE revolutionary agent, the recuperation of unions by capital and their role in assimilating the working class into capital.That's exactly why we need to seize the skull fucked corpese of local government.
As usual you've missed the specific circumstances Bookchin's talking about most of the time - the town meetings in New England, specifically Vermont and New Hampshire. In Vermont at least, town meetings allow for anyone within the municipality to vote by show of hands (iirc) on any issue - which resulted in a nuclear ban across the state in the '70s. These are forms held over from before 'local government' and aren't comparable to a borough council or whatever - they're (very large) neighbourhood assemblies, with hard-won powers. In the Third Revolution, he also traces a line through assemblies in the New Model Army, through the Parisian Sections (set up by the monarchy), the soviets (literally translated as town councils) etc. etc.
Bookchin doesn't argue for taking over the existing mechanisms of local government in all cases, just setting up neighbourhood assemblies and using existing powers where they're available.
Despite promising to do so, you've never responded to me from the last time you spat out your usual mis-informed one-liners.
Felix Frost - I was under the impression that Democratic Alternative was defunct, or at least nowhere near LM any more.
Apr 24 2006 17:41
#12
Catch wrote:
Felix Frost - I was under the impression that Democratic Alternative was defunct, or at least nowhere near LM any more.
They haven't been very active lately, but they still update their web site once in a while, so I guess they are still functioning. I haven't seen any of them in a long while, but if I do, I'll ask what's up. They have always been very orthodox Bookchin-followers, so I doubt very much if they have moved away from LM. For instance, they stopped calling themselves anarchists after Bookchin did the same.
Apr 28 2006 16:49
#13
vermont is wierd, and the exception to so many rules......
Apr 28 2006 17:43
#14
There is an interesting movement towards secession in Vermont right now, q.v.,
http://www.vermontrepublic.org/writings/vtsradicalimperative.html
http://info.interactivist.net/article.pl?sid=05/11/13/1726239&mode=nested&tid=8
According to Kropotkin, the harmonization of three elements was indespensible for the conduct of a successful social revolution:
-militant labor organizing,
-a federation of collectives,
-municipal socialism.
Apr 28 2006 22:12
#15
Vermont is a freaky place, their soon to be elected senator is Bernie Sanders, the only self described socialist in congress. They've got a history of town meeting style governance, and a lot of militant labor groups. That said they’re also old timey new englanders with a strong faith in republican governance.
May 9 2006 10:31
#16
Quote:
here's a link to the institute of social ecology library, http://www.social-ecology.org/staticpages/index.php?page=library&topic=online_library plenty of material on lm.
Can't get much from the archive - links go to a default page with just the ISE address. And the 'latest' copy of Harbinger mag online dates to 2003 (worth a look by the way):
http://www.social-ecology.org/harbinger/harbinger.pdf
The AFADD.org seems to be dead too. Very little content on DEMALT.info
The online presence of LM and its ilk seems to have died.
Has anyone on the forum ever been to the Institute's home in Vermont?
May 9 2006 20:50
#17
Nopers. LMism seems to be pretty well dead. I've never met an active practitioner of it in my (admittedly short) lifetime.
Jul 12 2006 15:34
#18
Democratic alternative seems to be still doing ok, even if I haven't personally been in contact with them for the past couple years. This summer there's a camp in norway with english, turkish and finnish guests (in addition to the scandinavians). Also the newer publications appear on www.communalism.org .. granted it sucks that social-ecology.org's library is broken.
Jul 12 2006 17:31
#19
The ISE website has been on the blink for a long time.
I bumped into a group in London in the early '90s who called themselves the Social Ecology Network and were definitely opposed to using the tag Anarchist.
I have read the Bookchin canon and admire the man's scholarship; I find his critique of hierarchy and of the left convincing. As I recall he latterly argued that standing in some local elections under some conditions that might give rise to the opportunity to create assemblies might be a tactic to consider. As a betrayal of anarchism it hardly ranks alongside condoning an imperialist war or joining a government. In any event if you write enough in your lifetime you're bound to come up with some execrable old shit; I only wish that it had taken me as long as it took Murray.
Judging by the general tone of debate on Libcom I would have thought tha even mentioning Bookchin was worthy of being tarred and feathered and left on the edge of town. If anyone would like to take on a more wide-ranging discussion of his work I'd be up for getting involved. I still refer to myself as a social ecologist from time to time - keeping alive the good old anarchist tradition of shifting labels as appropriate!
Jul 12 2006 18:14
#20
Blackn'red Ned wrote:
Judging by the general tone of debate on Libcom I would have thought tha even mentioning Bookchin was worthy of being tarred and feathered and left on the edge of town.
A member of the libcom group is head of Bookchin's UK fanclub, actually...
Jul 12 2006 19:58
#21
Oooh goodie! Do I get a badge if I join?
Jul 22 2006 20:24
#22
Blackn'red Ned wrote:
The ISE website has been on the blink for a long time.I bumped into a group in London in the early '90s who called themselves the Social Ecology Network and were definitely opposed to using the tag Anarchist.
I have read the Bookchin canon and admire the man's scholarship; I find his critique of hierarchy and of the left convincing. As I recall he latterly argued that standing in some local elections under some conditions that might give rise to the opportunity to create assemblies might be a tactic to consider. As a betrayal of anarchism it hardly ranks alongside condoning an imperialist war or joining a government. In any event if you write enough in your lifetime you're bound to come up with some execrable old shit; I only wish that it had taken me as long as it took Murray.
Actually I'd say libertarian municipalism and local elections are pretty central to the dual power approach. Granted you're right that we (communalists) shouldn't take part in local elections at all times, but it is still quite central to the idea of communalism. And yes, anarchists have done quite a few silly things (like the ones you mention above), one of the main (after paris 1871) communalist went in to a rage of propaganda-by-deed as well, and did not do much productive work during the time.
Jul 31 2006 17:47
#23
Murray Bookchin left us yesterday:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2006/07/30/social_ecologist_murray_bookchin_dies_at_85/
Aug 1 2006 15:53
#24
bookchin was a great writer and a committed revolutionary theorist. while i don't agree on his class analysis - i think that libetarian municipalism contains a lot of useful ideas, including that of sometimes under certain circumstances standing in local elections.
one of the reasons he has been such an influence on me though is that he is such a good writer - unlike many academic political theorists he managed to be entertaining and thought provoking
Sep 24 2006 18:58
#25
the ise website seems to be done blinking. back and up, library included.
Sep 24 2006 19:29
#26
I think Libertarian Muncipalism is a great idea, what with the death of the proletariat as THE revolutionary agent
Coment
Are you kidding? What about priletarian insurrections in Iraky Kurdistan 1991, Albania 1996, Argentina and Algeria 2001-2002, Bolivia 2003?
Sep 24 2006 21:30
#27
magidd wrote:
Are you kidding?
Yes, he was kidding.
not sure. i've got bookchin's 'limits of the city', but haven't read it, so will try and find out soon...
but from immediate gut feeling i'd say no. i'd guess bookchin would say that local elections are still part of representative democracy, and that boundaries are demarcated by council officials/bureaucrats, not by the people who live in municipalities
but i may be wrong 8)