Re: Labour aristocracy

From: Paul Bullock (paulbullock@EBMS-LTD.CO.UK)
Date: Thu Jan 08 2004 - 16:05:23 EST


John,

further to my previous response.. the use of 'oppressed state' is unusual...
you are used to 'client state', 'occupied state', ' comprador state'.. and
any other number of
terms . 'Oppresed'  is  the traditional and correct term for 'oppressed
peoples' or
'nations' , but modern states often contain many 'nations'  eg Iraq.
... what term do we use for such a state  .... or do you think  it wrong to
consider states
ever falling under imperialist tutelage, of having some inate independence?

Paul Bullock

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Holloway" <johnholloway@PRODIGY.NET.MX>
To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: Labour aristocracy


> Paul B. says:
>
> >IT IS TRUE THAT EVEN THE POOR IN THE US HAVE TENDED TO LIVE BETTER THAN
THE
> >MOST MISERABLE IN THE OPPRESSED STATES
>
> What on earth is an "oppressed state", as opposed to an "unoppressed
> state"???
>
>     Greetings to all,
>
>     John
> ----------
> >From: Paul Bullock <paulbullock@EBMS-LTD.CO.UK>
> >To: OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU
> >Subject: Re: [OPE-L] Labour aristocracy
> >Date: Mon, Jan 5, 2004, 5:18 PM
> >
>
> >SIMON,
> >
> >WHAT IS 'ACTUALLY UNCLEAR' IS THE POINT YOU WISH TO MAKE.    THE OVERALL
> >AVERAGE WAGE OF US WORKERS  SAYS LITTLE ABOUT THE LABOUR ARISTOCRACY
UNLESS
> >YOU WISH TO IDENTIFIY ALL U.S. WORKERS WITH  SUCH A SECTION, WHICH I DO
NOT.
> >IT IS TRUE THAT EVEN THE POOR IN THE US HAVE TENDED TO LIVE BETTER THAN
THE
> >MOST MISERABLE IN THE OPPRESSED STATES, BUT  THIS IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO
CLASS
> >THE US POOR AS LABOUR ARISTICRATS! YOUR '18 CENTS' WORTH IS THEREFORE NOT
OF
> >ANY MERIT IN THIS DISCUSSION UNLESS YOU ARE POINTING TO THE STATISTICAL
FACT
> >THAT AS SOME GET RICHER, OTHERS GET POORER, AND SO YOURSELF LEAVE THE
> >QUESTION OPEN.
> >
> >WHENYOU MOVE TO NON PRODUCTION WORKERS YOU ABANDON SKILLED, HIGHER PAID,
> >PRODUCTION WORKERS, AND INCLUDE LOW PAID SERVICE WORKERS . WHY?
> >
> >THE AIM OF 'PROGRESSIVE' ( SUBJECTIVELY) CAPITALISTS, IS TO MAKE THE
WORKERS
> >BELIEVE THAT THERE IS NO ANTAGONISM  BETWEEN LABOUR AND CAPITAL , AND AS
> >MANY HAVE  POINTED OUT  THEY ARE PREPARED TO SPEND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
MONEY
> >( EG 'by giving office employees and skilled workers a share of the
> >profits'... KRUPSKAYA ) IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEIR AIM.
> >
> >Paul Bullock
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Simon Mohun" <s.mohun@QMUL.AC.UK>
> >To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU>
> >Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 1:14 PM
> >Subject: Labour aristocracy
> >
> >
> >> >Paul B wrote:
> >> >What is actually clear is that relatively few producers/corporations
in
> >the
> >> >world, lets say 300, headquartered in very few states lets say 10, but
> >> >mostly in the US, have a monopoly ( in the sensible sense of over 25%
of
> >the
> >> >market ( UK Competition regs)), and that this 'monopoly' allows huge
> >profits
> >> >which are in part are used to provide payments to sections of the work
> >force
> >> >to ensure loyalty and stability to the system.
> >>
> >> I don't think this is actually clear. What sections of the work force
are
> >> being referred to? My computations for the US, using BLS statistics for
> >> hourly wage rates of production workers in all sectors of the economy
(83
> >> per cent of employed workers), making very rough adjustments for direct
> >> taxes, social security contributions and receipt of state cash
benefits,
> >> and deflating by the NDP deflator, seem to show that
> >>
> >> in 1978, real hourly product wages were 11.79 and by 2000 had risen to
> >11.97.
> >>
> >> A total of 18 cents of a 1996 dollar over 22 years doesn't seem like an
> >> increase which would ensure loyalty and stability to the system.
> >>
> >> For nonproduction workers (17 per cent of the workforce), real hourly
> >> product wages were 20.88 in 1978 and 34.89 in 2000. Is it these workers
> >> (with supervisory responsibilities) to which the labour aristocracy
> >> hypothesis refers?
> >>
> >> Simon
> >>
> >>
>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> >--------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >> Simon Mohun
> >> Centre for Business Management,
> >> Queen Mary, University of London,
> >> Mile End Road,
> >> London E1 4NS,
> >> UK
> >>
> >> Tel: +44-(0)20-7882-5089 (direct); +44-(0)20-7882-3167 (Dept. Office);
> >Fax:
> >> +44-(0)20-7882-3615
> >> Webpage:  www.qmul.ac.uk/~ugte154/
> >>
>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> >--------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
>
>


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