Re: SV: SV: [OPE] Marta Harnecker's Ideas

Anders Ekeland wrote:

> > > Hi Paul C,
> > >
> > > you wrote:
> > >
>
>> > >> By votes of the members or a representative subset
>> > >>
>>
> > >
> > > But political programmes, strategies, tactics are not determined in a deterministic, "class" way, the working class, the intelligentsia, the capitalist class is not homogeneous - (gender, ethnicity, "culture", religion). Even the most socially and cultural homogenous groups (like the Bolshevik CC) did have - and will have - very different opinions - the of Lenin today may disagree with Lenin of yesterday - since we change opnions for various reasons - and should do so.
> > >
>
> This is true when looking at individuals, but as social scientists we
> have to recognise that
> class exerts its effects on aggregates of individuals. The social
> position of
> leaders of plebian political parties is not necessary plebian, and
> indeed tends not to be,
> this has an influence on the policies implemented by the party once in
> power.
> So we can not simply ignore the social composition of executive bodies.

> > > So a stratefied sample will not work - and certainly not solve the problem of the potential antagonisms of the representatives vs. those whose interest they are supposed to represent.
> > >
> > >
>
> Could you elaborate on why this is the case

>> > >> But the bourgeois republic is clearly unrepresentative in terms of
>> > >> class, gender and race so it can hardly be the nec plus ultra.
>> > >>
>>
> > >
> > > Marx was talking about the *form*, not its actual implementation ? of course being "biased" towards continued class and elite role in a myriad of ways since the introduction of univ. suffr. Which is not even 100 years ago (univ. includes women - first 1913 in Norway).
> > >
>
> My position is Aristotelean on this, I say that the form itself is
> biased towards elite dominance. Aristotle argues that elections are
> inherently undemocratic and characteristic of aristocratic
> constitutions, and that only selection by lot is compatible with democracy.
>
>

_______________________________________________
ope mailing list
ope@lists.csuchico.edu
https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/ope
Received on Wed Dec 9 04:09:10 2009