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There was already a failure to articulate an ideological alternative, even as an object of ridicule, prior to the Global Financial CrisisGreat Clusterfuck, which is part of the reason the crisis has been mismanaged as it has. But I think the crisis itself is providing the ferment and the space for alternatives to be thought out. When the next round of crisis comes, one can hope that at least some people in a position of influence will be willing to try something different from the old neoliberal consensus. Otherwise the next phase of the crisis (which may feel like collapse but won't be it) will have to provide the ferment for your "avant-garde party". And then will come a third fit of crisis, and so on.

If you are not convinced, try it on someone who has not been entirely debauched by economics. — Piero Sraffa
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Aug 6th, 2012 at 04:32:06 AM EST
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I'm not actually arguing for an "avant-garde party". I'm saying that was Lenin's revolutionary strategy, in the context of which he could "objectively" wish for conditions for the down-trodden to get worse.

Migeru:

When the next round of crisis comes, one can hope that at least some people in a position of influence will be willing to try something different from the old neoliberal consensus.

What I think is that we should be doing our best to bring that about. The death of neoliberalism is the watchword.

The development of a new left movement, including a party or loose international grouping of parties but far from limited to this, would surely be a useful element of that effort.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2012 at 03:16:53 AM EST
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I think one of the most significant things to happen since the crisis is the creation of the Institute for New Economic Thinking by George Soros.

If you are not convinced, try it on someone who has not been entirely debauched by economics. — Piero Sraffa
by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2012 at 03:19:13 AM EST
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Yes. Most of all, we need to take back the intellectual/ideological hegemony from the neolibs.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Aug 7th, 2012 at 03:38:36 AM EST
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