Religion & politics

Connolly's Marxism, part three: Socialism and religion

Part of a series of articles on Connolly: workersliberty.org/connolly Perhaps upon no point are the doctrines of Socialism so much misunderstood, and so much misrepresented, as in their relation to Religion. When driven into a corner upon every other point at issue; when from the point of view of economics, of politics, or of morality, he is worsted in argument, this question of Religion invariably forms the final entrenchment of the enemy of Socialism — especially in Ireland. “But it is opposed to Religion,” constitutes the last words, the ultimate shift, of the supporters of capitalism...

The labour theory of value, Kane, and Connolly

Intertwined with James Connolly's exchange with the Jesuit Fr Kane about socialism and religion which we reprinted in Solidarity 665 is an argument between Kane and Connolly about Marx's labour theory of value. Kane makes a mess of the theory in his attempts to refute it, and at points Connolly also, in his attempts to defend the theory, also makes a mess. It is probably to be regretted that Marx did not coin new terminology for his theory, rather than adapting terms used by previous writers. However, it is clear that in Marx's theory exchange-value and use-value are distinct. They are not two...

Stalinism, religion, and the workers' fight

The sight of these two reactionary forces huddled in a tete-a-tete - officially called the Dialogue between Marxism (!) and Christianity - is startling enough to provoke thought.

Socialism has only one great principle

Had our opponent clung to that anchor [the “point” below] it would not have been possible for him to introduce so much extraneous matter, so much senseless speculation and foolish slander as he did introduce in the course of his long-drawn-out criticism. That point, as stated by Father Kane, is: “ Once for all we must understand a Socialist to be that man, and only that man, who holds the essential principle of Socialism, i.e. that all wealth-producing power, and all that pertains to it, belongs to the ownership and control of the State.” Thus, at the outset of his lectures, in his first...

Connolly and Marxism: Introduction

Part of a series of articles on Connolly: workersliberty.org/connolly James Connolly’s Marxism was explicitly confined to the class struggle in economics and politics. He made propaganda in relation to those two fronts of the class struggle, while explicitly denying that Marxism recognises a third front, the ideological front — that Marxism could be a general philosophy covering such things as morality. Connolly was in fact at odds with the prevailing socialist morality, on marriage and the family for instance. (See Solidarity 624 , on Connolly’s conflict with Daniel De Leon). He asserted that...

Hindu nationalism, communalism and the left

Professor Dibyesh Anand spoke with Daniel Randall about the recent rise of the Hindu right in Britain, and how the left should approach questions of communalism and chauvinism within and between minority communities.

Protests greet Israel's new far-right government

The slogan on the placard reads "There is no democracy if there is occupation", in Hebrew, English, and Arabic. Photo credit Noy Orly via +972 Magazine Thousands took to the streets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to protest the inauguration of Israel's new government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu and the most right-wing in Israel's history. [Update: on 7 January even larger numbers protested - see below article.] Protesters took up issues including allegations of corruption against Netanyahu, incitement against LGBT+ people, and an authoritarian turn against journalists and other dissidents (left...

The strange tale of Tulsi Gabbard

Congresswoman Gabbard meets Narendra Modi, 2019 Imagine if a Labour MP championed Corbyn in 2016, stood to be leader in 2020 – then left the party and become active on the far right. You are getting something of the flavour of US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (in office 2013-21). Discussing Gabbard, the cases of George Galloway and Barry Gardiner spring to my mind, for different reasons. Gabbard’s case, stranger and more disturbing than either, surely has lessons beyond the US. Gabbard made great play of being the first Hindu member of the US Congress. But the Hindu tradition in which she was...

Ex-members come out against UCKG

On 29 November the Guardian published an article about ex-followers of the international “evangelical Christian” church UCKG speaking out against the organisation. On 2 December this was followed by a more detailed podcast , well worth listening to. The young people some of whom spoke have accused the organisation of financial exploitation, psychological abuse and threats. They have also organised protests. The “United Church of the Kingdom of God” was founded in Brazil in 1977 by Edir Macedo , still head of the church and now a billionaire capitalist as result of his “religious” activities...

U Nu and Burmese political Buddhism

U Nu with US President Dwight Eisenhower According to the Indian social reformer Ambedkar , Buddhism is based on reason, morality, egalitarianism, and progress; it would he hard to make that claim for Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism. However, the same religion has been interpreted to serve racist, sexist, xenophobic and discriminatory ideas by monks from Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand. For Burma, the development of political Buddhism can be traced back to its nationalist movement of U Nu, the first prime minister of Burma. During the colonial period, U Nu reconciled Marxism and...

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