“Piffle”
There is no arguing with that. And I would never try arguing with a Lifeboater. Lifeboaters believe the source of error lies not in social forces and powers but the in the individual will; individuals must be monitored not only for current deviations from party line but for future careerist sins.

Since German socialists voted for WW1 war credits, the second international has delivered many shocks. As did the Third. As did the Fourth -although in my opinion Trotsky had a better idea of how mass conscious develops than any of his sectarian followers. Trotsky died believing, as was then reasonable, that Capital could not absorb any major reforms without surrendering its own power. He was proved wrong.

But since the great shift in the balance of power away from Labour toward capital, beginning say around 1980, pessimism about reforms of course increasingly in order.
Whereas George Galloway was among the many who set high hopes by Barack Obama, Chomsky and Pilger warned strongly against such hopes, having observed Obamas silky manoeuvrings to win white liberal votes and having observed nothing in his programme that should seriously frighten the bosses. .

Mayors have limited powers but many leftwing mayors have have made good use of them against the odds. Now Mamdami has promised he will try to tax the rich, impose a rent freeze and free public transport. Such measures will seem piffling to Lifeboat revolutionists, who are not New York rent payers. They will not seem piffling to the boss class, who will move mountains to sabotage them. Will they succeed? Does Mamdami really understand the power and virulance of Capital, with its deep tentacles into the working class? I cannot say. But until he stops fighting for these piffling reforms we should give him total applause and support

But, you say, does his wife have the correct line on Syria.? Was his victory welcomed by AOC ?. Is he a bit too woke?. I dont know and I dont care.

Gb