hello you'all,
I am very kndly actually, and not really a very bitter, sectarian and hectoring old marxist.
Over the years I have been involved in pro-Palestinian solidarity, the African National
Congress and labour movement. I love irony and satire and try not to take myself too
seriously. My mother's from Glasgow and my Dad was from Newfoundland. I am in The
Peg enjoying the nice May snow. And I'm middle aged and I teach at U of W on contract...
I'm an impenitent Marxist, too, Andy. Welcome.
thankyou Fidel. now there's 2 of us - we are a faction! :s
Welcome, Andy. These folks were all accused of being Bolsheviks - never mind Marxists - on June 21, 1919, just a few blocks away from where you're teaching. I hope you've read up on the Winnipeg General Strike. We peggers and ex-peggers alike just can't get over it:
Oh yeah, and these were the folks from the other end of town. They didn't want unions or strikes or anti-scab laws or immigrants or anything to disturb their wealth accumulation:
The CCPA in Winnipeg has some interesting bitter hectoring old Marxist supporters. As does the U of W and the U of M. You should have plenty of company in River City.
P.S. I think babble regular "Fidel" meant, in his welcome to you, to type "independent of Marxism". Sorry, Fidel, I just call them as I see them. You really do a fine job of conveying unconditional support of the NDP.
OTOH, maybe we could create a new category for friends of bitter hectoring old Marxists and call them "Groucho" Marxists? Fidel? Can i call you a "Groucho" Marxist?
Yes, there should be some good 1919 tours this month. They usually start at Market Square. Try calling the Labour History group or the appropriate committee of the Winnipeg Labour Council, etc., etc.
Here's something that retraces the final steps of Mike Sokolowski, killed by police, in the course of the General Strike.
I am very much in debt to CCPA for analyses they have done and I have used these in my party and in my
classrooms over the years. You and Fidel will have to duke it out over who is a real marxist, I am not inclined to
make judgments unless I really get my "Newfie" up!
Unionist,
Although I am an Easterner, working class history is my hobby and I have read quite a bit
about the Winnipeg General Strike, the role of the CCF, the Communist Party in Winnipeg,
the Co-ops etc. This is a great city and I love it here.
Andy
So you have read that my part of town was represented by a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._A._Kardash][color=red]Communist MLA[/color][/url] for 17 years?
Winnipeg is a different kind of city.
Have you seen Guy Madden's movie?
I'm not sure if a non-native-Winnipegger will appreciate all the nuances, but still.
I am lucky enough to have a publisher's copy of Guy Madden's book with the CD movie! it is wonderful.
Was the CP MLA Joe Zuken? I am a Communist (cpc). Nice to have you schooling me on the Peg,
I recently read a neat 3 part series about the founding and building of the Ukrainian Labor Temple.
My maw knew Norman and Norma Penner in Montreal before he went overseas in WW2.
I particularly like Citizen Girl, Madden's mythical girl hero, and some of the related elements in the film.
Unionist,
I see I was supposed to press your link -- it was Bill Kardash not Joe Kuken.
I recall he was leader of the cpc into the 80s before Hewison.
who knew Unionist is a closet Pegger?
So you have read that my part of town was represented by a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._A._Kardash][color=red]Communist MLA[/color][/url] for 17 years?
This brings to mind the socialist legislator where I grew up.
I grew up in rural Southern California- until more recent years not known as a hot bed of anything progressive. In fact, growing up there in the 50s and 60s, it was one of the reasons that by my mid-teens I knew that I wanted out ASAP. Definitely an open country boy- but a square peg in the political and cultural surroundings.
San Fransisco- where I went of course- had a rich, well known, and unbroken history of labour and radical politics. But I had to leave Southern California to find out that it also had a rich labour and socialist history up until the 20s.
And some of that had even washed into the agricultural country that was my home turf, where the Congressman had been a socialist. Richard Nixon and his red-baiting hit the national stage when he used that in 1950 against the Senator from California Helen [last name escapes me].
But he used it first to beat Jerry Voorhis in my congressional district in 1946. Voorhis came to socialism, like Woodsworth and Douglas, through the Social Gospel. And he first won in this usually Republican district on Roosevelts coatails, and on his personal reputation and integrity.
