The Death of Capitalism...

While I've been on holiday, capitalism has been on its last legs. At least, if you are a headline writer.

In reality, it's difficult to find anyone who really believes that the current crisis, severe as it is, represents the end of capitalism. The Guardian had an interesting piece taking the viewpoints of various claimed opponents of capitalism. Not one believed that this would be the end of capitalism, and few were optimistic about any progress coming of it.

Why, in a time of capitalist crisis, are people not turning to socialism? Because socialist organisations are in no position to offer a realistic, short-term alternative. This is in part due to the still ongoing collapse of the "official" communist movement. And it is in part due to the failure of socialist organisations to build any sort of significant organisation as a pole of attraction.

For those of us who are socialists, this poses the question of a way forward. Simply waiting for the next inevitable crisis in capitalism is not sufficient. A project simply to bring together existing socialist groups will achieve little without agreement on some basic principles - as pleasant as the Convention of the Left may have been, no-one has any serious expectation of a new organisation coming from it.

Discussion and education are an easy answer, and undoubtedly correct. But then what? The only answer I have is to look at the potential of the internet. Eric Lee, who maintains Labournet, knows a lot about its potential for union organising. He has also written on how it can also threaten union organisers.

So... something which allows discussion, the building of a consensus, anonymous participation while maintaining some vigilance against vandalism and trolling. Sounds like a wiki to me. But unlike existing political wikis, something focussed on outcomes and processes, rather than description and history. Time to register wikisocialism.org?