It's not liike the IWCA, and other community campaigns have thought "shall we control the means of production? Nahhhhhhh, let's not bother." It's more that in the here and now the struggles to take over the control of the means of production are so far away from realisable as to be pointless. Whereas very many working class communities have been simply abandoned by the left, including Labour, and are a very important and feasible place to organise. The left is ignoring an open goal simply because it involves lots and lots of everyday leg-work, in favour of running after the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
It's not like I haven't tried them BOTH. LOL
I can tell you from personal experience there is lots and lots of everyday legwork involved in building influence among the organised workers, just as much if not more than my experience in community campaigns. So it is a completely spurious argument to suggest the left is ignoring an open goal simply because it involves lots and lots of everyday leg-work.
I think one of the reasons Marx identified the WORKING class as the gravedigger of capitalism, is because capitalism, not revolutionaries, capitalism collectivise workers in the workplace. It forces them to work together as a group every day. It does not force them to work together in the community. In fact quite the opposite, it atomises them. More so than ever today. In the past there was a sense of community. Especially in working class areas, where they would be forced to work together, to help each other. But more and more so today, we all exist in our own little bubble in the house.
From what I remember, the IWCA was the organisation that was ruling out things as outmoded, outdated, such as socialism. I am the other hand, and not, I have said many times I am not ruling out community activity. I just think collectivised workers are always collectivised. Whereas communities come together briefly in campaigns, but then go back to being atomised again.
As a revolutionary force, I would compare communities to peasant revolutions. They come together briefly in a revolution to overcome the King, but once they go back to their land they become atomised, no longer a force. The working class are always a potential revolutionary force, because they are always working together.
IMO My concentrating on the working class, at work, is not so much chasing a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, IT is not succumbing to illusionary shortcuts, and the abandonment of the lessons of history (It was the IWCA who suggested we abandon socialism et cetera?).
Think I've explained that poorly, but I don't have time. Sorry.
