The Canadian Truckers Protest, other wise known as the Freedom Convoy 2022, is now entering its third week, as I write this. This began as a protest against a set of rules, in both countries, requiring truckers to be fully vaccinated, before being allowed to cross the border. It has now ‘’snowballed’’ to include a broader list of grievances, including the removal of the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
The Prime Minister, in turn, is determined to end the blockade. As he stated, it is time to ‘’denounce these illegal acts. They are harming the communities they are taking place in -they are hurting jobs, businesses and our country’s economy’’.
It should be noted that the press is referring to the biggest trucks, the ‘’semi trailers’’, or ‘’big rigs’’, as trucks, while the smaller vehicles are being referred to as ‘’passenger vehicles’’. So for the purposes of this article, I have chosen to use that terminology.
For the first two weeks, the downtown area of Ottawa, which is the Canadian capital city, was occupied by trucks. The Prime Minister responded by ‘’making himself scarce’’. Instead of meeting with the protesters, he ‘’moved to an undisclosed location’’. It would appear that the leader of the Canadian people is afraid of the very people he is leading!
Now the joke among the working people is that we no longer go into a fast food restaurant and order a chicken sandwich. Now we order a ‘’Trudeau sandwich’’. I rather doubt that our Prime Minister appreciates our sense of humour!
As the occupation of the capital was not getting the attention of our esteemed leader, the protesters decided to adopt sterner measures. One of the main border crossings, between the United States and Canada, that of the Ambassador Bridge, was blocked. This succeeded in getting the attention of the government, on both sides of the border.
There are over one hundred border crossing points, between the United States and Canada. After all, the border stretches 8,891 kilometres or 5,524 miles. Several of these are considered to be major crossing points, or ‘’arteries’’, from the viewpoint of the business people. The Ambassador Bridge, between the city of Windsor, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the border, to the city of Detroit, Michigan, on the American side of the border, is one of those arteries.
As that is the major auto manufacturing centre, the closure of that Bridge has serious ‘’economic implications’’. In fact, it is estimated that four hundred million dollars worth of goods flows across the border, each day. With the Ambassador Bridge blockaded, the press reported ‘’some production cuts, shift reduction and temporary plant closures’’, among the auto manufacturers.
This loss of production is the primary concern of the politicians. They refer to it as ‘’hurting the country’s economy’’. In fact, it cuts into the profits of the capitalists. As the politicians are the devoted servants of the capitalists, that is of course their main concern.
This ‘’concern’’ extends to the other side of the border. Even President Biden is worried. The press reports that his ‘’administration’’ is ‘’monitoring the situation at the border very closely and Cabinet officials were engaged around the clock to bring this to a swift end’’.
They were not joking. To that end, the Homeland Security Secretary, as well as the Transportation Secretary, have urged their Canadian counterparts to ‘’use federal power to resolve this situation’’ and offered the support of their departments.
No one is quite sure just what kind of ‘’support’’ they had in mind. Still less sure are Canadians, concerning the statement by Trudeau, to the effect that officials ‘’have been in close contact with Representatives and officials from the United States to align efforts to resolve this situation’’. Unless it means that he is nothing more than a lap dog of the Americans!
Perhaps if the Prime Minister would emerge from hiding, out of his ‘’undisclosed location’’, and meet with the protesters, the very citizens he has been elected to represent, then he would at least earn a little respect. The attitude of the protesters now, with regard to Trudeau, make it abundantly clear that they find him to be contemptible.
Then there is arguably the strangest accusation of all, by certain members of the press, to the effect that the Truckers Protest is ‘’well organized and funded by the alt right’’.
We beg to differ. The Truckers Protest started out as anything but ‘’well organized’’! It appeared in a completely spontaneous manner. It is only now that several leaders have been identified, and they are providing direction to the protest. But then, in any such situation, leaders emerge. The cream always rises to the surface!
Then there is the accusation that it is being ‘’funded by the alt right’’. No doubt many people are wondering what they are talking about. With that in mind, I conducted a search on the internet. Their ‘’definition’’ is that it is short hand for ‘’Alternative Right, a loosely connected far right, nationalist movement… characterized by rejection of mainstream politics, and by the use of mainline media to disseminate provocative content, often expressing opposition to racial, religious or gender equality.’’
Now that is more of a condemnation, rather than a definition!
Without a doubt, the Truckers Protest is well funded. As the movement has spread across the country, and even to other countries, it has broad support. People from ‘’all walks of life’’, which is to say different classes, backgrounds, religions and ethnic groups, have come together to support the protest. The money which is being sent to the protesters, is being put to good use. The trucks are being provided with fuel. As well, food, wood for campfires and propane for cooking, are being provided. Meals are being prepared and given to all, including the homeless. Hotel rooms are being rented, and all are allowed to take showers. First aid is provided, as well as entertainment. The protesters, the people who are benefitting from this wonderful hospitality, are not questioning the source!
Still, Trudeau took the advice of our southern neighbours, and invoked the ‘’Emergencies Act’’, which is to say that he, effectively, declared martial law. This has never been done before, as it is meant to be used strictly in case of an absolute emergency. It is also subject to the approval of Parliament!
In all fairness to our Prime Minister, before invoking the Emergency Act, he said that he spoke to the Premiers of all the provinces. True. Yet he neglected to mention that several of the Premiers were opposed to this!
The American journalists who are covering the protests are mentioning, for the sake of their American viewers, that the Premiers are the ‘’equivalent of the American governors’’.
In fact, this Emergencies Act has been met with widespread opposition, to put it mildly. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has vowed to take the Canadian government to court. The Premier of the province of Alberta has promised the same thing. The Premier of the province of Quebec has expressed opposition. This has not stopped Trudeau from ordering the police to clear all protesters from the city of Ottawa, even before the Emergencies Act is approved by Parliament!
It should be noted that the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, as well as the blockade of other border crossings, was resolved peacefully. All such crossings are now open to traffic. There was no need to resort to Emergency Act measures. The same could almost certainly be done in the city of Ottawa, if the Prime Minister would only meet with the protesters.
Yet Trudeau has his own priorities. The press is reporting he actually stated, that ‘’those who support the Truckers Protest’’ are ‘’misogynists, racists, women haters, science deniers, the fringe, supporters of swastikas’’. As all members of the Conservative Party, in Parliament, support the protest, all took that as a personal insult!
In particular, one Conservative Member of Parliament stood up and gave Trudeau an ‘’earful’’! She states that she is a ‘’proud Jewish woman, a descendant of those who have survived the holocaust’’, and as such, she objected to be called a Nazi! Who can blame her? She then demanded an apology, one which is not forth coming.
It is worth mentioning that the New Democratic Party, NDP, which bills itself as the Party of the ‘’little guy’’, the working people, even a ‘’socialist’’ party, is now supporting Trudeau and the Liberal Party, in attempting to crush the Truckers Protest, using the Emergency Act! In so doing, they have managed to show their ‘’true colours’’!
Remarkably enough, some of the most accurate reports of the Protests are coming from an American news network which is thought to be very ‘’right wing’’. In fact, most of the other established American networks take great delight in ‘’bashing’’ them, to use a popular expression. Yet the fact is that their reports are accurate, which may well be the very reason they are so passionately hated!
One American journalist, who works for this hated news outlet, and whom has vast experience in reporting on protests, is amazed. He compares it to ‘’two different worlds’’, in that the protesters are ‘’cooperating with the cops, giving away free food, feeding the homeless’’. Even more remarkable, the ‘’cops do not want to enforce the law!’’
All journalists are agreed that the atmosphere at the protest sites is that of ‘’festival’’ or ‘’carnival’’. Families have brought their children. An inflatable playground has been set up in Ottawa. There are even several saunas, despite the fact that the winter temperatures can sink to thirty degrees below zero! There are countless flags on display, most of which are Canadian, but also flags of America and Quebec. People are standing around camp fires, singing the national anthem of both countries, Canada and America. They are also singing and dancing to the music of ‘’We’re Not Gonna Take It’’, and ‘’We Are the World’’, among others.
When the police show up, they tend to chant ‘’Freedom’’, lock their arms and chant ‘’Hold the Line!’’ They refer to the police as their friends! No wonder the American journalists are amazed!
The authorities have responded by setting up a ‘’united command centre’’, combining police from the RCMP, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the OPP, Ontario Provincial Police, the Ottawa City Police, and apparently other police forces. They refer to this as combining federal, provincial and municipal police forces.
They are quite concerned with the fact that so many protesters are former members of the police, as well as military veterans. As such, they are well trained, familiar with the tactics of the police, and know precisely how to respond. Worse, those same protesters are encouraging the police to join them!
Without doubt, this stands in stark contrast to protests in America. As yet the Canadian police have not resorted to night sticks, tear gas, pepper spray or water cannons. They certainly have not used ‘’rubber bullets’’! There may be a good reason for this. It is entirely possible that should the police be given such an order, they would refuse to obey it! Worse, the police could even join the protesters!
It is also quite possible that the people in charge are well aware of this! That would explain the reason the order has not been given!
It is now three weeks into the protest, and someone has just posted a video on the internet, to the effect that protesters in Ottawa are ‘’not being arrested’’. He maintains that ‘’protesters are being handcuffed, placed in patty wagons, taken away and within fifteen or twenty minutes, released’’. He maintains that is the very thing that happened to him! He speaks from experience!
This has yet to be confirmed. If true, then it means that the support of the protesters is much more wide spread, than I at first thought.
A second protester just posted another video on the internet, in which he says he was ‘’roughed up, handcuffed, placed in a paddy wagon, taken away from the protest site and released’’. Of course he immediately returned to the protest site. As neither individual has any particular reason to lie, it is quite likely that these stories are true.
The implication is that the police may be resorting to ‘’passive resistance’’. It is entirely possible that, under pressure from their superiors, the police are arresting those whom they have to arrest, or at least ‘’apprehending’’ them, but instead of charging them, are merely removing them from the protest site, and releasing them.
If this is standard practice, I have never heard of it.
Yet at least four leaders of the protest have been arrested and charged. They may, or may not, be exceptional. They have been charged with ‘’mischief’’, a charge which one American journalist compared to something out of ‘’Dennis the Menace’’. He thought it was quite funny, until he determined that such a charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. Then he quit laughing.
Yet there can be no doubt that the support for the protesters extends to the police. The Chief of Police, for the city of Ottawa, has just resigned. There are also reports of a Staff Sargent of the Ontario Provincial Police also quitting, apparently in protest. As well, a considerable number of members of various police forces are currently taking vacation time, calling in sick, and taking ‘’stress leave’’. Many of those whom have worked as police officers for some considerable time, so that they are able to retire and receive a pension, are doing so. A great many others, who have responsibilities, have chosen to remain on duty. To merely quit would place an undue burden upon their families.Yet, it would not take a great deal to push them over the edge, to get them to join the protest. At that point, the ‘’protest’’ will be properly called a full scale revolution.
But to return to the comment of the American journalist, to the effect that protests in Canada were of a ‘’different world’’. There is some truth to this. Consider that which Marx wrote in April 12, 1871, at the time of the Paris Commune, in a letter to Kugelman. Bear in mind that at that time, Marx was living in Britain:
‘’If you look at the last chapter of my Eighteenth Brumaire, you will find that I say the next attempt of the French Revolution will be no longer, as before, to transfer the bureaucratic military machine from one hand to another, but to smash it (italics by Marx) and this is necessary for every real people’s revolution on the Continent. And this is what our heroic Party comrades in Paris are attempting’’.
It is important to bear in mind that Marx distinguished between the countries on the ‘’Continent’’, which is to say Europe, and countries that were not on the Continent. Of course, he was referring to Great Britain, as a country that was not on the continent.
As Lenin pointed out, at the time Marx wrote this, in 1871, Great Britain was ‘’without militarism and, to a considerable degree, without a bureaucracy’’. For that reason, a ‘’peoples revolution’’ was possible ‘’without the condition of first destroying the ‘ready made state machine’’’. (italics by Lenin)
We can compare this to the current situation, in which America is equivalent to the countries ‘’on the Continent’’ in 1871, while Canada is equivalent to Britain at that time.
As that is the case, it is clear that the goal of the next American revolution must be to smash the existing ‘’bureaucratic military machine’’, the state apparatus. On the other hand, as Canada has not embraced militarism, and does not have a great bureaucracy, a ‘’people’s revolution’’ is possible, without ‘’first destroying the ready made state machine’’. No wonder that American journalist got the impression that he had entered a ‘’different world’’! He had indeed entered a different world! A world -Canada- in which there is a distinct possibility of a transition to socialism, without first smashing the existing state apparatus! It may well be a simple matter of ‘’buying out’’ the bourgeoisie!
In fact it was Marx who stated, quite clearly, that ‘’under certain conditions’’, the workers would ‘’not refuse to buy out’’ the bourgeoisie. Of course, he did not state precisely those conditions, as he was well aware that the situation could change radically and often, in the course of revolution. Yet the absence of militarism and bureaucracy were absolutely essential.
The point is that America and Canada present a striking contrast.
On the one hand, America has embraced militarism and bureaucracy, which is to say that they have embraced imperialism. The state apparatus, of that country, must be destroyed. There is no other way a socialist revolution can be successful. Further, that state apparatus can be destroyed only through revolution. The American capitalists, the bourgeoisie, will fight this, to their dying breath. Only then, after the existing state apparatus is destroyed, can a socialist republic be created.
On the other hand, Canada has not embraced militarism and bureaucracy. Now that the ‘’people’’ are rising up, it is entirely possible to buy out the capitalists, the bourgeoisie, and establish socialism, without first smashing the existing state machine. After all, buying out the capitalists may be so much cheaper than fighting them.
It was President Lincoln who is credited with stating that the best way to destroy our enemies, is by converting them into our friends.
It is one thing to say that something is possible, and even desirable, and something else entirely to say that it is feasible. With that in mind, perhaps it is best to consider that which Lenin had to say on the subject.
As Lenin stated, the necessary conditions for a successful transition to socialism, as in Britain, at the time to which Marx was referring, in 1871, without smashing the existing state apparatus, were the following: ‘’1) The absolute preponderance of workers, of proletarians, in the population, owing to the absence of a peasantry 2) The excellent organization of the proletariat in trade unions 3) The comparatively high level of culture of the proletariat, which has been trained by centuries of development of political liberty 4) The old habit of the well organized British capitalists of settling political and economic questions by compromise… These were the circumstances which at that time gave rise to the idea that the peaceful subjugation of the British capitalists by the workers was possible’’.
It is safe to say that those four conditions now exist in Canada. The vast majority of the population is now proletarian, as the peasants, or farmers, have been all but wiped out. It is also a fact that the proletariat is quite well organized in trade unions. As for a high level of culture, it has never been higher. Most workers are literate and now have digital devices, or at least have access to them, as well as access to the internet. As the truckers protest has revealed, many of them have gained immediate access to the internet, using those devices. Further, the blockade of the Bridge, as well as the occupation of downtown Ottawa, was resolved through compromise. Very little violence was used. In short, the four conditions required for a successful transition to socialism, in Canada, without first smashing the existing state apparatus, currently exist.
Yet a considerable amount of work needs to be done, in order to prepare the proletariat for socialism, and the subsequent Dictatorship of the Proletariat.
It is clear that the Truckers Protest began quite spontaneously, and resulted in the occupation of several blocks, the ‘’downtown’’, of the capital city of Ottawa. Yet once the city was properly occupied, the press reports that the protesters were ‘’well organized’’, with ‘’military style logistics hubs keeping food, fuel and other resources flowing to the encampments, where each block has its own captain and night patrol’’. They went on to say that ‘’Volunteers open up their homes and hotel rooms for participants to shower and do laundry’’.
From this I can only conclude that many of the people who are taking part in the protests are well trained. The previous training they received, by the military and police, is being put to good use! Further, the fact that the members of the public are ‘’opening their doors to the protesters, inviting them to shower and do their laundry’’, proves that the protesters have the broad support of the public.
Although the press has made no mention of this, it is quite possible that the ‘’leaders’’ were in fact members of a Council, or Soviet, as that is the Russian translation. The revolutionary motion frequently gives rise to such Councils.
The fact that ‘’each block has its own captain and night patrol’’ supports this possibility. That is precisely the very thing that took place in the Seattle Autonomous Zone.
At the end of three weeks, the police were finally able to clear the protesters, from the streets of Ottawa. On one occasion, tear gas was used, but that could have been an accident on the part of the police. There was talk of rubber bullets being used, but that is quite doubtful. Most protesters chose to pack up and leave the city. Which is not to say that they have given up the struggle. They are merely regrouping. They insist that they are determined to ‘’Hold the Line!’’
At one point during the protest, a great many vehicles circled the Ottawa airport. The idea was to disrupt air traffic. This did not have the desired effect, but the point is that the protesters are prepared to adopt different tactics.
Now that Ottawa has been cleared of protesters, the press is reporting -correctly- that the situation is ‘’still fluid, volatile’’. In fact, the truckers have issued a statement, in the name of the Freedom Convoy 2022, to the effect that even though the leaders have been arrested, ‘’This is a grass roots movement and others will fill their roles. We will continue to Hold the Line. We refuse to bow to abuse of power’’.
With that in mind, there are already reports of trucker protests in Edmonton, Alberta, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Toronto, Ontario, and in Osoyoos, British Columbia. Clearly, the protesters are still determined to ‘’refuse to bow to abuse of power’’, and indeed they are going to ‘’Hold the Line’’!
Everyone is agreed that it started as a protest against a set of unreasonable rules, requiring drivers to be fully vaccinated, before being allowed to cross the international border. Then it ‘’snowballed’’ to include a broader list of grievances, so that the protesters are now calling for ‘’freedom’’.
It may well be objected that most of the ‘’truckers’’ are not so much workers, as ’’owner operators’’, which makes them small business owners, middle class, or petty bourgeois. This is true. A valid objection, and this calls for an explanation.
We can start by facing the fact that a great many working class people want to ‘’get ahead’’, which is the expression they tend to use. Who can blame them? No one wants to live ‘’pay check to pay check’’!
The solution of so many working people, or at least the more advanced, is to ‘’go into business’’. This may involve opening up a small store, perhaps as a commissary, selling novelty items, or providing a service, such as delivery, or buying a machine, such as a taxi, perhaps a logging machine or even a truck, and operating the machine. This is referred to as being an ‘’owner-operator’’, or a ‘’single phase contractor’’, and such people become small business owners, technically referred to as petty bourgeois. These are terms with which working people must become familiar.
A more popular expression, and one which is perhaps more accurate, is that of ‘’buying a job’’!
All too often, these owner operators, including those whom the press are now referring to as ‘’truckers’’, are at best, able to earn wages. The expenses of trucks, for example, are considerable. Tires are not cheap. As they put it, money merely ‘’changes hands’’. After they make the bill payments, they are lucky to ‘’earn wages’’. These expressions are not mine.
Yet a considerable number of people are able to ‘’get by’’, at least for a while. But then, it is just a matter of time before a crisis ‘’comes along’’.
As Lenin put it, ‘’Crises of every kind -economic crises more frequently, but not only these- in their turn increase very considerably the tendency towards concentration and monopoly’’.
The current crisis has been caused by the Virus, and has in turn, indeed increased ‘’very considerably the tendency towards concentration and monopoly’’. In other words, the middle class people, the petty bourgeois, including the owner operators, the truckers, are experiencing this ‘’tendency towards concentration and monopoly’’. In short, they are being forced into bankruptcy. They are going broke.
The reason for this is quite simple. As this crisis is causing a decrease in profits, the capitalists, by whom I mean the billionaires, working through their monopoly corporations, are ‘’squeezing’’ the ‘’little guy’’, the small business owners, including the truckers. They are passing the losses onto the truckers.
To put this into perspective -lest we fall into a depression and slash our wrists- bear in mind that it was Lenin who pointed out that ‘’every great revolution, and a socialist revolution in particular, is inconceivable without… a lack of equilibrium and chaos…all the elements of disintegration of the old society, which are inevitably more numerous and connected mainly with the petty bourgeois, because it is the petty bourgeois that every war and crisis ruins first’’. (my italics)
In fact, it is not just the truckers who are protesting, although they form the most visible presence. The farmers are also protesting, which explains the presence of a great many tractors, especially on the southern parts of Manitoba and Alberta, close to the American border. These farmers too are middle class, petty bourgeois, and are also going broke.
The ‘’good news’’- if you will excuse the poor joke- is that this ‘’Freedom Convoy’’, or ‘’Truckers Protest’’, has spread across the country, and even to other countries. As that is the case, it has all the indications of the beginning of a full scale socialist revolution!
As for those who are skeptical, bear in mind that the current situation meets the requirements, set out by Lenin, of a socialist revolution!
The situation is certainly ‘’chaotic’’. The ‘’elements of disintegration of the old society’’, which are ‘’numerous and connected mainly with the petty bourgeoisie’’, are clear for all to see.
The Liberal Party, which bills itself as the ‘’Centrist Party’’, the ’’Party of the middle class’’, as well as the NDP, the ‘’Leftist Party’’, which is supposed to be the ‘’Party of the little guy’’, have both turned against the protesters! On the other hand, the Conservative Party, the ‘’Right Wing Party’’, which is thought to support the capitalists, is supporting the protesters! The roles have been reversed! This is the very definition of ‘’chaos’’! Further, it is the petty bourgeois that is being ruined!
This precisely fits the definition of a ‘’great revolution’’, and a ‘’socialist revolution in particular’’, as described by Lenin!
This is not to say that this ‘’truckers protest’’ will naturally lead to a socialist revolution. Such is not the case. The reason for this is quite simple: We live in a class society!
As that is the case, it follows that we are ‘’blessed’’ with two ideologies, one bourgeois, and the other proletarian. As Lenin pointed out, ‘’in a society torn by class antagonisms, there can never be a non class or above class ideology. Hence, to belittle socialist ideology in any way, to deviate from it in the slightest degree, means strengthening bourgeois ideology.’’ (italics by Lenin)
Lenin went on to say that the ‘’spontaneous development of the labour movement leads to its becoming subordinated to bourgeois ideology’’ -and the truckers protest is spontaneous- ‘’for the spontaneous labour movement is pure and simple trade unionism…and trade unionism means the ideological enslavement of the workers to the bourgeoisie. Hence our task, the task of Social Democracy, is to combat spontaneity, to divert the labour movement from its spontaneous, trade unionist striving to go under the wing of the bourgeoisie, and to bring it under the wing of Social Democracy.’’ (italics by Lenin)
I should mention that at the time this was written, Marxists were referred to as Social Democrats. With that in mind, Lenin added: ‘’Social Democrats lead the struggle of the working class not only for better terms for the sale of their labour power, but also for the abolition of the social system which compels the propertyless to sell themselves to the rich’’.
No doubt the astute reader will notice that Lenin used the term ‘’our task’’, the task of conscious people, Marxists, those who are aware of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin. It was not a ‘’slip of the tongue’’. He meant every word he said!
This is to say that the Freedom Convoy, also known as the Truckers Protest, is bound to become ‘’subordinated to bourgeois ideology’’, unless the people taking part in those protests become class conscious. It started as a protest against unreasonable restrictions against crossing the border, and has since expanded to include the demand that Trudeau step down.
That is a step in the right direction, but only a step. As yet, the protesters are not aware that Trudeau is merely the head of a state apparatus, one set up to protect the capitalists. To replace him with someone else, would merely result in a change of face. The policy of the government, which serves the capitalists, would not change. No doubt the protesters will learn this, from experience.
That awareness can only come with the awareness of the existence of classes, a class of capitalists, bourgeoisie, and a class of workers, proletarians. They also must be made aware that the interests of the two classes are diametrically opposed. That which is in the best interests of one class is in the worst interest of the other class.
In the past, this awareness has come only from intellectuals, most of whom are middle class, petty bourgeois. But then, at that time, it was only the middle class who were able to go to university, to learn about these theories. After all, it was only in university that these theories were taught, and only with a view to distorting them.
Bear in mind that both Marx and Engels were members of the bourgeois intelligentsia. I mention this for the sake of those who are prejudiced against bourgeois intellectuals.
Yet times have changed, and changed dramatically. The invention of the internet has given rise to a revolution in communications! It is a marvel of modern technology! What is more, a great many working people know precisely how to use the internet! They demonstrated their great skill in broadcasting live, from the site of the protests!
It stands to reason that, for the first time in history, it is now possible for the working class, the proletariat, to become class conscious, without the help of middle class intellectuals! Marxist literature can now be downloaded from the internet, onto various digital devices!
May I suggest that workers, by whom I mean all those who are protesting, should read that which is referred to as the ‘’Essential Works of Lenin’’. These include State and Revolution, Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism, and What Is To Be Done?
An understanding of those revolutionary works will give protesters a fine grounding in the struggle for scientific socialism, including the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. Bear in mind that, as Lenin stated, ‘’Those who recognize only the class struggle are not yet Marxists….A Marxist is one who extends the acceptance of the class struggle to the acceptance of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat.’’ (italics by Lenin)
We will know that the working class is ‘’getting the message’’, becoming class conscious, when the expression Dictatorship of the Proletariat becomes common place!
I had hoped that the devastation to the middle class, the petty bourgeois, caused by the Virus, would inspire many of the intellectuals within that class, to embrace those revolutionary theories, and bring that awareness to the working class. Me and my starry eyed optimism!
If any middle class Marxist intellectuals have embraced these revolutionary theories, and are bringing this awareness to the working class, I am not aware of it. So be it!
In all previous socialist revolutions, the working people did their part. They rose up and demanded change. The trouble was that the working class, the proletariat, were not class conscious, as the conditions of life of the working class, do not lead to the awareness of classes. It was up to conscious people, middle class intellectuals, Marxists, to bring that awareness to the working class. Rest assured, Lenin was one such middle class intellectual!
In much the same way, the working class people taking part in the current protests are not class conscious. This is to be expected.
The fact that conscious people, middle class intellectuals, are not ‘’tripping over themselves’’ trying to bring this Marxist awareness to the working class, is no cause for ‘’doom and gloom’’. It is what it is!
It is one thing to accept something. Now it is just a little matter of changing it. And change it we can, and we will! As the middle class intellectuals refuse to do their duty -and it is their duty to bring to the working class the awareness of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin!- then the working class will just have to educate themselves! There is more than one way to skin a cat!
Now it is a matter of combining theory and practice. A careful reading of the revolutionary theories of Marx and Lenin are one thing, and putting those revolutionary theories to the test, is something else entirely! The Truckers Protest provides us with a golden opportunity!
What does Lenin say about that? ‘’Class political consciousness can be brought to the workers, only from without…outside of the sphere of relations between workers and employers. The sphere from which alone it is possible to obtain this knowledge is the sphere of relationship between all the various classes’’. (italics by Lenin)
Lo and behold, our cup runneth over! The Truckers Protest involves all the ‘’various classes’’! It falls ‘’outside the sphere of relations between workers and employers’’! Just what the ‘’doctor ordered’’! More accurately, just what ‘’Lenin ordered’’, as I could not resist that terrible joke!
When Lenin referred to the ‘’sphere of relations between workers and employers’’, he was referring to the struggle of workers for better wages and working conditions, which goes on constantly. Workers do not have to be told about this, because they constantly experience it!
By contrast, the Truckers Protest is concerned with our democratic rights, including our right to peaceful assembly and protest. It also involves different classes, including the middle class, the petty bourgeois, as most protesting truckers are middle class. Then there were certain middle class people within the city of Ottawa, for example, who were upset, as the protest was hurting their business. After all, it is difficult for a restaurant to compete with those who are giving away free meals!
Of course the ruling class of capitalists, the bourgeoisie, were determined to end the occupation of Ottawa, as they saw it as a threat to the rule of their class.
That pretty well covers the ‘’sphere of relations between all the various classes’’!
Now that the Ambassador Bridge is open for business, and the city of Ottawa has been ‘’liberated’’ from peaceful protesters, the Prime Minister rescinded the Emergency Act. Mind you, the pressure from so many people, including the Premiers of several provinces, as well as the threat of legal action, may have helped to force his hand. For that matter, even though the Emergency Act was approved by Parliament, it also had to be approved by the Senate. The approval of the Senate was not assured.
The events of the last few weeks may prove to be the beginning of a socialist revolution, one which spans two countries. I say this because other such protests are already being planned. A ‘’Peoples Convoy’’, from California to Washington, DC, is gathering. The National Guard has already been notified. Other protests are in the planning stages.
No doubt the protesters will soon learn to be flexible, and adjust their tactics. There is something to be said for doing the unexpected! Hit the enemy at their weak point! Keep them off balance! Give them no peace!
Above all, study the revolutionary works of Marx and Lenin! Become class conscious! Carry the message to other members of the working class! Join the various mainstream political parties!
Set up stations so that people can become members of the various political parties, and even put their names down as candidates for political office. Those who are computer literate can assist with this.
Run for office! In Canada, run for Parliament! In America, join the two parties, as card carrying members, and run for Congress! Encourage your family and friends to join you! Do not surrender any political office to the capitalists! Extend the protests to the provincial and state capitals! Protest in front of their businesses and homes! Carry the protests to their fancy restaurants and resorts! Leave messages on their luxury vehicles!
There were a great many signs at the Ottawa protest site, but none with class content. With that in mind, may I suggest, as a means of raising the level of awareness of the working class, banners which read:
Workers of the World, Unite!
Dictatorship of the Proletariat!
Scientific Socialism!
Hold the Line!
Gerald McIsaac Science Project 