Saturday July 30th, the Melbourne chapter of the Platypus Affiliated Society will be hosting a Panel Discussion on “Marxism and Anarchism: Radical Ideologies Today”, at Trades hall in Carlton, Melbourne, starting at 1pm AEST.
—
It seems that there are still only two radical ideologies: Anarchism and Marxism. They emerged out of the same crucible – the Industrial Revolution, the unsuccessful revolutions of 1848 and 1871, a weak liberalism, the centralization of state power, the rise of the workers movement, and the promise of socialism. They are the revolutionary heritage, and all significant radical upsurges of the last 150 years have returned to mine their meaning for the current situation. In this respect, our moment seems no different.
To act today we seek to draw up the balance sheet of the 20th century. The historical experience concentrated in these two radical ideologies must be unfurled if they are to serve as compass points. To see in what ways their return in our current moment represents an authentic engagement and in what ways the return of a ghost.
Platypus asks the questions: Where have these battles left us? What forms do we have for meeting, theoretically and practically, the problems of our present?
—
Panelists:
Matthew Crossin – Melbourne Anarchist-Communist Group
Lachlan Marshall – Solidarity [International Socialist Tendency]
Benjamin Smith – Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation
Tom Griffiths – Unreconstructed Maoist
________
This event is free, and seating is limited by the venue. Please register for tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com.au/…/panel-discussion-marxism…
The event will conclude in under three hours.
Please register for tickets so that we can keep track of numbers.
Entrance via Victoria Street.
Join us at the Curtin across the road for a drink afterwards to continue the discussion.
A livestream of the event will be available over Zoom. If time permits, questions from the online audience will be permitted.
## About Platypus:
The Platypus Affiliated Society, established in December 2006, organizes reading groups, public fora, research and journalism focused on problems and tasks inherited from the “Old” (1920s-30s), “New” (1960s-70s) and post-political (1980s-90s) Left for the possibilities of emancipatory politics today.
C21st Left 
Hi Arthur,
Great to talk with you at the panel!
As promised, here are the recent platypus engagements regarding the Ukraine war.
In the Platypus review:
Chris Cutrone “Ukraine: More of the same” Platypus Review 145 (April 2022)
https://platypus1917.org/2022/04/01/ukraine-more-of-the-same/
On our podcast “Shit Platypus Says”
Interview with Boris Kagarlitsky on the Ukraine war and the Russian Left.
Panel Series “The Crisis in Ukraine and the Left” :
Prompt: Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some on the Left have tried to understand the present crisis with reference to imperialism and national self-determination, and the role of Marxist revolutionaries like Lenin in the first world war. How should the Left understand the current crisis in Ukraine? What is the meaning of these terms – imperialism, anti-imperialism and national self-determination – for the Left today? How do we reflect upon the slogan of turning the imperialist war into a civil war considering the absence of an international Left today?
Platypus held iterations of this panel in many places around the world. The ones in english are:
3/6/22 @ UCSC, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8xmF-dCCWw
Panelists:
Peter Kenez (Professor Emeritus of History at UC Santa Cruz)
Keith McHenry (Food Not Bombs)
John Reimann (Oakland Socialist)
Joe Thompson (YDSA UC Santa Cruz)
03/20/22 @ Online panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3js9LcbDTY0
Alexander Gallus (Cosmonaut magazine, DSA Marxist Unity, DSA Political Education Committee)
Gerald Smith (East Bay DSA, Oscar Grant Committee)
Thomas von der Osten Sacken (director of Wadi e.V., freelance publicist)
Alexej Sakhnin (anti-war activist)
3/10/22 @ NYC panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyoe5ml05LQ
Panelists:
– Christoph Lichtenberg (Bolshevik Tendency)
– Daniel Lazare (writer for Weekly Worker; author of The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy)
– A.M. Gittlitz (Antifada Podcast; author of I Want to Believe: Posadism, UFOs and Apocalypse Communism; Woodbine Space)
3/11/22 @ Northwestern University panel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ctmr1Oy1zc
Panelists:
-CJ Meike (Chicago Workers’ School/Center for Political Innovation-Chicago)
-Jerry Boyle (Volunteer Legal Observer for the National Lawyers Guild)
-Joel Finkel (Solidarity-US)
LikeLike
The video is now up on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhqG3vsJYv4
LikeLike