being a "leftist" means nothing if you don't want to abolish the state as it currently exists. Neither marx nor engels nor prominent anarchist thinkers had any illusion that the state could be reformed or gradually molded into this idealized neutral arbiter who can bring about class equality. they were all VERY clear about this. you will never--never--vote your way to freedom if that vote is going to the western parliamentary democracy that exists to keep the lower classes in their places
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in reply to @Keeble's post:
I hate to be pedantic especially since Marx et al are the writers of the era who I agree with more but they weren't the only left wing thinkers of the 19th century and many of their most famous pieces of writing are criticisms of other prominent socialist and left wing figureheads at the time such as the dreaded Kautsky. There is a long long lineage of socialists and leftists some older than Marx who advocated for "equality through the state" "voting for socialism" etc
Doesn't mean they're right but I do think it's kinda silly to argue that any position that is not for abolishing the state is by definition not left wing. The term left wing originated after all with the left wing of the French Parliament who were very pro state
thats fair. i just think most of those writers (kautsky, during, etc) aren't right and that the parties that attempted a more gradual, reform oriented mindset (british labour, german spd, french socialists) did not end up with an enduring worker's state by any stretch of the imagination. i also think that such a clinging to the current form of parliamentary democracy comes from a cynical opportunism of thinking that that's the only thing that will "work" and will throw away every priority one by one for the sake of claiming some sort of victory, generation by generation, until you're left with tony blair
Yeah see those are I think very good correct critiques of those ideologies. I just have a pet peeve for arguing by way of redefining words to only refer to your own position