The letters by both members of the "Wildfire Collective" (WC) just reinforces the poverty of primitivism. Rather than address the issues I raised, they prefer personal attacks and distortion while having the cheek to accuse me of "vitriol, lies and half-truths"! Ignoring the insults, inventions, evasions and self-contradictions, their letters actually have little to say. Most of it is simply (and obviously) gross distortions of what I had argued.
"Wildfire 1" (WF1) complains that by "assert[ing] these two [of 5!] positions to us, in invented commas (as if lifted from the text)" I am being "dishonest and misrepresentative." Yet the context of my letter makes it clear I was not quoting from the text and any reader of the original article will know that I was not.
Looking at the assertion that "organisation equals government" I cannot see what he is complaining about. The second bulletin obviously assumes this. This is more than confirmed by his suggestion that I have "all my hopes resting in becoming one of your illusionary 'recallable' politicians of the future." And here is the person who takes offence to my "assertion" that he equates organisation with government! How ironic. Then there is his comrade's letter, which calls "recallable delegates . . . another form of governance," even dismissing collective decision making as the individual being "crushed under the weight of 'workers' democracy.'" Whether in the workplace or in a "small-scale" community, organisation means requires decisions to reached and these will rarely make everyone happy. If every decision requires 100% agreement then the opinion of the 99% other members are "crushed" by the "lone voice." It suggests a somewhat autocratic approach to co-operation, namely the expectation that everyone must do exactly what you want otherwise you are oppressed. Thus my "assertion", rather than being "dishonest", was correct.
WF1 says I propose "an 'imperialist' proletarian revolution on the majority world." Really, WF1, do you think the readers of Freedom are stupid? They read my reply and know I said no such thing. The "quote" you provide was my repeating your straw man argument against "traditional" anarchism and most definitely not suggesting agreement with your dishonest comments! The context makes it clear that this was the case, as can be seen by WF1 doctoring the quote to remove the quotation marks where I indicated the second bulletin's words. How dishonest can you get?
As regards WF1's puerile comments in response to his own inventions, it is hardly worth replying. I will note that I fully support "Zapitistas who don't want dams" and others who reject the demands of capitalist progress. As I made clear, "progress" under capitalism is shaped by inequalities of power and wealth. I obviously do not worship it, I just don't reject all progress as inherently bad. It's not that hard to understand. And I think it ironic that someone who wants the whole world to be "primitivist" has the cheek to call me an "imperialist" and "authoritarian," particularly given that I said "As for the level of technology and industry they [in the 'Global South'] would like, well, I think true anarchists should let them decide that themselves rather than seeking to impose primitivist fantasies onto them" (i.e. the same position I hold for the "Global North").
I do find it funny WF1 mentioning I want to "organise strikes against those who refuse the 'progress of the west.'" I assume that this is in response to my suggestions on his question of how "those in the Global North [can] communicate let alone convince a community in the Global South" not to "harness nuclear energy." Which is a total distortion of my argument as well as being deeply ironic. There I was explaining how we could convince people not to follow our mistakes and WF1 turns it on its head!
His comrade gets annoyed by this as well, complaining that direct action would be used against a "group of workers [that] doesn't want to play" in order to "force people to do what the majority want." This is ironic. Is he now suggesting that we should let people "harness nuclear energy" as it would be oppressive to try and convince them not to? I wish he would make his mind up! He then ends this self-contradictory paragraph with an assertion that "when the boycotts fail" I would "be out shooting all these 'anti-work' types his Spanish civil war heroes" did. I notice he provided no evidence for this serious claim. I checked the most obvious source for such an accusation (Seidmen's "Workers Against Work") and found nothing. Perhaps he would furnish a reference?
Then there is WF1's distortion on my handling ecologically destructive technology. He again produces a doctored, out of context, quote in order to launch into a tirade on how I think "the future is an either or scenario. Either we embrace ecological destruction or face ecological destruction." Perhaps I should stress that by "ecological destruction" I assumed WC meant the use of natural resources by humans (this is clear from my letter). Given the context they used the term, I feel justified in this. Yes, producing any product, even ecological ones, will result in resource use, pollution, and so on (i.e. be destructive of the natural environment). This applies to "primitivist" society as well. Cutting down trees for homes, heating and farm land causes "ecological destruction." My starting point is how do we interact with the environment to minimise our impact while maintaining a decent standard of living. As I made clear in my letter, as WF1 knows.
WC clearly reject this solution. I can see why WF1 distorts my position as it allows him to ignore my point, which was that "the breakdown of civilisation WF desires" will face the "legacies of industrial society, which (like the ruling class) will not just disappear." Presumably WF1 rejects this and thinks that nuclear power stations should just be allowed to melt down and the toxic wastes of decaying industrial society just seep into the water table and soil? But no, he argues that "we can safely deactivate and secure 'toxic' processes during a revolutionary situation, without having to continue their production post-revolution." Why didn't I think of that? No, wait, I did! I wrote that "we will need to handle such problems while transforming society" as well as "evaluating the costs and benefits of specific concrete forms of technology and production, seeking ways of improving and changing them and, perhaps, getting rid of some of them totally." WF1 simply repeats my point against me. How dishonest can you get?
Strangely, WF1 does not explain how this deactivation would occur. As he dismisses workers' control, I cannot see how it will be done. The issue is simple. If WC think "primitivist" society will exist immediately, then they must acknowledge that millions will die of starvation so that the "lucky" few that survive can raise chickens free from such tyrannies as hospitals, books and electricity. If, however, they think it will be created over time, with the sensible deactivation of industry and the voluntary dismantling of cities like London then let them explain how this will be done without the workers' control, international links and the self-organisation of the population they attacked me for advocating. And if the transition is slow, then why can we not judge which technology to keep/modify/reject rather than just dump it all?
But that isn't an option for WC, who denounced me for suggesting it. They made it clear that it was a case of when "civilisation collapses" rather than progressive change over time. Given this, they must explain why such a sudden breakdown will not lead to the death and ecological destruction on a massive scale. If they claim, against all logic, they do not want such an abrupt change, then why do their bulletins so obviously suggest they do?
But logic does not seem to be their strong point. WF1's comrade states that the bulletin is not "a blue print for the future." So when it argued for "small scale land-based culture" it was not proposing any ideas for the future? He asserts that primitivism rejects "that models of social interaction be imposed on anyone" yet fails to discuss how to get to his primitivist utopia. He wants to get rid of the city, yet makes no attempt to explain how nor what will happen to London's 8 million inhabitants. Given that neither primitivist bothered to answer the question of how the UK will support 58 million people using such a culture, I have wonder why WF1 complains that it is false to say he "propose[s] 'mass starvation' as a solution"! May I remind WC of their first bulletin's comment about when "civilisation collapses"? What conclusion should we draw?
Until WC answers such questions, no one will take them seriously. The fact that they refused to take this opportunity to do so is significant. Will they fail to answer the equally simple question of how they plan to deactivate industry safely and avoid mass starvation without the workers' control, international links and federal organisation they dismiss out of hand as new forms of "governance"?
It is simple. We are faced with the fact that a revolution will start in society as it is. Anarchism recognises this and suggests a means of transforming it. Primitivism shies away from such minor problems. In spite of extremist sounding rhetoric, it has no revolutionary perspective at all and, consequently, little to recommend it.
Finally, I had to laugh when WF1 said my "longstanding battle with 'primitivism' has been well documented." He states that the "letter pages of past issues of Black Flag and Green Anarchists are littered with 'calls and responses' similar to these." Clearly WF1 is as bad at documentation as he is with honest debate or getting quotes right. I have never written a letter to Green Anarchist nor a word in Black Flag about primitivism.
But why let the truth get in the way? It hasn't so far. WF1 states that I have "exposed [my] potential to misrepresent and lie to secure some obscure 'ideological' battle." Given his utter distortion of my arguments and his seeming inability to get even simple quotes correct, I know who has been exposed as the liar. I will not hold my breath waiting for an apology for his distortions and lies. But at least WC have shown that they have no concern for the truth or discussing the problems a social revolution will face. Or, more importantly, the fate of the 58 million people of the UK under "primitivism."
Iain McKay