Interview with Tony Cliff 1996

[jumpnjza2]

Cliffism =/= Trotskyism.

[MikhailSilverwood]

After Trotsky died, and the orthodox-Trotskyists became more and more apologetic to Stalinism, there was a good chance that the true Marxist tradition would be lost forever. But it was Cliff, and his 4 comrades, who went through the painful 1950s and reestablished a lot of the old traditions, and developed new theories to better understand reformism and Stalinism, which allow socialism to stay alive.

And so today the IST is the most healthy form of international socialism around.

[JackBrindelli]

I'd never actually heard his voice before, printed words don't really do the accent justice lol

[theuk7yahoo]

Ygael Gluckstein aka Tony Cliff.

[tjs11487]

He's right up there with Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky as a theoretician. A brilliant man.

R.I.P., Comrade Tony Cliff.

[tjs11487]

Cliff stands right beside Lenin and Trotsky as a Marxist theoretician. A brilliant man.

R.I.P., Comrade Tony.

[9407113678]

"The Communist Party disintegrated becuase their center of belief dissapeared'" - This needs some serious explaining...and so does a lot more of what he says.

[9407113678]

Fantastic interview. Thank you very much for uploading.

[aworld2win]

Crystal clear - I remember hearing Cliff speak and he had a superb ability for lucidly expressing Marxist ideas.

[LunaSlave]

Tony Cliff is one of the most brilliant Marxists ever. His starting point is the notion that the emancipation of the working class is the task of workers themselves - and with incredible consistency applied it whenever he could.

[mikezephyr]

my god that's the essential socialist ethic isn't it? imposition of freedom is a moronic contradiction in terms which horribly deviates from the humanist aims of marx. tony cliff and erich fromm and others point that out, and in the 21st century that matters.

[GiroWeed]

does marx not argue that the communist party must enact the revoulution for the people and on behalf of the people. i think cliff argues for a more 'do it yourself' approach if you excuse the lack of a better term

[Machomatscho]

Correct. There is no revolution for the people, only by the people. The task of a socialist party is organise the struggles into a movement that can exact lasting change.

[unorthodoxtrotsky]

@GiroWeed

Actually Marx and Engels said in their "The Communist Manifesto" that emancipation of working class must come from working class within. When Marx abandoned parliamentary democracy in favor of communism, he did so because he recognized proletariat class as fundamental agents that can change the world.

[Machomatscho]

Are you seriously implying there are people who don't want freedom?

[indolin]

The guy is a human idea distillery. He has a genius for put ideas across in the simplest most understandable term. You might leave with a few

questions but not because he is trying to BS you.

[TerrySleeper]

I saw Ygael Gluckstein speak once, back in the late 70s. It was hard to follow him as he had such a thick accent. Nice bloke, though.

[Futurecast]

Tony Cliff - the best Marxist since Marx.

[newtroublemaker1973]

You're living in a dream world!

[Xproletariatx]

What about Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg?

[ForASocialistChange]

ha ha but the swp are still lagging behind with actually doing anything to help the working class these days.

Cliffs analogy of the USSR is absolutely appauling.

[jamesotoolemusic]

genius...

wish i could have seen him speak but joined the irish swp just after his death...

but the ideas and the action lives on!

any more cliff about???

wanna see it!!!

[LastOfTheDiehards]

Gotta love the legacy that Cliff left behind.

My only regret is I never knew or met him having joined the SWP after his death.

[butsudo22]

comrade, the workers, wtf is that? you are nothing but useless americans man, you can not use those terms, is not coherent, fuck off!

[westclub4]

Tony Cliff has inspired me as a student and also as a young researcher of the international socialist movement. Wasn't for him, I doubt I'd ever have joined the real socialists back then.

[redcogs]

In 2008 we are down comrade, but the workers movement is never out.

[kerakcast]

Tony Cliff was undoubtedly one of; if not the most forward thinking politician of the 20th century.

Ofcourse many socialist will have differences of opinion over certain issues, but this should not stop us from creating a united stand against capitalism.

THE WORKERS UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!

[duffers]

Unity needs to be forged, and basic tenets need agreement.

That Lenin and Trotsky betrayed the workers, and shouldn't be looked upon as anything as relics, that we the workers can decide our fate in soviets, that we needn't a 'dictatorship of the proletariat' whether it's physical, or metaphorical, that Marxism isn't dogma, and aspects can be challenged, and with the fall of capitalism, we allow men and women to be free, regardless of race, sexual preference or nationality.

[keelanburns89]

Fantastic video! Arise, arise!

[Audiocodes]

Over the years I learnt a lot from Cliff and I thank him for that.

Cheers comrade.

'Stalinism is dead, Trotsky smiles'

[sweetpotos]

Hopefully soon, the Proletariat too, will learn to smile again.

From the defeats of the past will arise our ultimate victory.

[notthebbc]

Wow. Maybe one day people will say from Marx to Lenin to Trotsky to Cliff.

Great to se the little devil again

[poshnosh1917]

Good stuff. More Cliff.

[RAGtagBAG88]

Pleasure to listen to Comrade Tony Cliff.

I have my slight differences with his perspectives and analysis, and that of today's SWP.

But thanks for this video, it is only fit & proper that the informative figure of Tony Cliff is available to a larger audience on youtube. He - along with Ted Grant will eventually take their place in mankind's real history!

WORKERS OF ALL LANDS - UNITE!