Kabinettspolitik

[grok]

On Sat, 2003-05-10 at 07:45, j laari wrote:

> Greetings!
> 
> I think the main point with Kabinettspolitik is this: it is politics
> performed (a) behind the closed doors (b) by a small (more or less
> elite) group. The group may consist of central figures of different
> elites (say, of economic life, some central powerful politicians,
> high-ranking civil servants, and in some countries even of
> high-ranking officers of the military). Kabinettspolitik is the very
> opposite of open, public, political discussion and parliamentary work.
> Those who are performing it do not care about the public opinion
> (except when it serves their interests).
> 
> Sincerely, Jukka L
> 
> On Wed, 7 May 2003, Andrew Perrin wrote:
> 
> > Can anyone shed some light on what Kabinettspolitik refers to? From
> > context, we have inferred that it refers to politics-by-polls, e.g., the
> > tendency on the part of politicians to simply follow "public opinion"; but
> > I've not run across the term before and wonder if anyone else has and can
> > provide some context.

This is very concrete and real, useful work here above; not (in itself)
the sort of intellectually relativist, evasive, PoMo -- frankly
petit-bourgeois -- verbal diarrhea some of us abhor on academic Lists
like frankfurt-school (I make allowances for excess verbiage on account
of lack of clarity...)

In the interests of bridging the yawning maw between IMO the interests
of workers in their Frankfurt School 'heritage' (especially as expressed
in the initial aspirations of its 1920's founding -- and perhaps even
during its rightward-drift, Postwar to the late 1960's), and the
career-minded baffle-gab of those who probably consider
frankfurt-school-talk and 'academese' their private, personal turf (i.e.
no marxists wanted around), or as mere intellectual play (i.e.
irrelevant to world-historical events of the present time), let me
simply state that: 'discourse' on *this* level above is PERFECTLY
non-controversial and IMO useful (though, of course, rather pedestrian
and 'non-sexy'...)

And let me point out that it is the DUTY of working-class (and
supporting) intellectuals to try and solve the intellectual problems
which beset the world working-class, here and now, in their own time (as
Marx so famously pointed-out). Of course, Academia has, for far too
long, amply proven that it is full of loquacious sell-outs -- not a few
of whom have latched-onto 'Critical' (and other) Theory.

Let me put this another way: to say that marxism is 'passe'' is simply
to be in the camp of the enemy -- never more-so than today. And to hold
to this within 'Critical' Theory is DOUBLY offensive.

Also, let me point out that because an email like this is about 'cutting
to the chase' rather than 'getting along', or 'showing off one's
erudition', etc., of *course* it will rub some people the wrong way! But
that would be its intent now, wouldn't it?


Feel free to TOTALLY studiously ignore this message.
Feel free to analyze it to death too, if that's what gets you off...



-- grok.



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