Grow up, kids

This is yet another issue (no 17) of International Review, the publication of the International Communist Current (ICC), a small and irrelevant groupuscule at the outermost fringes of political existence. The ICC's emblem shows a muscular blue-collar worker with a gigantic hammer, presumably in the process of smashing decadent capitalism. This is the only illustration in the entire publication!

Most of the articles deal with issues of interest only to ICC members or perhaps supporters of competing ultraleft groups. Thus, there is an article titled "Party, Councilism and Substitutionism", and a lengthy report from the Second Conference of groups of the Communist Left, hosted by Battaglia Comunista. Various ICC resolutions follow, and the issue is topped by a rumination on the history of the Dutch ultraleft (Pannekoek and friends).

The real world intrude in the proceedings in the form of an article on violent clashes between striking workers and riot police in France: "Longwy, Denain, show us the way". I'm sure the ICC passed out leaflets and attempted to sell International Review. If they succeeded, is another matter entirely. After all, we are dealing with a political current of the kind criticized by V. I. Lenin in his famous "Left Communism: An Infantile Disorder".

But seriously, when will the kids grow up...