Mr McDonnell is a Marxist. His touchstones are: "the fundamental Marxist writers of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky". He openly states that membership of the Labour Party is a tactic to help him to gain political power and thus allow him to subvert the establishment and give the proletariat control. He regards this ('the dictatorship of the proletariat') as 'real democracy'.
Fittingly, it was a democratic plebiscite which focused on sovereignty that may well give him his chance. Ironically it was the arch-capitalists of the Conservative party that backed Leave, even though it was always Labour that was the most suspicious of a European superstate.
Post-referendum Conservative party membership has fallen below 100,000 - and the remaining rump has an average age of 70. In the Lower House the government is riven by discord, the party divisions over Europe deepened by Brexit and the unappetising choices we face, ministers openly briefing against their own leader as well as each other.
Meanwhile the left wing of the Labour party is tightening its grip, deselecting centrist candidates and enforcing strict party discipline with the aim of presenting a strong and united front at the next general election.
Is the prospect of street-level democracy so bad? Haven't we had enough of elites and market forces, rising house prices and zero-hours contracts? Why vote for party candidates when we can vote directly on the policies that affect us? Why have rich, out-of-touch bosses when we can have workers' collectives deciding on strategies that benefit the whole factory workforce rather than just the shareholders' interests?
If you don't actually think that having capital is in your future, what's the point of anything in a capitalist society?
Some will point to all the failures of Marxism to fulfil its promises when actually attempted. The states either collapse into anarchy or end as a dictatorship - and not a dictatorship of the proletariat either. China has been comparatively successful economically, but it isn't the classless, stateless society Marx was aiming for. The Chinese state directs industry far more than do governments in capitalist economies. Furthermore, the country is run by a unelected elite headed by a man who cannot be removed democratically, even by his own minions.
It may be that it isn't Marxism's fault. After all, Marx stated that the first step "is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling class, to win the battle for democracy". In countries such as the UK, which have strong democratic institutions, this could be achieved without revolution. Violent revolutions may allow dictators not the people to take control. The revolutions and dictators last century were mostly funded by the Commie-phobic USA, but with Mr Trump and the Russian state in charge they may stop interfering in foreign affairs.
Should we join Mr McDonnell on the barricades? When I consider conditions even in peaceful Marxist countries (such as China and Cuba) - the economic conditions, social conditions and political conditions - and compare them with what we have here... it seems pretty obvious why their citizens flee those countries to settle here rather than vice versa.
So let some other nation have a run at it first. If it works for them then I will be happy to form an industrial collective and march into our communist future. Until then I will do my best to frustrate Mr McDonnell's plans.
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