I'm not anti-theory, I just think theory should reflect local conditions and traditions. A lot of anarchists and Marxists alike try to make up rules for the NZ left based on something that happened long ago in Russia or Spain. It's so obviously ridiculous that most people don't even bother to correct them but just throw the leaflet in the bin. There's a difference between theory and religiously repeating dogma that has no relevance to reality.

But I am not pessimistic at all. Unlike the religiously inclined, I don't judge reality against some impossible standard. I think there have been positive gains in the last few years, and they have come through a mixture of means, including pressure on elected representatives. Maori TV and Paid Parental Leave are good examples. These were major achievements won by action inside and outside parliament. However some anarchists want to tell us that pushing for improvements using a mixture of electoral and street politics is heresy. Well, let us see what you have achieved in the last few years. All of these references to the IWW and Spain a million years ago are ridiculous. Show me the movement you have in NZ and show me something you have achieved, if you want the right to write off other trends on the left that don't share your taboos.