00:00:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" in Bologna on January 13, 2024, the speakers introduce the topic of their discussion as "a program for an accelerationist political strategy." They acknowledge the presence of various associative realities and express hope that the configuration at the table does not result in discrimination, given that they are all male. The speakers highlight their association with the Accelerationist Circle for Research on Cybernetics (acru) at the University of Warwick, where they encountered significant thinkers like Ray Brassier, S. Plant, Nick Land, and Mark Fisher. After the acru movement disbanded in an unconventional way, its members dispersed and established various lines of cultural, intellectual, and political development, leading to the emergence of accelerationist ideologies such as Right-wing Accelerationism, Unconditional Accelerationism, and Gender Accelerationism. Mark Fisher, a former acru member, significantly contributed to the spread of this phenomenon through his blog, k-punk, where he wrote about the correlation between capitalism and depression. The real birth of left accelerationism, however, can be traced back to the years following the 2008 financial crisis, particularly in relation to the massive transnational protest movement Occupy Wall Street and its Italian equivalent, the Movimento dell'onda. These English-speaking accelerationist thinkers then developed a genuine intellectual debate on the left, marking the beginning of the meaningful evolution of this accelerationist perspective.
00:05:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" video in Bologna, January 13, 2024, participants discussed the incapability of the left to be effective in their anti-capitalist struggles despite significant transnational protests. They acknowledged that neoliberalism 2.0 has developed and expanded during the 10 years, leaving the left with a blurred vision of an alternative. The accelerationist movement emerges as a production of a new utopia, offering a fresh perspective and reintroducing the idea of a clearly defined and detailed alternative. However, the Italian context has not absorbed the full intellectual depth of English accelerationist thought, with significant works like those by Ray Brassier remaining untranslated. In Italy, memes influenced by English accelerationist ideas gained popularity, releasing a popular, memetic imagination that focuses on communism with luxury full automation and the abolition of work. But this movement is met with skepticism within the left, with criticism questioning its novelty, as it is seen as a rehash of old ideas. Some of these ideas, like the acceleration of technological potential and the abolition of work, were already present in Marxist and autonomist operational thought decades ago.
00:10:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" in Bologna, Italy (13/01/2024) video, the speaker discusses how accelerationist ideas, which seem to have emerged from today's accelerated society, draw from the anarcho-insurrectionist committee known as the Invisible Committee. They highlight concepts like parasitic revolution, fuchsian terror against the patriarchy, and eco-terrorism as contemporary examples of accelerationist literature that also have roots in the practices of the 1970s. The speaker is convinced that accelerationism, which has become one of the most important innovations in contemporary political thought, particularly among militant left groups, does not offer new, original ideas but instead reminds us of forgotten concepts, primarily the necessity of the utopia. Despite the fact that the utopia alone cannot transform reality, it is seen as the first step towards constructing a better future, even though its limitations were discussed during the opening assembly of the event. Mark Fisher's conversation about a "Luxury Communism," which was published on January 13, 2015, was mentioned. The conversation challenges the emphasis on the utopia, as the loss of leftist ambitions towards a utopian reality might be the reverse side of capitalist realism. The speaker argues that instead, they want to bring the concept of realist communism, which is less known but equally important, as it is both radically different and realistic and achievable compared to capitalist realism's insensible and unsustainable fantasies. The underlying theme is the transformation of the utopia into reality.
00:15:00 In this section of the 2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista YouTube video, speakers discuss the need for transformation from imaginary ideal communist societies to reality. They imagine a world where everything is free and fully automated with minimal work required, yet recognize the importance of pragmatically translating this vision into reality. Specifically, they propose the idea of a "luxury communism," which emphasizes freedom and gratuity. They consider this concept as a framework to reimagine communism as a realm of freedom where all basic needs are met gratis. Free services, such as healthcare, education, and transportation, are proposed, along with a reduced workweek and a universal basic income. The speakers have sought to explore this concept in their Circolo Accelerazionista collective. They argue that gratuity could substitute the capitalist mechanism of pricing in society and gradually form a new reality. They envision "colonizing" the capitalist realm with the concept of gratuity, offering free healthcare, transportation, and other services, and finally reducing the workweek to four days per week with a universal income to cover personal desires rather than basic needs.
00:20:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" video in Bologna on January 13, 2024, the speakers discuss the implementation of a universal, free public healthcare system and ecological planning as part of their utopian vision for the future. They aim to reduce the weekly working hours from 40 to 24, which would require increasing the minimum wage to €160 a month. This model would mean managing a complex payroll system with various additions and taxes, and reforming the fiscal system, including the IRPEF and INPS. Thespeakers elaborate on the need to overhaul the prevailing fiscal systems for various contractual and mercantile categories to ensure the feasibility of this reform. They emphasize the importance of realism while striving for the communist ideal, acknowledging the complexity of the issue and the need for further discussions to make these plans a reality.
00:25:00 In this section of the 2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista YouTube video in Bologna, January 13, 2024, Fischer discusses income distribution and taxes in relation to social services, specifically healthcare. He explains that 80% of lower-income individuals contribute 24% of the overall IRPEF tax, while the wealthier 13% contribute 60%. Fischer argues that lowering taxes for the poor, who make up the majority of the population, is more cost-effective than raising taxes for the wealthy who have significantly more resources. The speaker then shares his background with the audience, having been the former hospital director of Ospedale Politcilico in Rome and a consultant for the Ministry of Economy. He also shares that he was dismissed from his position due to his unconventional ideas. With this encounter, the group began developing a comprehensive plan for future national healthcare, forming a think tank called the Centro Studi per la Salute del Futuro, which will be publicly presented by the end of 2024. The group aims to create a publicly-funded, high-quality, and free healthcare system.
00:30:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" in Bologna, speakers discuss the importance of principles such as universal sociosanitary integration and healthcare proximity, but lament the lack of implementation during the pandemic. They emphasize the need to translate these principles into concrete projects, focusing on territoriality, proximity medicine, and sustainability. The speakers question the legitimacy of the mainstream healthcare model, which they believe is unsustainable due to the lack of resources and the predominance of private provisions. They argue that there are enough resources in Italy for a national healthcare system capable of addressing the crises, citing examples like the high spending on out-of-pocket costs and the large number of caregivers. Their model focuses on various levels of care, from primary to specialized, drawing inspiration from existing experiences such as the Cuban model and the German Democratic Republic's community nurses. The speakers propose starting with the microarea, which encompasses a community of 5,000 residents, and is staffed by medical and nursing professionals who can build personal relationships with their patients, ensuring continuous and comprehensive care.
00:35:00 In this section of the 2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista YouTube video, held in Bologna on January 13, 2024, the speakers discuss the healthcare system and the concept of a 30,000-inhabitant Microarea, which includes a certain number of doctors and nurses. They explain that the number of inhabitants for these units originated from an analysis of Italy's 8,000 communes and 5,000 of these with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. The speakers state that units of this size are developed regionally and at times, even at the provincial level, referring to these units as districts. The nomenclature of these districts is in evolution, but for now, they refer to them as the Unità Sanitaria Locale (USL). USLs were created in 1978 but the aggressive neoliberist capitalist policy led to aziendalizzazione or the privatization of these structures. This resulted in a monocratic director general, complete control over healthcare, and the removal of citizens from these units. The speakers intend to bring the USL back to having a maximum of 30,000 inhabitants. It's important to note that there isn't an exact number, as there are variations from region to region. The speakers then introduce the third stage, which is the interdistrettuale ospedale or inter-district hospital. This hospital has a catchment area of approximately 100,000 inhabitants, and to serve a population this size, every three to four districts must have an ospedale dotato di tutte le specialità or a hospital equipped with all necessary specialties, especially for emergencies and causes of major morbidity and mortality, including tumors and other acute conditions.
00:40:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" YouTube video, the speakers discuss the importance of distributing hospitals and healthcare services efficiently based on the population density of a province, using Brescia as an example. They highlight the significance of studying the territory and its distribution of communes to appropriate the services. The speakers mention that the current ratio of healthcare personnel working on the ground versus those in the hospital is expected to reverse, with 70% working on the territory and 30% in the hospital. The goal is to be prepared for future crises and to give more value and strength to daily struggles. While acknowledging the challenges in implementing such a reform, the speakers emphasize the importance of clear and informed planning.
00:45:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" YouTube video, the speakers discuss the importance of studying and making changes at a national level, despite the need for a supranational and universal approach. They emphasize the significance of creating a theoretical government for healthcare structures, inspired by various models such as the anarchic Catalan syndicate. The proposed model includes the representation of communal institutions, abolition of hierarchies within healthcare professions, and a soviet-style council with a general assembly and executive committee for decision-making and daily management. Theottomore, this model allows for the removal of any representative by the majority who elected them, maintaining democratic accountability and respect for decisions.
00:50:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" video in Bologna, Italy (January 13, 2024), Simone offers a critical perspective on accelerationist thought. Simone sets the stage by reminding the audience that this initial phase of a more confrontational approach will be followed by a period of discussion. He also proposes a deal where Simone will give a speech for a quarter of an hour, and the audience will give him a signal halfway through, at which point Simone will leave. He introduces his critique with a quote that signals thousands of plans. In his intervention, Simone aims to be constructive and will discuss problematic aspects of creating a program or manifesto, focusing on the contextual production and articulation of such documents, and ultimately offering a critique of acceleration. Simone advocates for considering the production of a program's implications, including the decision to include or exclude certain groups, speaking for others, and the representative nature of politics, particularly the liberal democracies that we know today. Simone argues that the exercise of speaking for others is problematic and represents a metonymic operation.
00:55:00 In this section of the "2° Raduno Translocale della Sinistra Accelerazionista" YouTube video, held on January 13, 2024, in Bologna, the speaker discusses the relationship between theory and practice, specifically in the context of the worker and accelerationist movements. He notes that realizing ideals involves bridging the gap between an ideal and reality, which he refers to as a "Platonic" relationship. The speaker then proceeds to analyze orthodox Marxism, as outlined in Antonio Negri's "Folgorando," discussing the unity of theory and practice. According to the speaker, both activists and theorists should ask themselves Where are we now as political subjects? and reflect on what suppresses, exhausts, and kills them. The speaker then discusses the difficulty of implementing a program in the context of representative democracy and expresses his opposition to parliamentarism, viewing it as a capitalist tool that prioritizes consensus and constrains political action. This rejection of parliamentarism, as stated by the speaker, is part of a broader rejection of the state and the state nation as colonial and exclusionary constructs.
