I do think mutual aid in the context of filling in the gaps of capitalism works well, and both anarchist groups and Marxist parties tend to do that well. About the vanguard, though, all it is is the most politically advanced of the revolutionary class, it exists whether formalized into a party or left disorganized and informal. The Marxist argument isn’t about whether to have one or not, but to formalize and democratize it. It also isn’t really top-down so much as it is driven from the bottom-up, steered by the top. There are also several socialist countries where we can see this in action, and the tremendous results it has achieved for the working classes.
I do think mutual aid in the context of filling in the gaps of capitalism works well, and both anarchist groups and Marxist parties tend to do that well. About the vanguard, though, all it is is the most politically advanced of the revolutionary class, it exists whether formalized into a party or left disorganized and informal. The Marxist argument isn’t about whether to have one or not, but to formalize and democratize it. It also isn’t really top-down so much as it is driven from the bottom-up, steered by the top. There are also several socialist countries where we can see this in action, and the tremendous results it has achieved for the working classes.