Paris COP21
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Quote:“In 10 weeks’ time, Paris will also be home to the world’s largest non-violent direct action civil disobedience,” Lucas will say. “It will be home to a mass mobilisation from global movements that aim to leave political leaders no other choice than to change everything.”
Are there anythng in the Party pipeline where we ourselves will have a presence in Paris?
10 weeks to recruit volunteers to leaflet and set up stalls
10 weeks to organise the accommodation and transport
10 weeks to draft and print special multi-lingual leaflets/newsheets
10 weeks to design and purchase new eyecatching environmental-themed banners to draw attention to ourselves.
Looks like nobody is interested in this thread, it seems, so i'll argue with myself.What sort of overall approach should our strategy be? Using religious imagery, do we go to Paris announcing that capitalism cannot solve or mitigate climate change and proclaim the end of the world unless we "repent" and adopt socialism…a "we are doomed" ladened message, that many believe is rarely receptive by the public but it seems from the experience of some religious cults, it does attract an audience. A "Socialism or Barbarism", message?Or do we go to Paris proclaiming "Heaven on Earth" is possible, that with socialism we can have an ecological paradise in the world where we are close to a utopia, where we can merge tradition with technology and not just halt the environmental destruction but reverse its effects.A return to the Garden of Eden even if we know there was not such an idyllic period in history but again history of thought shows that reverting to some mythical past also works to make converts.Or offer a Star Trek futuristic promise of inventions like replicators and we do know from great works of literature that sci-fi predictions and prophesies also gains us a hearing. I am always drawn to Sylvia Pankhurst's introduction to 1923 Socialism article as the basis of our case, and hope it appears somewhere in our COP21 campaign literature (it, too, i notice, is worded in religious terms)
Quote:Socialism means plenty for all. We do not preach a gospel of want and scarcity, but of abundance. Our desire is not to make poor those who to-day are rich, in order to put the poor in the place where the rich now are. Our desire is not to pull down the present rulers to put other rulers in their places. We wish to abolish poverty and to provide abundance for all. We do not call for limitation of births, for penurious thrift, and self-denial. We call for a great production that will supply all, and more than all the people can consume. Such a great production is already possible, with the knowledge already possessed by mankind. To-day production is artificially checked, consumption still more so.https://www.marxists.org/archive/pankhurst-sylvia/1923/socialism.htmIt puts us at odds with the Capitalist Fixers and most of the Green Reformers – an independent and class analysis.If slogans are an easy way to put across ideas i think ours should beA World to Win – A Planet to SaveSharing the World – Sparing the Planet(other suggestions welcomed)I hope that October's EC meeting begins the process and that the various committees pick up the baton and begin to run with it before it is too late and we are rushed into some sort of ad hoc make-shift participation in Paris and miss out on an opportunity.If we don't endeavour to make a 100% effort, i'd rather we don't even make an appearance so to not waste our money, time and resources. As i say, the time to organise is now. To-day, Capitalist Misery -To-morrow, Socialist Joy – It's Your Decision(another slogan suggestion)
The above slogan is one of variants used by K&S for some months now. However, the prospect of covering the event in Paris is pretty remote; in the end we couldn't even get enough support to leaflet the Labour Party conference in Brighton…We just need you back in good ole blighty, Alan.
Let's put this into perspective, Gnome, can we?The decisions taken at this Paris COP21 summit are being touted by many reasonable observers to be the most important ever taken by the world's ruling class and quite possibly may determine whether the human species exists on this planet or not according to again many respected experts……and the Party cannot arrange for volunteers to get on a train at Victoria Station and go and present our case for the future survival of mankind in what may well turn out to be the most diverse cosmopolitan protest in history, in a city a few hours away from our HO……and some members persist in claiming we have no problems per se in the way we educate, organise and agitate for socialism But as i said in my earlier message, if we can't do the job properly, let's not do it al all….After all, there will be many colourful and dramatic street events that will perhaps over-shadow our presence so we have to do the best we can. …and fully accept whatever consequences that may arise to our credentials as a World Socialist Movement that the detrimental effects of global warming cannot motivate or mobilise ourselves as such to bring to the forefront the social, political and economic causes of it. Albeit we will have excellent but mostly unread analyses in our magazine and on our blog but we not compaign and go that extra mile (okay,200 miles) to draw attention and gain an audience for our ideas. And some say those of us who despair, who are dismayed, who are disappointed by the Party's present manner of propaganda and publicity are Cassandras and Moaning Minnies and Private Frasers…We have the dosh, subsidise the trip, make it inviting and attractive that we have to turn away people wishing to put their names down for it. Lets add a tour to the Paris Commune's Montmartre bistros and bars for the evenings when the demostrations and meetings have dissapated for the night.
Well, why don't we put this into perspective, Alan?It's not that "the Party cannot arrange for volunteers to get on a train at Victoria Station and go and present our case for the future survival of mankind in what may well turn out to be the most diverse cosmopolitan protest in history, in a city a few hours away from our HO…", there aren't the volunteers in the first place. Can't you understand that?At present we don't have a General Secretary or an Assistant General Secretary and next year we may not have a Head Office Assistant either. Last Thursday a public meeting 'attracted' four people, including the speaker and a visitor. It was abandoned.It's all very well those at a distance or those who are not in the party telling us what we should be doing or where we're going wrong, although the only 'remedy' I've heard so far is that we should open our doors to those who are religious, but how do we get the members we do have to participate collectively in the way you and I would like? This is one of the topics, at least as far as those joining the party online, which will be discussed at ADM next month.But this is a subject for another thread.
How can there be any volunteers when the Party has yet to make a call for them, Gnome? How can there be any volunteers when the Party has not been timely in making the arrangements or the preparations? Or at least raising the possibility of the type of participation that may attract members enthusiasm.Our Summer School is well attended, is it not?My own experience in 2005 was that we could interest several members to travel to Edinburgh for Make Poverty History and although some may have fallen by the way-side, most are still involved with the Party. And as you can see from my earlier post…i'm not above bribing members to attend by reducing the financial burden of going …(and think of the duty-free you can bring back for the festive season which will only be a few weeks away, comrades) I e-mailed HO today to put Paris COP21 on the agenda for next week's EC meeting. Let's put your own message into perspective …If the Party can no longer function as a politically active party then as some of those who you criticise have been saying is that it is fated to pass away in due course of time, perhaps sooner than some of us expect. If you think the only "remedy" offered has been to open the door to the religious then i feel you have not been reading the posts that have been suggesting different strategies, and in particular my own, since as you often imply, i am not short of proposals, nor reluctant to express them. I'm willing to question some our sacred cows and challenge accepted views just to provoke much necessary discussion. We share a common concern for the future of the Party, Gnome. Many of us do. The first thing to do is accept that we also hold varied opinions on the cause and are not agreed on the cure. And i am welcoming any debate that try to address the problems but ADM exchanges is simply not suffice to delve deeper into the roots of our failure to achieve any claim to success except that we have "survived". But you and i both accept…the class war won't be won unless we can put boots on the ground…When an opportunity arises where that can make a small impact we should try our best to shift into a higher gear. Pay the fare, pay the hotel, pay for the food so to join in what will be perhaps an unprecedented street party, joining folk from all over the world in a carnival atmosphere, mixed with some serious politicking and picketing…who wouldn't want to volunteer…A dowdy drab Labour Party conference is no comparison …But nobody wishes to sign up for the unknown and take a leap in the dark, not sure what the cost will be for them or what is expected of them.It is not just a half dozen or so volunteers that we need but all the banners, the flags, the new leaflets, t-shirts with slogans and badges and stickers. If we get the volunteers, equally important is we need to give them the tools for them to use.Otherwise if let down or disappointed by the logistics, they will have good excuse not to offer their services in the future. (obviously they shouldn't think things will go 100% to plan, nothing ever does)
If only to reassure Private Fraser that he needn't jump off a bridge, I am sure we'll be able to ensure a presence at this march in London on Sunday 29 November:http://www.campaigncc.org/29novdemo
Now are you sure, Captain Mainwaring, that it will not be an example of Corporal Jones brandishing a copy of the Socialist Standard and announcing, "those fuzzy-wuzzy Greens, they don't like it up them", while Godfrey goes around clutching a bunch of leaflets asking "what shall i do with these?" and Private Pike saying "sorry, i forgot the lit for the lit table but never mind i also forgot to bring the table, too" Again, to stress, it requires the proper preparation and the right equipment to be effective in making your presence known. A relatively inexpensive new vinyl banner featuring an environmental theme could be purchased in the next two months. London can be the test run for Paris
This event might be worth sending an observer to for a report back.The 'Conference of Movements', or COM21 for short, will meet for the first time in Paris on the 5th and 6th of December to discuss our common proposals and formally submit them to world leaders at the Climate Change Conference. Invitations to key players and influential change-makers have already been sent out over the last few months. So far, we have commitments to attend from the following groups and representatives:The Free World Charter , The Zeitgeist Movement (Peter Joseph), Earth Charter, Mocica (Jean-Phillipe Huber), The Venus Project, The Ubuntu Liberation Movement (Michael Tellinger), Real Project Global Community, Our United Earth, Indigenous Peoples United Nations, The Free Movement, The Pay it Forward Leadership Society, Iceland Money-Free, End Ecocide on Earth, Share International, Climate Reality Project, Dortmunder Kaminphilosophen, Share The Worlds Resources (Rajesh Makwana), New World Agreement, The Great Unification, Free and Real, The Master Shift, InGienous, Alternative Education Resource Organization, Ear to the Earth, Think2Share, Earth Guardians, Positive Money, The Wellness Universe, Valhalla, Perdana Global Peace Foundation, Sensorica, The Sustainable City, One World One People (Grant Dive), Our Hearts Gardens, Mother Earth Trust, Engajamundo, Noomap, RBE Hybrid Transition U.K., Stop Reset Go, Unusual Rigging, International Children. December 5th and 6th at Hotel Novotel Marne La Vallee de Paris on the outskirts of Paris – just a few metro stops away from the main COP21 event.www.com21.org
Has the party received an invite? If so perhaps we should reply. I am with you Alan, if any member(s) is/are willing to attend, there will be a better support if the the party finances it.Received this but not sure it was as a secretary of the spgb. Hi vincent,Many of you are already aware that the next climate change conference is happening this year in Paris between November 30th and December 11th. This international conference (COP21) has been hailed as crucial for world leaders to negotiate realistic temperature reduction targets for human activity on our planet by 2050.etc as previous post
Quote:email from Cde Alan Johnstone of Blog Committee (20.09.15) Could this question be placed on the agenda of Oct. EC meeting under All Other Business.'What are the Party's proposed plans in regards to engaging in a publicity campaign at the upcoming COP21 Paris environment summit and the accompanying protests, which are fully expected to take place at it?'Craggs asked when it is.MOTION 8: That Cde Johnstone be informed that as far as the EC is aware there are no plans for such an undertaking(Thomas/Rainferd) Carried 6-0-1First, my appreciate for the EC discussing this belatedly submitted item. Since there is well over a month to go to when the COP21 in Paris kicks off and that the travelling involved to it is not too strenuous, perhaps something may be arranged at a later time. There is a London Climate Change protest which i believe members will be attending. It may well be the case that those participating in the London protest will be inspired to take the party presence to Paris. I am sure an appropriate leaflet will be drafted that may well be available to any member who will going to Paris of their own accord. As a very minor contribution to offering a solution to the threat to our eco-spheres, the SOYMB blog will be increasingly posting a number of analyses, presenting the socialist case on the threat of global warming that other members may find useful linking to on various discussion lists which undoubtably will be commenting on climate change and the Paris talks.
Pity about that comrade, I have a great deal of sympathy with your position but perhaps, as gnome has already suggested, there are no volunteers.
Hire a motor home, give me a banner and plenty of literature and I will go.
Aye, Vin, pay my first class air-fare to Paris and book me a 5-star hotel and i'll go, tooBut as Gnome suggests, if there was a demand for a delegation which he rightly judged there wasn't then i am sure the Party would pay expenses (reasonable claims, that is)If we cannot get members to volunteer for party positions or participate in party campaigns, then how can a communication strategy for convincing non-members really help stop the growing malaise in the party. I suggest if we cannot do so in physical sense we made the most of a cyber campaign to present our socialist solution to the growing likliehood of the "end of the world as we know it"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
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