“Marching for a future that works!” London – 20 October 2012
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Where on this forum do we find details of what the Socialist Party is doing on this day of action, register our intention of attending, discuss and make suggestions about how we should organise ourselves and download posters for placards etc etc etc?
I’ll be there and intend to march for a future that would REALLY work! Flags flying, banners unfurled, whistles blowing, leaflets scattered, tearing at my chains and demanding the abolition of the wages system!
Oh, and will we be having a snappy, eye catching front cover of the Socialist Standard that will pull in the crowds and deliver a mortal blow to the very foundations of capitalist society?
Jim.
Keep calm. Things are in hand. Here’s the leaflet that’s been prepared:
Quote:A future that works?The market system works. But not for us. It works for the handful of people who own industry or land. Most of them are doing well and getting richer. For them, the present system works, through our hard work.For us, the workers, it doesn’t. The real value of wages has shrunk. Housing is becoming more unaffordable for many, rents are rising and benefits are being cut. Unemployment is at staggering proportions, especially among young people.The truth is being revealed across the world: that the system is run in the interests of those who own it. For governments, repaying debts to those who got wealthy from our work is more important than us receiving education or health care.For us, the future won’t work so long as we depend on an economy based on the market with the private or state ownership of the means of living.In our workplaces we co-operate. We don’t charge our colleagues for our time: we work together. It’s just that we work together for our employers. If we owned the land and all the places of work ourselves, we could work together to make all the things we need, without buying and selling and without an employing class.The alternative is voting for parties that support the market system: parties that inevitably have to accept the existence of poverty and unemployment.While we build a movement to bring about a better future, it’s important that we use trade unions to defend ourselves and get the best deal we possibly can under the present system. We must ensure democratic control of trade unions, and not follow charlatans and adventurers to glorious defeat. We should rely on ourselves, not leaders.If we want to transcend the defensive position forced upon us by the pressures of the profit system then a vision beyond capitalism has to be on the agenda.That future we call Socialism, a future where we would have common and democratic ownership of the resources of the world. A future that will work if the majority of us want it and are prepared to work for it using democratic struggle to create a world of common wealth.We’re having 15,000 printed. This is ambitious but 20 October co-incides with our Autumn Delegate Meeting so, with delegates from outside London, we’re expecting twice the usual number of members who normally turn out for demonstrations like this.We’ll have a literature stall in Hyde Park but arrangements have not yet been made to get leaflets to members who will be at the start on the Embankment but it’s still two months away.By the way, the late comrade Eddie Grant always said that socialists never march. Only soldiers do that. We walk or amble.
Walk, amble, march? If I get anywhere near the Unison Latin American rhythm band I may very well salsa!
freetimes3x wrote:Where on this forum do we find details of what the Socialist Party is doing on this day of action,In the World Socialist Movement forum there is a topic about the planned workshophttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/world-socialist-movement/admworkshop-weekend
gnome wrote:the workshop has now been confined to a few hours on the Saturday evening. And for what? So a handful of members can leaflet the TUC rally on the Saturdayfreetimes3x wrote:register our intention of attending, discuss and make suggestions about how we should organise ourselves and download posters for plackards etc etc etc?I’ll be there and intend to march for a future that would REALLY work! Flags flying, banners unfurled, whistles blowing, leaflets scattered, tearing at my chains and demanding the abolition of the wages system!Oh, and will we be having a snappy, eye catching front cover of the Socialist Standard that will pull in the crowds and deliver a mortal blow to the very foundations of capitalist society?Jim.I intend to attend the TUC event. The practical suggestions here of flags/banners, poster/placards are great and well worth us doing.Agree with October Standard really standing out and reaching out to those on the TUC event.
freetimes3x wrote:Where on this forum do we find details of what the Socialist Party is doing on this day of action, register our intention of attending, discuss and make suggestions about how we should organise ourselves and download posters for placards etc etc etc?All of this needs someone to do the organising; it doesn’t just happen. The Socialist Party is only as strong as its members and most of its activities are presently carried out by a relatively small number. More need to get stuck in and quit the hand-wringing.
jondwhite wrote:The practical suggestions here of flags/banners, poster/placards are great and well worth us doing.This question of flags and banners needs more thought. What is the idea? That we take part in the “march” with them? As it’s a trade union event I don’t see any objection in principle, but is it practical and the best use of our resources? This would mean that the 20 or so members and sympathisers likely to turn up would have to group together (which past experience suggests won’t be easy to bring about) and stay together, isolated from the other participants except those immediately next to us (who could well be some Trot or Maoist group). In other words, not do what we usually do at these events: scatter ourselves along the route to hand out leaflets.We will have a stall in Hyde Park so a few flags and banners could be displayed there, but then there’s the question of the wording (and the colour: using red doesn’t find unanimity amongst members), presumably they’d say something like “Abolish the Wages System” and/or “From according to their ability, to each according to their needs”?
I have to say I am with ALB here. We don’t have enough bodies to fuss about with flags and banners, we should concentrate on leafletting and selling/giving the Standard out. Let the trots do the placard waving crap, all of which only end up in the City Council bins anyway. Hopefully some of our leaflets will get read on the way home and perhaps, perhaps, get some interest.
Yep, we are not attending to support the TUC object, we are there because workers (especially sympathetic ones) are there. We walk in the vicinity of the workers on the march, flags makes no difference in not conferring support. The idea is that we are present and make ourselves known (other than just through leafleting and Standard selling). We identify ourselves clearly and make one or two of ideas visible on a banner in a concise clear visually attractive and big striking and bold way that hopefully looks impressive at distance.
Flags/banners are appealing in a way that leaflets are not. There is a theoretical basis for this based on semiology but also an analagous basis. Many groups with larger support including trade unions will exclusively use flags/banners and completely abstain from leaflets. I can accept that hundreds of placards might not be the best use of resources at this stage which might impede leafleting, but flags/banners do not preclude leafleting/Standard-selling. If flags/banners have advantages over leaflets, and some members wish to carry flags (or leaflet too) then why not both. I think perhaps choosing between flags and leaflets is somewhat a false dichotomy. I’m reminded of the “why not both” internet meme.
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3qh4mv/
I’m not sure its necessary for flag-wavers to contrive to group together (beyond naturally occuring groups of two or three members) or try to isolate ourselves from those we disagree with.
Its probably known but to copy from Wikipedia “Socialists adopted the red flag symbol during the Revolutions of 1848 and it became a symbol of communism as a result of its use by the Paris Commune of 1871. “
“Abolish the wages system” is a good slogan for a banner as there is little room for ambiguity, but “from each according to his ability” I think is long and still requires further explanation. More importantly it is not a slogan that could be uniquely used by us. Shorter messages are more effective.How many members are actually intending to go? And where are we meeting? I’m travelling down from Wales and it’d be nice not to be all on my own!!
Jonathan Chambers wrote:How many members are actually intending to go? And where are we meeting? I’m travelling down from Wales and it’d be nice not to be all on my own!!It’s a bit early yet to have fixed the exact details, but there will probably be 2 meeting points. One for those to cover the assembly point of the march at the Embankment from 11am and one at Hyde Park. Since the Embankment is on a direct tube line to Head Office it may be best for members wanting to cover the start to go there first to pick up leaflets. In the afternoon, from say 1.30-2.00 onwards we’ll have a literature stall in Hyde Park (Marble Arch).At the moment we’ve decided to order 15,000 leaflets. This may prove over-ambitious as it implies that, if only 15 members turn out, each will have to distribute an average of 1000 leaflets. But if members coming to London for the Autumn Delegate Meeting on the Sunday turn out too we should have more 20 members leafleting.If members think that this is too ambitious now is the time to say so as the order can be reduced.
The TUC is organising this big march in London on Saturday 20 October. For some details see here: http://afuturethatworks.org/ Naturally the Party will be covering this. We have in fact ordered 15,000 leaflets the text of which can be found in the October Socialist Standard here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2012/no-1298-october-2012/future-works The marchers will be assembling on the Embankment between 11am and 1.30pm before setting off for a rally in Hyde Park. As the Embankment is on a direct tube line from Head Office (52 Clapham High St, SW4 7UN, nearest tube, Clapham North, on the Northern Line) we are advising those wishing to leaflet in the morning to come to Head Office to pick up supplies of leaflets and Socialist Standards. There will be someone there from 10am, and probably before as some comrades will be staying there on the Friday night. There will be a Party stall in Hyde Park (Marble Arch) from 2pm on, where those planning to come in the afternoon can pick up leaflets. The TUC rally is expected to finish about 4pm. Then back to Head Office for something to eat and the Workshop on how we can use the current dissatisfaction with capitalism to advance the cause of socialism from 6.30.Anybody, whether a member or not, wanting leaflets beforehand should contact us at: spgb@worldsocialism.org or by writing to 52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN
Two of us from West London branch went to a meeting to publicise the 20 October TUC march last night in Kingston. Interesting talks about what the present government is doing to introduce private, profit-seeking enterprises into government-run services. There were about 40 people there, mainly students.The main organisers seem to have been the SWP. From the audience their members expounded their current line which is for a general strike to bring down the government, just as a miners' strike in 1974 brought down Ted Heath's Tory government, So, not a syndicalist strike to overthrow capitalism, but a strike to bring down the government, provoke a general election expected to return a Labour government as happened in 1974.The best speaker was Matt Wrack, General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, who said that besides and beyond action to prevent cuts and privatisation there was also a need to win the battle of ideas and convince people that the answer was to reject capitalism and establish socialism. Ok, he didn't define it, but at least he made the point. Which was far in advance of the SWP who don't use these words in their leaflets and agitation but, applying Lenin's theory that workers are only able to acquire a trade union consciousness, only talk about the Tories and the bankers being to blame, not capitalism.
Can anybody get to this meeting tomorrow at 6pm to discuss alternatives to the TUC's Future that (is Supposed to) Work?http://libcom.org/forums/announcements/no-future-future-works-two-critiques-tuc-london-16-october-06102012#newIf they can, if they pass by Head Office first they can pick up some of our leaflets on this to hand out.The CutsCafe is on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge.
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