New pamphlets?

[Anonymous]

Are they available at the socialist party online store?   It is a very good job, it reinforces the idea that we must become a university of socialism

[jondwhite]

I think the "flexible" is a reference to print-on-demand so anyone can order direct without having to keep a stock in head office or anywhere. Orders have been very low anyway.

[Anonymous]

alanjjohnstone wrote:

Quote:

There you are. Easy and flexible.

How many are stocked by the Party, how many copies in HO, how many held by branches? Where has the Party advertised their availabilityI doubt the Party has ordered even one copy much less a bulk order. But i would love to e proved wrong.Something must be wrong with the system that needs fixing, surely?But kudos to the comrade that has set this up on Lulu. 

  We have the resources to propagate our ideas around the whole world. The WSPUS has three websites that need some theoretical injections. We should publish on the internet or make a pamphlet of the articles written by the group that existed in Jamaica. It was the only Socialist groups that have ever existed in Latin America ( They are also part of Latin America ) They did not follow the false conceptions of Castroism and Guevaraism and Maoism

[alanjjohnstone]

"Orders have been very low anyway", JDW, despite you taking the time to digitalise and upload there has been no publicity for these even aiming at members and branches. They should be advertised on our web and in the Standard. 

[robbo203]

jondwhite wrote:

I have published a few pamphlets years ago herehttp://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/did-trotsky-point-the-way-to-socialism/18314079http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/how-can-a-real-revolution-be-achieved/18314003http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/is-britain-worth-dying-for/18137199http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-critics-criticised—professor-popper-looks-at-history/13968432http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-origin-and-meaning-of-the-political-theory-of-impossibilism/13952613http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/articles-for-new-members—book-1/18307495http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/articles-for-new-members—book-2/18307523http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/articles-for-new-members—book-3/18307564http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-socialist-party-of-great-britain-new-members-handbook/17283282

 While this is excellent and I applaud your effort,  it still doesnt go far enough.  These are essentially reprints of articles published in the SS or reports of debates, are they not?  My point is that we need material of a more intermediate nature – more detailed and meaty than is possible  in an SS article but perhaps not as long as a traditional SPGB  pamphlet.  To be honest, I have,  over many years referred people I have engaged in discussions  wth over the internet to tons of  articles published in the SS and a quite common response has  been to dismissively say the article in question is too "simplistic" or "dogmatic"  in its analysis.   My response has been to tell them that they can't expect to have everything said on the subject within the confines of a short article but this doesnt seem to convince the people I enter into discussion with. What I am trying to say is that the Party needs material of a more substantial, meaty and theoretical nature.  I have been saying this for many years.  The SPGB –  or the WSM – needs , quite apart from more pamhlets,  a theoretical journal where  the subject matter can be treated in greater depth.  While the topical and abbreviated approach to the subject matter exemplifed by the Socialist Standard is necessary, it needs to be supplemented (or complemented) by another approach. I can only report as I find: many people ARE being put off by what they perceive to be a "lightweight" treatment of the subject matter.  The criticism is unfair , I know, but all the same it is a  fact, at least in my experience, that people come away unconvincd because of this. Its such a pity… Thiis why I am saying we need more material in the intermediate range by which I  mean not as lengthy as traditional pamphlets but at the same time not as generalised in its focus as traditional pamplets either.    To explain what I mean with a specific example. The SPGB has a general pamphlet on the socialist attitude towards war.   Of course that is necessary  but the kind of pamphlet in the intermediate range would be shorter  and  focus for example on a specific war – for example, the conflict  in Syria.    This would not only give it a greater degree of topicality than is the case with the traditional party pamphlet on war but, equally importantly, would allow the subject of the conflict in Syria to be treated in much more systematic and thorough manner than is possible in the Socialist  Standard.   You could really go to town on this and bring the subject alive with a detailed historical background and analysis of the forces and actors involved in the field of the Syrian conflict.  This is the sort of approach that is more convincing to many people in my opinion.   There are dozens of topics that could be subject to this same kind of treatment.   Ive  given just one example  – a  cryptocurrency like Bitcoin which is very much in the news lately.  Wouldnt it be fantastic if the SPGB  could come up with a short but detailed pamphlet/critique of Bitcoin in the next 2 months or so?  Not just a reprint of articles from the SS which for space reasons have to treat the subject in a fairly superfical manner.   It does not matter how many articles you reprint they  still all suffer from the same problem of "unavoidable superficallity" – that plus the fact that there will tend to be a degree of repetition which can be avoided in a single coherently researched but significantly lengthier work The SPGB or the publications committee needs  to put in place in procedure whereby it can rapidly respond to developments in capitalism by commissioning panphlets of an intermeidate length and sufficently focussed to permit a detaled and convincing anlaysis of these developments.  The whole overly cumbersome and bureaucratic of referring everything to the EC should be short-circuited and  scarpped. – its quite unecessary    Let them get on with job in a much more proactive way for instance by rapidly comissioning writers on their own intitative  to write up stuff  and I am convinced we will begin to see results

[Anonymous]

'Strictly…' A Socialist Analysis.

[J Surman]

Definitely some good ideas here – but can someone enlighten me as to what exactly is the remit of the publications committee please? Second point, perhaps members of the said committee could be pointed towards this discussion which is surely relevant to them? They could well choose to have some input which would benefit all of us.

[HollyHead]

I hope this link works Janet:https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/spintcom/files/Depts%20and%20Committees%20%20-%20ToR/ Open file:Subcoms_ToRs_2017-New.pdf

[J Surman]

Thanks for your help. I stopped using the yahoo forum six years ago because I found it so unwieldy, slow and fussy – so today I had to re-engage – change my password, new email address – after putting in the link you've given me it tells me i have to be a member to access it. I tried the search facility for the pubs comm, no luck there.The internet can be so useful – but also SO frustrating, but if you do have any other suggestions I'll give it another go.

[ALB]

Janet, here it is;

Quote:

Publications Committee1. To edit and produce pamphlets and leaflets on subjects decided by Conference or approved by the EC. 2. To report to the EC annually in January on the results of work done and money spent in the previous calendar year. This is intended to be part of the EC report to Annual Conference. 3. To report to the EC annually in July on future plans and financial requirements for the coming calendar year. This is intended to be part of the EC report to the Annual Delegate Meeting. 4. To be composed of at least 2 members appointed annually by the EC from nominations branches.

Not much. Do you want to be nominated for next year's committee?

[robbo203]

ALB wrote:

Janet, here it is;

Quote:

Publications Committee1. To edit and produce pamphlets and leaflets on subjects decided by Conference or approved by the EC. 2. To report to the EC annually in January on the results of work done and money spent in the previous calendar year. This is intended to be part of the EC report to Annual Conference. 3. To report to the EC annually in July on future plans and financial requirements for the coming calendar year. This is intended to be part of the EC report to the Annual Delegate Meeting. 4. To be composed of at least 2 members appointed annually by the EC from nominations branches.

Not much. Do you want to be nominated for next year's committee?

 Adam, would it not be advisable to amend these terms somewhat? For instance re 1)  might it not be possible to change the procedure to allow the Publications Committee to play a more proactive initiating role in deciding on the production pamphlets and leaflets – more analogus to the way in which, say, the SSPC decides on the content of each month's Socialist Standard.  Rather than a one way flow of command downwards instructing the PC to produce what conference has decided why not open up something more like a feedback system, enabling the PC to propose projects whilst still retaining the safeguard of EC approval being required My concern is that the current procedure seems to be excessively cumbersome and over centralised in that you have to wait for conference to decide on what gets to be produced when conference meets only once a year.  This is yet one more example of why the Party needs to move  over to a significantly more decentralised mode of organising activity  – to speed up decisionmaking and  to encourage  a wider spread of members to engage in activity other than the relative handful of activists who currently shoulder a disproportionate burden of the Party's work putting them at risk of burnout

[ALB]

Oh no, not amending Terms of Reference again. When I was on the EC a couple of years ago we discussed amending terms of reference month after month after month. It was one reason why I decided not to stand again and maybe why there's a shortage of EC candidates.Anyway, what's there seems flexible enough. It allows what you want. The Pamphlets Committee has an idea for a pamphlet. All they need do is put it to the EC, no need to wait for Conference. If it's a reasonable proposition it will be okayed. If it's a proposal to print poetry it will be turned down.

[J Surman]

Thanks for this Adam. Well, yes, I'm seriously considering this – just need to know that I fully understand what's required and that I'm capable of the necessary internet side of it. Having discussed this with Alan who's much more computer savvy than I am, he would also be on board.

[alanjjohnstone]

Quote:

If it's a reasonable proposition it will be okayed. If it's a proposal to print poetry it will be turned down.

Hmmm…not sure i accept the implication that a proposal to publish a comrade's poetic observations on current affairs was not a reasonable proposition. In the past the Socialist Standard regularly printed poetry. 

[robbo203]

ALB wrote:

Oh no, not amending Terms of Reference again. When I was on the EC a couple of years ago we discussed amending terms of reference month after month after month. It was one reason why I decided not to stand again and maybe why there's a shortage of EC candidates.Anyway, what's there seems flexible enough. It allows what you want. The Pamphlets Committee has an idea for a pamphlet. All they need do is put it to the EC, no need to wait for Conference. If it's a reasonable proposition it will be okayed. If it's a proposal to print poetry it will be turned down.

 OK, well that sounds more reassuring.  I would hate to think that the PC would have to wait for intructions as to what to produce.  Dar better to use its own initative.  We need a two way dialogue not a one way chain of command

[Author]

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