alanjjohnstone
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A new international project by Michael Albert and Z-Net plus others – FaceLefthttp://www.iopsociety.org/blog/iops-host-iopssocialhttp://www.zsocial.org/users/sign_upThe Lefty facebook"Suppose there is a revolution in some part of the world. Suppose the people use the phone system, … Do we then give credit to the corporations that provide those tools? Of course activists seek to make good use of certain tools, … But that doesn’t cause us to praise the phone system, …Facebook and Twitter are corporations. Changing the world for the better not only isn't a part of their agenda, it is largely subverted by their agenda."I haven't got a Facebook or Twitter account and pretty much a virgin when it comes to social networking but other members may have views that this FaceLeft being technology neutral might be something we should also subscribe to.I don't think it means that because some reformist organisations are involved it means we also are tarred with the same brush.The technical details are beyond me…someone like Tristan or Darren can explain what getting our own sub-system means.Perhaps it maybe to our advantage to be an early player rather than our usual cyber johnny comes late?
Members really should visit our blog more regularly.http://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/05/one-big-family.htmlhttp://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/05/socialists-speak-same-language.htmlhttp://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/04/sunday-sermon-no-jewish-israel.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2013/03/we-are-indeed-all-jock-tamsons-bairns.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/search?q=dnaMembers really should make our blogs their first port of call when they go on the internet to look for news.
Mention of Connolly drew my attention to thse posts on our Socialist Courier blog.http://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/05/celtic-communism-gaelic-commonwealth.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/05/scottish-common-ownership.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/04/scottish-commons.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/05/crofters-wars.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/04/scots-land.htmlhttp://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2012/04/robber-barons.html“Looking over our country, the land held in common was of vast extent. In truth, the arable – the cultivated land of Scotland, the land early appropriated and held by charter – is a narrow strip on the river bank or beside the sea. The inland, the upland, the moor, the mountain were really not occupied at all for agricultural purposes, or served only to keep the poor and their cattle from starving. They were not thought of when charters were made and lands feudalised. Now as cultivation increased, the tendency in the agricultural mind was to occupy these wide commons, and our lawyers lent themselves to appropriate the poor man’s grazing to the neighbouring baron. They pointed to his charter with its clause of parts and pertinents, with its general clause of mosses and moors – clauses taken from the style book, not with any reference to the territory conveyed in that charter; and although the charter was hundreds of years old, and the lord had never possessed any of the common, when it came to be divided, the lord got the whole that was allocated to the estate, and the poor cottar none. The poor had no lawyers.”Professor Cosmo Innes (1798-1874), Advocate and Professor of Constitutional Law and History – Scotch Legal Antiquities
i hope it is well stocked with more than just party published books and pamphlets.I suggest those organising the book stall are given a wide variety of literature on a sale or return basis.I also suggest that they are provided with some promo stuff to sell and a few freebies to give away.I wish it well.
Former Co-op Bank chief executive Neville Richardson’s left the bank in 2011 with a package worth £4.6 million, including a £1.4 million payment for ‘loss of office’, and the same amount as ‘compensation’ for leaving.The downgrade was mainly based on the deterioration in the performance of the loan portfolios the Co-op Bank acquired with its takeover of the Britannia Building Society in 2009 when Richardson was chief executive of the Britannia at the time of the deal. The Co-op Bank is among the lenders to have brought in so-called “malus” clauses for its staff to allow it to claw back pay from current and former staff if it is discovered that the lender’s performance at the time the pay was granted was based on taking positions that subsequently soured. We’ll see if they have much luck in reclaiming it. I’m sure lawyers will have a field-day. I’m very ethical – i always use the Co-op for cremating my family’s dead.
i always thought Robin Cox explained socialist planning rather well in his ECA article."But even if Marx and Engels were advocates of central planning, that does not mean that every socialist or communist must necessarily follow suit."These days many, particularly recently in the Occupy Movement, view a planned economy as regulated capitalism with Keynesian government intervention. From my childhood sitting on the carpet in front of the TV I recall the amount of News time devoted to Neddy and always wondering who he was because he was always busy planning lots of things.
You beat me to it Adam.I was, however , also going to add a suggested theme for a leaflet based on recent SOYMB.http://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-demise-of-nhs.htmlRather than the standard fare of save the NHS our leaflet should use its existence as a springboard to raise the issue of free access and allocation of resources based on needs rather than the ability to pay. Just a thought.
“a U.S. State Department official told CNN that the United States does not have information suggesting that rebels have "either the capability or the intent to deploy or use such weapons." Well, we can all easily understand why rebel forces may well use such weapons – to blame its use on the government forces and draw in more military support from the US and UK. The reason that makes the Syrian government unlikely to have deployed them is to avoid such intervention, (apart from their ineffectuality of their use in the type of conflict being waged in Syria.) But what about the question of capability? The most effective Syrian opposition group is widely considered to be al-Nusra Front. The U.S. State Department says that al-Nusra Front is a cover name for al Qaeda in Iraq which have actually used chemical weapons. Al Qaeda in Iraq detonated a series of chlorine bombs in Iraq from late 2006 through mid-2007. 16 of them, in fact.
"British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Sunday that the apparent Israeli air strikes on Syria showed that peace across the whole region was under threat, and reinforced the need to lift an arms embargo on Syrian rebels."Hmmm???.To make peace – make war.International law must be upheld…but we'll make an exception in Israel's case, they are free to bomb whoever they choose…as always.Rank hypocrisy but we don't expect anything less.
"Looks as if we're going to have to be the party poopers again.'Then that should be the theme and focus of our propaganda and make a point of emphasising it …We know we won't be realistically expecting to convince them of our case…so let us at least spoil their party with unpalatable truths,,, over 50 yrs of facts and figures at our disposalPerhaps instead of a serious approach as i suggested in my first post perhaps we we should employ ridicule and satirical critiques. Make fun of them resurrecting failed policies, the walking dead zombies crawling out of their graves and we as the grave-diggers of capitalism battering them with our shovels… Our anti-countryside alliance and fox hunting leaflet springs to mind as the sort of thing i'm thinking about but ten-fold…spoof manifestoes, Instead of spread the wealth…spread the poverty…i'm sure others can be more original and humourous.
Kephas Mulenga is a regular contributor to the African blog, Socialist Banner, such as this one.http://socialistbanner.blogspot.com/2013/04/zambia-politics-of-poverty.htmlHis local insight into Zambian political affairs are always interesting.With a computer and a reliable internet provider i am sure he would be contributing even more and upon a wider array of subject.
" Should we nurture certain values, along side our mission statement?"Perhaps i misunderstand what is meant by values but we already do this and it is in our mission statement. It is in our D of P. We oppose those negative values of racism, sexism and in our organisational structure rules against ageism too ( we have no youth wing).We oppose national and religious values that hinder our movement, that the place of birth is unimportant or that we are all have "evil" within us because of original sinWe promote values of co-operation and solidarity and internationalism based on our commonality as workers.In our propaganda we constantly combat the false idea of an innate human nature but also argue against the idea that we are blank paper to be written upon by the social engineering advocates.I'm beginning to think Hud is right. We are engaging in one big non-argument.
Yes , i read, that but my point was the cost was for lodgings not for board, food will be extra on top.It is still good value for a week stay in London, and if in the UK i would seriously consider attending since they appear to say they welcome argument and contrary opinions and views at their talks.Presenting the SPGB case from the floor is the second best thing to having a speaker at the event.I think any London member going should have their fees re-imbursed by the party.
“the modern rock-solid case for socialism depends entirely on class,” twc “By the way, I fundamentally disagree that a thoroughgoing knowledge of Marx is a necessity to understanding the case for and the need for a change in society and with it, the concomitant change in societal relationships” – Steve No socialist will dispute what you say, Steve. Socialism and class existed before Marx and outside Marx. It has never been part of the SPGB case to expect an expertise in Marx The case for socialism, as i see it it , depends on workers recognising and seeking their self-interests. No amount of pointing to a starving child in Ethiopia will result in a desire and drive for a socialist society. We have to recognise that socialism is “for ourselves” and the only way to achieve it is to work and co-operate with others who share the same feelings and affinities and those arise from being members of the same class since it cannot be fulfilled as an individual and the collective unity required exists only as members of our class. The task of socialists is to build upon this concrete identity of class, not appeal to abstracts like empathy or compassion or pity for the less fortunate than us.
The USA variously defines terrorism as “to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; . . . to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or . . . to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping;” "…the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives" In September 2002 the US national security strategy defined terrorism as "premeditated, politically motivated violence against innocents" This definition did not exclude actions by the United States government and it was qualified some months later with "premeditated, politically motivated violence against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents"."the unlawful use of violence or threat of violence to instill fear and coerce governments or societies. Terrorism is often motivated by religious, political, or other ideological beliefs and committed in the pursuit of goals that are usually political.”The European Union defines terrorism as certain criminal offences set out in a list consisting largely of serious offences against persons and property that; “..given their nature or context, may seriously damage a country or an international organisation where committed with the aim of: seriously intimidating a population; or unduly compelling a Government or international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act; or seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation.”The UK definition isb) the use or threat is designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public and (c) the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.It includes not necessarily violence to persons but also acts "designed seriously to interfere with or to seriously disrupt an electronic system" (Obama has already admitted to this type of terrorism against Iran) Rosalyn Higgins,a judge at the International Court of Justice, "Terrorism is a term without any legal significance. It is merely a convenient way of alluding to activities, whether of States or of individuals widely disapproved of" It seems under all those definitions Blair and Bush would be convicted since the Iraq War would no doubt be considered an unlawful and illegal under International Law and that they used the methods of terrorism, including kidnapping. In fact so would many other politicians.
