Darren redstar
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Chatting to a Spanish colleague at work, she is very excited by the rise of Podemos and the municipal parties. She also said that Podemos expected to form a coalition with the psoe. Which she saw as a good thing. I was surprised at this, as I thought a part of Podemos essential appeal was its rejection of the old style corrupt party machine politics. Not jumping straight into bed with the worst of social democrat fat cats.
This was my way to the spgb. Contesting with a tusc/ spew activist why they restricted themselves to a limited programme of reforms which attract such a derisory vote, surely they could campaign for what they really believe and get no less votes. It was the confirmation that the limited reforms was what these people really stood for that convinced me that the SPGB was the only real game in town.
When charlotte writes I'm not gonna take it any more it means she can jump on a plane and bugger off somewhere else. The same option isn't available for the rest of us.
That does conjure some images." Somewhere in Syria-Iraq""brother Omar! We have received a parcel from the infidel west!""what is it, my brother?""it appears to be a complimentary copy of the socialist standard and a book called Socialism or your money back" "inshallah! We are undone!"1st warning: 1. The general topic of each forum is given by the posted forum description. Do not start a thread in a forum unless it matches the given topic, and do not derail existing threads with off-topic posts.
I work with a woman whose son is a championship player. He has been injured for most of this season and now at the end of the years football has been offered a new contract at a fraction of his previous wages. Because he has been injured he has not had the opportunity to build up a portfolio of appearances to display his skills to other potential employers(a situation made worse by his managers refusal to field him for weeks after he was declared fit) his agent is now having to travel Europe hawking him to whoever will offer the highest purse, and my colleagues son faces having to uproot himself and his family.
I wrote months back really critical of you and others for approaching Brand, I wrote a acerbic article very critical of Brand which was rejected by the standard, and I had changed my mind. I had realised that in approaching Brand we were not compromising ourselves or our principles. I was therefore happy that such approaches to continue. I wrote the post above after Brands interview with Miliband and endorsement of Lucas. Still saying I thought reaching out to brand was worthwhile, but criticism was necessary too. I can't see why you decided that I should be held up some sort of ejaculating member (lol). I am agreeing with you (mostly)
Previously on the forums I had been very critical of Brand, and our approaches to him, however, I do think that the party, and individual comrades were right to attempt to engage with him, there did appear to be a convergence between the party 's ideas and at least some of what Brand was talking about. Even after Brand current interventions into the electoral arena, I think these attempts should continue. However I think it is important that we are also open in what seperates us From Brand as much as what we have in common. Mr Brand has been pursued by all sorts seeking his endorsement, most happy to conceal their fundamental opposition to virtually everything Mr brand has been advocating (https://www.swp.org.uk/resource/762) in order to cynically use him to recruit for them. As socialists we should criticise honestly, where we think he is mistaken and agree where we think he is correct,if we censor ourselves in order to ingratiate ourselves then we are guilty of both condescending Brand and prostituting ourselves.
Meel, when a religion has only minority support it tends to emphasise its liberal and holistic side, the modern pagans are all earth mother Giaia power peace love and cuddles now, but put them in charge for ten minutes and it will be all golden sickles and your entrails wrapped round a sacred oak. The same goes for the churches in the UK and Western Europe, knowing that they have lost the faith of the majority, and the trust of even their own believers, the priests now would have us forget the witch burnings and inquisitions and blessings of fascist butchers, and instead seek to rebuild their influence through food banks and "speaking out" about poverty, so long as the churches wealth remains untouched ("The Church of England would give up 38 of its 39 articles rather than one-thirty-ninth of its income")but knowing that they have forfeited their place does not mean that they have accepted it, nor have become either an irrelevance or ceased to be an agent of social control. The CoE and Catholic Churches both actively campaigned for the extension of the blasphemy laws and are enthusiastic partners with big business in the creation of faith based 'free' schools. The response of church leaders to the massacre at Charlie Hebdo was greeted with formalistic denounciation which sought to put as much guilt upon the cartoonists as those who killed (and that was before the ("left wing") pope made his infamous intervention).
As I am sure everyone knows, Martin is a member of the Trotskyists Utilising Sheeps Clothing and the old Militant rather than the real Socialist Party.
My available time is short, and I want to be able to do tribute when I will be of most use. When would I most useful coming up to Oxford?
Does anyone know of a electronic (or cheap!) copy of Omar Dahbour's book Illusion of the People's: a critique of national self determination. It's only available at stupid price on Amazon and there isn't a library that has it nearby.
The statist 'marxists' have spent the past 120 years seeking the progressive in Nationalism. The result? Socialists cheering the butchery of the trenches, giving left cover to massacre of workers from Berlin to Nanjing. Sowing illusions in nationalist parties as short cuts to socialism or alibiing the bestial murderers of the 'anti imperialist' Isil/ ISIS.
