DJP
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Alex, I think you should read these pamphlets, otherwise it seems to me we are talking at cross-purposes..Socialism As a Practicle Alternative:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/pamphlets/socialism-practical-alternativeFrom Capitalism to Socialism:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/pamphlets/capitalism-socialism-how-we-live-and-how-we-could-liveThe Alternative to Capitalism:http://libcom.org/library/alternative-capitalism
Alex Woodrow wrote:DJP, may I ask, where across the globe are raw materials needed to produce goods and facilities not available?In terms of being primitive, I do like nature and the environement because it is great for the world and looks beautiful. So maybe I am some kind of primitivist.If you think your local area can source all the raw materials that are necessary to build for example a modern hospital or an internet terminal or any of the other complicated goods that are necessary for the production of abundance you are surely deluded.If you think that it would be desirable to live in a society without such things I would strongly disagree.
Alex Woodrow wrote:May I ask though how do you know that some local communities can't be "self-sufficient"? Do you have any evidence for this?The simple fact is that the raws materials needed to produce the goods and facilities needed to sustain a society with a decent level of health care etc are not available everywhere across the globe.Are you some kind of primitivist?
ALB wrote:Kliman's argument is that labour's share has not gone down, so a reduced working class consumption cannot be an explanation for the crisis.If I remember right Kliman's research does show a decline in wages, but only after the crisis. Just to be clear…
celticnachos wrote:I have a question. Even if you do think material conditions for world socialism exist now, how are you sure that the revolution will be successful?The ONLY way that a socialist / communist revolution (for a moneyless, wageless and stateless global society) is if the vast majority of the population understands what this entails and is willing to put it into practice. This is because a socialist system will require the conscious and free co-operation of all those who operate it.The masses cannot be coerced by a "socialist" vanguard party into accepting socialism, all that such a party can do (until it has grown to a majority) is propagate the case for socialism to speed up the revolutionary process.We do advocate the capture of the state, via democratic methods. Not so that a minority vanguard can declare socialism by decree, but so that the destrctive actions of any remaining pro-capitalist elements can be dealt with in as peaceably a manor as possible.It is not the absence or presence of a vanguard party that is the crucial element, but mass socialist consciousness that is the deciding factor (alongside the development of productive forces, which have already been developed to an adequate level) The potential of the Russian revolution failed on both these counts, there was no mass movement for socialism (as defined above) and the productive forces where in a state of underdevelopment.
Hi celticnachos, it's time to kill your idols!Read this account of the Kronstadt Commune, written at the time: http://www.marxists.org/archive/mett/1938/kronstadt.htmAnd this demolition of romantic visions of Lenins period of rule:http://www.marxists.org/archive/brinton/1970/workers-control/The Russian Revolution was a capitalist revolution from the start, it could not have been anything else.
The Socialist Standard has for a long time argued against underconsumptionist theories of crisis.Andrew Kliman's book on the great recession The Failure of Capitalist Production is well worth a read, as is his earlier Reclaiming Marx's Capital
All this JFK stuff seems pretty well debunked here:http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htmIt shouldn't be needed to be pointed out but the Oliver Stone film is a work of fiction and has little bearing on the true facts…
FWIW my old philosophy tutor has an interested in conspiracy theories and unwarranted conspiracy theories.Here's an (unfinished) paper by him on the subject:http://www.uea.ac.uk/~j097/CONSP01.htm
Interesting presentation. Would be interesting to see how much of the decline in manufacturing jobs is due to capital flight and how much is due to "technological unemployment".
Here's some more on the Hienrich book should anyone be interested..http://mccaine.org/2013/05/26/book-review-michael-heinrich-an-introduction-to-the-three-volumes-of-marxs-capital/
PS. Monthly Review push an underconsumptionist theory of crisis, which besides from being empirically incorrect would imply that capitalism can be managed and that therefore socialism is not a necessity.
I haven't read this book, and judging by what I have read about it and Heinrich's other writings I don't think I'll bother. Here's some comments by Michael Roberts on Heinrich's latest article in Monthly Reviewhttp://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2013/05/19/michael-heinrich-marxs-law-and-crisis-theory/Seems to me that the Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho book may be the best Capital introduction for some time..
gnome wrote:I was under the impression that the problem had been laid squarely at the door of our present web-hosting company. What happened to plans to change to an alternative one?We are currently seeking professional advise and help as to the best way to resolve the problem and to assist with a move if that is deemed the best course of action. Now that 'other duties' are not taking up the time and energy of the department we are hoping to resolve this quite soon.
