Mike Foster
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Well done to everyone who took part in the campaign, and hopefully we’ll get some more interest from it.
I’m pleased to announce another talk at Summer School!
Darren Poynton will be speaking on ‘Socialist Consciousness, Solidarity and Democratic Virtues’
What is required for Socialist consciousness can be thought of as comprising two parts. One: a theoretical understanding of capitalist relations as a form of social compulsion that inevitably constrains the actions of both workers and capitalists. Two: a practical capacity to organise in a democratic and active way, that is required for both the establishment and continued reproduction of socialism. This talk will focus on this second aspect.More news soon!
I’m pleased to announce the first of the talks at this year’s Summer School.
Keith Graham will be speaking on ‘Political Consciousness: What Can We Learn From Marx?’
Karl Marx’s views on political consciousness are best understood in the context of his wider views about human society in general and capitalist society in particular. This talk will assess the plausibility of the relevant elements in these theories and consider what implications they hold for the transition from capitalism to socialism. In particular, the question of inevitability will be addressed.More announcements coming soon! For further details about the event, see the link in the previous post.
Thanks for the updates, and for going out to the rallies. Hopefully this will generate some more interest.
Howard’s talk was recorded at Summer School through the venue’s microphones, so in a different way to the other talks which are much clearer.
Summer School has been and gone, and I thought the event went well. The venue had decent facilities, and between the four interesting and thought-provoking talks there were plenty of amiable chats. As always, the weekend was a nice opportunity to catch up with others.
Recordings of three of the sessions will be uploaded in due course.Ken H pointed out that there are some upcoming programmes on Radio 4 which fit in with Summer School’s theme of work:
Rethink Work: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001p6rg/episodes/guideAlready uploaded is The Moral Maze: Is Idleness Good For Us: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001p1w6
(this mentions Paul Lafarge)Here’s the link for the Summer School talks, being streamed through Jitsi:
https://meet.jit.si/SPGBSummerSchool
(ie NOT the Zoom link as previously suggested)Times and further details are provided here:
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2023/Summer School is now only a couple of weeks away. Bookings for the weekend have now closed, as all the places are now filled. (If you’ve already been in contact with me about a booking, then this is all still ok).
There are still a few places available at Summer School on 21st – 23rd July in Birmingham, but bookings will have to close on Wednesday 5th July. For more information on what’s happening over the weekend, and how to make a booking, see the previous posts on this thread.
There are still a few spaces available for Summer School, so bookings remain open for now. For more information about the event see the previous posts in this thread or go to http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2023/ , which includes details about how to book a place.
The event will now also include a bonus session – a Saturday afternoon of mosaic-making!
There are still spaces available for Summer School, so bookings are still open. For more information about the event see the previous posts in this thread or go to http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2023/ , which includes details about how to book a place.
If you’re planning on coming along to Summer School on 21st – 23rd July in Birmingham, please make a booking before 17th May. For more information about the event see the previous posts in this thread or go to https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2023/ , which includes details about how to book a place.
Hot on the heels of the previous announcement, I’m happy to confirm the remaining Summer School session. Richard Field will give a talk about ‘The Need For Work – And How To Avoid It’:
Why should I let the toad work
Squat on my life?
Can’t I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off?
Philip Larkin
Work has a complex and curious history, one that’s central to human experience. Yet what is it? And why does it seem so contradictory? Work is obligatory. We desire it. We rely on it for a sense of purpose and belonging, maybe even for identity. And yet as Sunday draws to a close and Monday approaches the thought of it can leave us clammy and hollow inside. Perhaps…
This is a lightning tour through the story of work, from the open Savannah to the open-plan office and beyond. On the way it attempts to throw some light on the brutish toad and maybe offers a pitchfork or two in consolation.Please see the previous post for further information about the event, and bookings should be made within the next few days.
I’m pleased to confirm the Saturday evening session at this year’s Summer School: An evening of puzzle-solving and code-breaking, starting with a message hidden in a jigsaw. Work together in teams to follow the clues to find the answers.
There is still one more talk to be announced, and details will follow soon. As with previous years, the event will also include an exhibition of how the Socialist Standard has reported on the topic of ‘Work’ over the years, an exclusive publication and a re-stocked bookstall.
Bookings should be made before 17th May, which isn’t far away now! For more details, including how to make a booking, see here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2023/
Details of another of the Summer School talks can be announced! Howard Moss will be speaking on ‘Work: Paid and Unpaid’: This talk will look at the nature of the work, paid and unpaid, that the speaker and others close to him have engaged in over the years and draw conclusions about the experience of that in the context of the system we live under. It will then reflect on some of the implications of that for the possible nature of work in a future socialist society.
Please see earlier posts in this thread for further details about the event. Bookings should be made by 17th May. Stay tuned for details of the other two sessions.
