Mike Foster

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Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 241 total)
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  • in reply to: Our 2022 local election campaign #228918
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Thanks for the heads up about the hustings. I’m watching it at the moment (along with 41 other people, according to YouTube).

    in reply to: Left-wing or socialism. #228471
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    #IWantARevolution is ‘trending’ on Twitter following Keir Starmer apparently saying that this isn’t what people want. Unfortunately, for a lot of people on Twitter, “I want a revolution” seems to mean “I wish Corbyn was PM”.

    in reply to: New SS Design #227246
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    I’d say it all looks very smart too.

    in reply to: Soviet-Union and pedophiles #226323
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    I’d say that a socialist society would still need places to detain people who should be separated from the rest of the population, including some paedophiles and murderers. These places would be more like hospitals than prisons, with an emphasis on rehabilitation, and their remit would be decided democratically. Similarly, some people may have to be monitored in the community, more from a ‘medical’ perspective than from an ‘enforcement’ one, in a democratically-managed framework. A socialist society would promote people’s development in ways which would mean that very few people would end up requiring such interventions, hopefully.
    As for whether a paedophile could be a member of the Socialist Party, they may understand the political and economic ideology, but their disorder involves unhealthy and damaging relationships, which I’d say don’t fit with a socialist mindset.

    in reply to: Another joke #226318
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    What’s the difference between state capitalism and free market capitalism?
    In state capitalism, people exploit other people. In free market capitalism, it’s the other way around.

    in reply to: Another joke #226129
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    It’s a little-known fact that Karl Marx had a sister called Onya, inventor of the starting pistol.

    in reply to: “Socialism is Evil” #225578
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Yes, ZJW, the possibility of a debate is being looked into.

    • This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Mike Foster.
    in reply to: “Socialism is Evil” #225404
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    I’ve asked for this to be added to the January EC meeting’s agenda. Thanks for the suggestion.

    in reply to: “Socialism is Evil” #225353
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    I agree with that we/the WSPUS should try to arrange a debate, as well as publishing a response.
    It’s good that our views are getting critiqued wider afield, but not so good that the criticism is based on a misinterpretation!

    in reply to: Party COP26 activity #224080
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Three of us met up in Oxford for yesterday’s Cop26 rally, which had a mile-long route along one of the main roads into the city centre. Where the march ended, there were a few speakers from fringe groups as well as mainstream parties, calling for ‘climate justice’ (whatever that means) and futile appeals to those in charge. There were plenty of Extinction Rebellion banners, along with those from left wing and green groups. This newspaper article https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/19699884.oxford-activists-bring-traffic-halt-cop26-climate-march/ estimates around 3,000 people were there, which seems a bit high, and if true means that we gave leaflets to around 10% of those attending. Fingers crossed we’ll get some decent responses!

    in reply to: Summer School #220187
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Tomorrow (20th) is the deadline for Summer School bookings! There are only a few places left, so any bookings should be made soon.

    in reply to: Summer School #220080
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    And here are details of the other session being held at this year’s Summer School:

    Richard Field’s talk is titled ‘Socialist Recipes’
    Marx was famously shy of writing recipes for future cook shops, and since no one of us is in a position to legislate for the actions of others we can appreciate his reasons. Yet is this refusal a realistic possibility for us today? Fellow workers constantly demand explanations of how a future society will work and will not be put off by a shrug of the shoulders or a few generalised remarks about common ownership. How should we answer? There is no inevitability in the matter. Humanity makes its own history, and socialists in the process of building a post-capitalist society will make choices based on what they believe to be possible and desirable. The success of the socialist project will rest in some measure on the choices made. So what arguments can we make now to ensure a positive outcome?

    For more information, including how to make a booking, see earlier messages on this thread. The deadline for bookings will be on 20th July (or before if all the places go). Hopefully the event can run without any Covid-related restrictions, and I’m liaising regularly with the venue about this.

    in reply to: Summer School #220066
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Here are details of another session at Summer School:

    Leon Rozanov will ask ‘Do utopias and works of sci-fi offer appealing visions of a socialist world?’
    Science fiction literature and films often show how people see the future of our civilisation. But what they most often portray is a failed, utterly cruel or a dying world being ruined by either capitalism, environmental degradation, or some mix of the two. When there is a rare utopia among a swarm of dystopian cyberpunk, it usually presents a primitive pastoralist / agrarian society with some features of anarchist or socialist principles but no real vision of socialist cooperation on the worldwide scale. Are there any works of fiction that offer a vision of an appealing and realistic future socialist society where one really wants to start living right away? Let’s try and find out.

    in reply to: Summer School #219995
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Another Summer School session can be confirmed!

    Glenn Morris will present ‘New News From Nowhere’:
    In 1890 William Morris wrote the utopian novel ’News from Nowhere’ in which a one William Guest fell asleep and awoke in a socialist society. Ignored and denounced by some Marxists as being too backward looking as it tended to shun technology over an agricultural lifestyle, it nevertheless painted a contemporary picture of a life without money, property and class. Although a huge subject to explore, were it to be covered thoroughly, Glenn will focus on a few areas of what life in a socialist society might look like today over 100 years since Morris’ novel.

    For more information, visit https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2021/
    Please note that the deadline for bookings is 20th July.

    in reply to: Summer School #219850
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    I’m happy to confirm details of another Summer School session.

    Carla Dee will facilitate an evening of ‘Town Planning For Socialist Living’
    What could a town high street, village or city look like in a post-capitalist world? What would or wouldn’t be needed and wanted? This is your chance to be designers and planners of our new world – all you need bring to this session is your imagination.

    For more details of the event and how to make a booking, please see my previous post.

Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 241 total)