rodshaw

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  • in reply to: Atheist banned from criticising the Islamic faith #114575
    rodshaw
    Participant
    alanjjohnstone wrote:
    Man killed for supposedly eating beefhttp://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-34398433Less to do with vegetarianism but more to do with Hindutva – right-wing Hindu nationalismhttp://www.countercurrents.org/cc300915.htm

    Quote:
    It is ironic that India is the largest exporter of beef in the world! According to data released by U.S. Department of Agriculture India exported 2.4 million tonnes of beef and veal in FY2015, compared to 2 million tonnes by Brazil and 1.5 million by Australia. India accounts for 23.5 per cent of global beef exports. This is up from a 20.8 per cent share last year.

    As a good little Catholic boy, I was banned from eating meat on a Friday. Otherwise I'd go to hell. Unless I confessed it, of course, and said a few prayers.

    in reply to: Brighton Discussion Group #111153
    rodshaw
    Participant

    Excellent. But I think the Tory stuff is a bit wacky, however tongue in cheek, not really consistent with the party approach.

    in reply to: Economics, Politics and Climate Change #115000
    rodshaw
    Participant

    Just the job, thanks.

    in reply to: The capitalists – 1% of the population? #115433
    rodshaw
    Participant
    robbo203 wrote:
    Ah sorry the figure should be 32K US dollars not pounds.  So the threshold of entry to the top 1% in global terms is even lower than the one I citedI couldnt find the orginal FB article but found this instead which corrobrates what I said above"According to the Global Rich List, a website that brings awareness to worldwide income disparities, an income of $32,400 a year will allow you to make the cut.Using current exchange rates, that amounts to roughly:29,100 euros2.1 million Indian rupees, or200,900 Chinese yuanSo if you’re an accountant, a registered nurse or even an elementary school teacher, congratulations. The average wage for any of these careers falls well within the top one percent worldwide"Read more: Are You In The Top One Percent Of The World? http://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/050615/are-you-top-one-percent-world.asp#ixzz3salV7NLiFollow us: Investopedia on Facebook  As an afterthought I suppose it could be argued that wjat essentially characterises a member of the capitalist class is the possession of capital rather than a high income stream as such.  This is true but I would imagine there is a significant degree of correlation between these two things… 

    Yes, but shouldn't the absolute income value be related to prices? 32k dollars is a lot more for someone in a 3rd world country. Or is this figure somehow smoothed – an average, net disposable income figure? Obviously it makes no sense from a capitalist/worker point of view.

    in reply to: Economics, Politics and Climate Change #114998
    rodshaw
    Participant

    This article, and the editorial, take the view that scientists generally agree that climate change is mostly caused by humans (=capitalists).Can someone point me to some references? I ask because there is a discussion on another forum I belong to which has a number of people saying they agree global warming is happening but don't think there's enough evidence that it's caused by human activity. So basically they don't care. (Some of them think we're actually on the verge of an ice age.)I'm not looking for mere assertions, but some sources for the scientists' views.

    rodshaw
    Participant

    Meanwhile, Liverpool's new manager Jurgen Klopp says he will not tolerate individuals veering away from his methods and demands total obedience. Players must feel they are ready to die in the game.Would athletes in a socialist society tolerate talk like that? Would they need a manager at all?

    in reply to: My Election Contest With Jeremy Corbyn #113490
    rodshaw
    Participant

    I think the crux of the matter is our use of the word 'World'.Maybe we can make ourselves stand out better by trying always not to use the word 'socialism' on its own but by emphasizing that we stand for World socialism. We may stand a better chance of getting our point across, especially in the face of the likes of Corbyn and how he's being branded, if we always use the words World Socialism together, as our brand, rather than just saying our socialism is not the same as theirs. In effect, use World Socialism as our USP in leaflets, slogans etc. more than we maybe are doing.After all, we say that socialism can't be established in one country, so in a sense it doesn't matter what 'nation-oriented' advocates of so-called socialism mean by the word. So we could say things along the lines of 'not Corbyn socialism but World socialism'.'Are you a World Socialist or just a pretend socialist?'.Etc.

    in reply to: Ursula Le Guin on Murray Bookchin #109967
    rodshaw
    Participant

    From what I remember of the book, I agree with the reader's view of The Dispossessed. Hardly shows socialism in a good light. There is no 'world of abundance' there, just scarcity shared out. And everyone seems so humourless and impersonal.But there again it's a long time since I read it, so maybe I should look again.

    rodshaw
    Participant

    Women's football is a joy to watch. Very skilful, and no cheating, diving or play-acting like in the men's game (well, very little anyway). And usually more goals.But it could be argued that the strong desire to win trophies that competitive sportspeople have, regardless of the money involved, i.e. the very thing that makes some sports so exciting to watch, is itself instilled by the competitive nature of capitalist society.My main fear for women's football is that the more popular it gets and the more the money men get their hands on it, the more it will become like the men's game.

    in reply to: Paul Mason: a proper thread on his book #113123
    rodshaw
    Participant
    stuartw2112 wrote:
    Some funny stuff in that link! The left constantly and consistently underestimates the power of capitalism to innovate and continue. I'm reasonably confident it'll survive free software and kids that tweet. 

    It certainly will unless people realise that it's the political control by the ruling class that needs to be got rid of, not the act of payment. Certain things have always been "free" in capitalism at the point of consumption.

    in reply to: The BBC and the SPGB #112406
    rodshaw
    Participant

    No such thing as bad publicity, they say. It would be ironic if this sparked a real surge in interest.

    in reply to: The BBC and the SPGB #112398
    rodshaw
    Participant

    By that reckoning, a substantial number of London householders would have properties of similar value and be capitalists according to the BBC.

    in reply to: ‘The problem is not the Tories’ #112020
    rodshaw
    Participant

    I think "The problem is not Austerity … it's POVERTY" could be kept, and the text following be edited to say something about soup kitchens etc. but also relative poverty compared to the super-rich elite. The theme of the whole thing, rather than austerity, could be single-issue or reformist politics.

    in reply to: Stressed Out #112074
    rodshaw
    Participant

    You say "We want control over our money /resourses so that it can make the NHS -SCotland FULLY Nationalised".We in the World Socialist Movement certainly don't, we want a world based on common ownership of resources where money has been got rid of, along with our beloved leaders who constantly lead us up the garden path.And we don't stand for nationalism, we want national boundaries to become obsolete, as they will in a real socialist world.

    in reply to: ‘The problem is not the Tories’ #112017
    rodshaw
    Participant

    The picture with captions could go on the front of the next Standard, with the text as the editorial.

Viewing 15 posts - 241 through 255 (of 443 total)