Socialist Party Head Office
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In answer to Socialistpunk (if he is not being totally sarcastic) – yes. In relation to money not simply "thou shalt have no money" (which leads to the sort of fruitless and embarassing bureaucratic speculations in this thread) but (if necessary and when prompted) "when the workers as a class control the means of production there will be no need of money – you do not need to buy what you already own". A product, not an aim. A question: As some of the main thinkers and writers in the Partly, do you honestly feel happy with all of the things which have been written here?
Email received at Head Office:
Quote:Surely you should be encouraging your readers/voters to vote LEAVE if only for the sheer malicious pleasure of terminating the careers of Cameron and Osborne, suddenly and in disgrace.. Neither would survive an 'OUT' vote for more than a few days. If they win – and survive – they are going to be even more unbearable.He has been referred to this month's Socialist Standard especially the front cover.
Email received from someone in the US:
Quote:Dear Scoialist Party (UK)Reply to yours on the General Strike and Workers Councils (Apr / May 2016 Soc. Standard Mags.) , First, Your article on the General Strike weapon (May Pg. 10-11)whilst informative and useful is quite faulty on a few key points .First, you grossly underestimate, and demean the importance of workers class consciousness growing which set the basis of the workers advances from mere legal /truncated trade/craft union actions . General strikes tend to move affected parts of the class and allies to more militant , anti-capitalist wider fightback and their own demands and build socialist clarity .. Second , you contradict , by your own emphasis on narrow parliamentary activities negating that many advances to General Strikes also incorporate political trends and tendencies, socialists work, gettting a favorable and influencial hearing from masses of active / combined workers.The workers in combined actions , working, co-operating, in spreading support brings more workerst o see in reality the latent power of their own class unleashed from capitalisms legalist jails & electoral illusions, and raising the needed spirit of organizing as a wider , united class. against waged slavery and capitals wider hegemony over society . . . Third, you try to separate, almost with a Chinese wall almost the whole economic struggle from the political conflict with capitalist rule. In fact at whatever the level of struggle , class conflict needs to raise BOTH fronts of battle to the the fore, in the terrain of the worker lives for them to strengthen their educating and organizing as a class against the bosses rule economically and thru the the capitalist state machine.monopoly of controls. The is no guarantee of immediate advance to revolution and workers taking the power. But the training of industrial and bonifide socialistic political education and action raises the workers to be serious challengers to the rule of the bosses dominance, exploitation robbery, racism and wars.. In your snipes on the *Soviets*, (Apr, Reveiw, pg 20), the workers councils advanced struggles , your prejudice against mass combined industrial political tactics leads you to distrort the history of the workers councils risings.. Your asserting that workers councils just arise 'spontaneously ' and in less developed countries is flat out wrong ! The workers councils did not just step onto history in 1905 and 1917 in Russia , but also in rebellion to the imperialist World War 1 in advanced industrial nations as Germany , Austria and Italy , etc and played a huge role in forcing the bourgeois rulers to halt the carnage of WW1 and both the workers, as large sections of the armed forces in councils rebelled against the continuing barbarism.and after. That their efforts went furthest in Russia but could not advance to full socialism is hardly the western workers/farmers fault, Given the amount of repression , counter revolution, isolation , capitalist intervention and blockades & state capitalist controls resulted in the defeat of the huge revolutionary waves by the early 20s.. In Germany , Austria, Hungary , Italy , etc the workers councils had not he time to deepen political understanding assisted by their new Marxist revolutionary parties like the experienced Bolsheviks, as had happened in Russia, The Western European workers councils , soldiers/sailors and workers included strong influences of reformists , careerists and fakers in addition to harmful influences of nationalist reaction too., Thus these councils occupations , mass actions, General strikes and near civil war not achieve the tactical and strategic clarity they had in Russia, at least for a few years . Also as a result of illusions in bosses 'democracy' slick parliamentary facades, followed by political division , repression , and isolation , their diffuse attempts to establish workers rule were defeated bythe ruling exploiter classes. Finally, is not at least a tad of wooden and ossifed thinking for you to say that the workers councils, (albeit in different forms & experiences ) cannot again emergein countries like the UK or the USA, etc., especially in periods of capitals crises/plunder that will probably be even deeper, bloodier , more global in scope ?The separate "What is Socialism" website that WSP members have been planning so as to take advantage of the increase in interest in the concept of socialism sparked off by Bernie Sanders's primary election campaign is now up and can be seen here:http://www.whatissocialism.net/
I forgot to add -Submissions from regular contributors to the Socialist Standard and from members of the World Socialism Movement, including those of the World Socialist Party of the United States, are welcome.They can either be emailed to spgb.sspc.ed@worldsocialism.org or sent by post to Head Office.
Another if belated (only published on polling day after voting had begun) interview with our candidate in Lambeth & Southwark but this time Kevin at least got a chance to correct a misinterpretation (scroll down to comments). The SW Londoner is an online newspaper published from Streatham.http://www.swlondoner.co.uk/4-5m-houses-make-mockery-system-lambeth-southwark-socialist-gla-candidate/
Socialist Party Head Office wrote:Here's the Socialist Party statement on the EU referendum adopted by the EC at its meeting on Saturday:Comment on this received by email at Head Office:
Quote:To the Socialist Party of Great Britain,I have read the statement issued by your executive committee this month titled "The problem is not the EU… it's capitalism." I believe, too, that the problem is capitalism. But I am absolutely sure that the EU is irredeemably linked to Capitalism, whereas at Westminster we conceivably have the power to make the interests of big businesses a less dominant factor in politicians' decisions. Because the EU Commission is not elected. It is conceived as a capitalists' charter, and acts as such. Westminster, freed from the anti-democratic influence of the EU, will be once more the seat of a democratic government, and with democracy comes the opportunity for people who have the intention and the courage to stand up to the massive power of capitalism to be elected. I urge you to choose the devil that you can get rid of in an election, rather than the devil that you can't. Can we not try to claim Britain for the people rather than surrendering it indefinitely to a group of unelected bankers? I feel like whoever is reading this will think me quite presumptious in airing my views to a political party in this manner, but I am young and optimistic, and I really believe what I just wrote. I'd be very eager to hear your reply to this. I wonder if you'd also be interested in my petition to Jeremy Corbyn? https://www.change.org/p/jeremy-corbyn-vote-with-your-conscience-the-eu-is-a-coup-against-democracy-and-the-working-classes?recruiter=76781477&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink Please reply, I'm being ignored everywhere.Best wishes,Brendan Kjellberg-MottonHere's the Socialist Party statement on the EU referendum adopted by the EC at its meeting on Saturday:
Quote:The problem is not the EU … it’s capitalismOn 23 June you will asked to make a decision on behalf of the minority who own and control the means of production in Britain: should they stay or should they leave the EU? Perhaps you ought to feel flattered that, for once, they have entrusted you with making a decision of vital importance to them. But our answer, as socialists, is “we are not interested. Settle the matter yourselves”.This is because the problems we and you face as wage and salary workers or their dependents are caused by the capitalist system of ownership by the few and production for profit. This system, which requires that making profits comes before meeting needs, will continue whether Britain is in or out of the EU. Whichever it is to be, the problems will continue. They will continue for as long as capitalism does. The only way out is if you, together with wage and salary workers in the rest of the world, organise democratically to replace global capitalism by a worldwide classless socialist society of common ownership and democratic control, with production to satisfy people’s needs not for profit, and distribution on the principle of “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs” not by the amount of money you have – or don’t have.The devil you knowApart from a few idealists who want to see a Federal European State, the main group in favour of staying is Big Business. With good reason, from their point if view. The EU gives them tariff- free access to a vast single market with common standards. And the EU, negotiating as a single body with non-member States over trade and other economic matters and so with more bargaining power, gets them a better deal than if Britain had to do this on its own.Other supporters are the Scottish and Welsh Nationalists who want to protect the EU subsidies their parts of Britain get. More principled is the position of the Green Party which wants to defend the free movement of workers throughout the EU – out of as well as into Britain.Cameron claims to have negotiated some fundamental reform of the EU. Actually, he has done no more than freeze the position of Britain as a non-member of the Eurozone. He hasn’t undone anything. He hasn’t even stopped immigration which some mistakenly see as a problem, only held out a hope that it will be less attractive in a few years. No wonder the Eurosceptics are sceptical.Basically, the Stay campaign are campaigning for the status quo. As is the Labour Party. In other words, capitalism as we know it, with all the problems it causes, and so not worth supporting even if it is the devil we know.The devil you don’tWe have received the following belated email comment on this article:
Quote:Hello SPGB,I am writing to you regards publication, No. 1313 January 2014 material world:Myth of Peaceful Buddhism.I find the publication misleading. Buddhism has many strands and has many followers in different countries. Most of these people would be lay followers.So to put up a a very negative and one sided view of Buddhism is not only unfair and unjust but it contorts the view of reality of the Buddhist to any person who would not know much about Buddhist followers or the Buddhist teachings.The word Buddhist can be very wide ranging so to slant a view on it would be misleading.On the publication it quotes Dr. Muang Zarni who himself is a Buddhist. You left out a lot of information on Dr. Muang Zarni study. Dr. Muang Zarni lived in Burma for 24 years and says even someone of his education (himself) had never heard anyone utter the word Rohingya. He talks about it here, https://youtu.be/8LctOLRhumsHe says that "90% of the people of Burma would never have meet someone from Rohingya. That the Genocide of the people is politically state sponsored."As it states in the publication, The conflict between Buddhists and Muslims is often over land and nationalism. And the Buddhist people are been lead by a extremist monk and other officials from government. So this genocide is not Buddhist lead. The Buddhist teachings does not advocate violence, it would be the opposite, compassion.So if a pacifist went out and murdered someone could you really call them a pacifist. They might be Buddhist in name but not in nature or practice.The whole publication seems to be anti Buddhist with no balance. It is offensive and disrespecting to the millions who actually follow the teachings of the Buddha.It reminded me of people who say things like, Stalin the socialist murdered 50 million of his own people…..we know that Stalin was not a socialist. But branding is a dangerous thing……war, oppression, conflicts, BUDDHISM, genocide, neo-nazis monks, its all throw in there. It also reminds me of a Britain first publication. With no tolerance of other peoples beliefs.So I kindly ask you to take the publication down as it cases offense to socialists and Buddhists alike. Kind regards Eddie O SullivanEmail received from Comrade KC of Cork who is not on this forum:Dear EditorsWell done to the various comrades for a range of good articles about the Easter Rising in last month’s Standard. For a socialist living in Ireland it’s good to read an alternative perspective on this matter and to have some of the well-known shibboleths that surround it debunked (not for the first time of course!). As I write in the week prior to Easter, things are gearing up here for the major commemorations scheduled for Easter Sunday and Easter Monday; 27th and 28th March. As the articles in the Standard suggests, in spite of all the rhetoric of the state and media, there really is very little tangible to see in the day to day lives of the citizens of the Republic of Ireland that is connected to the Rising apart from the fact that most major railway stations in Irish cities are named after some of the leading participants. It’s interesting to compare this centenary celebration with the commemoration that occurred in 1966 on the half centenary. The centrepiece on that occasion was a traditional old style military parade of the Irish Army down O Connell Street whilst being reviewed by De Valera and other elderly survivors of the Rising. Now it’s much more ‘inclusive’ with family events, educational lectures, historical re-enactments, street festivals, etc. Of course the underlying nationalist message is still present though in a more muted form with the Proclamation being read out in all school playgrounds under the Tricolour.The correct attitude to adopt to the Rising has always been somewhat problematical for Irish Governments. While Irish Independence is nominally taken to have begun with the rebellion, in fact the origins of the state really date from the unplanned and erratic series of events that occurred from the Conscription crisis of 1918 to the end of the Civil War in 1923. The undemocratic and vanguardist nature of the military operation of Easter 1916 has unpalatable parallels with the more recent campaign of the Provisional IRA. Furthermore the participation of James Connolly in the Rising has always given it left-wing appeal even though he was a clear minority in terms of his political outlook compared to the other leaders. A well-known phrase from the Proclamation ‘cherishing all the children of the nation equally’ has been used to justify the claim that it was a progressive event even though that wording was placed there more for grandiose political purposes rather than a call to any specific programme of action.What’s the view from today? You can debate over and back whether the 26 counties that eventually went on to form the Republic of Ireland would have been better or worse off if they had remained as part of the UK. To an extent it’s similar to the current debate in the UK about its own membership of the larger European political union. The delineation of national boundaries within a system of world capitalism is just a reflection of the nationalist consciousness that currently prevails amongst the people of this planet.
mcolome1 wrote:Most of the Greek philosophers supported slavery, and the slave master, and they were part of the Nobles class. it was a society whereas the slaves did all the works, and the nobles never worked.Message from comrade NW (who is not on this forum): "Most of the Greek philosophers supported slavery". -I don't think we can say that, for one thing, we don't know enough about the lives of most of them. Although certainly Aristotle, Plato and even Socrates had no problem with it, but the Cynics, Diogenes, for example, made a big thing of their poverty.He also writes 'It was a society where the slaves did all the work and the nobles never worked'. That's wrong too. In his book, Athenian Democracy, AHM Jones disagrees with this common view. He writes, (about slaves) "They were owned in the main by the 1,200 richest families and in decreasing numbers by the next 3,000 or so. It is unlikely that any slaves were owned by two-thirds to three-quarters of the citizen population. The great majority of the citizens earned their living by the work of their hands, as peasant farmers, craftsmen, shopkeepers, seamen and labourers". (Page 17) – and he writes plenty more along the same lines. And there is plenty of evidence in Athens various museums to show there was a large population of very poor citizens.
Letter received from Ron Elbert of the World Socialist Party of the US:Dear ComradesStefan's review of Gary Roth's book on Paul Mattick (February Socialist Standard) is interesting and thought-provoking. There is, however, one otherwise minor point I think it would be useful to bring out. The World Socialist Party of the U.S. did not 'originate' from the Socialist Party of Michigan, as stated in the review.The Workers' Socialist Party was the direct result of collaboration between disaffected Detroit members of the SP of A and SPGB 'slackers' Adolph Kohn and Moses Baritz, on the run from the British wartime authorities. These members, drawing on Kohn's input, resigned as a body from the SP of A, which would not allow the breakaways to use its registered trademark as the Socialist Party of the United States. So they dodged the issue by adding the qualifier "Workers'" to the name.The emergence of the Proletarian Party, on the other hand, was the outcome of mounting conflicts within the SP of A's Michigan affiliate: between the faction grouped around John Keracher, who promoted a radical policy of no reforms of capitalism, and members who had no trouble selling the national office on Keracher's heretical radicalism. The national organization finally 'expelled' the Michigan troublemakers by excluding them from its reorganized state affiliate.The new Proletarian Party, under Keracher's leadership, held views that were generally regarded by the WSP as nearly identical to its own — except for the PP's passionate endorsement of the Bolshevik Revolution. It is true there was a longstanding relationship between the Proletarian Party and the Workers' Socialist Party/Socialist Education Society. But it was a debating interest centered mainly around the latter's infatuation with 'the Russian bug,' as WSP members referred to it. The PP often derisively referred to the WSP as 'revolutionary tea drinkers.'It is in any event somewhat misleading to describe both organizations unqualifiedly as having a common origin in the Socialist Party of Michigan.Yours for socialism,RON ELBERT, Boston, USA
Letter received from Comrade Peter Newell.Regarding the ideas and thoughts of Antonio Labriola, readers may be interested in a book, Socialism and Philosophy, a collection of letters and articles, to Georges Sorel among others, written by him between April, 1897, and Hune, 1899, and published in English by Charles H. Kerr & Company 110 years ago in 1906. The translation was by Ernest Untermann from the Italian, the author of Marxian Economics and translator of works by Marx and Engels.In the early days of the Socialist Party of Canada, and the SPGB, Labriola's views were held quite highly by members such as James and William Pritchard and copies of his Socialism and Philosophy were sold both by the SPC and SPGB (I bought my copy from the SPGB).In the May, 1915, issue of the Western Clarion, William Pritchard refers to Antonio Labriola's criticism of the "Great Man" theory of history, wherein Labriola claims that the establishment of socialism "cannot be the work of a mass led by a few" (see my The Impossiblists: A Brief Profile of the Socialist Party of Canada, p. 74 and pp. 146-147). Labriola's view was that of Marx and Engels, that the workers must emancipate themselves.
More information supplied by the WSP(India) in reference to Gorachand Paramanik -Dear ComradesGorachand Paramanik’s complains against WSPI are baseless.My comments from face book of Socialist Party of Great Britain are following….If you know all the matters in wspi, so why have you rejoined in wspi? Your involvement in wsm was wspi to world socialist group (gobardhan pur) to spgb to wspi to …..that means either you are motivated or disturbing the wsm. Organization is based on principles and rules. What's the anti- socialist activity of whom?Soroj Bose is anti-socialist. Repeatedly our organization informed him our stand point. We are using ballots, not bullets. But still he was arguing against it. So we are not allowing because he uses bullets not ballots. Gorachand Paramanik r you going to use bullets in your socalled movements? Gorachand's comments:I often said manipulation never helped anybody, and don't follow to your de-facto leader blindly. Don't through your bogus comments, which you do not know. Without historical consciousness the debates are irrelevant. From me a: That means u know all the history? You are such a great man! And you mention the name of leader? Why are you afraid for mentioning name Gorachand Paramanik? Your consciousness. In marriage ceremony, I was also present, not mentioned by Gorachand Paramanik. We enjoyed voj (foods) not religious activity. Sankar Sarkar, Soroj Bose, Chandan Debnath they r all anti of our movement. They r most likely Leninist. They r against using Ballot. They r very much comfortable with using gun.Binay Sarkar is not egoists. Chandan debnath is egoist. I was present in that meeting. Chandan did not want to attend the meeting in our party office. Why Gorachand Paramanik? Chandan's behavior was violent but not B. Sarkar. U may confirm with Biswarup Choudhury. Fund collection articles published in Bengali dailies is a continuous prosecc. That doesn't mean it should b always day to day hour to hour minute to munute seconds to seconds fraction of second to fraction of second………….activiiiiiiiity Our last public meeting was held at 8B bustand, Jadavpur. And there is a Sunday discussion every Sunday in our party office which is open to all.Thanks Pradip Singha.
