Young Master Smeet

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  • in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105890

    SP,There are two routes.  If a branch hears the charge they have to write to the member with the specifics of the accusation, and invite them to respond, and then hold a hearing where a majority votes will decide the outcome.  This is ratified by the EC, with the member having the right of appeal to conference or ADM.  The other route is deprecated, which is the EC levels the charge directly, with the same right of appeal.  It's generally felt the EC should not use this power, if the member is connected to a branch that can action the charge.The reason I'm circumspect and say "may" is because we are talking about many different circumstances, and it would be up to memebrs at the time to decide how to react.  For instance, if they were convinced there had been a miscarriage of justice;  or, to take another example,a  Romeo and Juliet case of an 18 year convicted of sex with a 15 year old, etc;  what of an applicant with a twenty year old conviction (or a member whose historic conviction is discovered)? etc. etc.  hence why I say "may".  No point scoring.

    in reply to: Robots in demand in China as labour costs climb. #90877

    Robots in demand…in Australia:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30098772

    Quote:
    In a country where wages and living standards are high, there is a genuine need to put machines into jobs few humans want to do.

    Note the driverless trucks and trains. This is almost a textbook example.  Jobs are displaced to the technicians/engineering end of the spectrum.  Note, also, per some of my prognostications, the key is the labour shortage as a driver.  China can draw on almost limitless cheap labour, and so can adopt the counter strategy, but Australia really is limitted.

    in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105885

    SP,we don't have a specific policy, because the question has never arisen (although one or two members have mooted a memebrs code of conduct from time to time).  There are two factors that apply generally: the membership questionaire/test where if such offences were admitted or known about they would become relevent for consideration.  If the offence (or conviction) occurs whilst someone is a member then that may be considered action detrimental under rule, and thus be subject to a charge.We can't say more than that, because each case is unique, and (as has been pointed out here) other factors may come into consideration.  All we can say is that we will have to consider their cases as and when they arise.

    in reply to: What Is IS? #105914

    http://theconversation.com/when-un-peacekeepers-commit-atrocities-someone-has-to-act-34317It seems even UN peacekeepers can be counted as gangsters and rapists.

    Quote:
    In early 2004, the  international media reported on the sexual exploitation and abuse of young Congolese women and girls by United Nations peacekeepers in the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). The public outcry that followed these reports led to an investigation by the United Nations Office of Oversight Services (OIOS). The investigation found serious problems of  sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Mission. The allegations were substantiated by a Human  Rights Watch report on sexual exploitation and abuse in Eastern Congo. In his annual report, pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 57/306, the Secretary-General reported a total of 121 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in 2004-more than double the 53 allegations reported in 2003. Forty-five per-cent of those allegations were reports involving sex with minors."
    in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105874

    It's inevitable that a complaint would be made: and we wouldn't be doing anything that a Golf Club wouldn't do.

    in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105871

    At the very least the question of their socialist understanding would come into play; and the question of bringing into disrepute.

    in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105869

    SP,the short answer is that such a person would be charged, and their membership debated.  Now, there is a complication that Evans has a plausible claim of inoocence and wrongful conviction (I don't, personally believe he was, but you can read for yourselves).http://www.chedevans.com/key-and-undisputed-factshttps://www.crimeline.info/case/r-v-ched-evans-chedwyn-evansI think the key to the case is that in the space of four hours the victim drank somewhere in the region (my estimate) of 15 units of alcohol.  Half of that would be enough to leave most of us the worse for wear.  I think that may be what sunk him with the Jury.

    in reply to: What Is IS? #105912

    Maybe I should add 'Organised rape' as a feature of these gangs.  It seems to be a persistent and, maybe, essential feature (perhaps connected with the tribal aspect of their makeup, or maybe connected with their recruitment and retention of young males):http://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/countries/syrian-arab-republic/Anyway, the above is a UN source from this year.  One of the most depressing things I've read in a while.

    in reply to: What Is IS? #105910
    in reply to: What Is IS? #105908

    http://www.juancole.com/2014/11/refinery-shiite-militias.htmlJuan Cole says IS is known as Daesh in the region (much better handle, really):

    Quote:
    Daesh is estimated to make $30 million a month from petroleum sales. It isn’t actually that much in the larger scheme of things. Contrary to the somewhat breathless US reporting, Daesh is not the most wealthy terrorist group ever. At the height of the Iraq War a decade ago, Shiite militias probably siphoned off some $5 billion annually from the national oil production.

    Cole's analysis is that Daesh is being routed, which means the euqllay unspeakable gangster Assad will regain Syria.

    in reply to: Marx was a Productionist, not a Materialist #105778

    The objects of study are different because some are repeatable and amenabl to experiment, whereas some events are not repeatable and capable only of explanation.  The unifying force is history and historical explanation and the understaqnding of the human role in both processs.  No amount of power effects the peterbations of venus but it can (has and does) effect the decision and process to look at them.Science, to me, is any organised system of knowledge.  Hence the sweet science of boxing.

    in reply to: Marx was a Productionist, not a Materialist #105776

    Lbird,well my starting point would be that I understand the term ideology very different from you, I don't use it to mean a set of ideas or creed but a process of power relations and their effect on ideas and prceptions of the world.  In that sense I don't subscribe to an ideology.I'd say that the objects of study are different for sociology and physics, but that both are amenable to historical explication and analysis.

    in reply to: Marx was a Productionist, not a Materialist #105774
    Quote:
    So, what's your opinion on the various attempts to unify materialism and idealism in the 19th century? Do you think Marx achieved this, or not?

    Yes, I think he did.  See, life is much easier when you ask me my opinions rather than assuming them, incorrectly, based on misreadings of my posts.

    in reply to: A socialist speaker on question time #105828
    SocialistPunk wrote:
    Surely in a socialist society there would also be a need to contain someone who has harmed another person or persons to prevent them from repeating the same act?

    Indeed, but how long do we hold them in that protective mode?    I assume we're eliminating a retributive element and a deterrent element, here.  But even if we are assured they won't do it again, we may have to hold them for their own safety as well beyond that.The basic principle is that society must have a means of defending itself, and out of 7 billion people we cannot assume they will all go over to peaceful cuddliness and some will need to be dealt with.  For example, there are in the UK about 60 individuals who are so seriously dangerous they will never be released from prison (and I assume that they will have to be detained somehow in socialism).We can assume in socialism, largely/dramatically freed from economic crime, we can throw a lot more time, attention and effort into dealing with persistent offenders against the person.

    in reply to: Marx was a Productionist, not a Materialist #105772
    LBird wrote:
    So, now you have it on 'good' authority (I'm tempted to say 'elite') that no-one united the material and ideal, where does that leave you?

    Herein, Ladies and gentlemen, we Lbird's scientific method: theorising well in advance of the evidence, and reading things into texts that are not said. 

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