Author: alanjjohnstone
Being Human 1/3
“The basic law of capitalism is you or I, not you and I.” Karl Liebknecht, German socialist It is human nature to eat when you are hungry, to drink when you are thirsty, and to sleep when you are tired. Nothing can alter this least of all socialists. However, what is meant by human nature as an…
No To Nationalism 3/3
Nation or Class? Home is where the heart is we are told, somewhere with the feel of belonging, security, comfort, fond childhood memories, neighbourly bonds, familiar habits and customs, all the things that frame a person into who they are and what they stand for. In a broader context home may be perceived as a wider geographical area, a…
¿SE DERRUMBÓ EL COMUNISMO?
Vamos a ver si es cierto. Hace varios años que Gorbachov fue casi relevado del poder en un golpe de Estado. Han pasado varios años desde aquellos días de tanques de guerra en Moscú, Yeltsin en “La Casa Blanca”, Yeltsin dando un discurso en un tanque de guerra y trabajadores luchando por la democracia, aunque…
No To Nationalism 2/3
Nasty Nationalist Nonsense The concept of the nation is a very real force in the minds of people. The outlook of “us and them” is deeply entrenched within the lives and the mind-set of many people. The idea that the world is naturally divided into nations is so widespread that it often goes unquestioned despite the world…
RUIDO DE SABLES SOBRE UCRANIA
Las potencias capitalistas occidentales, los Estados Unidos y susaliados en Europa, ganaron la Guerra Fría cuando la URSS finalmentecolapsó en 1991. Fue una derrota humillante para la Rusia capitalistaRusia perdió no solo la mayor parte de lo que había conquistado enEuropa del Este después de la 2ª Guerra Mundial, sino incluso parte delo que había…
No To Nationalism 1/3
The same the world over Nationalism is anathema to the World Socialist Movement (WSM). Workers have no country. We have more in common with people like ourselves in other countries than with the privileged owning-class of the country where we happen to be born in and live and work. The worldwide working class has a common…
The WSM and God-Belief
On religious belief, the World Socialist Movement takes up a position derived from Marx that religion is an expression of human alienation, of the fact that humans are not in control of their destiny but are the playthings of uncontrollable, impersonal economic and social forces and resort to religion to console themselves and to try to…
WHAT GOOD HAS RELIGION DONE FOR SOCIETY
All religious belief symbolises the immaturity of humanity by placing all human activity on a mythical altar where faith overrules logic and reasoning. In other words, explaining and refuting religion isn’t just a philosophical exercise; its a practical necessity. The fundamental idea of religion is a belief in the persistence of life after death. Originally, and…
The Religious Fix
“The fear of hell is a hangman’s whip to keep the wretch in order.” Robert Burns Religions are not deserving of respect just because they are religions and they must be subject to the same scrutiny as any other belief and cannot hide behind the notion that they are personal beliefs. The socialist analysis of religion derives from our…
Avoiding Bureaucracy, Managerialism and Technocracy
The basis of any society is the way its members reorganised for the production of wealth. Where a section only of society controls the means of production then we can speak of a class society. The class that controls the means of production can be said to constitute a stable ruling and privileged class when…