Pluto Press launch Get Political

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Get Political Campaign – key activists urge engagement with Trotsky, Lenin and Luxemburg Fifty key figures on the left, including China Miéville, Lindsey German, Ken Loach, Suzi Weissman, Michael Yates and Immanuel Ness, have backed a Pluto Press campaign urging activists fighting for the 99% against the 1% to draw inspiration from the lives and writings of three giants of 20th-century political change: Leon Trotsky, Rosa Luxemburg and VI Lenin. The campaign has been launched to coincide with the release of Leon Trotsky: Writings in Exile, the latest title in the Get Political series. The Get Political campaign statement argues that ‘It will not be a simple thing to win the battle of democracy…Luxemburg, Trotsky and Lenin were among the most perceptive and compelling revolutionaries of the 20th century. The body of analysis, strategy and tactics to which they contributed was inseparable from the mass struggles of their time. Critically engaging with their ideas can enrich the thinking and practical activity of those involved in today’s and tomorrow’s struggles for a better world.’ Paul Le Blanc, author and co-ordinator, outlined the purpose of the campaign: ‘The occupy movement and the anti-cuts movement have made a huge impact in a short space of time, but we must build on these successes in order to advance struggles of the future. By engaging with the lives and ideas of Lenin, Luxemburg and Trotsky, activists will find vital analyses and organisational strategies which can help us overcome setbacks, with a leftward shift of the political mainstream.’ The campaign gives those involved in recent movements, such as occupy, the tools and inspiration to continue their struggle to build a fairer world. A campaign website, http://www.getpoliticalnow.com, offers the following resources: Extensive slide shows detailing the lives of Trotsky, Lenin and Luxemburg and an introduction to Marxism Sample Chapters from three Pluto Press Get Political titles on each of the three figures Study plans for each title, ideal for planning reading groups or lectures A tool for users to endorse the campaign and spread the word SPECIAL OFFER To celebrate the launch of the campaign we are running a special ‘3 for 2’ offer on all Get Political titles. Click here to browse and buy.

Events There are a number of exciting and highly topical book launches of Pluto Press titles taking place in March… Thursday 8th March – Launch for The Economics of Killing: How the West Fuels War and Poverty in the Developing World Author Vijay Mehta will be discussing his book at the Hilton Hotel Euston, 17 – 18 Upper Woburn Place, London. The event will run from 6:30pm – 8:30pm. To RSVP email: jonw@plutobooks.com. For more information visit The Economics of Killing website. Tuesday 13th March – Launch for The Best of Le Monde diplomatique 2012 Jointly hosted by Pluto Press, Le Monde diplomatique and the London Middle East Institute. Contributors Gilbert Achcar (SOAS) and Samir Aita (Le Monde diplomatique) will be discussing ‘The Middle East in Transition: Syria and the “Arab Spring”‘ at the Khalili Lecture Theatre in the School of Oriental and African Studies, central London. The event will be chaired by LMD English editorial director Wendy Kristianasen. The event starts at 5.45pm and will be followed by a drinks reception. For further information or to RSVP please contact the London Middle East Institute, email: vp6@soas.ac.uk / tel: 020 7898 4490. Thursday 22nd March – Launch for State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles: Counter Insurgency, Government Deviance and Northern Ireland Jointly hosted by Pluto Press and the International State Crime Initiative, King’s College London. Author Maurice Punch will discuss the book alongside Penny Green, Professor of Law and Criminology at King’s College and Paul Rock, Professor of Social Institutions at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The event takes place at the River Room, KCL, Strand, London WC2R 2LS from 6.00-8.00pm and will be followed by light refreshments. Discounted copies of the book will be available on the night. To RSVP email: alicia.d’ath@kcl.ac.uk.

Book sites You can now visit David Renton’s new Struck Out Blog, which has been launched ahead of his forthcoming book Struck Out: Why Employment Tribunals Fail Workers and What Can Be Done. As proposed government reforms threaten to further weaken the Employment Tribunal system, David’s blog will comment on the latest legislative developments and focus on the experiences of workers seeking legal redress in the UK, including the shortcomings of the tribunal system. David says, “Employment Tribunals are under scrutiny in a way they never have been before. Government plans for them, including the introduction of hearing fees, are likely to take the Tribunals out of the reach of all but a small minority of potential claimants. I will use the blog to report the day to day experiences of a busy employment practitioner. I hope to puncture more than a few press myths along the way.” Also up-and-running is Vijay Mehta’s Economics of Killing website, launched to coincide with the release of his book The Economics of Killing: How the West Fuels War and Poverty in the Developing World. The website features: A sample chapter The latest news, events and articles related to the book A special discount offer Full list of endorsements from leading figures in the peace movement such as Tony Benn, Deepak Chopra, Bruce Kent, Arun Gandhi and Caroline Lucas.

Leon Trotsky Writings in Exile Leon Trotsky, edited by Kunal Chattopadhyay and Paul Le Blanc Introduces the writings of Leon Trotsky. “Leon Trotsky stands as a shining beacon amid the revolutionary events of our epoch. Out of the vast ideological arsenal he produced, Trotsky always considered that his most important works were those from his years in exile, which remain essential reading for those seeking to bring about fundamental change today. Kunal Chattopadhyay and Paul Le Blanc have done a great service in helping to make available, in a single volume, these texts to new generations of revolutionary activists.” – Esteban Volkow, Grandson of Leon Trotsky and President of the Board, Leon Trotsky House Museum, Coyoacan, Mexico “This bracing book provides theoretical nourishment for our times, just as millions take to the streets worldwide demanding a just economic system. Leon Trotsky hit the world stage as President of the St. Petersburg Soviet in the 1905 Russian Revolution. … Trotsky continues to educate and inspire, his flame refuses to be extinguished.” – Suzi Weissman, Professor of Politics, Saint Mary’s College of California £14.99 only £13.00 on the Pluto site The Economics of Killing How the West Fuels War and Poverty in the Developing World Vijay Mehta Shows how Western governments are trapping the developing world in a cycle of violence and poverty. “We live in a rich world and yet increasingly people are getting caught in the poverty trap and facing real hardship and pain. Vijay Mehta’s excellent book sets out the problems and solutions, and challenges us all to create the spiritual and political will to implement policies which will bring about real change and give hope to humanity.” – Mairead Maguire, Irish peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. “The Economics of Killing brilliantly links the deepening economic crisis facing the West with the dynamics of militarism that is wreaking havoc on the planet. Everyone who cares about the future must read this groundbreaking book.” – Richard Falk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for the Palestinian Territories, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, USA £14.99 only £13.00 on the Pluto site The Best of Le Monde diplomatique 2012 Edited by Wendy Kristianasen Collection of the best writing from one of the world’s most prestigious intellectual journals. “Le Monde diplomatique offers a cool, reasoned, different view of the world’s most pressing issues.” – New York Review of Books “Le Monde diplomatique is more than ever indispensable to readers who want to know what governments and consensus media will not tell them.” – Eric Hobsbawm £18.99 only £17.00 on the Pluto site The Accidental Capitalist A People’s Story of the New China Behzad Yaghmaian Based on extensive on-the-ground research, reveals the human stories behind China’s extraordinary growth. “This remarkable book paints intimate portraits of some of the faceless millions of migrant workers who have made China’s economic miracle possible. Through their stories of hope and heartbreak, Yaghmaian takes readers beyond the statistics to show the revolutionary changes of the last generation. “ – Ivan Watson, CNN Foreign Correspondent “A new account of China’s epic transformation, told through the personal biographies of men and women working in factories and construction sites. A fascinating, moving and highly readable book.” – Jeff Crisp, Head, Policy Development and Evaluation Services, UNHCR £17.99 only £16.00 on the Pluto site Struck Out Why Employment Tribunals Fail Workers and What Can be Done David Renton Shows why we can’t rely on the employment tribunal system to deliver fairness and highlights the changes required to protect workers’ rights. “How can employers and the government argue that employment rights are a burden on business at the same time as so many workplace injustices go unremedied? In the context of a debate over employment law reform that is in danger of being overwhelmed by rhetoric and misinformation, this book will be essential reading for its empirically grounded and dispassionate analysis of what has gone wrong and how it might be put right.” – Simon Deakin, Professor of Law at the University of Cambridge “‘Employment law in this country isn’t written for working people’ – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard that at union meetings. But when you’re the person victimised at work, then we all hope Employment Tribunals will deliver us justice. With this excellent step-by-step explanation of how the system works in reality, David Renton explains why it so rarely does. Blacklisted workers have experienced the process first-hand and know this book is true.” – Dave Smith, Blacklist Support Group £19.99 only £17.50 on the Pluto site State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles Counter Insurgency, Government Deviance and Northern Ireland Maurice Punch Documents in chilling detail how the British government turned to violent and illegal measures in its fight against Irish Republicanism. “State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles brings to bear a mature, discerning and knowledgeable mind on a vexed area and the results are disquieting, fascinating and provocative.” – Paul Rock, Professor of Social Institutions, Mannheim Centre for the Study of Criminology and Criminal Justice, London School of Economics and Political Science £18.99 only £17.00 on the Pluto site Pakistan The US, Geopolitics and Grand Strategies Edited by Usama Butt and Julian Schofield International analysts and commentators consider Pakistan’s position in the global geo-political order. “This deeply-researched, well-thought-out and comprehensive book makes an important contribution to our understanding of Pakistani policy and the vexed subject of US-Pakistani relations.” – Professor Anatol Lieven, War Studies, King’s College London and author of Pakistan: A Hard Country “Pakistan’s complex and increasingly stressful relationship with the US cannot be analysed in isolation from its other regional interests, including those relating to China and Iran, let alone India. This wide-ranging study by scholars from diverse backgrounds provides much-needed analysis of this wider context. It is a singularly valuable contribution to a field of study all too often dominated by a particular national orientation.” – Professor Paul Rogers, Peace Studies, Bradford University £18.99 only £17.00 on the Pluto site The Scramble for African Oil Oppression, Corruption and War for Control of Africa’s Natural Resources Douglas A. Yates Shows how Western control of Africa’s oil has fed corruption and undermined democracy, and how Africans have resisted the theft of their resources. “Essential reading for anyone seeking an understanding of the ‘resource curse’, the global exploitation of Africa’s resources and the troubled state of African politics. Drawing on a detailed knowledge of the region, Douglas Yates does a remarkable job of exposing the predatory forces responsible for the continuing impoverishment of Africa’s oil states – while also celebrating those heroic African figures who have resisted the onslaught.” – Professor Michael T. Klare, Hampshire College, Massachusetts and author of Resource Wars “Yates brilliantly scales the walls of the oil fortress in Africa and shines a light into the complex politics – local, national and global – of the oil and gas industry and offers some insight into possible routes out of the swamp of failed oil-development.” – Professor Michael Watts, University of California, Berkeley £19.99 only £17.50 on the Pluto site Eradicating Extreme Poverty Democracy, Globalisation and Human Rights Edited by Xavier Godinot. Foreword by Christopher Winship Rejects traditional ‘top-down’ approaches, arguing that the poor in developing countries must be deeply involved in their own liberation from poverty. “This gem of a book gets under the skin of poverty. Years accompanying poor people in four countries in their daily struggle for survival reveal a world far more complex and fascinating than the $1-a-day platitudes of the conventional aid debate. Above all it shows the human reality of poverty: the endless struggle for respect, and against indignity and stigma. Read it to learn what development should be about.” – Duncan Green, head of research, Oxfam Great Britain “This important publication argues convincingly that extreme poverty is a human rights crisis that demands urgent commitments from states to respect, protect and fulfil human rights for all. The book highlights the importance of engaging individuals directly as advocates for change to address extreme poverty in their own communities and for their fellow citizens.” – Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International £19.99 only £17.50 on the Pluto site Discordant Development Global Capitalism and the Struggle for Connection in Bangladesh Katy Gardner Based on extensive field work, looks at the impact of a multinational mining company on four densely populated villages in rural Bangladesh. “Katy Gardner treads a finely judged line, keeping both neoliberal developers and anti-globalisation activists at arm’s length in order to describe relations at a human scale, thereby doing for development what anthropology ought. She addresses a number of highly topical issues include the paradoxical developmental effects of extractive industries, Corporate Social Responsibility as a form of neoliberal governmentality (handled especially well), microfinance and corruption. This an extremely rare opening up of the world of ordinary people affected by such schemes.” – David Mosse, Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London £21.99 only £19.50 on the Pluto site Flammable Societies Studies on the Socio-economics of Oil and Gas Edited by John-Andrew McNeish and Owen Logan Critical assessment of the impact of the oil and gas industry on socio-economic development across the world. Draws on original research. “In their important book, McNeish and Logan take issue with conventional wisdom by reading the varied experiences of petro-states in the northern and southern hemispheres against one another to explode the overly simplified sense of good and bad oil governance. At the heart of these empirically rich and conceptually innovative contributions is a sensitivity to the intersection of petro-state power with territoriality and forms of sovereignty, a heady mix of forces which can produce inflammable political outcomes. Flammable Societies unsettles the field of oil studies by fusing visual, textual, historical and ethnographic approaches into a powerful whole. A path-breaking book.” – Michael Watts, Class of 63 Professor, University of California, Berkeley “This collection offers fresh insights into the social relations of communities in which oil and gas are produced – from Scotland to Russia and Nigeria – and of resistance to oil-fuelled power. It challenges lazy, catch-all concepts about oil-producing economies and raises the standard of academic debate.” – Simon Pirani, Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies and author of Change in Putin’s Russia £25 only £22.50 on the Pluto site

[ALB]

It certainly will be a difficult thing to win the battle of democracy on the basis of the ideas of Lenin and Trotsky. I can’t see how  the non-democratic and state-capitalist ideas of Lenin and Trotsky can be squared with the democratic and socialist ideas of Rosa Luxemburg. I would have thought that the two of them were both dead dogs as far as any future anti-capitalist movement is concerned. No mass anti-capitalist movement is going to want to make the same mistake made in the 20th century of seeing the revolution as being led by a vanguard party which then establishes its dictatorship and employs violence and terror against all and any opponents of its rule.

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