SPC Newsletter 1st May 2017
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THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF CANADA
General Secretary's Report for May 2017
Email Report
– WSP (India) EC meeting minutes No. 174, Sunday, April 9, 2017, received with thanks.
– WSP (India) Spring School held 4 March, Saturday, 2PM – 8PM & Annual Conference 5 March, Sunday.
– Academia.edu WSP (India) grown to 50,236,801 as of April 9, 2017
– WSP (India) Facebook Discussion Forum membership stands at 1,900
Good of the Movement
– One member application enquiry.
– The Toronto Branch of the Socialist Party of Canada meeting held Wednesday, 26 April 2017
from 6:30pm to 8:30pm: The Second Cup Coffee House.
– Next spring socialist discussion meeting May 24, The Second Cup Coffee House, 324 Bloor St., Toronto.
Communications to: spctorontobranch@gmail.com
– see Toronto Branch Facebook for further details: https://web.facebook.com/Toronto-Branch-Socialist-Party-of-Canada-1120836671294008/ & our website https://www.worldsocialism.org/canada/
– Socialist Party of Canada Facebook public page https://web.facebook.com/socialistpartycanada/ & members' page https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012582758245
– Transitioning of spc@iname.com email to spc@worldsocialism.org in progress to phase out iname account.
– Survey Monkey and/or a similar product being explored to integrate into party general member and GAC voting.
– Activation of SPC@spc_news Twitter account administrated via GAC has been highly active. All Twitter correspondence to https://twitter.com/spc_news.
– Imagine Spring 2017: expected distribution May 2017 – (members, please send in your submissions and ideas!).
– Ongoing request from Cormade Matt Culbert (SPGB Blog Committee) requests SPC members use our Imagine Blog, as it has been dormant since November 2010. Suggestion is for members to post several times per week. Members, please write in and use this free site – The Imagine Blog http://imaginespc.blogspot.co.uk/
– Darrell Whitehead shares two new websites (with lots of historical information) with SPC members to support the continuation of the printed Socialist Standard https://savethesocialiststandard.tumblr.com/ &
http://savethesocialiststandard.blogspot.co.uk/
– Socialist education site for redistribution & hyperlinking, S. Shenfield (WSPUS) http://www.whatissocialism.net/
GAC Elections 2017-2019
– The low December 31, 2016 vote turn out re: GAC election, resulting in GAC resolution querying GAC members whether they wish to continue to serve, has resulted in two GAC openings. GAC remaining are: John Ayers, Steve Shannon, Mehmet Onur Sezgun, Mercedes Scott, John Ames; new GAC member is Samuel Lin. One GAC seat remains vacant.
Finances – Stationary nil; photocopies nil; post nil.
Dues – Several dues have been paid, but most still stand in arrears. Members in financial circumstances inhibiting dues payment may seek waiver – please contact our treasurer and/or general secretary. Other members please note dues are a modest $25 per year, or $2 per month and are required for post, photocopies, public meeting expenses, and internet services.
Food for Thought
● Statistics Canada said, manufacturing sales fell 0.2% in February, as the motor vehicle assembly, petroleum and coal product manufacturing industries declined. Factory sales were down in ten of the 21 industries representing 37% of the Canadian manufacturing sector. Sales in the motor vehicle assembly industry fell 5.3% while the petroleum and coal products industry dropped 5%. Sales fell in seven provinces, led by Ontario, which fell 1.1%. So there it is folks, things ain't getting better are they?
● The Toronto Public Library plans to keep two branches open late without any staff, which has alarmed the Library Workers Union. The Swansea Memorial and Todmorden Room locations will extend services, such as hold-pick ups, book returns, and access to computers in the fall. People will be able to swipe in with their library cards. This way libraries will stay open 24 hours. Maureen O'Reilly, president of the Toronto Public Libraries Union, said, "This is no more than a cost-saving exercise where politicians and senior staff refuse to advocate strongly on behalf of the service." A library official said, "This is not to replace staff, but to expand hours." Anyone can say anything they want, but it's still the shape of things to come.
● On April 7th, the Associated Press said U.N. satellite images show at least 18,000 structures have been destroyed in the Yei area of South Sudan. The area has become the main centre of fighting between the government and rebels since the "Peace Deal" collapsed in July. The U.N. has highlighted the area for its risk of genocide and an AP reporter saw charred bodies during a visit to Yei last year. Since capitalism can't continue without war, let's see it doesn't continue period.
● A child or youth is shot in Ontario almost every day according to a study by the Institute for Clinical Evaluation Sciences and Toronto's Hospital for sick Children. The study found there were an average of 355 firearm injuries a year between 2008 and 2012. It also found that immigrant children and youth from Africa are 3 times as likely, and those from Central America, 4 times as likely to be a victim than their Canadian counterparts. Whether racially motivated or not, these shootings must end, but it sure as hell wont happen while a system as divisive as Capitalism lasts.
● March 22 was clean water day, in which UNICEF brought to peoples attention that more than 3 billion people around the world lack access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation systems. Globally at least 1.8 billion use a drinking water source contaminated by feces and half of the worlds population will be living in water-stressed areas by 2025. The water problem is particularly serious in Africa's largest City Lagos, Nigeria, a City of 21 million. According to one community leader, "when we fetch water it foams and smells like petrol and detergent was poured into it." Obviously the problem is compounded by one of the most disgusting aspects of life under Capitalism in the 20th and 21st centuries, the growth of Megacitys. In Cities such as Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Cape Town and Lagos, millions live in shanty towns, where there is no sanitation and clean drinking water. Somehow I cant imagine the Capitalist Class using the wealth they've worked so hard to steal, putting in sewers and water lines for the residents of a shanty town. Be that as it may, nevertheless they wouldn't have to. In 2011, the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation, announced a competition to invent a toilet that did not need a sewer connection, or electricity and cost less than 5 cents per user per day. The winner was an entry from Caltech that uses photovoltaic cells to power an electro-chemical reactor that treats human waste, producing clean water for flushing or irrigation and hydrogen that can be stored in fuel cells. The system is entirely self contained; it has no need for an electrical grid, a sewer line or a treatment facility. The only input the toilet requires, beyond sunlight and human waste, as simple table salt which is oxidized to make chlorine to disinfect the water. So once again, Capitalism rises to the technical challenge, but will the toilets be used in shanty towns? Its doubtful because it will still costs the Capitalists money to put them there; money they wont see a return on, no matter how cheap they are to use. So once again, Capitalism fails the social challenge. It should be obvious to anyone that a shanty town is an epidemic waiting to happen and sooner or later it will.
● Throughout April there has been a ton of patriotic vomit spewed out by the media while they "commemorated'', the centenary of the battle of Vimy Ridge in which 11,285 soldiers in Canadian regiments died. They call it, ''The Birth of a Nation'', oblivious to the fact that most of the troops were British born, and justify it on the grounds it ended Canada's status as a junior partner in Britain's economic scheme of things. What it really meant at the time was the Capitalist Class in Canada proved they could be useful to their British overlords and were upgraded. After all, what would all those deaths mean if they died pursuing the interests of the Great God Profit? So this is what has to be done to become a Nation. This begs the question, ''What is a Nation? – the answer being in the political sense, it is a means whereby a minority of the population in a given area do well at the expense of the minority. Since that is the case, and events like Vimy Ridge is the way to become one, is it worth having Nations? How about a world where the weren't any.
● The March – April issue of , ''Tough Times'', which is the journal of the Peel County Poverty Action Group, (PPAG), was full of brilliant ideas. These included a basic income plan, less costly child care, increased welfare payments, an appeal for help from the Mississauga Food Bank, an ad for the help available to those suffering from anxiety and depression, suggestions conducive to helping the homeless and, under the heading, ''Needed, more work, better wages, more homes,'' an article on affordable housing. There was also an ad saying, ''Candidate wanted for the Ontario Election, June 2018. A person who is outgoing, involved in social issues, energetic,ethical. Apply at the Brampton NDP office.” All this would be hilarious if the situation wasn't so tragic. The aims of all these wishy-washy ideas is simply to reduce poverty; we of the SPC want to abolish it. The bitter irony of it all is that when Socialist ideas spread like wildfire the Capitalist Class will be passing reform measures too numerous to count – they'll have reforms up the wazoo, whatever the wazoo is. It's been clearly shown that no reform or program of reforms, aims at attacking the most fundamental aspect of Capitalism – the ownership of the tools of production by a small minority, therefore all reforms inevitably fail to provide a full and happy life for all. Let's have done with reforms and have a society where they wont be needed.
● Most of you will have seen the video of the disgraceful incident of a man being ejected from a United Airlines flight. But what was it all about? United, like other airlines overbook, so if their are cancellations, they can still make a profit from a flight. Its quiet simple isn't it? Except its not so simple when a passenger objects to being told to leave! It's easy enough to criticize the company, but what are were they really doing? – just obeying the first law of Capitalism, which is make a profit no matter how!
● Airlines seem to be making news these days and not in a positive way. Another big stink about them in April was Bombardier making plans to lay off 14,000 workers world wide, 5,000 of them Canadian, while awarding its six top executives bonuses totalling $32 million. All this is after the Quebec and federal governments gave the Montreal based company $1.4 billion to develop and build a new line of aircraft. That's what I like about dear old Capitalism – it's wonderful sense of fairness.
● A Chinese friend told me that in the fur industry in China animals, including Dogs and Cats, are skinned alive for their fur. This is because the skinners are on piece rates and killing an animal without damaging the skin takes skill and time. the animals, he said die very unpleasantly – what a surprise! Their bodies probably stink too, in fact the only thing that could stink worse is Capitalism.
● The US based National Snow and Ice Data Centre said Arctic ice is at a record low for the third straight year and it is at its lowest level in the 38 year history of satellite record keeping. The median figure for 1981 to 2010 was 15.6 square kilometers, which is now down to 14.5. Recent research has suggested that most of the loss is due to climate change and is expected to increase as carbon dioxide continues to build in the atmosphere. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which partly funds the Snow and Ice Data Centre, is threatened by proposed budget cuts from the White House, so it cant afford to piss 'em off. One glaring thing about Capitalism is that no matter how bad things are, they can always get worse and to prove itwe have Scott Pruitt, Trump's top environmental official, calling for an exit from the Paris climate agreement of 2015. On April 13 we have this worthy saying,'' Paris is something that we really need to look at closely. It's something we need to exit in my opinion. Its a bad deal for America.'' What he really means is it will affect the extent to which Manufacture in the US can make a profit. Trump had previously shown he doesn't care about the policy of climate change Obama had pursued, but the question is what, except for the needs of US Capitalism does he care about? This isn't to say that if every signatory stuck to the accords of the Paris agreement it would solve the problem, though it would be better than nothing. The only sure way to solve it is to get rid of the cause, the pathetic apology for an economic system we live under.
● I sometimes, shamefacedly enter the premises of crowd that 'ain't exactly famous for tolerance,' the Legion. My excuse, however weak, is to participate in Karioke. A member of it, which I am not, gave me a leaflet headed,''Advocating for Life-Long Financial Security for Canada's Ill and Injured Veterans. The 4 page document can be summed up by, ''We vets have done our bit for our country and now it proverbially urinates on us.'' It lists various demands; a typical one being, ''Increase The Earnings Loss Benefit (ELB) to provide 100% of pre-release income and provide ELB for life (not terminated at 65, as is currently the case). The projected earnings of a Canadian Forces member should determine the minimum ELB.'' Even Vets who don't suffer from PTSD are adversely affected in other ways. So even if one isn't politically opposed to any, or all, wars, it just isn't worth fighting.
● Just look at the headings in the Business section in the Toronto Star of April 5, ''Banking boss talks housing crises, ''Downsizing is packed with plenty of barriers,'' Collapse of car demand in US jeopardizes auto factory drive'', ''Canada posts surprise trade deficit'', “Province continues to deal with debt load.'' Ralph Lauren to close flagship store, cut jobs.” Is something rotten in the state of Denmark? Maybe, but not just Denmark.
● When rents on two condo buildings in downtown Toronto doubled from $1,650 a month to $3,300, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne was forced to take a stand. There is rent control on properties built before 1991; the trouble is these were built after. Wynne put a $31 cap on monthly increases on all rental buildings, but to those who had already received notices of rent increments. Wynne and Housing Minister Chris Ballard also announced that $11.2 billion would be funded over eleven years to housing. This includes $3.2 billion for affordable housing initiatives and repairs to existing housing. There is also $2.1 billion for the Homeless Partnering Strategy, a program that aims to reduce homelessness. The funding doubles the present commitment and extends it from 2019 to 2022. A total of $5 billion will go toward a National Housing Fund which will help finance direct lending for new rental housing. As impressive as all this may seem, it only concerns rental property, but for those who want to buy it's a different nightmare, especially in Toronto, which has seen double digit percentage increases in the past year. The average home price there is $916,000 and $1.6 million is the average price of a detached house. One can imagine the fear of not making rent or mortgage payments this will, and has, caused. Better a society without rent or mortgages.
● U.S. hotels say they've seen a wave if cancellations since Trump's first attempt to restrict certain overseas travellers and demand for U.S. flights has fallen in nearly every country since January, according to Hopper, a travel-booking app. There has been a 40% decline in searches for U.S. flights from China and Iraq, since Trump's inauguration: a 15% drop in US. hotel bookings from Mexico, according to Marriott International: there will be 4.3 million fewer people estimated to visit the United States this year, according to Tourism Economics, this represents 7.4 billion in lost revenue. Isn't it ridiculous that one of the greatest believers in capitalism, who has the number one job in the world looking after capitalism's interests, should be screwing up one of America's greatest industries? The fact that this is happening only goes to underline the fact that capitalism is a crazy system.
● Trump represents the Wisconsin and New York Dairy Farmers against what he perceives to be the unfairness of Canadian rules governing dairy trade. While Trump has not indicated exactly what he considers unfair about it, it is believed he is referring to the trade of ultra-filtered milk – a high protein product sometimes used in cheese and yogurt production. After losing their buyers for the dairy product, 75 farm families in Wisconsin blame Canada, saying, their livelihood has been threatened. They may say what they want, but the root cause is a flooded global market. Trudeau mentioned Canada prefers to have a fact-based re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Those two brilliant minds can squabble all they want and farmers and anyone else can attempt to analyze the situation all they want, but inevitably it's the little guy who gets screwed.
● We continue our monthly soap opera about the TTC. On April 16th, a study that was published in the journal, "Environmental Science and Technology", claimed that concentrations of fine particulate matter on the Toronto subway system, are roughly ten times the level found outside TTC stations. At 95 micrograms per cubic metre, researchers say the levels are typical of an average day in pollution-choked Beijing. Under some conditions the kind of particulate matter that was measured, known as PM2.5 has been associated with lung problems and Health Canada advised that indoor concentrations "should be kept as low as possible." And I thought smoking was bad for one's health! As long as the capitalists have a transit system to get their workers to their places of exploitation, they ain't going to worry too much about their health.
● Employees of the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) have been on strike since March 6, their first since being unionized in 1943. These workers perform a very valuable service for thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people who rely on them for counselling, employment help, interpretation, hearing aids and communication devices. The union and CHS management started negotiating three years ago; the workers haven't had a contract, or a wage increase for four years. They have maintained a sick bank that let them carry over unused sick days into the following year. CHS wants them to cut back to six paid sick days a year and bring in a short term disability plan for anything longer which the employees have, quiet understandably rejected. Ninety per cent of the union membership are women who, one can assume, have families to support. It's enough to make anyone feel bitter just to think the working class fight for years to get benefits like paid sick days and then see management try to eradicate them. I'm sure they would just "love it'' if the government suggested cutting their fat salaries. Though, naturally enough, Socialists hope the strikers prevail, we nevertheless realize the limitations of union activity which at best will bring an improvement into their lives under Capitalism. A greater improvement would be its abolition so there would be no need for anyone to strike.
KARL'S QUOTES
Many a non-Socialist has asked many an SPC'er ,''You guys say a Socialist Society would solve the social problems humanity faces, so why haven't we got it?, why haven't millions flocked to your banner?'' Good question, though once again our old buddies Karly and Fred come through for us by supplying the answer. In the ''Communist Manifesto'', one sentence says it all, ''The ruling ideas of each age have ever been the ideas of the ruling class.''
Since the Capitalist Class own the tools of production, it logically follows the own the tools of propaganda which produce ideas, and ideas are a product too, a product of the mind. One can hardly expect newspapers,movies, radio and TV to advocate anything which runs counter to its owners' interests. For the Capitalist the rest becomes easy, from the moment of birth one is brainwashed to think their way, ''hate him, he's black or white or Jew or gentile, Catholic, Protestant, long haired, short haired, the list is endless, but it all boils down to one thing – at a given time and place a person is different in some way to everyone else who is hanging around, therefor this person must be shunned and harmed, all of which is pressure to conform.
Many folks will say they think for themselves and sure they do, but within the framework of Capitalism. Its like two guys arguing and one saying he will vote Liberal and the other saying he will vote Tory. Since both are speaking within the context of Capitalism they have more in common than in discord. So one must surely wonder how will Socialism be established and the best answer I can give is that when people realize that only through co-operation can humanity survive they will establish the great world-wide co-operative commonwealth of Socialism.
For socialism, Steve and John
S ocialist literature for your interest & edification
– WSP (India) History of Economics: A Scientigfic Investigation into the Political Economy and Its Swindler
'Economics' published. 50.00 Rupees/CD$1-1.50.
Contact E-mail: wspindia@hotmail.com; Website: http://www.worldsocialistpartyindia.org for more information to purchase.
– Red Lion Press (re)publishing Bill Pritchard's autobiography, entitled Revolutionary Socialist: Life of the Socialist Party of Canada and the OBU, 1910-1922.
Fred Casey's Thinking: An Introduction To Its History and Science.Method in Thinking: An Introduction to Dialectics.
Costs: $3 for Pritchard, $6 each for the Casey's plus postage costs.
Contact E-mail: redlionpress@hotmail.com – for more information to purchase or enquire with the publisher: https://web.facebook.com/search/more/?q=Larry+Gambone&init=public
Greetings Everyone,
Attached is our May Monthly Report for your interest and review.
Our Imagine Spring/Summer 2017 is being compiled so please send in your draft (or topics for) articles to our GAC for inclusion.
Our Twitter acct is proving very active for uploading your thoughts and views to help us along with the good work of making Socialists!
Direct your correspondences to SPC@spc_news – https://twitter.com/spc_news.Yours for Socialism,
John & all GAC members
Socialist Party of Canada
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