SPC Newsletter 1st Dec 2016

THE SOCIALIST PARTY OF CANADA

 

General Secretary's Report for December 2016

 

Email Report

 

– WSP (India) EC meeting minutes No. 169, November 6, 2016, received with thanks.

– Report of the Proceedings of the Autumn School & Membership Meeting of the World Socialist Party of Indian, October 22 – 23, 2016 received with thanks.Members wishing to read the WSP (India) November minutes please contact the general secretary at our  spc@iname.com account.

– WSP (India) 1000 copies of 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; and, 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

Good of the Movement

– Fraternal greetings and a warm welcome to our newest SPC member, Hugo.

– Two introductory packages sent out; US enquiry for our Marxian Economics pamphlet

– Toronto Branch public meeting held Thursday, November 24, The Second Cup Coffee House 324 Bloor St W, Toronto.

– Winter socialist discussion meetings (Toronto) – see Toronto Branch Facebook for details  https://web.facebook.com/Toronto-Branch-Socialist-Party-of-Canada-1120836671294008/ & our website https://www.worldsocialism.org/canada/

– Two new Socialist Party of Canada Facebook launches – public page https://web.facebook.com/socialistpartycanada/ ; & members' page https://web.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012582758245

– Imagine Autumn 2016: in progess; expected distribution date early December 2016.

– New Toronto Branch email (June 2016): "Socialist Party of Canada Toronto Branch"<spctorontobranch@gmail.com>

– Spring issue of Imagine available – http://www.worldsocialism.org/canada/

– Socialist education site for redistribution & hyperlinking, S. Shenfield (WSPUS) http://www.whatissocialism.net/

Finances – Post: $2.14; photocopies: $0.70.

 

ELECTIONS 2017-2019

Call for nominations of the SPC headquarter's location and General Administrative Committee (GAC) election(s).

That every two years, in even numbered years, headquarter's location and General Administrative Committee-elect be determined by Party Conference or general vote of the membership, as per Rule 17 (a),(b), (c), (d).

Note: Our Constitution calls for elections in first half of December, GAC terms beginning the first ofJanuary following.

 

2017-2019 Socialist Party of Canada Headquarter Location:

 

Nomination from J. Ayers: To leave headquarters in Victoria, BC.

 

2017-2019 General Administrative Committee: 7 seats & 8 nominations:

Nomination from S. Shannon: To nominate John Ames to continue as spc secretary.

Nomination from J. Ames: To nominate the following seven members in good standing to the SPC GAC:

1. Mercedes Martinson

2. John Ayers

3. Steve Shannon

4. Mehmet Onur Sezgun

5. Philippe-Antoine Cormier

6. Ron Jenkins

7. Samule Lin

 

As there are no further nominations for the headquarter's location, Victoria BC is acclaimed.

General Administrative Committee: Please vote for seven(7) of the eight( above nominated members via email to the present serving GAC members by Dec 31, 2016: jayers4@cogeco.ca; wedoodit3@yahoo.ca; onursezgun@gmail.com; p.cormier@hotmail.com; canadian.hippie@gmail.com; sandy-ronjenkins@shaw.ca; johnrmames@yahoo.ca

Note: New vote closing date December 31, 2016 to allow for members wishing to mail in their ballots to our headquarters via Canada Post, PO Box 31024, Victoria, BC, V8N 6J3.

Food For Thought

 A recent report from the Toronto Public Health Department stressed the need for the city administrators to do more to protect people, especially seniors, from falling on the ice in the winter. The report suggested the city should lower the threshold for sidewalk snow clearing from eight centimetres to two. During the last ten winters almost 30,000 people went to emergency rooms and 2800 were admitted, because they fell on the ice – 225 had life threatening injuries. The average age of the injured was 51, prompting Antony Quinn, a director of CARP to say, ''It can make them afraid to venture outside. Fear of falling causes them to be less active which increases their chances of falling again.'' The report emphasized this costs the City of Toronto $6.7 million annually in claims. In other words it would be cheaper to do a better job – another lovely aspect of capitalism – to put a price on people's well being.

 The trauma of many in matters concerning the Toronto Transit Commission continue. Advocates for the poor are attacking the city administration for dragging their feet in creating a discounted transit pass for them. They say this is not consistent with Mayor Tory’s anti-poverty plan – what a joke. A debate on the matter scheduled for October 26 has been delayed till December, and to think this is something the council voted to study in July 2014. Tory made it clear that it's unlikely any low-income fare policy will be implemented until late 2017 at the earliest. Under capitalism if your poor don't expect politicians to bust their buns to help you.

 While the French authorities were busy dismantling the migrant camp at Calais, scores of migrants attended the final service at their makeshift church. They squeezed into it and prayed for a place to go. It's really pathetic how little the working class has learned. They appealed to an invisible, non-existent being to solve their problems when, like the petitioners in ''The Wizard Of Oz'', if only they realized it, they have the power to do that for themselves.

 The quote of the month – Voltaire said,''Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities''. Like making workers kill each other believing they are enemies, for example.

 A recent program on TV Ontario focused on the career of the Right Honourable Gentleman Mr. (as he then was) Winston Churchill, during WW1. It mentioned, as it could not fail to, his enormous cock-up at Gallipolli. The significant thing is what it didn't say, which was that 30,000 young men died in the Honourable Gentleman’s attempt to advance his career. This was something he was very open about during his early years in ''public service''. Nor was it mentioned that Navy head Jack Fisher and war minister Kitchener told him it was a hare-brained scheme that would not work. ''Yet Churchill was an Honourable man''. Would it perhaps be better if we lived in a world where there were no great men, but instead a great society?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli_Campaign

 The majority of Torontonians are finding the construction projects in the downtown core to be an inconvenience when both streets and sidewalks are closed. 76 per cent, in a telephone survey, said they disagreed with the developers and contractors who said it was necessary. Whether it is or isn't is hardly the moot point, which is the fact that it's just another problem thatcapitalism causes. Most of the congestion is, obviously, in rush hour. In a socialist society work would be organized in such a way there wouldn't be a rush hour. Its probable there wouldn't be a downtown either.

 Jarley Silva is an illegal immigrant from Brazil, whom, after living in Canada for nine years, was hit by a car, in 2011, and still bears the scars including 23 screws in his shattered leg. The accident, in Toronto’s west end, was a hit and run as he was crossing the street. Since no one took the licence number the driver was never identified. Though Silva has tried hard he hasn't been able to collect a cent owing to his illegal residency. Under Provincial law the government doesn't give payouts from its Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund to anyone in Ontario illegally. That's what so great about capitalism – it's so compassionate.

 As child poverty in British Columbia increases kids are reaching school age more vulnerable than at any time in the last fifteen years, a new University of BC report has found. Teachers were asked to rate each child based on their physical health, social skills, emotional maturity, language development and communication abilities. The results showed 32.2 per cent were below par.

According to Joanne Shroeder, director of the Comox Valley Child Development Association,''High levels of poverty in BC are a major factor in children's well being. The stress of living in poverty is not good for children. Many families with young children are working long hours to balance child care and shift work.''

It is one of the most damning indictments of capitalism imaginable that children should be exposed to poverty with all the social ills it creates, and alarming that child poverty is increasing. Ms. Shroeders suggestion is increased public investment in early childhood development which would do minimal good as long as capitalist politicians can spare the money. A society where poverty would not exist would be a better answer.

 On November 4th Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni, former aides to New Jersey Governer Chris Christie, were found guilty of creating an epic traffic jam, to seek revenge on Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie for re-election in 2013.

The jam was on the George Washington Bridge, which is America's busiest, connecting New Jersey to New York City. Their excuse was that the closing was due to a legitimate traffic study. Mr. Christie has denied all knowledge of it, but whether he was aware of it or not, the whole thing was extremely childish and clearly shows how ridiculous life is becoming under capitalism.

 The November issue of the Anglican Journal includes an article reeking of self-congratulation. The Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton recently inaugurated a new ministry which is an outreach program serving the mental health needs of the South Alberta Light Horse, a reserve regiment of the Canadian army. With the brilliance and clarity of genius, Arch-Deacon Chris Pappas said, ''You cant go out and be asked to kill, or see the atrocities of war and not come back changed, or hurt and hurting. these inner wounds can harm the reservists relationships with their spouses and children, or may result in increased alcohol use, for example. Their effects can also disrupt the reservists finances.'' Great going Chris baby, you mean there's such a thing as PTSD ?, now who'da thunk it? Nor are the Anglicans alone helping with counselling, pastoral visits, financial advice, ad nauseum; no Sir – the Lutherans, the University chaplaincy at the U of Alberta and the Edmonton Inter-Faith Centre for Education and Action have all rallied to the cause, with an annual budget of $15,000. The pity of it all is, when one thinks of the time, effort, money and good intentions poured into this, one thinks how much better it would be if devoted to bringing about a world where war would not exist.

 On November 5th an article in the Toronto Star dealt with the reality of driverless cars. Computer scientists and economists say the threat is no longer theoretical. Automated cars pose a threat to many Americans who drive for a living which are 2.9 million truckers and delivery drivers, 674,000 bus drivers and 181,000 cab drivers and chauffeurs. Already, in Pittsburg there are driverless Uber taxis. Conversely the self driving Tesla car crashed in May as it failed to detect a tractortrailer crossing its path. Frank Levy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said, ''Truck drivers are safe because a machine couldn't negotiate rush hour traffic without a helping hand.'' Some say driverless vehicles will not create much unemployment overall because a vehicle that is on the road 24 hours a day will need a lot of maintenance. This writer thinks they may have computer operators on them, initially, instead of drivers. At present no one knows exactly what will happen; it could be after a period of trials and experimentation it will lead to more unemployment. If automation leads to massive unemployment overall there will be a reaction. What form this will take we don't know. The worse case scenario would be the rise of the fascism we saw in the 1930's. The best would be a working class, who, through severe economic pressure, realize they can only solve their problems through co-operation with their fellow workers – lets hope so.

 A new survey by the Financial Planning Standards Council, found that 40 per cent of Canadians would only have enough money to live on for four weeks if they lost their job, whereas 19 per cent said they would be broke in one week. One respondent said she graduated from University with $20,000 in student debt. It took her two years to pay it off, working two jobs. Insecurity creates fear and no one likes to live in fear, so why not get rid of its cause?

 On November 18 Volkswagen said it will cut 30,000 jobs globally as it tries to claw back from the emission – cheating scandal. The company agreed to hold off from forced lay-offs till 2025. The job cuts will come from early retirements and not replacing workers that leave voluntarily. So you won't see newspaper headlines blaring, ''Volkswagen Lays Off Thousands'', but it still means the same thing – some poor schnook who needs a job remains unemployed.

 An article in the Toronto Star of November 11 reported on the high levels of pollution in New Delhi. Levels of the most dangerous particles, called PM 2.5, reached 700 micrograms per cubic metre on November 7, but on the previous weekend reached 1000 which is 16 times the limit the federal government consider safe. One resident said, ''You can literally see smoke in the air and when you breathe you can smell it too.''

The problem for environmentalists is that decisions to be made for dealing with it fall under the authority of several city, state and federal government bodies which are at odds with each other politically. This is just another example of how life under capitalism gets more dangerous and disgusting every day.

 In October, continuing an 800 year old tradition, the city of London payed Queen Elizabeth rent owed on two pieces of property. these transactions are so old the exact locations of the properties are unclear. The payments called, ''Quit Rents'', once had a meaning, but are now ceremonial. In other words they pay our beloved Brittanic Majesty rent on property that doesn't exist. This is perfectly logical, in fact just as logical as the gilded coach she rides in, the horse guards, the life guards, the beefeaters, orb and scepter and all the other trappings of pomp and circumcision. Just as logical as the intellectual giants who line the route and wave and cheer for her. This nitwit wonders what pearls of wisdom they could enlighten us with. They should all be singing, ''Rule Brittania Marmalade and Jam, three Chinese crackers up your rear end, wham, wham, wham, wham, wham wham.'' And just to think some people want to abolish the monarchy! If you think that's bad you ain’t heard nuttin yet. Some want to go farther and abolish the cause of it ! Wow, there's some bad dudes out there – the nerve of these people. Now lets think a moment folks – if the monarchy is abolished, what we do for laughs?

Gustav's Gems

Usually we have a section called, ''Karl's Quotes'', but why not give him a rest for a while and quote from one of his most brilliant students, Gustav Bang? This gent, (1871-1915), was a Professor of history at Copenhagen University and in 1901 gave a series of lectures about famous historical events, all of which he analysed in relation to economic conditions. It is to be regretted that only a few were translated into English, one of which was about the French Revolution, which is still relevant. Professor Bang showed how the emerging capitalist class used the lower classes to break the political power of the nobility, and once firmly in the saddle, did nothing for them. However these lower classes, for they were not yet an industrialized working class, were smart enough to realize they had been used.

''The sentiment in the lower classes grew more and more bitter through these acts of treachery. What the meaning of it all was began to dawn on them; they began to see through that mesh of phrases and big words with which the spokesmen and writers for the bourgeoisie tried to veil the real motives of their politics, not only for others but for themselves; they began to realize the role they were intended for – a ladder on which the possessing classes could climb to the top, from there to turn and grind the classes below under the iron heel of exploitation so effectively. It was the first manifestation of the class – consciousness of the proletariat.

As yet the proletariat was to weak, too few in numbers and too heterogeneous in its composition to start an independent war leading to victory.''

Today the situation is the reverse. The working class is in a position to overthrow capitalism if it wanted, but unlike the French, doesn't realize its being fooled. Lets hope it will soon realize it and, who knows, with the effects of the election of a total jackass as American President, it may be soon.

 

A film review for Socialists – The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists 2014 HD Full Movie 42:33

From one of our New Zealand comrades, Moggie Grayson, responds to our November Report quoting Robert Tressell. Moggie informs that it was made by 16 year old George Moore in 2014, and is well worth having a look at. He states the film “is a very good demonstration of how Capitalism works, with a few slices of bread and a few knives. If that doesn’t get the message across I don’t know what will!”

Enjoy Comrades! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRKVmzaHzIk

For socialism, Steve and John.