Reply To: Status of World Socialist Party (US)
Hi Neil
I go along with a great deal of what you say. There s an enormous amount of structural waste built into capitalism – like what I called the “extending ladder” phenomenon whereby each little separate household unit owns it own extending ladder which it might use once or twice a year. That’s just daft and a plain misuse of resources. Far better to pool these kinds of things on a community basis
However, I am a little puzzled – how does all this relate to the status of the World Socialist Party in the US? Unless you are referring to the idea of using technology to more effectively reach people and maybe hiring a PR firm to give advice….
I think in the case of the WSPUS there is almost certainly going to have to be a radical change in the structure and procedures of the Party to make it more aligned with the age of the internet. Given the huge size of the country and the small and scattered nature of the membership, communication is going to have to play an absolutely central role to keep everyone in touch with each other and fully committed. Concepts like the Buddy System which the SPGB has agreed to implement (what has become of that?) will become particularly important in the US along with a resuscitated and updated website, a business forum like SPINTCOM, and the widespread adoption of technologies like Skype and video conferencing
It can’t happen too soon!