Corbynism and the Labour Party
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Perhaps now would be a could time to spend some money advertising the SS – reemegence of Marx, socialism etc and how we have always been here! An opportuny to use the rise of corbynism to our advantage. An 'idiots guide to marx'
Apparently the SWP are attending Momentum meetings:https://www.swp.org.uk/party-notesSpot the Jargon bingo:
Quote:1) Comrades should continue to relate to Labour Party events and meetings. We will often be welcomed by some, derided by others. This should not stop us continuing to relate in a comradely way. If we combine a united front method with ideological clarity, the SWP can make the most of an exciting new situation.2) If you go to one of these events, send in your impressions and experience. We are all learning form one another about how to relate.Inteestingly:
Quote:. As SWP members we were clear that we shared the enthusiasm for Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party.The days of the Happy Hunting Grounds are back…
ALB wrote:The Times is reporting today that according to booksellers books like The Establishment by Owen Jones, Chomsky on Anarchism and The Labour Party: a Marxist History by Tony Cliff and Donny Gluckstein "have been flying off the shelves since Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader":http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/business/industries/retailing/article4596928.eceSome sort of confirmation that the heightened interest in "left" politics sparked off by Corbyn's campaign and election opens an opportunity for us too to put our views across.Don't wish to derail this thread, but thought it important to challenge some of ALB's conclusion.It may have been a couple of years ago now, my memory is a little fuzzy, but I recall seeing a BBC Newsnight report regarding the increase in sale of works by Marx. The report visited a "left" bookshop in London, with the owner saying all things Marx were flying off the shelves as soon as they were stocked.The below link is from 2008.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7679758.stmThe point here is, that the interest in alternatives to capitalism long predates Corbyn's arrival on the Labour leadership scene. The opportunity spoken of by ALB has been around for seven years now.
SocialistPunk wrote:The point here is, that the interest in alternatives to capitalism long predates Corbyn's arrival on the Labour leadership scene. The opportunity spoken of by ALB has been around for seven years now.Bear in mind though that these news articles are probably the result of savvy left wing publication sellers sending press releases to the media…Though I do agree, since the slump "capitalism" does get talked about more prominently and since "Corbynmania" possibly even more so…
Workers Power and Corbynhttps://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/workers-power-missing-please-return-to-owner/#comments
Another criticism yesterday of Corbyn for saying what we say (and said):
Quote:Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that in a speech two years ago, Mr Corbyn questioned spending "shed loads of money" commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War.In April 2013 Mr Corbyn said: "The government is apparently preparing to spend shed loads of money commemorating the First World War. I'm not sure what there is to commemorate." He attacked the "mass slaughter of millions of young men".The name of the scumbag journalist who wrote this is Michael Savage, the Times's Chief Political Correspondent.
The Saturday Times saw Matthew Parris calling Corbynism an infection. No depths that the Times won't sink to.
jondwhite wrote:The Saturday Times saw Matthew Parris calling Corbynism an infection. No depths that the Times won't sink to.I genuinely hope 'corbynism' is an infection, an infection that kills capitalism.
According to aa Libcom thread, Workers Power are operating in deep entryism as http://www.redflagonline.org/
“Keir Hardie was a great opponent of the First World War and apparently next year the government is proposing to spend shedloads of money commemorating the First World War. I'm not sure what there is to commemorate about the First World War other than the mass slaughter of millions of young men and women, mainly men, on the Western Front and all the other places.“And it was a war of the declining empires and anyone who's read or even dipped into Hobson's great work of the early part of the 20th century, written post World War, presaged the whole First World War as a war between monopolies fighting between [inaudible] markets.“The reason I say this is next year the government are planning this celebration and I think that's an opportunity for us. It's an opportunity to discuss war and discuss peace and to put up an alternative point of view.” Jeremy Corbyn Did the SPGB ever debate with this guy. Surely if it came down to it he would be for the Revolution. Or am I talking shite? Problem with some lefties is they're so near…yet so far?
He maybe for his version of the Revolution, but does he share our vision of what the Revolution would be?You explain it well… no near yet so far. This has always been our task, to differentiate our goal and our approach of achieving our aim from all the others which use much the same language and terminology.I am not and i don't think you are surprised by how confusing and complicated it must be for the ordinary punter to quite understand why we stand opposed to other so-called socialists. There is indeed the problem now commonly known of the Monty Python Judea Liberation Fronts sketch. But we should perhaps try and reverse the argument and ask why those other "socialists" , oppose us, since all we are trying to do is remain committed to the socialist ideal as it used to be and which was shared in their own nuanced way by Keir Hardie and many others of that epoch. We should be asking why they and not us have dropped the socialist objective and substituted instead something less than socialism. Perhaps our campaign should drop the anti-ism and advocate the pro-ism…Jeremy you go only so far, and then you stall…even back-track … what scares you about being a fully-fledged socialist…just how successful have the reformists like you been now that we see your gains being lost and desperate attemptes to preserve what remains of them…I think it is a matter of attitude …it is not for us to defend our principles but the Labourites and the Left to defend their application of tactics and strategies … They afyer all clai to be the possiblists…the pagmatists and practical political activists….We should be asking…okay – show us the fruits of your labours, then? We'll listen, so convince us.I'm not so clear how we ourselves can implement such a response …But we cannot blame fellow workers of being misled into believing what they are being indoctrinated to believe. We cannot castigate but only guide. We cannot humilate their ignorance and to be honest, i don't think our campaigns and propaganda is as hectoring as it has been in the past …Off the top of my head..perhaps we should play more on our reputation as a party of integrity and commence asking our rivals more questions – insisting they answer the hows and whys…
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