Summer School 2014
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I'll book Summer School 2014 with Fircroft College tomorrow, unless there are any other views. Of those who've made comments, it seems that Fircroft is marginally more popular.
Mike Foster wrote:I'll book Summer School 2014 with Fircroft College tomorrow, unless there are any other views. Of those who've made comments, it seems that Fircroft is marginally more popular.Well, one person prefers Fircroft to Harborne and another prefers Harborne to Fircroft. Hardly a ringing endorsement of either venue unfortunately. Others have expressed reservations about both (on and off this thread) or suggested alternative venues.Whilst appreciating that time is of the essence surely the EC, as ultimate paymasters of Summer School, should be drawn into the decision-making process; it next meets on October 5th, the end of next week.
I put it as 2-1 in favour of Fircroft, but yes, that's not a very wide range of views either. I've already asked for this to be on the next EC agenda, and get specific costings for Warwick University and Ruskin College, but there's a chance that we'll lose availability at our usual venues.
Warwick University would cost £280 per person for a 48hour stay, including meals, accommodation and conference facilities. This is about twice as much as we are charged at the usual venues, although no doubt the facilities are very nice.
Aston university would also be worth checking outhttp://www.conferenceaston.co.uk/Content.aspx?PageId=1808
Mike Foster wrote:Warwick University would cost £280 per person for a 48hour stay, including meals, accommodation and conference facilities. This is about twice as much as we are charged at the usual venues, although no doubt the facilities are very nice.Under capitalism you generally get what you pay for and I think we should be prepared to pay more to get more. OK, if 30 people go as is the average I think, it'll cost £8400. Assuming that half of those who go can afford £150 and the other half £50 then that'll bring in £3000. I don't think the party should baulk at having to subsidise a propaganda event of this nature to the tune of £5/6000. And setting the lower rate at £50 will hopefully attract those who said they couldn't afford to go this year even at the lower rate of £90.It would be a real bummer though if Warwick Uni has a ban on alcohol consumption…
For those of you who’ve been asking about the SPGB Summer School (and for those who haven’t) it can now be confirmed that the theme this year will be on ‘War’ (to coincide with the centenary of the outbreak of WW1) and take place between June 20th and 22nd at Fircroft College, Birmingham. http://fircroft.ac.uk/about-us/location/Due to an extremely generous subsidy, the full residential cost for the school, which includes all talks and meals plus two nights accommodation, is only £80. A concessionary rate will also be available.
War? What is it good for?
The Party's Summer School this year will be on the theme of 'War' to coincide with the centenary of the outbreak of WW1 and be held between Friday, 20th June and Sunday, 22nd June at Fircroft College, 1018 Bristol Rd, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LH http://fircroft.ac.uk/about-us/location/ "Capitalism causes war. In the last hundred years there has been a proliferation of war: two world wars, countless other conflicts and civil wars, the Cold War with its threat of nuclear armageddon, and today the 'War on Terror'. Socialists do not support wars, which veil the class struggle by developing a false sense of identity between the working class and the capitalist class. The interests of the two classes are always antagonist, and that is why as socialists we speak of the class war. Socialism means, among other things, internationalism, rather than nationalism which always contributes to war. Our weekend of talks, workshops and discussion will examine the role of war in capitalism and how only socialism can abolish war from the Earth." Full residential rate: £80 Concessionary residential rate: £40 Day visitors are welcome but please book in advance The above rates include all talks and meals plus two nights accommodation Email:spgbschool@yahoo.co.uk with any enquiries http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2014-birminghamMORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW
Preparations for Summer School are well underway, and more details will be revealed soon.At the event, there will be a small exhibition of the Party's response to the Second World War (hopefully alongside the display about the Party's response to the First World War, which I've nicked the idea from!). If anyone has any material which could be included in this, such as details of any Party conscientious objectors, reports on public meetings at the time etc., then please let me know. Many thanks!
Postal bookings are now being accepted. Address here:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2014-birmingham
SPGB Summer School on 'War' – Birmingham, June 20th/22nd – Bookings can now be taken online.Full residential rate: £80Concessionary residential rate: £40Day visitors are welcome but please book in advancehttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/catalog/summer-schoolAddress for postal bookings and details of talks, etc., when finalised, can be found here:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2014-birmingham
There'll be more publicity ready for Annual Conference in just over a week's time, and the talk titles should be ready by then. There'll be talks on the First World War, Spanish Civil War and the Cold War, with the three other sessions being confirmed soon.In the meantime bookings can be made online or by post:Full residential rate: £80Concessionary residential rate: £40These rates include all talks, meals and two night's accommodation !Day visitors are welcome but please book in advancehttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/catalog/summer-schoolAddress for postal bookings and other information can be found here:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2014-birmingham
Here are the list of talks planned for Summer School – June 20th/22ndFriday evening: Marx’s attitude to war: was he right or wrong? Saturday morning: In whose interests? The outbreak of the First World War.Saturday afternoon: ‘The working class was in the saddle’: Social revolution in the Spanish Civil War.Saturday afternoon: Workshop on class war, gender wars and war of all against all.Saturday evening: Here come the WAR! robots: technology and warfare in capitalism.Sunday morning: Life in the Cold War.Full residential rate: £80 Concessionary residential rate: £40(The above rates include all talks and meals plus two nights accommodation)Day visitors are welcome, but please book in advance.To book or for further information click on the link below:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2014-birminghamThe weekend will also include an exhibition on the SPGB and war, an exclusive pamphlet, film showings and a book stall.
It sounds an interesting programme. Its a pity, though, that a talk could not have been fitted in dealing directly with the kind of ridiculous claims made by people like Stephen Pinker, author of The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002) and The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011). According to Pinker, violent deaths have declined dramatically from about 15% in pre-state societies and that "today we may be living in the most peaceable era in the existence of our species" ("Violence Vanquished " , The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2011). The hidden agenda behind such thinking would seem to be to impress upon us the need for an authoritarian Hobbesian state to suppress our latent tendency to inflict violence on each other at the slightest pretext. Very pertinent as fare as the socialist case is concerned in that it direct challenges that casePerhaps some reference to Pinker et al could be made in one of the talks or the workshop?
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