Summer School 2019
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The SPGB’s Summer School will be held over the long weekend of 2nd/4th August, 2019 at Fircroft College, 1018 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6LH.
More details in due course.
I hope there will be a speaker about being a socialist in a trade union as an example of being a socialist in a capitalist world.
Further information about the Summer School here:
I’m pleased to confirm the first Summer School talk! Guest speaker Edmund Griffiths will present:
Be Realistic: Demand The Inevitable
This talk will look at the notions of the impossible and the inevitable in a range of belief systems, including (but not limited to) socialism and other political belief systems. Why are people attracted to ideas that seem to be either impossible or inevitable? Or put off by them? What does it mean to campaign for something that might be impossible, or inevitable? What happens when assessments of impossibility or inevitability change? How do people believe that an impossible thing is true anyway? Or that an inevitable thing may never happen?
Besides socialism, the talk will hopefully address impossibility and inevitability in contexts such as liberalism, capitalism, flat earth, the end of the world, extraterrestrial life, Scottish independence etc.
More sessions to be announced soon!
Edmund Griffiths gave a talk at Head Office three years ago called ‘Falling Statues and Safe Places’ and is from the Oxford Communist Corresponding Society.
‘Falling Statues and Safe Spaces: ….. (South London – 3pm) – 5th June 2016
See their forthcoming meetings here:
I’m happy to announce another Summer School talk! Janet Surman will discuss ‘Living In Capitalism As A Socialist’
Profit is the backbone of capitalism and profit is made from a plethora of resources, the greatest and most easily attainable of which is the global human resource, to be found in any village, town or city anywhere on the planet. The capitalist system is well known for waste as a necessary part of maximising profit and there is no greater waste than that of the human potential trapped in non-productive, non-useful work.
This session will take a look at the human misery attached to jobs, to work that many don’t really want to do but have to do to survive and will also look at the opposite position when human potential can be fulfilled to the satisfaction, and pleasure even, of billions of individual human beings.
“A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at.” Oscar Wilde
More sessions to be confirmed soon!
Here are details of another Summer School talk. Howard Moss will be presenting ‘Team Human’: Can You Live A ‘Normal’ Life In Capitalism?
Someone recently wrote a book called ‘Team Human’ which emphasised that humans are social creatures who are most happy and fulfilled when working together for common goals. But how do we stay human in the vast antihuman infrastructure that is capitalism which constantly undermines our capacity to work together and connect with one another?
Despite the powerful forces that set us against one another (employment, nationalism, monetary gain), people are at their happiest when associating together in, for example, clubs, societies, family groups and social and political activities, which involve working with and helping other human beings. Socialists do this too. They belong to local clubs, community groups and trade unions. But how do they – or should they – react to being asked to go further and be associated with campaigns which involve, say, lobbying governments to improve conditions in particular areas, signing petitions calling on political parties to support certain changes in the law, or being members of or giving money to charities which seek to remedy deficiencies in social provision (e.g. housing, health care) or to save people from the consequences of sudden disasters, natural or man-made?
The Socialist view is that time spent in attempts to reform capitalism is time wasted. But on a human, day-to-day level, Socialists often find it difficult just to stand by and do nothing. So how do we cope with the constant dilemmas thrown up by wanting to spend our time helping to create a truly associative social system, yet constantly being called upon to help patch up the contrary arrangements fundamental to capitalism?
More announcements coming shortly!
Mike
I’m pleased to confirm another of the sessions at Summer School! Bill Martin will present ‘Ye Olde Worlde Revolution’
In 1264 the Baron’s war (which historian Adrian Jobson characterises as the First English Revolution) saw a widescale attempt to inhibit the power of the monarchy. It was a revolt in which the burghers (bourgeoisie) of London played a significant role. This struggle saw the birth of the English Parliament, but it would be a further 400 years until the final constitutional curbing of the power of royalty lead to the social dominance of the capitalist class in England.
This talk will look at the life and activity of the bourgeois revolutionary Thomas Fitzthomas, who led that primitive revolt against the English monarchy. It will look at how the bourgeoisie developed as a revolutionary class, and how they struggled within a still vigorous feudal system. It will address how the knowledge of the capitalist revolution arms the imagination of the socialists of today, but also haunts the ideas many have of revolution. It will look at the role of ideas and self-image in the making of a revolutionary class, and the role of ongoing class struggle in the cause of revolution.
More announcements soon!
Mike
I’m happy to announce that at Summer School, Carla Dee will facilitate ‘Socialists Synonymous – An Evening Of Personal Stories’
As socialists, we see and understand the world in a very particular way and what is once seen cannot be unseen. How did we get here, and how has this affected our lives, our families and friends? Has being a socialist been a source of frustration, confrontation and disappointment or has the party case been an enlightenment and given us a sense of clarity and sanity? Or all of these things? Sometimes, thinking the way we do can be a lonely business.
Members and sympathisers get together to share our stories.This completes the line-up, and the running order and other details will be confirmed soon. There are still places available, although there are already more people booked than came along last year! So if you want to come along but haven’t yet booked a place, don’t leave it long! To book, visit here: https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2019/
Here are the timings for the Summer School sessions:
Friday 2nd August
From 17.00: Arrival
18.30 – 19.00: Dinner
19.45—21.30: Be Realistic: Demand The Inevitable – a talk by Edmund Griffiths
21.30: Social
Saturday 3rd August
7.30 – 8.45: Breakfast
10.00 – 12.00: Living In Capitalism As A Socialist – a talk by Janet Surman
12.30 – 13.15: Lunch
13.45 – 15.45: ‘Team Human’: Can You Live A ‘Socialist’ Life In Capitalism? – a talk by Howard Moss
18.30 – 19.00: Dinner
19.15—20.45: Socialists Synonymous – An Evening Of Personal Stories – facilitated by Carla Dee
20.45: Social
Sunday 4th August
7.30 – 8.45: Breakfast
10.00 – 12.00: Ye Olde Worlde Revolution – a talk by Bill Martin
12.30 – 13.15: Lunch
13.30: Close
People are welcome to just attend the talks, but need to book a visitor place in advance by emailing spgbschool@yahoo.co.uk; there is a charge for any meals.
Bookings will close on 21<sup>st</sup> July, or earlier if all places are filled.
The event will also include an exhibition, exclusive publications and a bookstall.
There aren’t many places left at Summer School now, so if you’re thinking of making a booking, best do it soon! To book a place, visit here: https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2019/Unable to physically attend I look forward to the time we can watch on Skype (or whatever) and pose our questions to the speakers from afar.
Try logging into this. We were trialing it but only with myself and Tristan briefly.
https://demo.bigbluebutton.org/html5client/join?sessionToken=88pyhawlf8k67a2d
Logged out now.
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