alanjjohnstone
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I am always mind of one of my first lessons when I joined the Party (I forget the teacher) when it was pointed out to me that socialism is the science of generalization. We cannot be expected to hold the answer to every specific issue. We do not lay-out a blueprint of future society and when it comes to achiving socialism all we can do is present vital guide-lines that are in no way deterministic and applicable to all circumstances. What we have is a social evolution-based law of Nature and Society.
If someone reads the numerous messages on the environment posted at our SOYMB blog, one point is constantly emphasized – the basic laws of capitalism, its foundation, cannot be reconciled with solutions to the climate crises. If capitalism changes to be able to fix global warming, the change required would make it that capitalism was no longer capitalism…no more production for profit, no more capital accumulation, no more business growth and market expansion.
What else can we do but assert that capitalism is incapable of resolving the climate crisis by explaining what capitalism is.
But I return to an earlier question. Is the Marxian Labour theory of Value where for a hundred years socialist have declared the worker robbed via the extraction of surplus value now of any crucial primary importance? Is it now ” the robbery of the soil” the more important theft these days?
If it is going to be the issue of the environment, need we talk about class anymore.
I can envisage some of us returning to the basic idea, that it is the worker who is the creator of all wealth, applying brain and muscle power to Nature but perhaps when it comes to the environment, we might begin to view ourselves no longer as working class in the Marxian sense. Our “class” consciousness has transmogrified into “human” consciousness. In terms of achieving the socialist revolution we have become already “class-free”, unlike the owning capitalist class who cannot free themselves from their class-chains.
Am I being too heretical?
“If everybody can take home any car wants, don’t you expect that most people will settle for Ferrari, Lotus or alike? ”
Are you assuming that there will not be a democratic popular means of determining what is produced. That will be the main check and balance…What will society allocate the resources and the labour to a product.
Bu let’s face reality, having confronted and defeated the ruling class in what may well be a bitter protracted conflict, are you suggesting that the citizens in the newly established socialist world, will begin to undermine and sabotage what they had just sacrificed for and had successfully accomplished? Using past revolutions I do not think is a fair comparison to judge the socialist revolution. Previous revolutions were to replace an elite with a new elite. As with our own organization , the SPGB, I think members always have an eagle-eye to spot any form of privilege or advantage within the membership. We don’t have the rotating term of officials, simply because we don’t have sufficient members but woe betide any committee member who believes she or he has an entitlement to that position
Having campaigned on principles such as equality and climate justice to end the poverty and misery that people will not have changed their worldview on what brings happiness and joy. Perhaps some will be greedy, selfish and maybe even aggressive, well I have confidence that these individuals can either be tolerated and accommodated or otherwise somehow sanctioned by their neighbours, family and friends. I cannot see them as a threat to the stability of future society, merely an inconvenience.
But to be specific, do you think a Ferrari is the most useful of cars for a family or carrying cargo?
Also remember, there is not going to be any special status associated with conspicuous consumption as there is now in our highly stratified consumer society. But I am hoping that when it comes to watches we will have Rolex-quality produced and not the cheap fake that I can afford
I think the first object will be to decide the structure and the connections of the decision-making networks. Some exist…town and county councils, but others are dormant, for instance parish council. In India the equivalent would be that panchayats. In Mexico’s indigenous municipalities there is a “presidente” or mayor, and “presidentes auxiliares”, who are the highest level authorities in the communities, many of which are remote and located far from the seat of the municipal government. One is municipal, dedicated to the administration of the urban area, overseeing services like education, sewage and potable water. The other is the president or commissioner of communal resources, who administrates agrarian issues, such as communal land, since private property does not exist. The presidentes auxiliares name the police chief and run the town. And up to May they were also the civil registry judges or clerks. They are directly elected by local voters without participation by the political parties, and they tend to be highly respected local leaders who are close to the people.
Then there is the workplace democratic organs. Workers councils factory committees, professional bodies, occupational associations.
Capitalism has already provided import-export experts through their trade groups such as the National Farmers Union.
Then there is the NGOs and international organisations such as the ILO and FAO and WHO
Within the Socialist Party we acknowledge that the people will determine their own means and methods of self-emancipation and that there will be a variety of ways of organising the actual implementation of socialist administration. Although it is not always emphasised enough, we accept that there will be a large degree of diversity in the manner this is done and that we only lay down guidelines that apply to political and social and cultural conditions that we face here. Other places and other communities will have there own approaches, depending on local customs and traditions. Often, we neglect to emphasise this flexibility of principles. After all, we are not anthropologists with detailed understanding of every nuance of social relationships in the world. As the socialist message grows and spreads and begins to incorporate more peoples, it will change and adapt its form to meet and fit specific conditions while still retaining its core tenets. I think many often overlook this and sometimes try to impose a Euro-North American-centric cultural view of politics and society. We should remind outselves that we are not imposing a universal answer and solution to the world and must take notice of the world’s diversity.
Who says my name should be Bad News Johnstone?
Good news for twitchers
Climate change is having an overall positive impact on most English bird species, according to new research based. Warmer temperatures probably have a positive effect on resident species by improving survival rates over the winter
I thought the solutions have already been devised and are out there except that they are either unacceptable to government expenditure, various business interests or that the timetable given to them is not suffice for their implementation.
Obviously there may well be a many that can be put into immediately, such as energy saving or the ceasing of armament production but others will have to be decided on a priority basis.
But the most important difference for the climate change adaptation under capitalism and socialism, is that the socialist communities will have also the task of improving the living and working conditions of billions as a complementary and an equally urgent aim.
So on reflection, the scientists and geo-engineers and town-planners will have the remit of incorporating that objective, some of which may well be in harmony with climate change mitigation proposals such as making slum clearance and rebuilding flood-proof, energy conserving with least use of unrenewable resources and which include urban farming carbon capturing green space. The experts merely require to re-shape their projects rather than invent totally new ones.
Can the Party presently put meat on the bones of what has already been suggested by the informed professionals as solutions. We can collate them and we can categorize them but presently our 100 active members have not got the sufficient technical expertise other than access the knowledge that is already out there to offer new answers with new ideas.
As an aside I always thought in the short term transition period, the military with some changes will be retained and re-deployed as a “land army”, making use of the skills of the Royal Engineers, the Corp of Signals, the REME, and many other useful units with the superfluous combat troops given their sense of adventure and risk by being retrained in what was called the Pioneer Corp, to deal upfront with natural disasters. The USA actually use their military in this role more with the levies in the Southern states being the responsibility of the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Another angle on the protests, more an analysis of the motivations of the participants
Yet another critique of the Hong Kong protests and once more guilt by association.
Why is anti-Americanism and anti-imperialism more important than the Chinese State bureaucracy and oligarchy?
Western “Progressives” Support Yet Another Color Revolution in Hong Kong
“Depending on Libra’s level of acceptance and on the referencing of the euro in its reserve basket, it could reduce the ECB’s control over the euro, impair the monetary policy transmission mechanism by affecting the liquidity position of euro area banks, and undermine the single currency’s international role,” European Central Bank board member Yves Mersch said on Monday.
Like regular currencies, Libra would be highly centralized, an “extremely concerning” setup since it is not backed by a lender of last resort and it is ultimately accountable to shareholders, who are not seen as repositories of public trust, Mersch added.
“I sincerely hope that the people of Europe will not be tempted to leave behind the safety and soundness of established payment solutions and channels in favor of the beguiling but treacherous promises of Facebook’s siren call,” Mersch added.
The most commonly applied rationing system for non-essentials is simply – “First come – First served”.
But as you say we do have much better means than what was applied by rationing cards in WW2.
Council housing is done by a points system, not perfectly but can be suitably adjusted.
NHS Hospitals already apply a rationing system due to a shortage of medical staff and beds – the more urgent the case the higher priority on the waiting list which is based on clinical need.
This is not going to be one system-fit-all. We do possess a wide variety of administrative structures around the world that have advantages and disadvantages. It is merely a job of adapting and modifying them.
There are shelves in a distribution store where people will help themselves to what they need and they will scan what they take as is done now. That will communicate automatically when a product is required from the warehouse department to re-fill the shelf. The warehouse logistics software in turn will notify the regional distribution point when it requires re-stocking. Again this is what happens right now. When the regional or central distribution centre requires more orders it goes to the various sourcing enterprises ie the manufacturers or processors or growers or assemblers requesting that it is supplied to replace what has been taken by the consumers. Again this is in line with customary practice. In food, it is called “from field to fork.” That summary may seem over-simplified to you but it is the basic principle which can be turned and bent to fit various circumstances. Overall, choosing what to make and how much to make and where to make it and where to send it, however, are decisions for the community and society as a whole. That’s what meant by social ownership.
You hypothetical proposition that a bureaucracy may arise and corrupt the procedures for personal gain is not very likely because no individual is under any obligation to anyone. No class power or personal abuse of power can arise if it cannot withhold the means of life or restrict access to society’s wealth from those it wishes to subjugate or exploit or take advantage of .
There you go then , another very good reason to reject the article’s content.
Something to read
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/afraid-greta-thunberg-190901191445655.html
When we have the same global media coverage as a 16 year old schoolgirl we can debate what counts as abject failure but, as for now, guess who has the audience and guess whose message is resonating with that audience.
It certainly ain’t ourselves. We can’t even get ourselves a hearing much less be listened to.
ALB, I specifically said the article did not refer to her medical condition unlike the post on the forum did.
I think the article was mistaken to accuse her of publicity stunts such as accepting an offer of a sea-trip rather than an air flight. Her visit to address like minded supporters and in a country where there are still many denialists to convince more to trust the science as the current slogan appears to be for her campaign.
I usually enjoy Paddy’s articles but this one fell short. …Oh her endearing charm was her child-like naivity…but he wouldn’t even have even heard of this Swedish schoolgirl if she had not already become a focal point for the school strikes.
I felt the article was accusatory not explanatory, i’m afraid. There were better ways to draw attention to the issue of media/political manipulation.
“…she’s started pulling media-targeted eco-stunts like any selfie-obsessed YouTuber, it’s hard not to see the tacky side. ..”
I’m afraid that is the author’s making a value judgement rather than an objective observation.
The whole climate action campaign has been all about stunts to gain publicity to highlight the issue and it has been fairly successful, and the fact that politicians are being obliged to play lip-service to school students is a sign of progress. No-one and especially Thunberg would say the hypocrisy of politicians doesn’t exist nor that the lobbyists have lost the ear of governments.
Tokenism is when you get a million on the street for one day and then call it a day. This has been a continuing protest that has lasted a year now. That alone will makes it an achievement even if there is not another one.
“Good luck to the schoolkids’ strikes.”
Yes, good luck to them and good luck to her.
But it did arise on the forum Robbo and had to be answered. Even more so when the same issue of the Standard had an article in it on mental health condemning discrimination against those suffering from mental ill-health conditions.
And although her aspergers is not referred to in the Socialist Standard there was Thunberg’s “guilt by association” to things that she has no control over whatsoever such as people using her as a figurehead.
Thunberg has already had a book published and the money it got went to a charity. She has been unwittingly used by a for-profits organization and when she learned of its money-making priority, she withdrew her endorsement. She received a Norwegian award and the accompanying prize money she donated to a campaign to halt Arctic oil exploration. But even that is all irrelevant because if she does make an income from her beliefs, she is in very good company and has little to be ashamed of. The important issue would be is if she using her ideas to make money for herself.
The Socialist Standard as a rule does no engage in ad hominem attacks. Scientific American was reporting that Thunberg’s detractors have “launched personal attacks”, “bash (her) autism”, and “increasingly rely on ad hominem attacks to blunt her influence.”…We should not give those critics any credibility by parroting their propaganda.
We can rightly find fault with Thunberg’s politics and have no need to make it personal.
I’m with schekn on this.
Her condition does not diminish her capacity to reason and draw logical conclusions.
“Another distinction between Asperger’s Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism have intellectual disabilities, by definition, a person with Asperger’s Disorder cannot have a “clinically significant” cognitive delay, and most possess average to above-average intelligence.”
And much of the linked article are speculative and it has committed the crime it accuses Thunberg, personifying the issue of the messenger and not the content of her message. It is petty observations.
Who knows what her speaking fees are? Who knows what book deals she has negotiated? The author certainly doesn’t and makes assumptions. And it doesn’t really matter.
And she simply continued her custom of never flying, it was no publicity stunt for her although it may well have been for the yacht owners. Does she get driven around NY City in a polluting taxi, probably. The
Her arrival in the USA has already had a beneficial publicity effect that has made the several day journey worth it.
And she has become the focal point for the media’s attention. It is inescapable for any one in a position who wishes to spread their message but she is not complicit in her “commercialization” and her “on-message team” appears to be her father.
When we have members of the Party who have various mental health problems, I think we are in dodgy territory if we start critiqueing ideas based on the proponents mental condition.
