alanjjohnstone
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Never heard of the Overton Window?
This explains it.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/04/15/aoc-smashes-overton-window
But social and healthcare costs are expected to jump to 26.5 billion euros per year ($30 billion) in 2035 from 18.7 billion in 2018. That would jack up such costs as a share of gross domestic product to 9.6 percent in 2035 from 7.9 percent.
At stake for the Finns is a wide array of services that now come nearly cost-free such as comprehensive health care, state pensions and home visits by nurses for the elderly.
Capitalism issues a warning.
The world is facing a climate catastrophe and businesses around the world must address it urgently – or face the ultimate sanction for a public company – shareholders who refuse to back them anymore.
That is not a message from an environmental action group but from the largest money manager in the UK, Legal & General Investment Management, which manages £1 trillion worth of UK pension fund investments.
“…I have received another abusive email from one of your members for daring to come on here and criticise the party. …”
And here I am repeatedly criticizing the party in a number of recent posts and i’m upsetting no one enough to get any abuse…
As comedian Frank Carson would say, it must be the way I tell them
“…the ridiculous statement that “The SPGB is small because it is hostile to workers and their attempts to feed and house themselves”…”
Robbo, I actually don’t think VM’s criticism is as ridiculous as you say and it is our approach to reforms that has to a large extent, but not wholly, determined our size and connection to the broader workers’ movement. Can that really be denied?
Of course some will say it is the very reason for our longevity.
Our actual nuanced attitude to the difference of reforms and reformism is often lost in translation.
It was the same with the perceived view of our position on trade unions. An urban legend grew up around it within political circles, some who should have known a lot better.
Do we place all the blame on our enemies disinformation, or should we take some responsibility for it ourselves and accept we can be expressing our case better and clearer on bread and butter issues.
My apologies to ALB for this continuous derailing of the Brexit topic and his efforts to clarify something that many workers erroneously believe should be a priority in politics. If he can forebear with us, i’m sure this interference with it will soon disappear and normal service will resume.
Perhaps a more critical voice to listen to
“…At a time when the government has cracked down on protest, to not see that this could go the other way, and be used simply as a way of increasing already draconian anti-protest legislation and prosecutions, is shortsighted and irresponsible. But beyond that, the cost to individual activists, and the movement as a whole, would be huge…we must be wary of glorifying arrests and incarceration as the only valid way of engaging with a movement. A movement, particularly one seeking to change society as we know it, should not be a coterie of privileged activists who can afford the expense and time getting arrested. It should be about as many people as possible being brought on board. About making noise from all parts of society that’s so deafening, there is no option for those in power but to listen to our demands…”
George Monbiot gives his voice of support to Extinction Rebellion
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/04/15/only-rebellion-will-prevent-ecological-apocalypse
“…Erica Chenoweth’s historical research reveals, for a peaceful mass movement to succeed, a maximum of 3.5% of the population needs to mobilise. Humans are ultra-social mammals, constantly if subliminally aware of shifting social currents. Once we perceive that the status quo has changed, we flip suddenly from support for one state of being to support for another. When a committed and vocal 3.5% unites behind the demand for a new system, the social avalanche that follows becomes irresistible…The time for excuses is over. The struggle to overthrow our life-denying system has begun.”
Planning for invasion
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., boasted as attendees members of the State Department, the Colombian and Brazilian embassies, members of the Venezuelan opposition, and other officials in the American national security state.
“That the Trump Administration is considering attacking Venezuela as an option is no secret, as they tell reporters that much at seemingly every opportunity. That they are holding such events to discuss the details, however, suggest a U.S. war may be closer than anyone realizes.”
Has anybody been to the scenes of action to see what’s been happening on the ground.
My only source is the media
I wonder if there is any promotional material we can give away. Sheep and leaders mugs? Our two editions of ecology pamphlets?
We have had plenty of advance notice of this protest so I will be disappointed that we failed to prepare and to attend.
The Democratic Party Establishment shows its true colours.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the “socialist” wing of Democrats in the House of Representatives as “like, five people”.
When it was l suggested “the progressive group is more than five,” Pelosi replied, “Well, the progressive…I’m a progressive.”
“By and large, whatever orientation they came to Congress with, they know that we have to hold the centre,” she said. “That we have to… go down the mainstream.”
“While there are people who have a large number of Twitter followers, what’s important is that we have large numbers of votes on the floor of the House,” Ms Pelosi said last week. (AOC has 4 million Twitter followers)
“Well the [Obama] Affordable Care Act is better than Medicare, there’s no question about that. The Affordable Care Act benefits are better. Medicare doesn’t have a catastrophic plan. So if you want Medicare for all, you’re going to have to change Medicare and let’s take a look at that.”
In an earlier interview, Pelosi also brushed off the idea Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal proposal.
“It will be one of several or maybe many suggestions that we receive,” Ms Pelosi said. “The green dream, or whatever they call it – nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it, right?”I stand corrected, Matt.
Your very hands-off approach compared with BrianJ’s interventionist style made me think we were operating without a moderator.
Therefore my appreciation to your worthy good self.
Yes I do recognize the difficulties of definitions.
In my post I did try to differentiate three differing consciousnesses.
The Party’s more exclusive requirement for membership, a broader wider acceptance of socialist ideas and a fellow-worker level
There can be a emotional, subjective loyalty to one’s class, to one’s work-mates, one’s community but that can be corrupted by populists from right and left into nationalism or sectionalism.
I hold that there is an important ingredient that is required, knowledge, education, understanding which makes one a socialist.
I did acknowledge that it could be considered an elitist analysis but it is what we know or have concluded that separates us from fellow-workers. However, it may not separate us from those who think themselves socialists but are non-members or been refused membership of the Party
Also remember I have repeatedly declared that we are part of the “Thin Red Line’ and have advocated closer collaboration, too close for some in the Party to presently contemplate
There is actually no member acting as forum moderator, VM. Matt is just performing a technical role, not an interventionalist one on forum content.So far, until now, despite a few off topic contributions such as this is developing into, the forum has been without any acrimony.
You have to still address my post, VM, that does try to discuss why the Party has failed to make connection with the working class and how it now survives on the life-support of its financial reserves.
I’ll elaborate to further discussion.
Too often I hear some members blame our fellow-workers ignorance for the lack of progress. Yet they offer no substantive strategy to end that ignorance. I hear wishful thinking that something will change at some unspecified time in the future which will sow the seeds of socialist ideas. But it sounds rather anti-Marxist in presenting determinist views and disputing the principle that Mankind makes its own history
In no way do I wish to disparage the efforts made by gallant individuals who make great personal sacrifices to contribute to the Party’s case but we are all mortal and unless we come up with a few answers, our future is not a promising one.
I have lost count how many times I have proposed a dedicated debate to confront the issues we face.
This is where I think we should seek agreement with others.
1. Capitalism can no longer be administered or reformed in the interest of society. To be a socialist is to understand capitalism, as a social system, as in the interest of the ruling class; 2. Capitalism is incapable of eliminating poverty, wars, economic crises, environmental climate change, etc. 3. Socialism can solve the social problems confronting society today, since the material conditions are ripe for socialism, except for a socialist majority. Socialism is the solution to the social problems and irreconcilable contradictions of capitalism. Socialism cannot be rammed down the workers’ throats against their wishes. The socialist victory is dependent upon the fervor and enthusiasm of the determined, conscious socialist majority. These are the characteristics of a socialist.
What makes a Party member involves a bit more and a narrower criteria. Members agree on the Party’s view of the nature of the socialist revolution and attitudes on class struggle Materialist Conception of History; the Law of Value, the Party’s leader-free structure, its attitude to reformism and religion.
The Socialist Party is the party of committed class-conscious socialists and its small membership merely reflects the small number of class-conscious socialists. Call it an elitist interpretation if you wish, but we are workers who have a greater knowledge of social realities than other workers.
But the actual socialist movement based on the former criteria of who is a socialist is a broader “membership” which we should be tapping into more and even they too have a higher level of consciousness than most fellow-workers.
