alanjjohnstone
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Under guidelines, an example of anti-Semitism is accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.
Fox News however can say of a Muslim politician “…you have to wonder if she’s an American first.”
While a Republican congressman has spread false allegations that Ilhan Omar denied the September 11 hijackers were terrorists
“I was going to ask if you believe that black people can’t be racist because they are black, but then I remembered, that it doesn’t matter.”
It matters very much if you happen to be in South Africa and subject to xenophobic attacks. Our Africa-focused blog has frequently posted about anti-foreigner racist violence.
There is also the issue of “lighter-skinned” V “darker-skinned” prejudice in various countries.
Divide and Rule tactics are not colour blind.
Is this thread’s topic a fixation? Or simply addressing events in the news as the many other topics on the forum do?
Yes, I suppose it will alienate many of our Israeli fellow-workers who support and condone the government they repeatedly vote for and the actions it takes to maintain rule. But I just wonder how many of those who are not critical of such policies are going to ever be potential members.
There are some Israelis and some in the Jewish diaspora who may hold similar views on nationality and nations as ourselves. Hopefully, we might be able to engage with these fellow-workers.
I think one thing you also overlooked is that the moves leading to criminalizing the socialist case is not merely about race but is now focused on the criticism of religion and causing “offence” by accusations of anti-semite and islamophobia.
Militant followers of Hindutva in India are also involved in this suppression of secularism. As, of course, Pakistani and Bangladesh Muslim extremists target atheists. Our platform against religion is being put under siege as it very much was in Northern Ireland when paramilitary religious sectarianism dominated the political scene.
But we can agree that when we criticize Zionism, we also denounce demands for either One-State or Two-State Palestinian nationalism. We are perhaps guilty of not highlighting that fact as much as we should.
But the SOYMB blog has directed its criticism against both Hamas and the PA as being institutions of our class-enemy when anti-worker events are reported in the news.
What the WSPUS is up against.
“…Republicans declare socialism is a crime not only because they believe it “steals” property, but because the poor are already “criminals.” …”
But there is hope
“…The bottom of the U.S.’s class hierarchy is a treasure-trove of potential socialism….”
It’s been mentioned before, Venezuela’s gold dealings, but its cropped up again in the media.
“…Venezuela removed eight tonnes of gold from the central bank’s vaults last week, and the cash-strapped socialist state is expected to sell the bullion abroad as it seeks to raise hard currency in the face of U.S. sanctions…the central bank’s reserves had fallen by 30 tonnes since the start of the year before U.S. President Donald Trump tightened sanctions, leaving the bank with around 100 tonnes in its vaults, worth more than $4 billion (£3 billion). At that rate of decline, the central bank’s reserves would nearly disappear by the end of the year…”
Not sure if this directly relates to your discussion with Jehu, certainly not concerning what Marx thought, but just read this on prices.
“U.S. natural gas prices in West Texas have been trading in negative territory for more than two weeks…prices for gas in the Permian basin are set – fell to a record low of minus $4.28 per million British thermal units last week. Prices have been negative in the real-time or next-day markets since March 22. ”
This is “largely due to a lack of pipeline space, forcing some drillers to pay those with spare pipeline capacity to take unwanted gas…
Permian drillers flared a record 0.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) in the third quarter of 2018 and are expected to flare at least 0.6 bcfd by mid-2019, according to Oslo-based energy data provider Rystad Energy. One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to fuel about 5 million U.S. homes for a day. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an environmental group believes drillers are burning more than the official figures. Anyone who ships gas on a pipe must pay the pipeline company for use of the space. Normally, gas producers or their customers pay this fee, but can then sell the gas at the end of the line for a profit. And shippers with long-term deals aren’t affected. Those that are paying negative prices are the drillers who did not in the past commit to shipments already. Because they don’t have the space on the pipeline, they are paying others who already have it to take that gas, effectively losing money despite producing the gas…”
Marcos on the WSPUS thread
“There is a new term known as socialism for bankers”
We read:
“…instead of letting the market punish the banks (which is what capitalism is supposed to do) the government bailed them out and eventually levied paltry fines which the banks treated as the cost of doing business. If this isn’t socialism, what is it? Yet it’s a particular form of socialism. Millions of homeowners who owed more on their homes than the homes became worth didn’t get bailed out. Millions of workers who lost their jobs or their savings, or both, didn’t get bailed out. No major banker went to jail. Call it socialism for rich bankers….”
Is the world going to be following Norway’s example?
One problem face by the WSP (India) in contrast to the WSPUS is language.
WSP(India)’s campaigning is predominantly done in English and Bengali. Many millions have their own languages. WSP (India) is very much based in Kolkata but the other two great mega-cities, Mumbai, Marathi is the predominant language and in Chennai, it’s Tamil.
Countercurrents website which I know you are acquainted with is based in a provincial town in Kerala and that state has Malayalam as its language.
Hindi and English are the link languages of different States and the medium of the educated but like many countries the choice of languages used can be very political.
I recall Vic Vanni who was one of the earliest SPGBers to visit WSP (India) remarking to me it arose from basically students centred around their lecturer.
Marcos I think has said that any socialist party in the US should have plenty of articles in Spanish (for about 40-50 million its what they speak at home) – Just as the SP of Canada has some articles in French for the Quebecois.
The Party can offer critical support to this action, IMHO, although we recognize the futility of confronting the power of State head-on.
It is a shame that we cannot offer the use of HO to those participating.
I understand the reasons why some members would have been reticent and it is at such a late hour to now organize. But one member once asked when we say we sympathise and are in solidarity what does that really mean if no deeds are taken.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbi9sUmfbB1o-042NqVVt1Dq6s2UajI2FAYh0PMPgy3W7utQ/viewform
More bad news
A new research paper by American and European climate scientists focused on Arctic warming published Monday reveals that the “smoking gun” when it comes to changes in the world’s northern polar region is rapidly warming air temperatures that are having—and will continue to have—massive and negative impacts across the globe.
The new paper—titled “Key Indicators of Arctic Climate Change: 1971–2017″—is the work of scientists at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen (GUES).
“Because the Arctic atmosphere is warming faster than the rest of the world, weather patterns across Europe, North America, and Asia are becoming more persistent, leading to extreme weather conditions. Another example is the disruption of the ocean circulation that can further destabilize climate: for example, cooling across northwestern Europe and strengthening of storms.”
A new entry
California Representative Eric Swalwell is officially in the running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Earth is likely to take millions of years to recover from the destruction currently being inflicted by humanity, scientists have warned.
A “speed limit” on the rate of evolution means it will take at least 10 million years for the world’s diversity to return to pre-human levels, according to a new study.
While there has been much attention given to the fence protests and those murders by Israeli snipers, less reported has been demonstrations of Gazans against poverty which have resulted in repression from the Hamas security forces.
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2019/03/we-want-to-live.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47616809
While there has been similar protests in the West Bank against the Palestinian Authority austerity policies
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-other-palestinian-struggle-class.html
I recall decades ago listening to a CIA chief on the radio discussing KGB releasing stories. He said the thing to look at foremost is not the why of it but the when of it.
Is this leak a coincidence when seen on the timeline of Netanyahu’s announcement of annexation of the West Bank? Maybe not since the Israeli’s statement seemed to have been impromptu electioneering for votes.
However, nobody in all the articles which i have read has asked the question who was it who illegally hacked into the Labour Party’s e-mail system to obtain this information? Who is it spying on the Labour Party? An inside job or the work of an external intelligence agency? Surely it is an important detail for the media to investigate and speculate about.
I wonder if I could place another spin on this …
Of the nearly half of the cases reported, 200 did not merit any further inquiry, 145 were of a minor trangression and fewer than 30 were expelled. 200 cases are being studied with 245 are still in line to be looked at.
Or instead of the Kangaroo court, critics insist on a lynch mob approach… Rush through expulsions based on accusations only.
Not quite a clear cut rebuttal as your post implies, Dave
The article says earlier Nordic economies were socialist and that they failed thus proving socialism isn’t possible.
“…Although contemporary Sweden remains a traditional welfare state in some respects (e.g. it has comparatively high tax rates), successive governments since the early 1990s have consistently chosen more freedom over more equality, more market over more state. Following the obvious failure of the socialist experiment, the balance between capitalism and socialism has shifted toward capitalism…”
“……Why should countries like the United Kingdom or the U.S. make the same mistake as the Swedes did in the 1970s? Sweden’s “democratic socialism” with high taxes, redistribution and high state regulation has failed, and the young people who are today enthusiastic about the ideas of Bernie Sanders should draw lessons from the experiences of Sweden and other Nordic countries.”
