alanjjohnstone
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Apologies. I thought message #7 was from Stuart.But as it was from you LBird, i was correct in message #8 that you would be better discussing the topic with Stuart
Buddhist-inspired physicsWho inspired who and how exactly. .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_scienceI venture that most religions or at least many of their devotees would say their theology has contributed to scientific knowledge and can make big generalisations of influence. But i'm not the one you should be discussing this with. I'm a scientific numpty. I got lot with Shrodingers cat.LBird or Dave B would be more rewarding
I certainly am a very inconsistent thinker, Stuart. Never had that academic training to be disciplined in my thought processes. I often recognise contradictions in what i write. I'm not sure though if the analogy is a correct one though.Part of my case is that those purporting to be socialists define it differently from myself. What they described as socialism and what they meant did in fact accord with the reality, more or less.However, when it comes to creating paradise on Earth, whether Moses, Messiah, Mohammed, or the Buddha, their followers all failed to translate religion into a just economic society.
I did a Google translate and it isn't a bad report upon us .
Quote:Jeremy Corbyn has chosen to tone pure and red flag of the British election campaign and follows in the footsteps of other older men in Western democracies, who have tried to draw voters far to the left in response to the right politicians success.In the office on the main street in South London including Clapham neighborhood's many newly rich, think not that Jeremy Corbyn is red enough. Here at 'Socialist Party of Great Britain "believed that the Labor leader should go much more dramatic approach. »Corbyn talking about politics as in the Swedish welfare state or 70s Britain. We want common ownership and not capitalism. He does not talk about socialism, as we do, when he wants to raise taxes, give more money to the schools and introduce more days off. It is to confuse socialism with reforms, "says Oliver Bond, who writes for the party's monthly journal. It will not be the approximately 350 members of the small lot on the expensive address – that was not as flashy as the Socialist Party in 1951 moved into the former working-class neighborhood – who is going to decide the British general election for the House of Commons on June 8. Many other Britons far into Labor's core vote Corbyn has pulled the party more than enough left. Several of the party's House of candidates gets the utmost pains not to mention their party leader and has avoided any reference to Corbyn on the election material they distribute in their constituencies. If any of the traditional Labor Party had hoped that the realities of an election would be the party leader to look toward the political center in an attempt to reverse the party's chronic bad polls, they got a rude awakening for the weekend, where the conservative newspaper The Daily Telegraph joyfully clears the front page of a leaked draft of Labor's election manifesto under the headline: "Revealed: Corbyns manifesto to bring Britain back to the 1970s'. It was a reference to the economic crisis, which paved the way for a sharp political right turn during Margaret Thatcher. Since then, only Tony Blairs centrist "New Labor" has been able to wrest power from the Conservatives.But Corbyn has chosen to tone pure red flag with traditional workers' struggle. Party Manifesto is scheduled to be published this week, but it corresponds according to British press largely to the leaked draft crafted by Corbyns close associates. There will be uploaded to renationalising the railways and postal services, create state energy companies, raising taxes on the highest incomes and business, strengthen unions and increase public spending.In doing so, Corbyn a track from the older, seasoned politicians in Western democracies at the recent presidential elections in France and the US presidential election have tried to draw voters far to the left – and mobilize, committed young – to meet successful nationalist oriented right politicians.67-year-old Corbyn went even parallel a few days ago when he said that he hoped that the former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will give its recommendation of a vote at Corbyn and Labor. 75-year-old Sanders will come to Britain just before the elections in connection with a series of events where the American politician must keep talking."I do not know. I hope he will. I think he probably will do it, "said Corbyn in an interview with The Guardian.He said that Labor makes rich use of experience of Sanders campaign methods were adherents to flow to and was a real threat to Hillary Clinton in the primary election:"We are in connection with Bernies team. They're over here to help us. "Like the small group of socialists in Clapham Corbyn in the UK and other Western political leaders proved uncompromising despite the poor prospects of achieving their goals . The left-wing, 66-year-old presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, got unexpectedly strong support in the first round of elections in France but was criticized when he subsequently refused to urge its voters to support Emmanuel Macron against right candidate Marine Le Pen.Sanders got US criticism for maintaining its pressure from the left on Clinton, even when he no longer had any chances, and thereby distracted her focus on defeating Donald Trump….Blah blah…In London's Clapham district is the small group of socialists most concerned that Corbyns policy will blur the understanding of the real socialism, says Bond in his office.Thanks for the clarification.But what if we run an ad campaign to sell the Socialist Standard after the election is done and dusted. Would that be permissible?
I was looking at the link, ALB, and came across thishttp://www.wandsworthradio.com/advertising/Rather than go through the Media Committee, perhaps the election campaigners could make use of it more quickly but also to keep the proper accounts for the election budget spending reportMaybe the audio/visual experts could edit Paddy's election address from Kids Stuff or Danny's Big Smoke interview… I note you can sponsor a programme…and they have a comedy one called the AntI-Duhring Battalion and we could use an appropriate Engels quote from it as part of the ad.
I think we can be assured that the media values some lives more than any other.It is now the custom for foreign nations to project the flag of terrorist-attacked countries on their public buildings – But not for Russian victims of ISIS terrorAlmost the same day, we had 35 migrants, many of them toddlers, drown and UK-trained Libyan coastguards firing warning shots at the rescuers to keep them away. Just yesterday, we had the murder of 28 Coptic Christians in Egypt. It also seems that the UK gave asylum to an anti-Gadaffi militant linked to a UN-recognised terrorist organisaton, Then the father was "ours" and protected https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/24/bombers-father-fought-against-gaddafi-regime-with-terrorist-grouphttps://au.news.yahoo.com/a/35641392/father-of-manchester-suicide-bomber-member-of-the-libyan-islamic-fighting-group/#page1ffi-paramilitary-group-13087255https://www.rt.com/uk/389694-libya-abedi-lifg-cameron/How do we convey the rank hypocrisy without lessening our horror at the Manchester slaughter? It's difficult.
Or even the failure of capitalist economics to live up to its goals, Stuart, which would be another comparison. Or should that be the failure of Protestant work ethic, to maintain the religious angle. (Or before then, the sterile fruits of Early Church Communism?)like all religious ideas we can pix and mix whatever we wish from Buddhism but, as i say, witnessing the daily application of the Theravada school (and occasionally engaging is some of its rituals at family events), i'm not so easily swayed by those who claim adherence to its tenets from afar.If i was, then i think i would have to reconsider my response to all the other religions' ideals and not to their actual social practice. Sift the wheat from the chaff…and if i did that…who knows, i'd probably come up with my own unique and distinct religion bu maybe the Bahai faith beat me to that even. I'm not really sure that Buddhism ever tried to put into practice its "economic system" outside the sangha and the monasteries. I do recollect that some Christian communities in history endeavoured to do that (Peasants Revolts) and some still do, (the Amish?) . But in regards to Buddhist history, my ignorance is revealed.Perhaps you can offer some reading links to movements in the past that tried to change the economies of the regions that Buddhism prevailed. I can only recollect negative examples, such as Tibetan theological feudalistic hierarchy (or whatever manifestation occurred under Lamaist version of Buddhism.)
At times, i have thought that the Socialist Party is one of the most conservative of parties…conservative with a small c, of course.
Derek Wall is the Green Party candidate in Theresa May's constituency.Heresies of heresies, if i lived there, i might be tempted to give him my vote.
Too much laughing and giggling for me to enjoy it….but i did like the fact that they showed you the props scenery in the last reel…that it was like all capitalist politics …fakery
'Another quick google produced this. It might not be directly relevant but is interesting.http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1939030900My reading of it was that Germany fully realised autarky although desirable was not possible – there were raw materials and foodstuffs it just had to import – but the economic policy was skewed towards export and that meant encroaching upon traditional British markets.
Quote:" Robert S. Hudson, secretary of the British Department of Overseas Trade, told the House of Commons that British export industries must organize so that they could negotiate as units with their opposite numbers in Germany and say: “Unless you are prepared to put an end to this form of competition and come to an agreement on market prices which represent a reasonable return, then we will fight you and beat you at your own game.” In December the government introduced a bill to provide a “fighting fund” of £10,000,000 for insurance of trade projects regarded as in the national interest but not justifiable as sound commercial risks.R. S. Hudson and Oliver Stanley, president of the British Board of Trade, are scheduled to go to Germany this month with a mission of the Federation of British Industries to engage in conversations with German officials in the hope of reaching agreements that will avert an Anglo-German trade war."And for the necessary imports, Germany was outbidding their rivals and tying them into bilateral arrangements by use of credit
Quote:The Reich has sought to make its purchases of raw materials and other import goods as far as possible in countries with which it has clearing agreements, since under those agreements use of foreign exchange is avoided. The German importer makes payment in marks deposited to the Reichsbank account of the country from which the goods have been imported. The foreign creditor, in turn, can get his money out of the Reich only in the form of German goods purchased with the marks in the Keiehsbank account. And the German government has increasingly restricted the types of goods which can be so bought for export. Under this system, with its rigid controls, trading has tended to become in effect a matter of transactions between governments, with individual exporters and importers relegated to a subordinate role and the dominant power enforcing terms and conditions that will accrue to its own advantage. Trade, moreover, is canalized into bilateral channels. Bilateral trade has been called “the modern equivalent of barter.”Under the clearing-agreement procedure Germany began purchasing large amounts of raw materials in the Danubian and Balkan countries, offering prices so attractive that the governments of those countries could not hamper the sales without incurring unpopularity among the producers. A recent article in the London Economist described the ensuing developments:'It was some time before the exporting countries realised that the result of the one-sided purchase of their goods by Germany was the accumulation of large frozen balances owed to them by Germany on their clearing accounts with her. In order to liquidate these balances, it became necessary for the governments of these countries to do their utmost to encourage the purchase of German goods. To that end they refused import licences for British and other manufactures in order to divert purchases to Germany'http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1939030900 I also came across the Standstill Agreement.
Quote:In July 1931 financial crisis led Germany to declare a de facto moratorium on its international debts, including normal commercial debts. These became subject to a Standstill agreement, which provided for limited payments to creditors; it was renegotiated and renewed regularly until the outbreak of World War II. British creditors, including the banks, were heavily exposed to German debt, which had suddenly become subject to sovereign and, with the abandonment of the gold standard, currency risk. The British banks appeared less aggressive than most Standstill creditors in reducing their exposures, in what is regarded variously as enlightened pragmatism or economic or financial appeasement. Under pressure from government and the Bank of England, both of which wanted to keep Germany integrated with the international financial and trading system and defuse economic tensions, the banks were obliged to balance patience against their desire for repayment.http://www.thebhc.org/node/2808Another link produces the figures on foreign exchange and explains that Germany always had a trade deficit
Quote:German trade statistics make it possible to obtain data at constant 1928 prices for individual countries by major items traded, which in this case represent between 60 and 70 per cent of the respective trade volume. In table 10, the results for this estimation of trade volume by country are shown for German trade with the US, Britain, and France. The real figures obtained for 1938 show that the much-celebrated autarky drive of the Nazi economy almost evaporates: once the dramatic reduction in Germany's trade with its most important creditors is controlled for, the decline in German foreign trade between 1928 and 1938 diminishes from almost 15 per cent to a mere 2.5 per cent. This is summarized in a conclusion: German autarky policies in the 1930s were to a large extent a process of selective disengagement from trade with the US, Great Britain, and France.Imports from the rest of the world remained basically unchanged in comparison with their pre-Depression peak…The evidence collected here seems to suggest that the autarky policy of Nazi Germany may not be readily interpreted as a general withdrawal from international trade in preparation for war. What it shows, instead, is a drive for partial disengagement from Germany's dominant creditor countries, along with the attempt to build up import-substitution industries in the fields of maximum dependence.Don't forget Glasgow branch Revue they put on http://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-rid-rid-rotten-revue-show.html
The limits to my imagination was stretched to proposing that social controls of a future society will be worked out at the time by the people dependent upon the outcome and i have no intention of pre-empting them by pre-determined models of administration of society or by defining the parameters of the authority of the many diverse and varied expressions of democratic control which will spring up, beyond some general broad-brush strokes.You say that approach is an abdication of responsibility. i suggest your premature approach is an abrogation of responsibility.I ask you, who is the democrat?
We haven't advanced far in this debate, have we, after what now has been years of exchanges and screeds of words.Fake news has recently been the headlines…and they have set up all manner of media controls to separate fake news from real news…and we as socialists know that itself is fake. The media is not a neutral medium and it can deceive by the very simple means of omission ie deciding what is the news to be told and not to be told.We can now say in todays world, it is no longer the government that controls truth but internet and search providers such as Google.When some theory is promoted, is the internet vote of traffic figures legitimise claims made and the truth of them?JFK was killed in a conspiracy so say 81% of Americans say so.They have determined the "truth" based upon what information they are in possession of, though? What are the accuracy of their information?Truth is for me too abstract a word. I read a book on the Congo pygmies, because they lived in forests the range of their sight was always limited. When the author took one to another region, the pygmy had no sense of perspective, his mind couldn't comprehend that a buffalo in the distance was the same buffalo up close. History of art showed that the truth of the painter changed with the centuries…from Egyptian style to Renaissance developments in three dimension techniques. Truth in how we represented what we saw changed.I think i mentioned that quantum physics is all gobbly-gook to me because their truth does not correspond to my own reality. I recuse myself from such conversations. You ask who controls truth…i do as an individual. I choose what i consider true. My neighbour possesses his personal world-view of his reality. That is our battlefield in politics. Challenging the common-sense truth of our fellow-workers in what they believe to be the truth…human nature means greed and aggression etc. When we all begin to share an understanding of social relationships and how our ideas arise from those and a consensus begins coalesce we can say we have a grasp on truth. No idea who will control what is seen as truth in a socialist society, or how it would be done. There are limits to my imagination and how people will change and how they will think once freed from capitalism and its conditioning is beyond my ken. I can't even have a good guess.
