alanjjohnstone

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 15 posts - 8,431 through 8,445 (of 12,551 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • in reply to: Global Resource Bank #125390
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    To bring your argument on Occupied Northumberland up to date, i noticed that many try to get their medications free from north of the border and perhaps if Scotland does get independence there will be a move for the border to move southwards and restore the Carlise/Newcastle frontier-line. Radge and radgee too is a word used in Edinburgh. I recall a weegie  co-worker surprised that we use the ord chum as a verb…to chum you (accompany) to the shops, for instance. And i remeber him explaining the dispute he had with a shop when he asked for ginger and got told they didn't have any…a weegie generic term for any flavour for what we call ijuice…Shottie  or shot can also be used for can i have a shottie of your mobile to make a call

    in reply to: Global Resource Bank #125388
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    So the Romany/gypsy word "gadgee" is used in the NE of England as well as in Edinburgh. Interesting to ken.What about "keeping shottie" —look outAnd to chore…thieve. The last i personally surmised what brought back from India where  when i saw that Bombay has the Thieves Market of Chora. 

    in reply to: March 2017 EC minutes #125624
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    As one who did not approve of the EC's "Small Party of Good Boys" legalistic response to Vin's supposedly unauthorised videoes and said so at the time, i'm left a bit bewildered now that the "Small Party of Good Boys" attitude is being apparently entrenched by those who were originally critical of the EC's previous position.Can i ask what videos require to be removed?Do they include Channel 4 in addition to the BBC?In fact, maybe it is easier if i'm told what our website and You Tube presence will be left with, at the end of the day.

    in reply to: 100% reserve banking #86957
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Came across this report on credit unions…turning away deposits because not enough folk are taking out loans! No magical stroke of the keyboard appears to be useful.http://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/credit-unions-turn-away-cash-as-bank-rules-force-change-35524415.html

    Quote:
    For every €100 in savings, €10 has to be put into the reserves. The money that goes into the reserves comes from profits made on loans.
    in reply to: Hunter gatherer violence #109843
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Just to pick up on this thread, this article and the research it links to may be of interest. .."…this study reveals that violence is explained by resource scarcity and not political organization…."

    Quote:
    The findings overturn one theory of violence in prehistoric societies, which said that while societies were small-scale and politically simple, their existence would have been much more peaceful than modern societies."This study provides no support for the position that violence originated with the development of more complex hunter-gatherer adaptations in the fairly recent past," the study authors write in the paper. "Instead, findings show that individuals are prone to violence in times and places of resource scarcity."

    http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/prehistoric-californian-hunter-gatherer-societies-were-plagued-lethal-violence-1607718?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=/rss/yahoous&yptr=yahoo

    in reply to: Republic vs democracy vs anarchy #125115
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    Certain media outlets sole purpose is to shape public opinion instead of giving you the facts. this has been the case for a while.

    CP, don't try to teach your granny to suck eggs.The media has invariably had an agenda to push and fake news is not at all a modern thing.Read about Hearst and how his newspaper empire instigated the US/Spanish War that brought Cuba and the Philippines under the American wing. I was brought up with the American news narrative on the Vietnam War. Did you know that the exposure of the My Lai massacre was not broken by the thousands of reporters and journalists in Vietnam, but by a soldier writing a letter to his small hometown newspaper and the story being picked up by some Washington-based reporters. The local Vietnam reporters knew of many such atrocities and thought it so common that it was not worth bringing to the public's notice. And, of course there was the Iraq War and afterwards the media promises to scrutinise the government more but soon as the Libyan Air War begun, such pledges of fact-checking government claims were ignored…as they were when the Syrian Civil  War begunJohn Keracher, who you probably not heard of, wrote a pamphlet called the Head Fixing Industry in the 1930shttps://libcom.org/library/head-fixing-industryUpton Sinclair, who you probably do know of wrote the Brass Check.Sure it has not been the 100 days presidents usually have to prove their mettle, but how long will you wait, CP, before you begin to see that Trump is an oligarch/plutocrat and not some political savior. He has now appointed many of his cabinet and outlined some of his social policies which i have indicated they are not and have not been promoting the interests of the American people.I am not accusing Trump of being a fascist, but surely you recognise that some of his chosen advisors and grass-root supporters are neo-fascists. The rest who sympathise with Trump give legitimacy and cover for this very right-wing drift in the American political scene. A Robbo suggested, those who voted for Trump may well have been sincere in seeking a new type pf President, but will soon learn that it is the same old same same but with a different label and different advertising. Be assured though that those on this list do understand that Hilarity Clinton would be very much similar to Trump in not delivering election campaign promises and that Bernie Sanders would be thwarted by the establishment in trying to achieve his. But again, there is no American exceptionalism, this is happening all around the world – disillusionment with the political system…Duterte, Orban, Erdogan…and many many others…Find a scape-goat and promise the cure…and ignore civil rights, human rights and even  the nation's own laws. People think Trump is something new…that fake news is something new…nope…been there, seen it, got the tee-shirt.Hopefully, you can begin to see behind the curtain and see that the Wizard of Oz was just a carnival showman. 

    in reply to: Republic vs democracy vs anarchy #125101
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    For the first time in a very long time we have a president that will look out for our interests instead of the interests of multinational corporations.

    Unlike some when Trump appointed Goldman Sachs executives to his government, i gave him the benefit…set a fox to catch a fox, rather than those who saw him as having placed the foxes in the hen-house. So far, it appears by the tax change proposals, the latter explanation seems more plausible.But let us look deeper at those appointees and hat they are saying.Pruitt, head of the EPA denying CO2 as the major cause of global warming and climate change. Is he looking after your or your families or the future generations interests or continuing his policy of minimising the effect of the fossil fuel industry, which he had previously stoutly defended and served the interests of?Trumps appointee for education, DeVos. Is she advancing your or your families or the future generation's interests or promoting the policy of for-profit corporations rather than remedying the problems of public schools.As for the new Ryancare, it seems a bit like a feud between the wider business interests and the narrower healthcare corporations. Businesses believe the plan could help relieve them of costs. Health care businesses believe it will relieve them of customers, and therefore revenues. What's absent is the interests of you, your family and future generations.Then there is Gorsuch  and then trying to give us Puzder as a Labor secretary I could go on and explore Jeff Sessions, or how Flynn was on the Turkish government's pay-rollNo, looking at his policies and his appointees, the last thing Trump is doing is looking out for your interests and not the multinational corporations. 

    in reply to: Republic vs democracy vs anarchy #125099
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    CP, i have given you credit for being a thinking person but i might well be wrong, after reading your reply to my previous response to you.The fact is that my online search did bring up that evidence which contradicts your own allegations, which is based on your own  internet reading  and it is up to you to undermine them as reliable sources by exposing the factual errors or the mistaken conclusions. Argue your case, don't simply make assertions.Simply labelling them as "propaganda outlets", simply isn't a good enough, or an intellectually honest answer.But perhaps you think your own Brietbart- like sources are more accurate. If so demonstrate their validity. and accuracy.I purposefully did a mix of sources just to minimise the reliance on a left-wing source, unless you think the UK Independent newspaper and Snopes website are left-fronts for Soros.The long quoted article you so casually disregard fully acknowledged the Soros funding of certain elements in the BLM but identified who and why, and that it as not as some claimed – paying for rioter-for-hire but to divert the protest movement into more acceptable and constitutional legal channels. And as you are seemingly a staunch supporter of the US Constitution, Soros doing the exact same as the Koch Brothers i.e. using their personal wealth to try and determine a political outcome,  where is the problem for you?  That linked article then went on to explain why particular political currents seek to blame Soros for all the opposition and resistance, long before Trump or the alt-right made a political appearance – a very unpalatable explanation for yourself no doubt, but one that you did not care to address. He is blamed for instance for the Ukrainian coup  which conveniently diverts from the US government's $5 billion dollars to support the right-wing in the Ukraine. Either you respond with some substance to your claims and engage in serous debate, or i will simply cease trying to have a constructive dialogue with you. 

    in reply to: Global Resource Bank #125372
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    We have eternal life, if nobody dies.

    in reply to: March 2017 EC minutes #125608
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster
    Quote:
    Based on this experience, it is tempting to wonder whether there are other essential Party functions, currently getting no volunteers, which might benefit from this ‘hotel and hands-on’ approach. The cost in travel and accommodation is relatively modest considering what the Party stands to gain, and it’s even possible that offering such structured training weekends might encourage more novice members to step forward in the first place. The question of ‘investing’ in our members might be a fruitful one to explore when next the scarcity of volunteers is being discussed.

    This i think is a very good use of our funds and as you say we should try and expand upon it. AVC and audio uploading comes to mind but even the more mundane tasks of treasurer needs tuition and if we don't require a new one right now, I am sure Gwyn will be happy to know we have one in reserve so he can indulge in his unfulfilled desire for extreme sports.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qF_fzEI4wU If the party wishes to pay the airfare to Thailand and hotel/food and drinks expenses for any comrade seeking advice on blogging, i will be a happy to share the limited knowledge i possess . 

    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    http://www.alternet.org/immigration/private-prison-execs-openly-boast-soaring-profits-trumps-mass-deportation-agendaDavid Donahue, the President of GEO Corrections and Detention, directly cited the Trump administration’s “deportation force” as a boon to business.

    in reply to: March 2017 EC minutes #125601
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    M. Tenner: Advertising the Party and our caseThis is a move i heartily endorse but would perhaps add a caveat on the selection of his target journals and periodicals. However, that is nit-picking.What i would wish to add to the venture is that each branch is charged by the EC to investigate their own local and community press for the potential of placing appropriate ads and to report back estimated costs. 

    in reply to: Swift on political liars #125646
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Who did you have in mind when you posted this, YMS? 

    in reply to: Republic vs democracy vs anarchy #125089
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    Here is some rebuffs to your claim that Soros is funding BLMhttp://www.snopes.com/george-soros-bring-down-us/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/08/19/no-george-soros-didn-t-give-33-million-to-blacklivesmatter.htmlA  UK analysis of Soros "philanthropy"http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/george-soros-caused-refugee-crisis-breitbart-muslim-takeover-biggest-threat-alt-right-global-a7419291.htmlAnother analysis of his political financing which i think shows the extreme danger of the path you are going down, CP (forgive the length of the extract but i think you should read it all very carefully.)

    Quote:
    If there’s one thing Right loves to throw around, it’s the idea that George Soros is behind any sort of social movement, organized protest, or dissent in general against the status-quo. This is something that is held dear by all parts of the far-Right and even the center right-wing. It seeks to make sense of popular struggles and dismiss them as simply the work of people who are paid off by an evil financial capitalist. The myth has links back to anti-Semitic works such as the original fake news piece, The Protocols of Zion, and Soros being Jewish only adds icing to the far-Right’s cake. Moreover, it also side steps the issue of the very real stranglehold that non-profits and foundation money does play in resistance movements, which is negative, that seeks to channel social movements back into politics and the State, as opposed to building autonomous power on a community level…Because Soros does have expansive wealth, donates to what the far-Right describes as “left-wing” groups such as MoveOn.org (a front for the Democratic Party), the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, and MediaMatters.org (a large liberal non-profit), along with Democratic career politicians, on top of coming from a Jewish background, those on the Right love to use the image of Soros as a wealthy Jewish elitist to further a wide range of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and in the eyes of the far-Right, every riot, strike, occupation, and disruption ultimately has one man behind it: Soros…this reduction of struggle, dissent, and unrest boils down complex situations into easy solutions; and Soros as a wealthy Jew makes an easy devil for the far-Right…For instance, during the fall of 2014, the far-Right again used the myth of Soros to claim that he was behind the Ferguson riots, and paid people tens of millions of protesters to “riot” in the wake of police murder of Mike Brown, Jr. Later, as black insurgency spread to Baltimore, the far-Right again pushed the line that Soros was bank-rolling the Black Lives Matter movement, which many on the Right simply equated part and parcel with the self-organized uprisings that were organically coming from the black community itselves. As the Movement for Black Lives (in many ways the “official” Black Lives Matter organization) tried to reign in the expanding movement that was becoming more and more militant, it also became awash in grants from the Ford Foundation as Soros’ Open Society Foundation. Not surprisingly, some of the leaders of the official organizations of Black Lives Matter, and its push for policy reforms, Campaign Zero, and ended up endorsing Clinton.For those on the far-Right, this is evidence that the entire movement was itself funded by Soros, and that the rebellions, protests, mass organizing, and uprisings were all his doing. But what this really shows is that wealthy liberals and powerful non-profits were trying to bring popular and self-organized movements back into politics; to smother them of any revolutionary potential. For instance, in a recent article on Left Voice by Julia Wallace and Juan Ferre argues that this relationship between wealthy donors (like Soros) and non-profits actually moved revolt out of the streets and back into more ‘acceptable forms’… In short, Soros along with a host of other wealthy and powerful liberals were part of a push to pacify and contain Black Lives Matter and bring it back into the Democratic Party, but had nothing to do with “funding riots,” as the far-Right likes to imagine. The elites that attempt to control social movements with money want them to be political not disruptive…the myth of Soros and the globalists is helpful to the far-Right because quite simply it explains why people revolt; for the Right, it’s simple: they are paid to and on their own, are too dumb or incapable of organizing anything. This myth goes back to the anti-Semitic and racist views of old, and the anti-communist lines held by the John Birch Society that a select group of puppet masters are playing the good workers and poor in an elaborate scheme for world domination…the Right has a direct and real need to explain why revolt comes out of human communities because by attacking and discrediting it, it makes itself appear to be revolutionary and at the forefront of a worldwide struggle against “globalism” and overall, justifies themselves taking State power (or supporting it). This combination of dismissal of the capacity of human beings to run their own affairs and struggles, especially the poor and the colonized, while at the same time valorizing one’s own need to rule over those people, runs throughout both the authoritarian Left and the Right, and should recognized as the filth that it is and attacked.

    https://itsgoingdown.org/george-soros-globalism-far-right-explains-revolt/Now, what do you think is the more reasonable and rational analysis of Soros…the one you are repeating…or the above? 

    in reply to: Our Opinion Of Marx #125588
    alanjjohnstone
    Keymaster

    So are you saying there will be a Red Army-style peoples militia –  " institutional apparatus of repression…in a   non statist form"  I think we are re-inventing the wheel. We have an armed force supposedly under our political command. The creation of an alternative military wing to the socialist movement, may well be superfluousBut some like the CPGB and Engels calle for a citizen's army of conscripts…But i'd wait and see just how the rise of socialist ideas and consciousness manifests and expresses itself in the military armed forces. Are we going down the path of suggesting uneven development in socialist consciousness?/…That there will not be socialists in uniforms?(coterminous – new word added to my vocabulary, btw)I don't think we are in very much disagreement.You say

    Quote:
    that does not mean the infrastructure of repression will just magically disappear on the spot,  It has to be gradually dismantled over time…it needs to be systematically  gutted of its toxic contents carefully disposed of …

    I said 

    Quote:
    parts of government which could be maintained, moreorless, intact (eg. health, farming) but with changed priorities and other ministries which would require drastic modification to become useful administrative structures

    You say tomahtoes and i say tomaytoes .But like the other thread on the application of political power by our elected party delegates, i think, a lot of this discussion is premature since we don't know the conditions and situations we face in the future at the arrival of the social revolution.Too often we are being expected to be socialist seers, incorporating prophecies in our policies and predictions in our approaches. And what might be right for the UK may well not be appropriate for US. 

Viewing 15 posts - 8,431 through 8,445 (of 12,551 total)