alanjjohnstone
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Logging out and then logging in as moderator 2 must have failed…that above post was posted as moderator 2
First of all, let us dispense wth the false debate on the use of one word (mea culpa, btw). It was chosen to emphasise and ensure that Cde. Maratty fully understood that genuine regret for his part in past acrimonious disputes that led to his indefinite suspension was required and expected, and not just any token apology.As for giving our reasons for upholding a current embargo upon Cde. Maratty's posts, i fear it would only lead to unwarranted and unnecessary future dissension. Discretion and keeping our consultation confidential was deemed a requirement of our proceedings as moderators to permit a full and frank exchange among us.Vin in e-mails from myself, (and, more than likely also from other moderators, too), was told my reason for my adjudication.If this is not acceptable and we are seen as some sort of judge, jury, and executioner, then i suggest you return to the basics of this discussion forum and suggest reform or even the dismantling of its guidelines and the whatever enforcement of it that you believe must take place in its stead. Until then the moderators will moderate as they see fit under their remit. Moderation of the forum has indeed changed. Rather than one moderator who has been accused of bias and prejudice in the past, there are now three moderators collaborating in the application of the forum rules who must now be accused of being engaged in conspiratorial practices rather than employing a process of internal discussion leading to a collective decision.Our "crime" is, apparently, reviewing an existing previously imposed sanction when requested to and then upholding it, while recommending a course of action to Cde. Vin in an effort to remedy it……….oh, and that "crime" of the employment of one particular word which i believed had more than just one inference. I stand corrected, now and will endeavour to be more judicious in my choice of language in the future….a thesaurus will be by my side.
http://www.filmsforaction.org/articles/i-stopped-eating-animals-because-of-human-rights/The article discusses the mental effect the work has upon workers in the slaughter houses.Anecdotally, the few ex-abattoir workers i worked with were all nutters. I knew a union official who represented those at Halls the Butchers factories, and he confessed addressing their meetings always filled him with dread…after all, each carried a big razor sharp carving knife.I think we can perhaps gut and fillet a fish…maybe even skin a rabbit…or twist the neck and pluck the feathers of a chicken but anything more and we delegate the task to professionals trained in the "art" of butchery. Have we considered what we demand of them? Until we are all faced with the reality of killing sentient life, meat-eating will continue…but once slaughtering animals becomes something we are obliged to do ourselves, i think the numbers will drop…
Yeah, it is at my house…just get a bus to Manchester airport, grab a plane, fly to Bangkok, get a train to Surin, and then hire a tuk-tuk for the final stretch …just take you about 48 hours of constant travelling and about 1000 pounds in fares…Sorry for the facetious reply but you know full well that it is an e-mail exchange we are conducting. And to be fully engaged in it, i think it best you are not privy to the proceedings, it permits the moderators to be fully frank with one another…just as you would not be permitted into a jury room if you were on trial…If you consider that a sinister development, so be it. Mod 2 using personal account since i can't be arsed at this time of the morning with sleep encrusted eyes to change my account
i wasn't making any case, but simply cut and pasted the author from the article. Up to readers to decide if he has a vested interest or a bias in presenting his views.
Guardian is carrying this story on veganismhttps://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/aug/16/veganism-not-key-sustainable-development-natural-resources-jimmy-smith
Quote:Whatever our passions and whatever “side” of the vegan debate we fall on, we must overcome the temptation to find simple answers to the world’s complex and context-specific sustainability challenges. Demonising livestock is one such misguided simple response. To achieve true sustainable development, we are going to have to make good use of livestock – and all the other natural resource assets we have at our disposal – Dr Jimmy Smith is director general of the International Livestock Research InstituteQuote:EC doesn't know its arse from its elbow.Having now read the full minutes, nor do i rate it as a qualified body to comment on the artistic or presentaation merits of the video as in their critical review in Resolution 11. If their guideline is followed much of our activities can be deemed cliched, and Peter Rigg's cartoon forbidden. And i would like a further elabortion on the argument that the video emphasied an individual rather than a class approach.Nor do i believe that they are computer literate in that they seem to believe that they require accounts to use a search engine or to view You Tube.I can be corrected but we already have a file sharing function on Spopen and Spintcom. Perhaps they are not sufficiently sophisticated for video format. And i am concerned that the Party's internet connection appears to be so unreliable as to offer a poor performance in viewing a video online.I see no harm in titling as yet unapporoved projects "Draft"…Is Resolution 6 in conflict with Resolution 7? Perhaps the Party's pet barrack-room lawyers can say whether a committee such as the internet or blog committee can ignore seeking EC approval as stated in Resolution 7.
The World produces one and half times enough food to feed everyone on the planet – that’s 10 billion people, the population peak we expect to reach in 2050. So where's the problem….Capitalism is the fucking problem…not what we eat…Growing food to pump into our unnecessary car's combustion engine isn't too wise a choice either…Nor is filling dumpsters and landfill with unused food very clever, either.Our diet is just part of the issue. The blog post going into more detail on the research Hallblithe mentioned http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2016/07/feed-world.htmlAnother blog post on the topichttp://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2016/04/food-or-feed.htmlThe other thread Marxist Animalism has quite a few references to our diethttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/marxist-animalism
Perhaps we should wait for the minutes to appear before starting any debate, not that i am questioning the integrity of your information, Gnome. Just saying let's take things as they come and when everybody is in possession of the details.
No.1 Two anarchists are making molotov cocktails. One says to the other, "So who will we throw these at then?"The other replies "What are you, some kind of fucking intellectual?!?"No.2 An old revolutionary walks across the Brooklyn Bridge one day, and he sees man of a similar age standing on the edge, about to jump.He runs over and says: "Stop. Don't do it.""Why shouldn't I?" he asked."Well, there's so much to live for!""I'm just depressed, I've been a Communist all my life and the revolution seems as far away as ever""You're a Communist?""Yeah, why?""I am as well!! Did you originally join the Communist Party USA?""Yeah""Me too! Did you join the pro-Trotsky Communist League of America in 1928, which later merged with the American Workers Party to form the Workers Party of America in 1934?""Yeah""Spooky, Me too! After the WPA was expelled from the Socialist Party of America in 1936 did you then go on to join the Socialist Workers Party USA and the fourth international?""I did actually…""Me too! In the 1940 dispute did you side with Cannon or Shachtman?""Cannon.""Me too! In 1962 did you join Robertson's opposition caucus, the Revolutionary Tendency?""Yep."" Holly shit! And of course like me you were expelled and went on to join the International Communist League (Spartacist)""Well that goes without saying!""In 1985 did you join the International Bolshevik Tendency who claimed that the Sparts have degenerated into an 'obedience cult' ""No way!""Nah, me neither. In 1998 did you join the Internationalist Group after the Permanent Revolution Faction were expelled from the ICL?""Yeah! I can't believe this! Maybe I won't….""Die counterrevolutionary scum!".And he pushes him off the edge
Karl Marx died and is sent to Hell.Three days later, the Devil, desperate, telephones Saint Peter, begging for an exchange."This one here has already unionized all the demons, nobody is working. I can't carry on like this!"So they made the exchange and two days afterwards, the Devil telephones again to see how things were going."So then? How is God getting on with that Marx ?""God ??" answered Saint Peter. "He doesn't exist!"
I fully understand that the State is the representative of a ruling class who will ensure control of it, regardless of tinkering with the electoral system , as in proportional voting or whatever. But they certainly misjudged their power to influence and manipulate public opinion by surrendering decision-making to the people and having a referendum on the EU. We will still require elected administrations at various levels withing socialism, and although that process will be decided at the time by those living is a socialist world, they still require options on how to do so.Is discussing it in advance placing the horse before the cart? When we are a movement of millions. and not a couple of hundred where we struggle to get volunteers for party-work, we too may wish to experiment and implement methods of party democracy based upon random lottery of our members. Wasn't the appointment of the party "leader", a requirement of the electoral commission for registering, done by drawing a name out of a hat, an example where we ourselves exercised demarchy. If we can trust juries with life and death decisions over individuals, then can we apply the same principles to how to organise and run our daily affairs?
Quote:We have 120 full AWL members. Tom Watson knows very well that we are a small group among half a million Labour members. This is the extent of the Trotskyist threat.
