alanjjohnstone
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alanjjohnstone
KeymasterApart from one photo of the Rhondda, Britain appears to mean London.No mention of the Communist stronghold in Fife, Scotland where they elected the MP Gallagher and several local councillors. The Vale of Leven in the west of Scotland earned the name "Little Moscow". Many other places in the UK and outside of London were also known by this nickname.
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterMore to digest on robotshttp://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/12/thinking-machines-skilled-job-robots-steal
November 12, 2015 at 1:19 pm in reply to: Exhibition – Socialist Opposition to the First World War #115076alanjjohnstone
KeymasterOn this occasion, i fully endorse the existence of our hostility clause. I'm not quite as ageist as some that i grant exceptions to people because of their age and suppose younger people would not understand why we have cause to complain. I have sent two very reasonable and polite letters of complaint to MML (suppressing the indignation i display on this thread) and have received not even an acknowledgement. No, i will say it one more time, a exhibition purporting to be a history of the socialist opposition to WW1 that ignores our own members is an insult to them and any casual attitude by ourselves in permitting such an affront to their memory without protest is shameful.
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterOur blog has already commented upon the Myanmar elections….no change. The Generals are still in charge.http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2015/11/myanmar-elections-no-change.htmlWhat the blog omitted was the extent that the military elite are fully involved and integrated with the the commercial part of civilian life. They are the capitalist class in Myanmar and have ensured that the crucial elements of the State remain completely under their power as the blog and YMS point out.
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterQuote:We socialists should denounce it and not leave this to ranting, rightwing American professors.Can I say that this is what I have previously proposedhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/atheist-banned-criticising-islamic-faith
Quote:Another of my suggestions for a press release by ourselves on our attitude towards religion. I know some say that the muslim apostates are the best suited to tackle this but i think this goes beyond their remit…It is a denial of political freedoms in supposedly a centre of 'intellectual' debate and we ourselves could easily be the next victims to have our free speech curtailed. …Perhaps we could invite her to give a talk at HO as a sign of solidarity…When "self-censorship" of PC arises we should respond. I think there is a critical reappraisal of No Platform For Fascists from bits and pieces i have read, eg
Quote:The basic fact is that ‘No platform for fascists’ and ritual confrontation as a tactic clearly does not work.alanjjohnstone
Keymasterhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/10/portuguese-mps-force-minority-government-to-quit-over-austerityOut with the old – in with the old
November 9, 2015 at 2:36 pm in reply to: Exhibition – Socialist Opposition to the First World War #115074alanjjohnstone
KeymasterBut to once more to address the issue….The title of the exhibition is the "SOCIALIST OPPOSITION to the First World War" and we do not feature in it. That is inexcusable. Our omission is most certainly out of order and should not be so easily overlooked because of any inadequencies of the exhibition itself. Some may consider the situation lightly, deserving of only a Socialist Standard review. I do not and i hope other members take my view. Once more i reiterate that we owe our comrades of that period a responsibility to not let their contribution be forgotten. I stand by my call for a picket and a demonstration. I will consider it shameful that we do not physically express our dispeasure and protest. And if it is too late for the EC to make a call for action then i expect the local London branches to do so on their own initiative. But if some think we should exercise restraint and understanding then by all means we can politely apply for our own display to be included as part of the exhibition and see what the response is.
November 9, 2015 at 6:36 am in reply to: Exhibition – Socialist Opposition to the First World War #115071alanjjohnstone
KeymasterSo do we have any feedback yet from Cde Scholey's visit to the exhibition?
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterCoincidentally, yesterday i posted a comment on this article http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/modern-science-says-homeopathy-total-bunk-so-why-it-more-popular-everOver 2000 comments posted, many more than than the average for a political piece which makes you wonder at how people think and what they consider crucial to their daily lives. Since it is too long a thread to search for what i said, briefly, one comment asked why people demand climate change denialists to accept scientific evidence based research and to ignore anecdotal proof of that the science is wrong but are willing to go along with homeopathic claims. The second was a reference to Traditional Chinese Medicine being a product of Mao's inability to build a Western – standard health service and he he revamped the village folk-medicine therapies…some good…some bad…some plain outright ridiculous…
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterThe anti-militarist tendency has rattled some cages it seems by todays interventions by UK's most senior officer who took advantage of Remembrance Sunday to sabre-rattle on the BBC and on Sky. On the BBC he attacked Corbyn's CND stance against the nuclear "deterrent" and on Sky he attacked the non-interventionist position in the Syrian Civil War. Corbyn raises the constitutional question of a serving officer publically interfering in the political process.
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterA few yars back I volunteered to transcribe a lot of hand-written articles by Peter to place on the web for posterity. The results i posted on a blog i created for the purpose. Members were informed at the time on either Spopen or Spintcom, i forget which now. Cde Newell i think was the forerunner of Snowdon and Greenwald and the other whistleblowers for he was very interested in the secret aspects of the UK. http://marxthecoldwarandthespooks.blogspot.com/
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterHe maybe for his version of the Revolution, but does he share our vision of what the Revolution would be?You explain it well… no near yet so far. This has always been our task, to differentiate our goal and our approach of achieving our aim from all the others which use much the same language and terminology.I am not and i don't think you are surprised by how confusing and complicated it must be for the ordinary punter to quite understand why we stand opposed to other so-called socialists. There is indeed the problem now commonly known of the Monty Python Judea Liberation Fronts sketch. But we should perhaps try and reverse the argument and ask why those other "socialists" , oppose us, since all we are trying to do is remain committed to the socialist ideal as it used to be and which was shared in their own nuanced way by Keir Hardie and many others of that epoch. We should be asking why they and not us have dropped the socialist objective and substituted instead something less than socialism. Perhaps our campaign should drop the anti-ism and advocate the pro-ism…Jeremy you go only so far, and then you stall…even back-track … what scares you about being a fully-fledged socialist…just how successful have the reformists like you been now that we see your gains being lost and desperate attemptes to preserve what remains of them…I think it is a matter of attitude …it is not for us to defend our principles but the Labourites and the Left to defend their application of tactics and strategies … They afyer all clai to be the possiblists…the pagmatists and practical political activists….We should be asking…okay – show us the fruits of your labours, then? We'll listen, so convince us.I'm not so clear how we ourselves can implement such a response …But we cannot blame fellow workers of being misled into believing what they are being indoctrinated to believe. We cannot castigate but only guide. We cannot humilate their ignorance and to be honest, i don't think our campaigns and propaganda is as hectoring as it has been in the past …Off the top of my head..perhaps we should play more on our reputation as a party of integrity and commence asking our rivals more questions – insisting they answer the hows and whys…
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterThe latest development and the latest prediction http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34754872
alanjjohnstone
KeymasterI wonder how many world politicians will link arms and declare they too are Charlie Hebdo for mocking the victims of the Russia aircraft bombing as just a bit of humourhttps://www.rt.com/news/321019-charlie-hebdo-cartoons-plane/The first cartoon shows parts of the aircraft and a passenger falling toward the ground, while an Islamic State militant, armed with a gun, ducks for cover to avoid the falling debris. Underneath the caricature is the caption: “Daesh: Russia’s aviation intensifies its bombardments.”The second showed a skull and a burned-out plane on the ground, with the caption: “The dangers of low-cost Russia. I should have taken Air Cocaine.” The authors were referring to two French pilots who fled the Dominican Republic to escape arrest for allegedly trying to transport 680 kilograms of the drug.Nor is the BBC immune from criticism since its TV show News Quiz thought the tragedy was worth a giggle or twoA lot of double standards wouldn't you say?
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