[alanjjohnstone]

What i am trying to do, is to stop the singling out of only one religion as somehow much more reactionary than another. This is, of course, true…No-one i think would class a Quaker alongside a racist lynching Southern Baptist. (btw, Quakers welcome SPGB meetings at their halls)

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I especially hate the most heinous disgrace to humanity…Islam.

You are treating a billion adherents to this faith as one indistiguishable whole. There are many versions of Islam as there are christian sects. When i return to Edinburgh, i frequently lunch at the Central Mosque for a cheap priced curry (i'm so easily bribed)Clitoral circumcision is not universal but predominantly an African practice, practiced by numerous Christian communities and where even the Jews of Ethiopia practiced it. Honour killings and punishment are cross-religion and in many diverse cultures. Hinduism sanctifies casteism and if you wish to know about acid throwing and rape just look at how the Dalits  have been treated by higher castes. It was only a few decades ago that a Dalit woman in Kerala had to bare her breasts for any passing high-caste Brahmim as a mark of "respect" Dowryism is widely practiced by Hindus, as is child betrothal. Dowry killings of wives (failure to pay the promised dowry) are common and disguised as "accidental" cooking oil deaths or "unexplained" poisonings. Dowry payment , although illegal, is one of the main causes of debt-bondage. No, as socialists we should not join in any Islamophobic scare-mongering and as you suggest, try to present an overview, condemning religion generally and singling out particular religious practices as criminal acts and social injustices but not necessary reflective of all the practioners of those religions.  Call it cultural relativism if you must but we should always place customs and traditions in their context. If it comes to stoning to death in Iran, head chopping in Saudi Arabia or botched up state executions by injection in the USA, or a bullet in the head in China (the cost of the bullet billed to the next-of-kin) we condemn equally all capital punishment regardless of method. 

[alanjjohnstone]

One of the talks at this years book festival may well interest some members thinking of visiting

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White Lab, 11am Regular elections are central institutions in democratic states. They are also often misunderstood as mere shams or are criticised on formal grounds such as being held not often enough to realise true democracy. In this workshop, we want to start differently and take elections seriously as a means of democratic rule. Our starting point is that democratic states want the consent of their citizens and that elections are means to reaffirm the unity of rule and its subjects

[alanjjohnstone]

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email from Cde Alan Johnstone of Blog Committee (20.09.15) Could this question be placed on the agenda of Oct. EC meeting under All Other Business.'What are the Party's proposed plans in regards to engaging in a publicity campaign at the upcoming COP21 Paris environment summit and the accompanying protests, which are fully expected to take place at it?'Craggs asked when it is.MOTION 8: That Cde Johnstone be informed that as far as the EC is aware there are no plans for such an undertaking(Thomas/Rainferd) Carried 6-0-1

First, my appreciate for the EC discussing this belatedly submitted item. Since there is well over a month to go to when the COP21 in Paris kicks off and that the travelling involved to it is not too strenuous, perhaps something may be arranged at a later time. There is a London Climate Change protest which i believe members will be attending. It may well be the case that those participating in the London protest will be inspired to take the party presence to Paris.  I am sure an appropriate leaflet will be drafted that may well be available to any member who will going to Paris of their own accord. As a very minor contribution to offering a solution to the threat to our eco-spheres, the SOYMB blog will be increasingly posting a number of analyses, presenting the socialist case on the threat of global warming that other members may find useful linking to on various discussion lists which undoubtably will be commenting on climate change and the Paris talks.  

[alanjjohnstone]

We can add to that 1.5 billion, the millions of Christian fundamentalists who believe in Creation and the literal truth of the Bible, the billions of Hindus and Buddhists who believe their lot in this life was determined by their behaviour in a past life – so it is simply Karma that they are poor and suffering while others are rich and powerful , millions of superstitious such as those who believe in the witchcraft and sorcery in Africa who murder albinos for a talisman. My point is why single out Muslims as bastards. Ask a Burmese Rohingya or Hindu Tamil if Buddhism treated them with enlightenment.And we should not look too far afield …Northern Ireland demonstrated the same sort of religious sectarianism as the Sunni and the Shia. The Butchers of Shankill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankill_Butchers

[alanjjohnstone]

But we should differentiate between the Russian state and the Donbass rebels that were provided with the Buk (and most likely the crew) missile system to use against Ukrainian military aircraft. My original theory was that they mis-identified the MH-17 flight and shot it down by mistake. There was nothing to gain by deliberately bringing it down. But as i said i doubt the Western media will bother distinguishing rebels from Moscow…Putin will be directly accused. While the Russian media will keep placing the blame on Ukraine. But it does lays to rest the theory a Ukrainian plane shot MH-17 down. 

[alanjjohnstone]

MH-17 so it was a missile but whose?http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34511973I don't think we will ever know for sure because the respective propagandists will decide by trial by media who to blame.

[alanjjohnstone]

You may find this of interesthttp://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/10/12/robots-are-coming-your-job-might-not-be-bad-newsWhich i have clumsily adapted and re-edited for our blog here http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2015/10/do-androids-dream-of-three-day-week.html

[alanjjohnstone]

And now read Amnesty Internation condeming moderate YPG for war crimes !http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34511134

[alanjjohnstone]

No, ALB, i'm not using the Express as a source of information, but citing it as a way language, even as simple as lower and upper case letters, is used for propaganda purposes.For the numerous times i have read the word moderate being used in regard to Assad's opposition, i have yet to read a clear definition of what a moderate is? Perhaps the nationalist YPG of the Kurds may be described as one, but al-Nusra? There are dozens of factions involved within this civil war and yet the media seems indifferent to their different positions. They class only ISIS as non-moderate. For the media, it is simplified to Pro-Assad, Anti-Assad and ISIS. Which is simply not an accurate reflection. Even the Pro-Assad has more than the government troops on it but also unofficial militias.http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/overview-of-some-pro-assad-militias/Nor is the Anti-Assad the only forces with foreign fighters. Hezbullah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards are involved. It is a fucking mess….and to paraphrase what YMS quoted GB Shaw on the Irish Question, in the end it will be resolved with the moral equivalancy of a pack of dogs fighting over a bone. 

[alanjjohnstone]

I think SP expressed my feelings on the matter filling in the gaps with his caveats on who would be acceptable to the Party. We do recognise that there exists non-members who are socialists and share our own committment to democracy, don't we? A few being on this forum.And hopefully Moderators would be mostly invisible and party affilation or non-affilation would not be an issue. I think YMS disagreement may have some substance, but with his usual flair – a bit of hyperbole…We certainly aren't handing over the keys to 52 Clapham High St.But just a small amendment …- "It's my party and i'll cry if i want to"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsYJyVEUaC4

[alanjjohnstone]

I happened to notice in the Daily Express that they now use capital letters when writing about the "Syrian Moderate Opposition".Keep saying moderate and moderate over and over again and just perhaps possibly they believe the leopard will change its spots. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/595439/SAS-ISIS-fighter-Jihadis

[alanjjohnstone]

I did as you asked…read the rules…still none the wiser since moderator is not a Party officer as cited in the rule book…So probably an appointee of a committee, i guess by the Internet Committee…so a sub-committee of one (yourself) right now.btw, do you report to conference or ADM or is it the IC on your behalf?I think technically the SOYMB blog is a sub-committee of the IC but we do report direct and very rarely interact with it. If we do get a non-member vulunteer as moderator, perhaps the EC could adjudicate on his or her eligibility and perhaps make a concession (to later be ratified by conference) . 

[alanjjohnstone]

This is a lengthy series and i wonder if it would be worthwhile turning it into budget pamphlet by the Party (or by an individual member) to place online at appropriate websites. I don't think the task is too time-consuming. A brief intro (including maybe a passing bio of Ambridge) and the design of a front cover and some re-formatting of the files more likely.Being a historical theme, i think it has not lost its value across the 50-odd years and is now part of history itself. 

[alanjjohnstone]

I once a long time ago suggested to you, Vin, that you should volunteer as a moderator. I still think that you should. We should applaud Mod1 for not standing down and weathering the criticisms of himself when he could easily have said …fuck this for a lark, i don't need the hassle but i think he thought that if every branch officer could not take and respond to criticism, the Party democracy in the long run would suffer. Once more, i suggest Vin (or anybody else) to take on the task of moderation. Rather than be an antagonist with the present Mod1, time for some to co-operate with him so he can concentrate upon other issues more to his liking. I actually believe that in this particular duty, a non-member can accept the duty as moderator, if willing, since it is an open forum. Is there anything against that in any of our rules (looking at you YMS, our unofficial Party lawyer)?

[alanjjohnstone]

This event might be worth sending an observer to for a report back.The 'Conference of Movements', or COM21 for short, will meet for the first time in Paris on the 5th and 6th of December to discuss our common proposals and formally submit them to world leaders at the Climate Change Conference. Invitations to key players and influential change-makers have already been sent out over the last few months. So far, we have commitments to attend from the following groups and representatives:The Free World Charter , The Zeitgeist Movement (Peter Joseph), Earth Charter, Mocica (Jean-Phillipe Huber), The Venus Project, The Ubuntu Liberation Movement (Michael Tellinger), Real Project Global Community, Our United Earth, Indigenous Peoples United Nations, The Free Movement, The Pay it Forward Leadership Society, Iceland Money-Free, End Ecocide on Earth, Share International, Climate Reality Project, Dortmunder Kaminphilosophen, Share The Worlds Resources (Rajesh Makwana), New World Agreement, The Great Unification, Free and Real, The Master Shift, InGienous, Alternative Education Resource Organization, Ear to the Earth, Think2Share, Earth Guardians, Positive Money, The Wellness Universe, Valhalla, Perdana Global Peace Foundation, Sensorica, The Sustainable City, One World One People (Grant Dive), Our Hearts Gardens, Mother Earth Trust, Engajamundo, Noomap, RBE Hybrid Transition U.K., Stop Reset Go, Unusual Rigging, International Children. December 5th and 6th at Hotel Novotel Marne La Vallee de Paris on the outskirts of Paris – just a few metro stops away from the main COP21 event.www.com21.org 

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