alanjjohnstone
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https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/jewish-question/"The view of nature attained under the domination of private property and money is a real contempt for, and practical debasement of, nature; in the Jewish religion, nature exists, it is true, but it exists only in imagination. It is in this sense that [in a 1524 pamphlet] Thomas Münzer declares it intolerable“that all creatures have been turned into property, the fishes in the water, the birds in the air, the plants on the earth; the creatures, too, must become free.”…"
I think this is the problem i was wondering myself…How do we approach well-meaning fellow workers with good intentions?Message #155
Quote:More to the point, what are our tactics if i am wrong and in 4 or 5 yrs Corbyn's left-wing Labour Party contests the election… Do we concentrate on deflating their optimistic balloon, exposing their fallacies, becoming more visibly anti-Labour thus in a way offering support for the status quo of the Right…Or do we endeavour to push Labour further "leftwards" with appeals to it for real genuine socialsm and ignore the Tories in our campaign. Using their so-called "values" against them.Perhaps we should use the new left-wing momentum as a spring-board for our socialist vision versus Labour "values" (for the frequency that word has been quoted on the media by Labour Party members and reporters and journalists, i have still to see or hear it defined other than very general platitudes that could asily come from Attila the Hun's PR dept.)It is a tight-rope to walk, a narrow line to follow, how not to alienate and distance ourselves from those who potentally share many of our own ideas and much of our past criticisms of the Labour Party. But on the other hand, we cannot simply for sake of popularism offer Labour and their political leaders, left or right, a free pass from justifiable rebuke. I suggest our history of being the Cassandras of socialism may not have proved the most fruitful of strategies.Perhaps there is a tactical alternative to be tried. And i think we should debate this and all options thrown on the r]table to be debated and some to be quickly tossed aside and some given further discussion. I see nothing wrong with the graphics produced by Gnome. Like everything we do, there is a time and place for them being used for full effect and we won't be infallible in their usage.I think we should accept that there is sincerity within the the Left and now showing itself in the Labour Party but that their focus is misplaced and their values misinterpreted. We can describe what socialism is and has always been when Corbyn or Sanders supporters advocate their vague belief in their version of "socialism." We should try and concentrate the exchanges on this.I recall that Keir Hardie once offered an accurate description of what socialism was…forget where and when. Could, i wonder, our Labour historians juxtapose all other Labour Party quotes that concur with the SPGB's interpretations to show that we have kept to real Labour values and sunsequent generations of Labour members have been the people who have strayed. Use the words of the Labour Party against them. Accompanying this i think we can also collate quotes where the Labour Party is easily exposed. The same Keir Hardie can be directed cited as a racist and anti-immigration proponent, for instance. Oh, i just came across this 1954 article (the year i was born,btw)
Quote:Nevertheless many pioneers of the Labour movement did not view Socialism as a merely recurring decimal of State activity. Many might have mistakenly believed that Nationalisation and various forms of State activity might serve as a means to an end but they did not believe that these things were an end in itself. Thus, Keir Hardie in accepting as he said "State Socialism," despite all its drawbacks, as an evolutionary stage in social development nevertheless held that it was "a preparation for free Communism in which the rule of life would be, from each according to his capacity to each according to his needs." (From Serfdom to Socialism, p. 89).http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1950s/1954/no-601-september-1954/sterility-labourismPerhaps as i speculated our best means of conveying the socialist messahe is to push Labour and Corbynites towards this genuine socialism of ours which requires communicating in a critical but comradely fashion, something very hard for some of us to do if we follow the Party tradition of vitriol, as entertaining as it is to some of us. Our attitude should be the same as bedroom etiquette, different strokes for different folks.
"I met someone last night who had been barred from voting (and lost his £3) on the grounds that he didn't share the aims and values of the Labour Party. " I'm curious. With all this talk of legal challenges about the vote, couldn't there be also counter-claims that those excluded from the vote should have their three quid back, since their membership is being refused. What's in the small print that justifies keeping the fee?
Yes that is a more plausible scenario, Robbo. A few remarksThe media can create the "prominent" profile of right-wingers and, i think, there are many for them to pick from.The LibDems are no longer seen as "liberal" small l after alliance with Conservatives for any groups like the SDP to defect to and so the right must fight within the Labour Party. Your crystal ball views Corbyn as being less principled and more opportunistic than many other commentators suggest but as Tsipras shows if you are genuine and sincere, you eventually cede power, not hold on to it, once the purpose of holding office is made superfluous. Could Corbyn pinch his nose and see his future Labour Party manifesto watered down so much that it becomes a homeopathic remedy… merely retaining the past memory of his "radicalism" But if still a member of the SPGB, how would you suggest we aim and concentrate our fire on Labour if you do have them correctly targeted, Robbo?
Lets use our crystal balls for a moment…Corbyn wins…shock horror…he is then undermined by the Labour Party's party machine as leader and either is sacked by no confidence motions or forced into a resignation …whatever …Will the outcome be a renewed and refreshed enthusiasm for Left Unity, as an alternative…or will leftists conduct a Militant-style rear-guard action within Labour?I am reluctant to say it is a nail in Labour's coffin because it has already had so many nails in it…yet still people vote for it…except in Scotland… but England…simply no choice there, is there?…Not for us to advise the Left but what strategy have they if Corbyn is kicked out before the next election which i think is a realistic assumption…More to the point, what are our tactics if i am wrong and in 4 or 5 yrs Corbyn's left-wing Labour Party contests the election… Do we concentrate on deflating their optimistic balloon, exposing their fallacies, becoming more visibly anti-Labour thus in a way offering support for the status quo of the Right…Or do we endeavour to push Labour further "leftwards" with appeals to it for real genuine socialsm and ignore the Tories in our campaign. Using their so-called "values" against them. I'm not expressing myself very well but i am sure some know what i'm getting at and can suggest other and better publicity strategies for us to start contemplating and engaging in now.
Falling on his sword…http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34007859Be interesting to see if the leftist popularity continues or if the old gang returns.
How low can the media go?Even though we all reject Corbyn we can all agree that the cross-media concentration on alleged Corbyn's anti-semitism and the strange omission that the other candidates are not being investigated for such skeletons in the closets (don't tell me they don't have them because i refuse to believe that) does demonstrate that there is an odious smear campaign being conducted. Again it brings up questions beyond the Labour leader elections on the issue of democracy and the "free" press.Once more a follow up press release on such a topic could be issued, a condemnatory statement perhaps based on John Keracher's Head Fixiing pamphlet or from our own archive material …May i suggest someone such as Ivan of the greasy pole column with such an extensive personal knowledge of politicians, politics and the media be approached for assistance in drafting it.
Another article and tv programme that might be insightfulhttp://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33963372
Quote:Blick Mead was a feasting and gathering place for thousands of years that people travelled large distances to reach. Far from it being a place nomads dropped into once in a while, time would have been spent there, ideas exchanged and new technologies discussed and adapted.Vin – "More mods would help"Yes, i think we have the nub of the issue. Even referees on the pitch have two linesmen and the 4th and even a 5th official to confer with these days. I think we have placed a too heavy a demand upon one individual and have imposed high expectations from him.The Remedy?Have we got volunteers to step forward and help out?Although online for much of the time, i am busy with searching the web for the blog. A cop-out, i am afraid.What about others? Anybody willing. The more involved the less onerous the task.
You should liase with the WSPUS since the priority is to make their website more effective with archive material.
As the report goes on to say
Quote:“Fears that automation is keeping companies from hiring new workers and exacerbating income inequality are overblown, in part because the oft-repeated productivity gains from information technology are often illusory in the first place.”my emphasis
