alanjjohnstone
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Sale or possession of beef is punishable by up to five years in jail http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2015/03/india-maharashtra-state-bans-beef-150303144822005.html
This worth a read https://libcom.org/history/noam-chomsky-politics-or-science
All very interesting but when it comes to Chomsky's politics and his observations of world events all rather irrelevant as would be Engel's acceptance of phrenology be to his political ideas, i would imagine…or Kropotkin's or Elisee Reclus geographic theories to their anarchism. Both are inspiring to their discpline but are they infallible and not been added to, adapted, amended, corrected?As for Chris Knight, i am sure there are more qualified on the list to comment upon his academic arguments in anthropology and application to his politics, menstrual blood comes to mind …as well as David Graeber's professional authority and writings and the legitimisation of his interpretation of events around the world used to support various groupings. But i may have missed it but i've never read anything by Chomsky linking his linquistic theories with anarchism, Middle East or any other political belief or event. Has he ever said…"i'm a clever fellow because i studied linquistics which makes me qualified to make claims on other matters and these are all based on my study of linquistics"…i don't think he has …perhaps i maybe wrong…a simple citation/source would would convince me otherwise..LBird may think you cannot compartmentalise ideolgies…but if they aren't related, perhaps you can…My views on the skills and performance of football matches are not a reflection of my politics…otherwise i wouldn't watch it…Which brings me to my point…So what if he is wrong in his specialised field?…We challenge his politics…his political interpretations..And on some occasions some of us don't when we find them to be accurate and insightful. Other times he is dismissed by other people because of who he is and not what he wrote or said….
This may make interesting reading…a review of Twitter and political activismhttp://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=11362
Quote:the good news is that especially young people increasingly use the internet to get their voices heard….BUT…The average age of party members is rapidly rising and even with regard to voter turnout there is a strong downward trend among younger age groups….While for older citizens it still seems attractive to join party meetings, or to go to the polling booth to cast their vote…If a lot of people express a similar opinion on Twitter or another social medium, politicians and other officials sometimes regard this as an expression of what the population wants. The available empirical evidence, however, shows this is not the case: the things we read on Twitter are mainly the opinions of highly educated and well-off citizens. …Again for followers of this thread , this article should make interesting reading. http://www.valuewalk.com/2015/02/wealth-inequality-robots/"when you buy a book from Amazon no human is involved in recording the order, directing that it be shipped or in the payment process." “the poor may not be able to purchase the goods being produced primarily by robots, and perhaps half of the population is impoverished if there is no redistribution.”
He may be very fallible when it comes to solutions but the Holy See has drawn attention to inequality and wage slavery.http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/28/us-pope-economy-idUSKBN0LW0NZ20150228
Quote:Pope Francis launched a fresh attack on economic injustice on Saturday, condemning the "throw-away culture" of globalization and calling for new ways of thinking about poverty, welfare, employment and society. In a speech to the association of Italian cooperative movements, he pointed to the "dizzying rise in unemployment" and the problems that existing welfare systems had in meeting healthcare needs. For those living "at the existential margins" the current social and political system "seems fatally destined to suffocate hope and increase risks and threats," he said. People were forced to work long hours, sometimes in the black economy, for a few hundred euros a month because they were seen as easily replaceable. " 'You don't like it? Go home then'. What can you do in a world that works like this? Because there's a queue of people looking for work. If you don't like it, someone else will," he said in an unscripted change from the text of his speech. "It's hunger, hunger that makes us accept what they give us"Quote:"When money becomes an idol, it commands the choices of man. And thus it ruins man and condemns him. It makes him a slave," he said. "Money at the service of life can be managed in the right way by cooperatives, on condition that it is a real cooperative where capital does not have command over men but men over capital," he said.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/02/jailed-pkk-leader-calls-followers-disarm-150228141745343.htmlPKK leader Ocalan calls for Kurds to disarm and end armed struggle in Turkey
Our reply to the Ian Birchall may be considered rather brief and his letter suggests that we know little of his party and its relationship with Leninism. The following are some of the analysis we have written over the decades about the SWP. It could be added to if all mention of the SWP (IS) was included.http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/education/study-guides/where-swp-cominghttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1980s/1987/no-998-october-1987/leninist-state-vs-world-socialismhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1970s/1976/no-868-december-1976/consistent-inconsistencyhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1970s/1979/no-904-december-1979/international-socialists-and-parliamentary-actionhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2013/no-1303-march-2013/swp-undemocratic-leninist-organisationhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1960s/1964/no-721-september-1964/book-review-russia-marxist-analysishttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1970s/1970/no-791-july-1970/debate-%E2%80%9Cinternational-socialists%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1970s/1970/no-788-april-1970/inside-bolshevik-cul-de-sachttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2000s/2000/no-1149-may-2000/another-leader-called-tony
The Greens decision to abandon their twin-spokesperson policy a few years ago has come home to bite them when they sought to share the TV debate appearances between Bennett and Lucas…http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/28/natalie-bennett-green-party-limit-leader-screen-broadcasters I know it is a hypothetical position, one which we overcame on our BBC interview debut, but the television companies might choose to insist that we stick to such rules if we ever got to the point of television debates. I for one do not think the media should determine our democratic procedures.
Quote:“In 2014, the European Union and United States imposed sanctions relating to the Russian energy sector. In compliance with the sanctions and all general and specific licenses, prohibited activities involving offshore Russia in the Black Sea, Arctic regions, and onshore western Siberia have been wound down. The Corporation's maximum exposure to loss from these joint ventures as of December 31, 2014, is $1.0 billion,” the report said.Rosneft and ExxonMobil established projects to conduct exploration and research activities in 2013 and 2014. The European Union and United States imposed sanctions relating to the Russian energy sector in 2014, prohibiting any activities that involve offshore work in the Russian Black Sea and Arctic regions, and onshore in western Siberia.http://rt.com/business/236067-exxonmobil-rosneft-sanctions-report/
On further reflection, ALB, I want to reinforce my previous post. When it happens that we are denied participation in a husting we should make an issue of itIt should not be presented as a question of sour grapes but demonstrating our deep commitment to democracy, electoral action and Parliament.Also a public warning through the media to future hustings not to ignore minor parties…the consequences is the possibility of political violence and terrorism by the silenced as they strive to be heard. "The vote is the people's voice – a political party is their megaphone"….a slogan we can perhaps improve upon and make more catchyToo often we hear…SPGB …all they care about is socialism and nothing less….well, this shows that we do live in the here and now, that we defend political gains and expect existing legislation in defence of democratic liberties to be implemented , not just for ourselves but for all political parties and are in defence of the democratic process. When we are excluded we should be trying our utmost to gain press coverage…Britains oldest socialist organisation, the country's second oldest political party lodge protests that complaining about the erosion of democratic rights …blah blah blah."The vote is the peoples voice – a political party is their megaphone "…a good slogan to use as a focus…(but i am sure it can be made more catchy A press release, an official complaint to the election commission, local leaflet highlighting the exclusion…Let's not be silent..or be seen as indifferent or acquiescent…We are rebels, aren't we !!!. Lets show some passion and anger when we are slighted…
Of course, if no satisfaction is received, the hustings where we are not invited to, should be attended by the candidate and members and the first question put should be the matter of representation of all political views being included in an election campaign and shamefully, other candidates who participate in a biased hustings are putting party advantage before principle and being willingly or unwitting collaborators with this lack of democracy.Automatically this offers the Tory candidate the scope to agree citing Cameron and his stance on the Green Party involvement in the debate…the others will have to embarrass themselves by admitting ignorance that other minor parties were not included not a good start for some prospective MP to confess or hypocrisy for going along with the hustings if they did understand that some candidates were not invited. Perhaps the standard letter could be adapted into a leaflet for the audience's benefit.Another point obviously by not being invited to hustings , we will not soetimes be aware of them until afterwards…the letter in this sense is non-effective as it is about shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted…so complaints should also be made through the local press and i think this letter gives the constitutional position but not the political one…it needs more protest and righteous indignation in it. It shouldn't be in the form of merely a letter to the letter page, but again a shit stirring protest for the newspaper to cover as part of a local political controversy…or face similar complaint that they are complicit in this lack of expression for exposure for minor parties if they fail yo report on it. Maybe efforts to gain numbers and a phone call to the reporters responsible …the political editor…and vague undertones that we will be making official protests…etc etc
MH370…The Russians did it…no , i don't mean the shot down MH17 but the earlier missing Air Malaysia plane thay remains missinghttp://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/02/jeff-wise-mh370-theory.htmlWould have simply have guffawed until i read that the Daily Mail re-published the story as a credible theory. ,,,Throw all the mud you possible can in a propaganda war and some will surely stick
http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/26/the-death-of-social-democracy/By an American Green Party member buti thought it offered a few insights…something he should apply to his own politics.
Quote:Returning to Marx, if constructing for the future and settling everything for all times is not Syriza’s (or Podemos, etc.) task, then what is to be done? A party like Syriza – supposedly a “Coalition of the Radical Left” – that wishes to develop radical, even revolutionary class consciousness must be honest with its membership and voters. To explain the reforms are difficult, if not impossible in the current circumstances, that they would fight for them anyway…To turn a phrase: there is, however, no alternative. Greece is presented with the challenge, and the possibility, of being at the forefront of the new class struggle, which will require abandoning the illusions that reformism has a chance of success and stability in this era, and building the radical alternative. Otherwise Syriza will be turned into just another dead social-democratic party, enforcing the structural demands of capitalism while claiming to want the opposite.http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/conspiracy-theorists-fooled-even-most-obvious-anti-science-trolling-study Social media allows this misinformation to be transmitted and amplified as users gather around shared beliefs, interests, and worldviews – whether or not factual evidence supports those belief systems.
