[alanjjohnstone]

i agree the rapid growth of Syriza and of Podemos in Spain is an interesting phenomena , i think from the very start of the thread this has been acknowledged by us all.Why such a rise is an even more interesting question? With conditions very similar in Ireland, why have they remained rather impassive (albeit the water tax campaign is a potential catalyst for action).Die Linke seem to be following in the footsteps of the German Greens, accommodating themselves with the establishment. Certainly here in the UK there are no comparable growth on the Left but on the contrary, a rise on the Right with UKIP and perhaps in Scotland a  nationalism which seems to be sustaining itself, despite the No vote in the referendum. Again we have a caveat on the improved position of the Greens but as been pointed out on their thread, their policies are unravelling under mounting scrutiny.I would be interest in knowing how we can take advantage of the belief (and it is a mistaken one unless all of Marxist economics is to be rejected) that government policies can rescue the workers from the effects of a global recession and maybe we can be referred to examples of sucessful counter-policies to austerity…Perhaps Venezuela and "oil socialism"?…. but where are the Greek oil wells? (and the fall in oil prices are now making reforms in Venezuel precarious)Default on the debt…can Greece do an Argentina?…more importantly, can its workers do an Argentina?I suppose we could use history more… Stratchey/Maxton ILP policies on one hand and Mosley's New Economics on the other that were proclaimed as the way forward for that Great Recession..Maybe those with a little bit more knowledge can give us some insights of the French Popular Front of the 30s, i confess not knowing much about it, a failing of my school history class, i'm afraid….I can only agree with Stuart…very interesting times…and many more ahead…But does it mean some dramatic epiphany for the working class…i doubt it…as been said, personally and without too much certainty, i'm pessimistic and foresee a back-lash when promises …or more accurately – expectations – are not met..but i speculate and untiL we actually see events unrolling, at this point, we can only make educated guesses…and Stuart, you are right….our overall judgement is one of scepticism…it is not cynicism, though, but well justified doubts…But i'm glad some have unwavering optimism…

[alanjjohnstone]

I wouldn't bother replying to the original poster. He merely joined the list to post this message and he'll disappear forever. Perhaps i will be proved wrong…whereupon i will apologise for my assumption that he is merely a troll, uninterested in any exchange of views. 

[alanjjohnstone]

As you say, the downside of a higher profile, is more attention paid to policies.Even those who are sympathetic with the Basic Income offer criticism of the Green versionhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/27/green-party-citizens-income-policy-hits-poorCIT alternative is 

Quote:

The amounts of means-tested benefits received would be reduced through citizen’s income being taken into account when calculating benefits.In addition, for many households the reduction would offer the option of adding additional hours of employment and so escaping from means-testing.

I'm wondering if business trend is to reduce full time to part time and zero hour contracts…just who is going to get the option to work longer …public sector?

[alanjjohnstone]

Signs of the "co-operation" that is to come. 

Quote:

the new prime minister arrived at his official residence on Monday night to discover that computers, paperwork and even the toiletries had been removed by the outgoing administration.Shortly after he was sworn in, Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras found himself inside the Maximos Mansion without some basic necessities. “They took everything,” he said. “I was looking for an hour to find soap.”Traditionally, a defeated Greek prime minister will wait until their successor has been anointed to wish them well. But Antonis Samaras was in such a rush to go that he even failed to leave the Wi-Fi password.“We sit in the dark. We have no internet, no email, no way to communicate with each other,” one staffer told Germany’s Der Spiegel.It took until Tuesday evening for Tsipras to get his hands on the official prime ministerial Twitter account.

[alanjjohnstone]

Always open to other suggestions…..And interested in just why you think this one is not going to work to our advantage.  Do you think our usual manner of conveying our message is effective enough in this age of social media and the internet? Aren't we  out-gunned by the establishment propaganda?

[alanjjohnstone]

26th of JanThe first beheadinghttp://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/26/3661681_saudi-arabia-carries-out-first.html?rh=1I do have concerns that it is an American report…after all several of their states exercise capital punishment, one being Tennessee and a quick decapitation appears more humane that some recent executions in America by injection where the prisoner writhed in agony for a fairly long time. 

[alanjjohnstone]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_desecrationAs Robbo suggests, i am in favour of any campaign or stunt that is original and imaginateive and which is reflective of our views and offers us an opening to espouse our case. Robbo's suggestion is such an initiative. It demonstrates our anti-nationalism, our anti-patriotism and we know how symbols such as national flags are overly poiliticalised and sentimentalised…and acts against them frequently criminalised. It should and would cause offence to many. But that according to the I AM CHARLIE campaign is acceptable expression of democracy.  The financial outlay is minimum…price of several flags, a few hundred leaflets/press staements to explain the action and the whole event videoed for your tube. The actual numbers involved, always a crucial factor in our propaganda is not that many. i could be crude and suggest the title is "Jack Off Over the Union Jack"…very Class Warrish …but i think we could be better by being more temperate… "A United Working Class Not United Nation States"…or simply "Unflaggingly World Socialiststs" …again i am sure better titles of the campaign and appropriate leaflet text can be providedTo be honest…i  think that making it an WSM affair is not possible…We have not many members in the US to buy matches much less burn the Stars and Stripes . I know the law in India of even flying their national flag is very strict…only a few designated days a year that people can even hang it outside their homes …Canada its an offence as it is in New Zealand,…While in the UK it may be an act likely to result in a breach of the peace …or another catch-all law…It may well result in fingers beingg burned, as well as flags ….but the risk is not too high. But it does exist and so all participants should be aware of it…and any resulting court case will put to rest the accusation we are the snmall party of good boys and offer more publicity. Perhaps, we  could make sure those countries where we have companion parties are singled out for the flames….so they could use it locally as propagands I would suggest it is part of our election campaign and that our publicity concentrates on this aspect… Yes a bonfire ot flags and flag-poles…aand for the literate and historic…a bonfire of vanities….http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_of_the_Vanities And despite the fact i cannot participate…i'm in full agreement with the proposal 

[alanjjohnstone]

Call for Mein Kampf to be banned in the uk.http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jan/26/uk-consider-ban-mein-kampf-holocaust-memorial-dayi had a copy, picked up second hand from a pub library/book exchange which just happened to be Mick Mcgahey's regular local, the NUM and CP leader…no evidence it was his, though.Strange how some books are referred to in their original language such as Das Kapital 

[alanjjohnstone]

From Parliamentary watchdogs Environmental Audit Committee makes some pertinent observations to the debate 

Quote:

Shale gas, like 'conventional gas', is not low carbon, and the objective of government policy should be to reduce the carbon intensity of energy whatever its source. Shale gas cannot be regarded as a 'transitional' or 'bridging' fuel. Any large scale extraction of shale gas in the UK is likely to be at least 10-15 years away, and therefore cannot drive dirtier coal from the energy system because by that time it is likely that unabated coal-fired power generation will have been phased out to meet EU emissions directives. It is also unlikely to be commercially viable unless developed at a significant scale, to be able to compete against a growing renewable energy sector, but large-scale fracking will not be able to be accommodated within still tightening carbon budgets. There is in any case little evidence to suggest that fracking could be undertaken at the scale needed to be commercially viable in the UK or that it will bring gas prices down significantly.Despite the assurances from some that environmental risks can be safely accommodated by existing regulatory systems, an extensive range of uncertainties remains over particular hazards—to groundwater quality and water supplies, from waste and air emissions, to our health and to biodiversity, to the geological integrity of the areas involved, and from noise and disruption. Uncertainty about their significance is in part a reflection of the fact that fracking operations have yet to move beyond the exploratory stage in the UK. It is imperative that the environment is protected from potentially irreversible damage.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmenvaud/856/85603.htmSo this committee recommends "A moratorium on the extraction of unconventional gas through fracking is needed to avoid both the inconsistency with our climate change obligations and to allow the uncertainty surrounding environmental risks to be fully resolved."MPs think otherwise, 308 votes to 52, albeit adding a few more safe-guards…but why should a national park be deemed special and protected but residential areas not…Hmmmmmm?…Risk people' but not trees?

[alanjjohnstone]

I think we have already acknowledged the difficulty in acquiring a non-bias source of information within capitalism. The TUC highlight this in May 2014.

Quote:

"Contamination of groundwater supplies As yet, there are no producing shale gas wells in the UK, so comparisons have to be sought elsewhere. Unfortunately much of the evidence is not available. In the US, where fracking had increased massively in the past 10 years, there is a lack of publicly available baseline data for the condition of groundwater prior to any drilling and fracking. That data is collected, often by the gas companies themselves, but not shared due to privacy issues. The problem was recognised in May 2014 in a report by Environment Canada, a governmental body. It had been asked to consider the pollution impacts of the exploration and extraction of Canada’s shale gas resources and concluded that there is too little scientific information on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and human health. The report warns that: “data about potential environmental impacts are neither sufficient nor conclusive.” Despite this, the study found that there were potentially serious impacts on surface water, groundwater, greenhouse gas emissions, cumulative land disturbance and human health."

http://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial-issues/energy/union-issues/workplace-issues/tuc-shale-gas-briefingfracking-and-workers%E2%80%99Returning to the leaked letter, i think it is clear we cannot expect a Tory government to be a reliable source of data being more supportive of the industry than the public at large, particularly in the fracking areas.Again the TUC highlight a problem 

Quote:

Even the best regulations are of little use unless they are enforced and there is a need for a strong inspection regime with the threat of enforcement action where there are breaches.

I don't have the confidence that safety or health will be the primary concern of either the industry or the regulatory bodies, and again the leaked letter is evidence of the close cooperation of the frackers and the legislators. 

[alanjjohnstone]

i think there was a general consensus that we could not trust those resposnsible for fracking to tell the truth even if we disagreed on whether it is safe or not technology. This news item is evidence of the government rushing though pro-fracking policies.http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/26/george-osborne-ministers-fast-track-frackingIt could be simply bad grammar but a bit in the letter appears to predetermine the safety issues."to implement the development of 3-4 exemplar drilling sites to prove the concept of safe shale gas exploration, including locations"…i would have thought it should have read "to prove or disprove" but i am sure someone will correct my basic English interpretation. 

[alanjjohnstone]

The Party's view of Syriza for those who want to post link on the various discussion lists. http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-return-of-left-wing-reformism.html

[alanjjohnstone]

But for many catholics the Pope is no radical

Quote:

Pope Francis has been highly touted for his criticism of institutional evils that create poverty. But there is something deeply troubling about a church leadership that rails against poverty and institutional sin while using its resources to defeat civil laws aimed at alleviating the suffering of the poorest. If the pope and his brother bishops are to be fully honest about roots of poverty, they must take an honest look at the ways in which the policies and agenda of their institutional church contribute to inadequate medical care for mothers, the starvation of families, the swelling of the slum population, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and environmental degradation…The institutional church now stands as the lone impediment between poor Philippine mothers and adequate maternal health care. The hierarchy's lobbying has kept mothers and fathers from raising families they can afford, families small enough to allow children to be fed and educated…it is important to make the connections between Roman Catholic doctrine and the suffering of the poor and sick globally

http://ncronline.org/blogs/grace-margins/contraception-philippines-and-pope-francis-passion-poorThe importance of the Popes 2015 visit to the USA and the need for positive PR is based upon the fact that The American church accounts for over 60% of the global institution’s wealth. American Catholics provide more than $150 million a week, or about $8 billion annually that is not going to the poor Francis pretends to advocate for. American Catholics are responsible for almost a third of the charitable contributions that directly fund the Holy See.http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/25/pope-francis-u-s-catholic-bishopsublic-relations-creation.html

[alanjjohnstone]

For a deeper study of the background this seems interestinghttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/01/phase-one/Looking for analogies, the article touches upon the comparison of Syriza with the French pre-war Popular Front of the 30s back then…I've not read enough of the period to comment.As a coalition of diverse groups Syriza will i think remain in a constant state of instabilty..permanent disequilibrium…much like capitalism itself and as i always say…you cannot chase with the hounds and run with the fox…you can't run capitalism and support class struggle at the same time.

[alanjjohnstone]

I wasn't too far off the mark that the present pope is the antichrist…an archbishop called the confusion he is causing the work of the devil…a comment on another article says the Pope is part of a masonic plot…check out the links on the article.http://www.alternet.org/belief/5-scary-ultra-right-catholics-who-are-outraged-cool-pope

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