alanjjohnstone
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
It is estimated that 2 million will be on strike on July 10thhttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/two-million-school-and-council-workers-to-go-on-strike-after-gmb-and-two-other-unions-vote-yes-9568810.html
It was touched on early on the thred – China's shadow banking system. It popped up again on an article i'm reading on China's property bubble.
the authorities set the interest rate on deposit accounts at 0.72 per cent and left it there. By 2008, inflation was 7.9 per cent. So the real rate of return on a deposit was -7.2 per cent – which helped to dampen consumption to a record low for any country: 34 per cent of GDP.This must have seemed pretty smart to the authorities when they first thought of it. But there is no such thing as an economic policy that doesn’t fall foul of the law of unintended consequences. Instead of accepting this massive dose of financial repression, the Chinese became a nation of property speculators and shadow bankers.They borrowed money short term from unofficial lenders [/quote] http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/965c4744-8fb4-11e1-98b1-00144feab49a.html?siteedition=intl#axzz35kOePnl2
As a follow-on, i just read this demand for higher food prices to end rural poverty in the developing world.http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/06/higher-food-prices-can-help-to-end-hunger-malnutrition-and-food-waste/
I think the tale of the label will eventually end up being a hoax. I have read many similar stories previously but the moral of the story is true enough. And it applies to many products, not just clothes but food and toys all manner of things that are produced by sweated labour. Some stories are also exaggerated by over-zealous NGOs looking for funding …West african child labour and cocoa/chocolate being one and sex trade trafficking in SE Asia another but it doesn't make it and the actual victims any less tragic though. We shouldn't try to create a hierarchy of victims as the SOYMB blog tried to point out concerning the recent war rape conference …it doesn't work.
If a thing is worth doing right, its worth doing yourself, Steve. Make the first overtures and see what the response might be and if positive, the party officially can take over the details.Meantime, we can raise what actual questions we would ask him. Me i would ask…We stand for a world without governments or countries, not even leaders, where everything is owned by everybody so there is no buying and selling, therefore no need for wages or money, and we argue that this is feasible, viable, and achievable and not an ultimate aim for the far flung future. What is your opinion on this immediate demand of ours?Formulating interview questions requires skill…and as you see, i don't have it except that i do know it must be left open-ended for the interviewee to actually give a viewpoint. Anyways some google info on how to contact him…you might have better luck finding a more direct way of reaching him.Russell Brand website:- http://www.russellbrand.com/Gives social media links you can try messagingJohn Noel Management Block B Imperial Works Perren Street London, NW5 3ED UK (But perhaps they'll want their agents 10% !!! )http://www.johnnoelmanagement.com/russellbrand
yms "just do what i do and look at the pictures. " I said on another thread i am beholden to Rius and his Marx for Beginners and all the sequels by the copy-cats that followed. But i will follow Stuart's and your advice and put some effort in. Every tool is also a weapon.
Tony Blair should be sacked as Middle East envoy, say former ambassadorshttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/23/tony-blair-middle-east-envoy-quartet-sackedAll i ask is why it took them so long to say it.
I'm afraid, YMS, that even the Janet and John version will require simplification for me. i bookmarked it for a later attempt to read. I said on another thread, soon as the first algebraic equation appears in an economics article, my mind blurs and i go into a coma. I eagerly await a review in depth that is easily comprehensible and which leads to a political conclusion that differs from a 80% tax rate for the rich as a solution. How about …"Not a Cent for the Centile", Stuart, as a slogan?Someone on another thread has just made a point that we do need slogans to express our ideas. "World for the Workers" is a bit jaded now…We need something more contemporary and catchy. I've just come up with "Disnae Matter – Dinnae Care" for the Scottish Referendum.
An interesting article on English immigrtion to Scotlandhttp://www.historytoday.com/murray-watson/scotlands-english-clan
Might as well have a link to Charlie's grandkidshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_LonguetLonguet, Jenny (1882-1952) Longuet, Marcel (1881-1949)And then there is a great-grandson Marcel-Charles Longuet.
IMHO, i think we have to begin to express our case in the best way possible, using the best means possible, at our disposal. We have seen ideologues with no real party organisation, structure or membership such as Positive Money make an impact using the net and then follow up that success with physical meetings. I suggest we make (but probably realistically – commission) a series of 10-minute videos that each concentrates on one particular area of our argument that will resonate with an audience already questioning that topic where we would receive a more welcome reception. We know a successful well-made video can go viral (relatively) on social media. This will entail the creation of draft rough scripts that we outsource to professional film-makers or animators. It also means not being scared to rip off other peoples/groups ideas/themes …Hollywood does it all the time.It will be up to members then to post links as widely as possible and start discussions and threads on other websites, blogs, which is activities that many can participate in, if they are online. During the Euros sparked of a number of letters to local press. There are many local blogs too that are often neglected.This means the prioritising spending the funds that we have sitting in the bank. As i suggested we do several videos and a few can be experimental trials, using non-Marxist language, describing in more detail (an outline of a blueprint) socialism. Some animated cartoons, some interviews/talking heads. The possibilities are boundless.I'm saying nothing i haven't said previously but despite the silence and inaction, i still think it is the beginning. Elections are periodic, every few years. Demonstrations sporadic and we often never turn up at them so we need to have a constant continul presence and considering our few numbers, plus the physical inability of many of us to join in, one of our few options is to use the web more effectively than we do. I recall John Bisset tried to initiate a project Socialist TV…a few of our own videos but a great number of others that mostly presented the party case. YouTube etc proved to be our best source of an audience for the election braodcast. Maybe we could try a stand-alone channel eventually but strating with You Tube.It is not Democracy Now but building towards a very limited version, beginning with a selection of videos.Thats my dream at the moment. Offering people a vision of socialism since right now achieving socialism simply isn't going to happen until they do begin to imagine the vision as a viable reality.
The evidence at the "Trial" of Tony Blairhttp://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/columnists/the-trial-of-tony-blair.24526819"Chief among Blair's crimes is that while he may have blood on his hands, he has spread the blood on to us, because in a democracy we must carry some of the blame for our elected leaders, even if they try to blind us to the truth through a web of deceit, chicanery, bullying and sin."
Intelligence agents call Blair a liar….again. Why do you say you didn't know Assad had chemical weapons, when we told you umpteen times times that he did?http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/jun/22/syria-chemical-weapons-tony-blair-iraq
50,000 turned up to hear Brand say:The people of this building [the House of Commons] generally speaking do not represent us, they represent their friends in big business. It’s time for us to take back our power,” said Brand. “This will be a peaceful, effortless, joyful revolution and I’m very grateful to be involved in the People’s Assembly. Power isn’t there, it is here, within us,” he added. “The revolution that’s required isn’t a revolution of radical ideas, but the implementation of ideas we already have.”http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jun/21/protest-march-austerity-london-russell-brand-peoples-assembly Any feedback from our members who attended?
Adam, why do you insist on dwelling on this suspect source by declaring it plausible for a second time that environmentalist groups may be getting Russian funds…especially by someone who usually is a strong critic of conspiracy theories. A motive is not proof as you know only too well. Personally i look at the messenger…Ramussen …previously had to resign a ministerial post for being caught out disseminating false information i.e. lying. Then later a strong supporter of the Iraq war also repeating lies"Iraq has WMDs. It is not something we think, it is something we know. Iraq has itself admitted that it has had mustard gas, nerve gas, anthrax, but Saddam won't disclose. He won't tell us where and how these weapons have been destroyed. We know this from the UN inspectors, so there is no doubt in my mind."I suggest he is the last person you'd place on a witness stand and rely upon as a trustworthy source. Fracking and GM are subjects that divide socialists and will no doubt may still divide communities when we have socialism. I think we should concentrate on the decision-making process rather than the potential risk and the arguments supporting the precautionary principle. We have ample evidence that the fracking lobby are influencing government policy eg tresspass laws. I recall Paddy arguing on a past thread that it would reduce fuel poverty but i think later figures by energy watchdogs and not the anti-frackers suggest it will have minimum effect on consumer price.
