alanjjohnstone
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Both messages read."Hello,I like your profile in this community network and I think you are a nice person. i want us to be friends i don't know how you will feel about it,please you can write to me through my email .via: Ngonehadiza13@gmx.com and i will tell you all about my self including my pictures I'm sorry if i am embarrassing you, i shall explain my self to youEmail via: Ngonehadiza13@gmx.comyours in love,Regard,s Ngonehadiza."Is she already two-timing me with other comrades
"But 'capitalism' is a 'fact', to many… that 'capitalism' is a 'fellow that will not be overturned'"Not sure if i understand correctly.No-one denies that there exists a thing called capitalism…that is, indeed, a fact…but what we declare is that additional facts about capitalist system provides the reasons why we wish to overthrow it…and those facts cannot be disputed…Part of our task is to present these facts…they aren't opinions or claims …but simple facts, …We factually describe features of capitalism (which cannot be changed without changing the fact it is no longer capitalism but something different) that are not for the benefit of people or the planet. You may well argue that what we wish to replace it with is not a fact but perhaps a presupposition. That is another debate. I think we should recognise that there is a difference from facts and as they say "lies, damned lies and statistics". I think we would agree a statistic is not a fact. I always use the example that the breed of dog that statistically more liable to turn on its owner is the supposed placid loyal labrador. It's a fact vets receive more visits on labradors going vicious than other breeds. Why? Because it is simply reported more…1)generally labrador owners are more responsible and refer their dog to vet …who records the visit 2) Such behaviour is out of the ordinary for the breed so a medical problem is seen as a cause, not temperment, so the dog is taken to the vet …who records it.Whereas your Staffie Bull Terrier is on the Kennel Club's list of most family friendly dog and it's nasty reputation is not a fact, either. Corgi's bite because it was a cattle dog..nipping the heels of the cows to move them along …and when dog intelligent tests are conducted the Standard Poodle is usually top or thereabouts…But they also say an octopus intelligence is about the same as a dog… but i completely digress now i never joined the party because of its philosophical basis. It's pretty much subsidiary importance to me and despite all the overly complicated exchanges on it no-one has made any advance on Marx's comment that the issue is not analysing the world but changing the world and none of the related threads gave me any particular insight into doing that. Not just your efforts Lbird, but all your protagonists, as well.Sorry comrades.
Weekly Worker has a review of the book by Michael Robertshttp://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1013/unpicking-piketty/I gave up reading soon as the algebra equations began.But the review ends "For Piketty – in true social democratic fashion – the replacement of the capitalist mode of production is not necessary."(off thread, the WW letters has a yes scot referendum nationalist in denial that his position is nationalist which is full of gibberish…someone can answer if they wish.)
I think we are facing what i think you faced rather more than i did and that is what can be described as another 'New Left", resurrecting their old decredited and discarded ideas, presenting them as new and acquiring some popularity because of it.Accompanying the old "New Left" was a resurgence of what for ease can be described as the "Libertarian Left" which challenged and undermines some of the core claims of the Trotskyists. But is there an accompanying complementary expression of that trend today? StuartW thinks he may well be part of that …i think he more like is part of the problem, by reinforcing the perspective that there is such a thing as "revolutionary reformism" instead of offering an alternative poitics, another descriptive adjective, the Libertarian Left were using. I'm just raising a few things i am pondering with Podemos/LU/Seattle and Occupy. I think the other thread hit a truth when it said the difference was that reformists worry about distribution of wealth while we concentrate on the question of its production…they forget capitalism is a mode of production. I came across a SWP article that i thought had a bit of truth in this re-distributionist fervour. http://www.marxists.org/history/etol/writers/callinicos/1981/xx/wagelab-statecap.html"…Marx, as we have already seen, was deeply hostile to such a promiscuous extension of the term “capitalism” to every pursuit of monetary gain. He was careful to distinguish capitalism in his sense from merchant’s and usurer’s capital, “the antediluvian forms of capital, which long precede the capitalist mode of production, and are to be found in the most diverse economic formations of society”. Their emergence is possible because “money and commodity circulation can mediate between the spheres of production of widely different organisation, whose internal structure is still chiefly adjusted to the output of use-values”. Thus, usury “does not alter the mode of production, but attaches itself firmly to it like a parasite and makes it wretched…”. Our problem is how do we attack a movement that is popularising our objective albeit by mis-defining it? Also, as you say, actually sincerely believing in what they advocate rather than the original Machavelian approach of Leon .Also as you often say …Occupy/Brand et all brought revolution and socialism back into daily discourse…But we want people to recognise these acts as they really are and not their misrepresentations. We are still being accused of being utopian because we reject the stepping stone "socialist" strategy. I think this lack of ambition or aspiration or self-confidence , call it what you will, is the political challenge we face. Surprisingly, on a number of radical websites soon as i mention trade unions the guffaws begin. They appear to have lost all credibility and no longer seen as organisations with a role in changing society or creating a post-capitalist society, something the IWW and syndicalists and workers councilists should begin to worry about. Instead we have workers self management workers owned enterprises workers co-operatives…whatever they call it, it still leads to "peoples capitalism" not " peoples socialism" and of course the re-surfacing of variants of social credit presenting itself as original.I find it difficult to accept our traditional way of responding to all these diversions is working or will work. But i struggle to find a solution.
LBird wrote:'Fact, or data' will not solve this clash. We pick our ideology, and reap 'fact or data' to suit.Hmm…i think to that, Robert Burns replied "Facts are chiels that winna ding” (facts are fellows that will not be overturned, cannot be disputed) but he was just a womanising drunken poet so what would he know.
The Guardian to-day published an article on the pre-NHS days on another scourge of the past that is making its come-back – TB.http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/04/coalition-attacks-nhs-return-britain-age-workhouse
Kshama Sawant in her own words:" If we organize as workers, with a socialist strategy, we can tackle the chasm of income inequality and social injustice"http://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/06/03-0Surely if we can organise worrkers with socialist strategy our next step is not to tackle inequality gap but to abolish it.
I think they did the same with the original Capital. Marx use of the parliamentary Blue Books were subject to scrutiny and challenged for accuracy. I thought this was quite an insightful (inciteful) view of the book from an interesting anglehttp://www.counterpunch.org/2014/06/02/tinkering-with-capitalism/
I found this article on Podemos rather perturbing.http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10713 "Chávez made it to the presidency of Venezuela with the electoral promise of a “third way”, something no-one knew what it was. It was only a few years later that he dared to speak of socialism, socialism of the 21st century, and no-one knew what that was either. History is full of politicians who reach power by adopting left-wing stances and then abandon them, so why could the opposite not happen? To reach power with a moderate and ambiguous discourse so as then to set about deepening changes to the left. It is what happened in Venezuela, in Argentina and in Ecuador. Whilst our socialist parties do the opposite of socialism, in Latin America, without calling themselves socialists or workers, they are doing more for socialism and workers than here. Obviously, to trust that a moderate discourse should finally dare to pursue a left path requires a major dose of faith on the part of the electorate, but has experience not shown us that those who claim to be on the left also requires such a thing?"An actual advocation of deceit as a virtue and directly contrary to the Communist Manifesto that Communists "disdain to conceal their views and aims."But on a slightly positive side…i said on another thread that our campaign should not be so gentlemanly. "Iglesias surprised us all by calling Sánchez Dragó [prominent right-wing intellectual] a buffoon of the right two minutes after beginning his conversation on a radio station that has a massive audience…Every day we see our left politicians maintaining infinite composure when up against pseudo-journalists who attack them with absolute impunity on panel debates. People wanted to see other politicians giving it back to them in spades."Now if Danny had been a bit more barbed in his criticism of fellow candidates…who knows if the clip would have gone viral on the web .No more nice guys, comrades! Let's have invective filled interviews!
And throw in a complimentary copy of Inconvenient Question pamphlet.Or just send a friendly email and provide the links to them bothinfo@charliehamiltonjames.co.ukhttp://www.charliehamiltonjames.co.uk/contact.html
The Ecuador government offered to block oil drilling in its Amazon forest if the international community coughed up compensation. Needless to say, a pittance was offered and now pristine environment will have roads and pipelines and settlements built in it…see herehttp://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/06/what-price-nature.html
Sorry but I would have thought that a NO vote in the referendum is NOT our policy (but perhaps conference decided otherwise, but i somehow doubt it as would go against a long-standing principle)I thought it was to spoil our ballot paper as a NO vote is a de facto vote for British Capitalism, while a YES is one for Scottish Capitalism. My thoughts was that the party decided we draw others into this positive boycott, urging people to go to the polls and spoil their ballot paper. I believe there are plans in the pipeline for stickers to make this easier done.Once we have sorted out our strategy , WW i think will be happy enough to conditionally support it as i believe it reflects more or less their own view. Our position as i said in my letter to WW is the third option to yes or no..
Your clarifications reveal that we simply cannot stand sufficient candidates for UK-wide broadcast. So that's the end of that. But the resources that would have been earmarked for 50 seats i suggest should be directed to the half-dozen or so constituencies we choose to contest. Prominent local press adverts placed and perhaps a billboard or two, strategically selected. My main concern with the London Mayor idea is that it reinforces the impression that we are mainly a London party. That is inevitable but would require to be countered somehow. Your comment that You Tube produced significant hits may suggest we also invest more heavily in video presentation of our ideas rather than just showing meetings and debates. Nor need they be all-encompassing videos but a series, each separate one showing an aspect of our case…and maybe with animation.
No-one suggests it will be easy. I simply posed two obvious questions and there are plenty more to ask.Your Point3, bRIAN – The rule about speakers test qualification for General Election is already bent to permit election list candidates to stand in the Euro, so as Robbo said, it can be amended. Even so, it can still be overcome by conducting the test by email or telephone…not a great obstacle…unless you think 50 members cannot pass the speakers test. JulianV appears to have answered one query. Of course, the said person will also be acting as his own election agent so there will be a lot of canvassing for the initial proposers in each consituence (i forget the number required), and plenty of form filling and visiting returning officers meetings, deliverng leaflets to the sorting offices of Royal Mail .(they don't pick them up if i recall from my own experience but i stand to be corrected) and then finally another bit of form filling after the election on the expenses spent ,I think we can safely say we do need an exceptional commitment from members and that has to be gauged first of all. Scotland branches already seemed to take a back-seat in the Euro-election, they may also be reluctant to participate.Morale and enthusiasm in the party generally will have to be gee-ed up to achieve this. A process of feedback should be somehow embarked upon. A poll of who would volunteer to be a candidate/election agent, who would assist in other ways…The purpose is to draw publicity by a nationally broadcast NEW election video, and a Royal Mail free mail-out to 50 constituences. In this regard , it is a one-off campaign. Regards Brian's Point 1 We don't have 50 branches to sustain. Your point 2 is more relevant -Those branches that are capable should do as you say engage in visible campaigns to build up a presence but of course that should always be the activity of a branch. But this is the focus on a general election when peoples minds are already (willing ot not) focussed by the media on politics. Relatively, people are more receptive to political messages at this time and we should take advantage of it. My view is entirely consistent with my previous opinions during the party fund discussions. Rather than concentrate on where to get the most healthy returns i argued that we remove that question and problem and spend spend spend our money on activity. I am sure the election committee will be taking notice of this thread and they will be reporting to ADM with recommendations for the future. They however should be aware of the feeling of members (and sympathisers)They can then produce and distribute a standing for election in 10- easy- steps instruction manual or whatever and act as liason and help centre. .
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I concur, Robbo…Money in the bank is idle money.But it will take lot of preparation and advance planning…First question, what 50 constituencies? Next, have we got 50 members willing to put their name forward?…i'm sure other questions will come to my mind in due course
