alanjjohnstone
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Lets blame the immigrant yet againhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/31/labour-tough-line-mass-migration "we believe that the lack of affordable housing, school places, hospital capacity and transport infrastructure to accommodate this influx of people means that poorer people's living standards have been squeezed."No, not the cuts under Labour or Cameron austerity cuts…but the influx of immigrants is to blame. "reform of the 'freedom of movement' to 'fair movement'," stating that any labour market needs "rules not complete freedom"." "They claim that the party's position as it stands is not radical enough." i suppose if i was pedantic the use of radical may be accurate but the correct sentence should read: "They claim that the party's position as it stands is not reactionary enough."
Oh…and there i was thinking that i was playing a real part in the Party's activities despite my remote location, silly me…Also very foolish of me to offer advice to or provide information for, or even engage with other members by opening up a debte through a Party discussion forum without declaring a disclaimer that the validity of what i post is null and void because i'm not there on the ground as a physical presence….Makes me feel i'm a lesser category of member, doesn't it?Luckily i have i thick skin and have no intention of mending my ways by heeding the words of wisdom from someone the "directive" was not aimed at since he is not local to Merthyr so he too can keep his opinions to himself following his own logic…And if it is really another post closer at home , perhaps on future Oxford activity….i simply spelt things out and costed a publicity campaign…..Or maybe its my complaint about the lack of Scottish referendum propaganda…that is particularly missing from our Scottish branches themselves compounding the crime….After all in the Euros the Scottish region was a missed opportunity for a tv broadcoast…I'm well used to being accused of needling by my Scottish comrades…and they know it doesn't stop me…because, after all, i'm always right……and i'm the most modest person in the world
Who shall i submit my travel expense claim form to? But it was a serious suggestion and my earlier reminder of the event should have been noted and discussed locally. Perhaps it was and has, who knows?SOYMB blog on it herehttp://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/05/we-shall-rise-again.html
Quote:"The other left groups contesting the Euro elections were the Socialist Party of Great Britain, which picked up 5,067 votes (0.29%) in the North West, 1,384 (0.19%) in Wales and 5,454 (0.23%) in the South East. For its part, the Socialist Equality Party won 5,067 (0.29%) in the North West, while the ultra-nationalist SLP managed 4,459 (0.61%) in Wales, the only region where it stood."http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1012/may-22-results-once-again-a-sorry-joke/It's a simple typo error, nothing sinister, just adding the SEP vote to ours to make it look like we too got the exact same vote. I thought it just give a pretext for another letter, that's all.
Less than Left Unity regards Scottish nationalism if this Weekly Worker article is to go by.http://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1012/scotland-nothing-progressive-about-nationalism/In fact, it is rather depressing that despite all the good intentions claimed, the Trots (and i know of Mick Napier so i don't doubt its veracity) are up to their old tricks again. I have a short letter on Scottish nationalism in the same WW issue in response to a previous article on the referendum that i think reflected much of the party's position in regards to it but failed to mention the party that i sought to remedy with the letter.The WW also got confused on our vote in the Euro-election, that somebody can rectify.
"The Campaigns Committee will be getting in touch with the Oxford CCS to see what areas of disagreement there are (if any) between them and us with a view to arranging some kind of informal meeting. "I'd just like to say that we all converge on our socialist positions by travelling different paths…which means we sometimes bring along with us different baggage and sometimes we keep hold on to those for a bit longer than we should.Even between members there are areas of disagreement of approach and emphasis. A more positive approach is to see what areas of agreement exists (and i am sure there will be many such as nationalism, racism, ecology etc) and work from these to arrange possible joint activity. Settling our slight differences can be done once comradely relations have been established. The CCS website is here for those who wish some advance dissecting of its politics http://communistcorrespondingsociety.org/#Can i ask for an elaboration on what separates an informal meeting and a formal meeting? Is it who buys the pints?
Outreach Department ?This is something that has passed me by. A problem of not being on the ground.What is it and what does it do and who is on it? As an early action i would suggest is lit/book stall. A joint venture with two tables, there's and ours. The CCS has already said they rather enjoyed such activity and Kent/Sussex branch has been experienced conducting quite a few and should have acquired an impressive selection of pamphlets and books to sell plus the posters and banners to draw attention to its presence.And as you say such action is suitable for the good Summer weather.Also perhaps an agreed hostelry to cement relations with us and CCS with a bar-meal and a few jars of ale. And invite any interested visitor to the stall to talk and discuss further. I keep saying we are a SOCIALISING Party, too. Our activities shouldn't be a drudge but activity to be enjoyed. Once we know the situation with local members and sympathisers, we can arrange guest speakers on a series of topics. Subsidise the hiring of halls, pay for local press advert, print eye-catching flyers. As good businessmen always say…speculate to accumulate.Cherwell a weekly student newspaper has a circulation of 15,000 (its website 50,000) and takes adverts.A full page to comprehensively present our view and depict logo £450 and we could also place a rotating box on their website for another hundred quid. http://ospl.org/advertising/Rate%20card%20local%20and%20charity.pdfOxford Mail for wider non student audience £145.80 inc VAT (5cm x 2col)http://adbooker.oxfordmail.co.uk/entertainment/style/I dare say Brighton and elsewhere can be approached similarly. I know many will require a well-earned break from the election campaign but by announcing our intentions for the future will help demonstrate our commitment .
But you are forgetting that Salmond was once expelled from the SNP for being a member of the 79 Group which stood for a "Scottish Socialist Republic"Admittedly, he now bends at the knee and touches his forelock when he meets the Queen and is a member of her Privy Council (by default) and the current SNP position is to retain the monarchy. And his present form of socialism is to give favours to Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch…
"But unlike Scottish Nationalism Welsh nationalism is leftwing (its current leader even claims to be a socialist)."Not exactly correct. The Scottish nationalists jettisoned their Tartan Tory tag a long time ago and the SNP have successfully placed itself left of Labour on a number of crucial issues and the Yes campaign is propped up by all sorts of Trots.
Just to relate to another thread…is the small party syndrome restricted to the UK/USA when we see such dramatic and swift breakthroughs here? Perhaps as Robbo suggests in his post…the media or at least parts of it are more sympathetic in its reporting. I did note the article refers to Iglesias being a the media face of the movement again something i touched upon in another discussion…how we tackle such potential issues.The wages seem to be more or less a typical Trot thing, after all, the SSP MSPs took reduced pay to finance the Party.And i'll be honest…travelling cattle-class instead of sweeping through check-in and having the home comforts to do work on the move, or simply recuperate from all their travelling is rather minor point in their policy.( I am reminded that Sonia Gandhi travelled tourist class a few years back with press photographing her standing in the check-in line, what was never said that was the rest of the seats on the plane were all taken by her retinue for security reasons …)Although the Pirate Party retained a seat in the Euro parliament, their vote fell elsewhere…although they did a bit better thn ourselves in the UK and in Germany 400,000+ votes half the total European vote but as one commentator said…they had done their job…to highlight and protect the internet…along with Assange and Snowdon – mission accomplished.Pirate website boosting the morale with a positive spin herehttp://piratetimes.net/all-pirate-party-votes-in-the-eu-election-800-000-votes/
We often come across the reposte that when banks receive deposits/fees it cannot be from the old granny savings. But lets look at some figures."the assets by the rich increased by roughly 10%, reaching a combined total of roughly $46.2 trillion. With this growth in extreme wealth, the wealth management business is itself becoming a major growth industry, with independent firms competing against the big banks in a race to manage the spoils of the world’s super-rich."Of course much is in shares and bonds but i'm sure a lot of it is also hoarded cash. The world’s big banks want to get more of this investable wealth. For example, Goldman Sachs has boosted its private wealth management services. The number of partners at the bank working in asset management in 2010 represented 4.5% of the bank’s total partners, a number which grew to 12% by 2012.
Can i ask how much we spent – the cost of standing, the leaflets and video and how much each individual vote cost us. (exclude the candidates travelling expenses to hustings etc).
Ed, my catechism is the Trinity…worker – trade unionist – socialist – the One Big Union – and my Holy Spirit is class consciousness while the Logos is the Socialist Standard !
""I would sincerely hope that if the party turned to reformism that all genuine socialists would immediately resign and denounce the party's opportunistic behavior as a betrayal of working class interests."Yet again reforms and reformism are being used as synomyns. They are not. The Party does not advocate a policy of reforms as stepping stones towards socialism but we have recognised particular reforms as beneficial to the working class and also to ourselves as a socialist political party. The bigger the movement for socialism, the more demands we will be making on capitalism. That is what i was referring to. i cannot envisage day-to-day problems being ignored by an increasingly class conscious working class. We aren't begging, we aren't pleading, we are demanding. A socialist trade unionist, for example, will support the reform of the law to permit secondary picketing and solidarity sympathetic strikes. He will campaign for such through his unions. The party will report such actions and endorse it as an improved strategy in conducting the class struggle…We won't be condemning it as a futile reform or be charging the member for reformism. Hospital old folks homes schools and fire station closures are resisted by communities. We sympathise with their cause, encourage their self-activity for that are the foundations that sociailist organisation will be built upon. A previous SPGB candidates response to local issueshttp://realsocialism.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_archive.html"So, good luck to the organisers of last nights hustings, the Fire Reform Action Group of Livingston. …. a genuine grassroots community group.I wont be signing your petition: not because I don’t think the issue is important, but rather because I simply don’t think that petitions work. " That party sympathy will be ten-fold when members are involved both as public and also as fire-fighters. In local branches these issues will be tackled on their merits and whatever assistance will be decided.But to repeat…this will not be an issue for those who believe the Socialist Party will NOT transform into a mass class party. What was that Trot group who also decided that it was not going to be THE socialist party of the working class and became a think-tank instead. And of course i forgot the Fabian Society.
