alanjjohnstone
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ALB wrote:To give him his due, Jack Conrad (or whatever he's called) did say at the founding conference of LU that the ultimate aim should beQuote:a moneyless, classless, stateless society.
This of course is the precise description, word for word, of socialism we came up with years ago and have popularised. Who says we have had no impact?.
But not to forget, it is our immediate aim.
And what if we side-step that rule by using "World Socialist Movement (Socialist Party of Great Britain)" on the facia? The rule doesn't cover additional titles on the facia by saying these are forbidden so "SPGB" can be added and used, IMHO
When asked by Question Time presenter David Dimbleby what Labour had to say to those who wanted to see immigration cut, Mr Umunna said: "I think on low-skill immigration we believe there was too much of it from the European Union. I think there is one important thing about the European Union, the founders of the European Union had in mind free movement of workers not free movement of jobseekers."http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25678829
Maybe on second thoughts closer in resemblance to another occasional resident of NYC and Glasgow branch, comrade Jim Fleming
The Independent promotes co-ops and has furnished some stats …500 UK co-ops and 10 billion turnover.http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/workers-cooperatives-one-for-all-all-for-one-9047590.htmlSuma a wholesaler of veggie food is the biggest with 140 workers. Made 1 million profit on a 34 million turnover and gave themselves a 5% pay rise and almost 5000 bonus . "We have a triple bottom line – that's people, planet and profit" – (tempted to make a pun on the 3 pees) Not bad conditions though, 27,000 a year plus profit linked bonus, 7 weeks annual vacation, unlimited overtime, final salary pension"The reason we have survived, compared with other co-operatives in the 1970s and 1980s, is because we make a profit and pay a decent wage. Small co-ops can be like small businesses, where you have people working 80 or 90-hour weeks, killing themselves and paying themselves very little. We decided that wasn't the way to go." They cornered their little niche market and seemed to have made a success…600 applying for a few vacancies…but i detected a bit of nepotism too in the recruiting… Still it doesn't alter our understanding that co-ops if generalised changes very little.
Well deduced, ALB…and he was very active in the church field…educated at St Bede's College, before going on to study at the Roman Catholic seminary Ushaw College (1971–1973), although he did not enter the priesthood… worked as a child care worker with the 'Liverpool Catholic Social Services Wiki adds he opposed same sex marriage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Goggins
Three old pamphlets on explaining economics i would recommend are:the IWW's Economic Interpretation of the Jobhttp://www.marxists.org/history/usa/unions/iww/1922/economic.htm John Keracher's Economics For Beginnershttp://www.marxists.org/archive/keracher/1935/economics-for-beginners.htm And James Connolly's Socialism Made Easyhttp://www.marxist.net/ireland/connolly/socialism/socialism_made_easy.htm
That is what cartoons do…get too close for comfort….But it does raise the question of majorities and minorities …what are they exactly and how would they be defined?I have had discussions with comrades that argue that 51% is not enough – it has to be a vast majority. Others have told me that it is not about a numerical majority but effective numbers to begin to implement socialism which could be as low as 25% of people. I touch on this on my own personal bloghttp://mailstrom.blogspot.com/2011/05/vote-as-weapon.html
It seems unity is still on the ISN agenda…just that the prospective partners have shifted to the more libertarian sector …unwelcome advances and a rough wooing, just courting being spurned…?…and it is now called a regroupment.http://libcom.org/forums/general/isns-regroupment-project-iww-afed-12122013 I had never heard of the Plan C group.
Our blog, SOYMB, because of this earlier than expected debate sparked off by Gove on the First World War has posted an article on WW1. i was hoping to hold fire, so to speak, until August, but it doesn't look like it will be possible. http://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2014/01/world-war-one-and-spgb.html
And in the blue corner, the Guardian presenting the case for capitalism… http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2014/jan/06/capitalism-bright-future-innovation-hope?CMP=fb_gu
On the Left Unity thread many wondered why the necessity when there already existed the Green Party which promoted LU policies.The Guardian has eventually got around to asking why the Left do not support the Greens more. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/06/left-ignoring-true-progressive-party-greens?CMP=twt_gu They appear to be following now the same approach as the SNP have been doing in Scotland, that they are the left of centre party. But it is nice that the Greens refer to some history recalling th 1906 election.
Casting my mind back, Capital was very low down on the recommended reading list. Hold up hands who have conducted a serious in depth reading of it rather than browse the easier historic bits. I know a few of you will have studied it but admit it – you remain a small minority of socialists and SPGBers and completing the book is like a merit badge for scouts – a badge of honour…but has it really helped your everyday political activity in any meaningful way?Number One to be read was the Communist Manifesto. Number Two was Engels Socialism Utopian and Scientific. Number Three and Four were Marx's economic pamphlets, Wage Labour and Capital and his Value Price and Profit. Then in popped Kropotkin's Mutual Aid at Number Five. I don't know anybody who ever claimed they were convinced to become socialists by reading Capital. In fact, i wonder if anybody ever became a socialist by reading Marx. Full Stop. (perhaps the odd anarchist…and he or she would be odd!)
Using wiki should not be a problem. The legal position is at the link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Copyrights You just need to cite thm as a source in the video credits and also give permission to let others use your video, as long as they too acknowledge you as the source. "Wikipedia content can be copied, modified, and redistributed if and only if the copied version is made available on the same terms to others and acknowledgment of the authors of the Wikipedia article used is included (a link back to the article is generally thought to satisfy the attribution requirement"
