alanjjohnstone
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i have to disagree. They were a legitimate expression of the class struggle of their time. To term them as lumpenproletariat is to do them an injustice. The description of them as simply machine wreckers is a common misconception. See this Smithsonian article. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/What-the-Luddites-Really-Fought-Against.html It explains – “…Despite their modern reputation, the original Luddites were neither opposed to technology nor inept at using it. Many were highly skilled machine operators in the textile industry….Luddites themselves “were totally fine with machines,” says Kevin Binfield, editor of the 2004 collection Writings of the Luddites. They confined their attacks to manufacturers who used machines in what they called “a fraudulent and deceitful manner” to get around standard labor practices. “They just wanted machines that made high-quality goods,” says Binfield, “and they wanted these machines to be run by workers who had gone through an apprenticeship and got paid decent wages. Those were their only concerns.”
Socialist Party of England and Wales is already taken. We do have an alternative already registered World Socialist Movement with the electoral commission. Adopt for all the regions of the former UK?
" What you should have said is a 'proper football team' " Scotland will get one of those when England does The Socialist Courier blog has carried numerous posts on Scottish independence and the referendum. The latest being yesterday http://socialist-courier.blogspot.com/2013/11/no-way-nae-chance.html But use the search engine for the extensive list of the anti-nationalist articles, tackling the issue from various angles. We have a year to produce a pamphlet (or least a substantive leaflet) explaining our case. The betting may be that the No vote vote will prevail but who knows what may happen in the run-up which may sway many voters to say Yes. Does the World Socialist Party of Scotland sound good , or will we be the Socialist Party (Alba)? Maybe The Free Access Movement of Scotland – FAMS. If independence does come we will have to register a party name(s) to stand in elections.
I have found some Chris Hedges articles very good. I re-posted extract from Invisible Revolution on the SOYMB blog. http://www.socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/10/no-fence-sitting-for-hedges.html Criticism of certain Black Bloc articles certainly doesn't mean being anti-revolutionary and many in the WSM have questioned the tactics of autonomous groups acting without democratic consent under the cover of Occupy. As for working for the NYT, we all need to earn our daily crust, and journalists have little choice in the newspapers they end up writing for, George Monibiot for the Guardian…Robert Fisk for the Independent…Paul Foot for the Daily Mirror (to go back a bit)
The title of the meeting made me recall that Traditional Chinese Medicine was named so and basically began by Mao since a NHS service with proper drug treatment was unachievable …so bring back the glorified village herbalists. Mao always used western medicine.
"The "capitalist press" have in fact been phoning us to see if we have an information on this group. We received 4 calls today at Head Office from various media " Another reason for a press officer/media committee. We could have issued a public statement and distributed to all the media outlets, if we had a email contact list database.
Hastily posted on the SOYMB blog http://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/2013/11/who-needs-leaders.html
"Ukraine is an artificial country." Just to make clear, most nations are artificial constructs and that the illusion of independence applies to most countries which will be dominated by a more powerful one. Ukraine is not unique. The pro-EU movement is maybe the continuance of the Orange revolution, the promise of actually fulfilling the aspirations that it raised and has so far failed to deliver. http://www.dw.de/failed-revolution-ukraine-heads-back-to-soviet-past/a-16794088
Ukraine demonstrations protests to join the EU. While Ukip nationalists strive to exit, Ukraine nationalists struggle to enter.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25078952 But perhaps more anti-Russian.
This thread got me to thinking, whatever happened to the local trades councils?In ye olden days the Communist Party and Trotskyists saw them as the embryos of the soviets, and there was a lively struggle to dominate them and replace the "moderates" of the trade union bureaucracy but even that has disappeared. At best they organise a local May Day ? Or maybe take part in the selection of a local Labour Party candidate? But what else?Surely if we are to talk about a re-vitalised united trade union movement against the austerity cuts, at a local level, the co-ordination of town and city union branches must be somewhere on the agenda. But i fail to see any re-birth of the trades councils. Am i mistaken and in some parts of the country there exists active trades councils? I'm not suggested any role for the SPGB but raising it as an issue for trade unionists and all those who strive for unity.
The crackdown on student politics continue – now the atheists are banned.http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/23/censorship-in-uk-universities
The run on the bank continues. "local authorities across Britain have been warned by financial advisers to urgently remove their money from Co-op bank accounts"http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/23/labour-faces-co-op-cash-crisis But who is running the co-op – the Tories are "the Co-op Group after it emerged that the mutual is now being advised by Quiller Consultants, whose senior executives include David Cameron's former special adviser, Sean Worth, and George Bridges, a close friend of George Osborne and former campaign director for the Conservatives under Cameron when in opposition." But every crisis has a silver lining – Co-op donations to the Labour Party is to be cut
