ALB
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gnome wrote:the confusion caused by us sometimes referring to ourselves as simply 'The Socialist Party'.
That's not what causes the confusion. It's the other way round. It's the Militant Tendency sometimes calling itself the 'Socialist Party' that causes the confusion.
Yes, of the 35,467,172 who went to cast a vote, some 4 million put a blank or spolit paper into the ballot box. That's about 11.5%. Who said not voting for any of those on offer is not a valid political tactic?
Yes. They've even ventured up to Glasgow:
http://www.cca-glasgow.com/programme/caught-learning–whats-wrong-with-free-money
Here is an extract from Andrew Marr's interview with John McDonnell on Sunday:
Quote:Marr: The great prediction in Capital, which you have yourself raised, is that capitalism as a system will come down with an enormous crash. There will be a crisis and the entire system will fail.McDonnell: That's where Marx got it wrong.Which shows that while McDonnell might recommend people read Capital he hasn't understood it. Marx of course never argued that capitalism "will come down with an enormous crash". What is amusing about this exchange is that in the 1980s both Marr and McDonnell were members of the same Trotskyoid front organisation, "The Socialist Campaign for Labour Victory". Perhaps it's there that they both learned their mistaken understanding of Marx.
That's a coincidence. I was just about to correct it and inform the branch. Can be corrected by inserting after "an alternative" the words "to the society". Can't correct the original post as the "edit" facility has disappeared. Don't know why.
Here is the Swansea manifesto:
Quote:BREXIT: DOES IT MATTER?That’s the important question – says Brian Johnson,The Socialist Party of Great Britain candidate, Swansea WestWill BREXIT – whether hard or soft – do anything to solve the problems people in this country are suffering from – job insecurity, inequality, poverty, crime, poor healthcare? The answer has to be ‘no’. And the reason is that these problems don’t come from particular constitutional arrangements. They come from the way society is organised – production for profit and ownership of the vast majority of the wealth by a tiny minority of people: the global system of capitalism. The other partiesThis is the system all other political parties exist to administer. They have different ideas on how that system can best be maintained, but all agree it must be retained.Many of their supporters have good intentions but are unaware that, in campaigning for these, they are helping to maintain this built-in system of minority privilege. So, however different Corbyn’s policies may seem from May’s, they offer no alternative to the present way of running society.No matter how well-meaning politicians may be they can’t control that system – it controls them. The best any government can do is try to ride its storms.So what's the alternative?We propose an alternative based on ownership of capital and market forces that currently exists in the UK, Europe and worldwide. This alternative is a society of common ownership that we call socialism.Not ‘socialism’ as you may understand it. Not the type of dictatorship that collapsed in Russia and elsewhere – which were forms of state capitalism in fact. Not any of the schemes for state control advocated by some in the Labour Party.For us socialism means something completely different and something much better. We are talking about:a world community without states or frontiers based on participatory democracya society without buying and selling where everyone has access to what they require to satisfy their needs, without the rationing system that is moneya society where people use the earth’s abundant resources rationally and sustainably, and contribute their knowledge, skills and experience freely to produce what is neededTo sum up:If you don't like present-day society – with or without Brexit.If you’re fed up with the way so many people are forced to live – hanging on for dear life to a job that gives little satisfaction and doing it just for the moneyIf you are sick of seeing grinding poverty alongside obscene wealthIf you are sick of the Earth being abused by corporations who don’t care about the future or the environmentIf you think the root cause of most problems is the market system and the governments that maintain that system. . . then you’re thinking like we are.What can you do?The new society is one without leaders just as it is one without owners and wage-slaves. It is a wholly democratic society, one which can only be achieved when you – and enough like-minded people – join together to bring it about peacefully and democratically. If you agree with this, you will want to cast your vote for our candidate. In voting for Brian Johnson, the Socialist Party of Great Britain candidate, you will be voting for the socialism you – and we – stand for.Thanks, Rob W, The SPGB 1904, for updating it:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScJyrOPT5Dg&feature=youtu.beAll we need now is a a couple of comments to push down those of two years ago.
imposs1904 wrote:Out of curiousity, why Battersea and not Vauxhall?Because, under the proposals to reduce the number of MPs to 600, parts of Vauxhall (including the part where Head Office is situated) and parts of Battersea will probably become a new constituency and we want to introduce ourselves to those in Battersea (which is part of the borough of Wandsworth). Also, the workers of Vauxhall have benefitted from the free postal distribution of our leaflets on many occasions, including only two years ago, which workers in Battersea never have. But, don't worry, we are not abandoning Lambeth. We'll be back there for the London Borough elections next year.
There is an interesting side to this. Assuming that Steve Colborn is still a Socialist and still committed to the interests of the working class which I can't imagine he's not (even if he has forfeited his right to remain a member of our Party), he could be an experiment as to how a Socialist MP or councillor might behave. So it will be interesting to follow his interventions in the Town Council's deliberations. We could even start a thread on "Councillor Colborn's interventions" based on reports in the local media. I think I will.
alanjjohnstone wrote:What will be the name we will be contesting the seats under?Same as last time, "The Socialist Party (GB)" in the two London seats and "The Socialist Party of Great Britain" in Swansea. They invoked the confusion clause last time as TUSC was also standing.TUSC won't be standing this time but backing Labour, but us using the same as last time can be justified on the grounds of being consistent.
Why not? We could do both, but the timescale is short, to mention anything new on the official Election Communication for free postal delivery. Could still use it on facebook, etc.
The Seaham Community Party was not formed just to stand for Seaham Town (Parish) Council butit also stood for the Durham County Council in three electoral wards. For a list of such local parties standing, alongside us, for Surrey County Council see:https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/mgElectionResults.aspx?ID=5&V=0Quite apart from Rule 6, I can't see how a member could possibly stand for one of these. In some councils they are in coalition with one or other of the national parties to run the council.
alanjjohnstone wrote:BTW, i do find it difficult not to say ex-comrade, as his actions count louder than any words he may have in mitigation.It would be disrespectful to call him other than Councillor Colborn.
More on them here:http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Registrations/PP4182
It's true:Deneside Ward of Seaham ParishElectorate: 2933Ballots Issued: 775Turnout: 26.42%Rejected Ballots: 3 ALLEN, Brian (Labour) 309 BELL, Edward (Labour) 434 ELECTED BLEASDALE, Geraldine (Labour) 382 ELECTED COLBORN, Steven Paul (Seaham Community Party) 340 ELECTED DONALDSON, Michelle (Seam Community Party) 312 PAUL, James Ian (no description) 118 SOKS, Karen (Seaham Community Party) 259 TAYLOR, Barry (Seaham Community Party) 332 ELECTED
