ALB
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What about austerity (as government cutting its spending) being an economic necessity (because in a slump its tax revenue falls — the budget deficit is not a myth) but that the choice of what spending to cut is a political one reflecting ideology.?For instance, the Tories' benefit cuts didn't have to spare the retired and make them all fall on those of working age not working (now to be extended to the working poor too). They could have cut pensioner's benefits and so cut non-pensioner benefits a little less but chose not to because they know that pensioners vote Tory more than the unemployed and the disabled. They could also have increased tax on the incomes of the better-off (this wouldn't have affected profits as it's a tax on consumption) but chose not to as these again are the people that vote for them. In theory, a different government could have applied the economic necessity of austerity in a different way, as the Syriza government in Greece tried to do and may still be.But of course as socialists it's not our business to get involved in arguments over where the axe should fall.
I like the reported answer of the anti-Islamist candidate in last year's presidential election there (who won in the end) to the question "what is the difference between you and your Islamist rival?": a thousand years.
There's a local council by-election in Northfield Brook ward (part of the Blackbird Leys estate) in Oxford on 22 October. TUSC are contesting it. Their leaflet shows they are trying to jump on the Corbyn bandwagon:
Quote:WE NEED TO BACK CORBYN'S CALL TO STOP THE CUTS IN OXFORD! VOTE JAMES MORBINis its headline. And
Quote:Labour, under their new leader Jeremy Corbyn stands clearly against cuts. Sadly this has not filtered down to Labour Councillors in Oxford yet (….) We call on Oxford Labour council and all councillors to back Jeremy Corbyn's call to stop the council cuts. We will back 100% any councillor who refuses to vote for cuts.So this is going to be their tactic from now on, instead of calling for a Labour Party Mark 2. Whether it will work is another matter. Their problem is that Labour doesn't need their support.The leaflet also calls on people to join the "Socialist Party" which is says supports TUSC. We don't of course and members and sympathisers will be leafletting the ward urging people who want a system "where the places where wealth is produced will no longer be owned by profit-seeking businesses but will be owned and democratically controlled by all" to write "WORLD SOCIALISM" across their ballot paper.
Brian Morris's last talk was also published in the Socialist Standard:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2013/no-1311-november-2013/karl-marx-anthropologistAnd here's a review of one of Yehudi Webster's books:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/1990s/1999/no-1140-august-1999/book-review-does-race-exist
Heard from a member of our Advertising Committe yesterday that the Morning Star is refusing our adverts apparently because we didn't support Corbyn's campaign to become Labour Leader. It's not clear whether this is an official political position by the paper or just a personal decision by somebody in their advertising department.
Actually I don't bthink there has ever been a blanket ban on non-members writing for the Standard. The position is, at least today, that we do/would publish an article from a non-member provided (a) it expressed our point of view and (b) we indicated that the writer was a non-member. Sometimes, also, they might be published as a letter.
The Turkish authorities have arrested six people for allegedly minting these Islamist State's coins:http://news.yahoo.com/turkey-arrests-six-over-minting-coins-155140896.htmlActually, in the areas controlled by both ISIS and the Kurdish YPG the currencies that circulate are the Syrian pound and the American dollar, though ISIS are trying to stop some Syrian notes being used in some parts of the area they control (in this case about to lose):http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/10/islamic-state-prevents-the-circulation-of-2-categories-of-the-syrian-currency/("Nusayri" is the derogatory term that Sunni extremists use to describe members of the Alawite sect of islam)ISIS are said to pay their foreign fighters in dollars.
No of course it's not acceptable that a branch member should not be able to take part in an online branch meeting but this was not intentional but due to an unforeseen consequence of the software. This is being looked at with a view to finding a solution which will avoid this happening again. The problem will be raised at the ADM in a few weeks time in the report of the Central Organiser.
Yes, I was going to come back on that figure given by the Daily Torygraph of a 42% turnout. It seems that they mistakenly gave the figure for abstentions. Even so, as you point out, even a 57% is bad for the ruling class there and indicative of a low legitimacy for whatever government emerges.
The anti-austerity Left Bloc, with 10% ( of a low, 42% turnout) didn't do too badly, but the outgoing government which campaigned on the slogan "austerity works" was voted back in:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/portugal/11911562/Portugals-austerity-government-wins-re-election.htmlIt looks as if most workers in Portugal are resigned to the fate that capitalism has imposed on them at present.
I'll probably get a bollocking from someone for this, Steve, but why don't you complain to OFFCOM or even to OFFTOP.
Interesting interview here will one of the commanders of the Kurdish YPG. They are fighting not only against ISIS but also against the Al-Nusrah group which the Western media say are "moderates" but are actually part of Al Quaeda, motivated by the same Sunni muslim extremism originating from Saudi Arabia as ISIS:http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/10/the-general-commander-of-peoples-defense-units-ypg-in-an-interview-with-sohr-we-view-al-hasakah-as-a-nucleus-of-the-new-democratic-syria/Here is the spiritual leader of the Al-Nusrah group preaching religious war against the Shiites and Alawites:http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/09/al-muhaysin-addresses-the-mothers-of-the-sunni-apostates-in-the-regime-army-either-to-make-your-sons-defect-from-the-regime-army-or-their-destiny-is-going-to-be-captives-then-killed/Some moderates !
From Thursday's Times:
Quote:System that's first-rate is beginning to malfunction. (10)Additional clue, it's not first rate and has been malfunctioning for years.
The Membership Applications Committee (MAC) make that point explicitly:
Quote:Below are the figures we have available for successful membership applications since 2008 (we do not have figures going further back). Website applications began in 2009 and show an increase from 2013 onwards after a ‘Join’ tab was added to the Party’s homepage rather than having to be looked for elsewhere on the site:2008 102009 10 (4 via MAC)2010 11 (7 via MAC)2011 9 (3 via MAC)2012 17 (15 via MAC) (out of 20 applications via MAC)2013 21 (15 via MAC) (out of 52 applications via MAC)2014 29 (23 via MAC) (out of 76 applications via MAC)2015 (to date) 21 (18 via MAC) (out of 53 applications via MAC)As to subscription to the Socialist Standard, I don't think it has had any effect. However, we don't know how many more may be reading the Standard online. In fact, the editorial committee has been asking for a way of measuring this to be found. Perhaps by requiring people to sign up for free to read it? Only that may reduce the number of actual readers.
