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Preparing the introduction to the discussion on "Who was to blame: Thatcher or Capitalism?" at West London branch on Tuesday, I re-read the May 1989 Socialist Standard on the 10th anniversary of her becoming PM. This passage, appropriately entitled for today "Thatcheritis", says it all:
Quote:It would, however, be a mistake to attribute the sufferings workers have had to endure over the past ten years to the actions of one particular capitalist politician, however ill-intentioned, class-prejudiced and domineering she might be. There is no such thing as Thatcherism as something different and worse than ordinary capitalism. What Thatcher has done is to have presided over the operation of capitalism during the worst part of the slump phase of its economic cycle. During such a period redundancies and unemployment reach a maximum and governments are forced to slash social benefits as a way of lowering the tax burden on the reduced profits of capitalist enterprises.When Thatcher endlessly repeated "There Is No Alternative" she was in fact displaying a clearer understanding of how capitalism works than did the Labour and other opposition politicians. There really was no alternative (apart from socialism, of course). Any government of capitalism during the worst part of a slump would have had to behave in essentially the same way. In short, it was capitalism not Thatcher that has been responsible.UK Uncut are organising some sort of event in Brixton on Saturday which will likely become an anti-Thatcher celebration. Some of us are thinking of going along to hand out leaflets and maybe this back issue (as opposed to going to Trafalgar Square later and getting kettled, tempting as it is to witness what might turnout to be a significant event).
I'm afraid it's too late for this, at least before the election on 2 May. It would require an EC decision both to re-admit Steve and to endorse him as a candidate and the EC doesn't meet until 4 May. And, in view of what happened, whereas (2) would be possible, being realistic there would be certainly be opposition to (1) and probably also to (3).It's not a question of ignoring your post but of what's possible given the party's democratic decision-making processes. Better to let things take their course this time and see if something can be worked out in time for next May's elections when, amongst others, Sunderland and South Tyneside councils will be up for re-election.
Probably, if we're talking about a commercial arrangement. But there'd be a couple of problems. First, would you be talking about sending down what used to be called "camera-ready artwork", i.e with the design and layout already done so that all that would remain would be to print (in fact, photocopy), say, a couple of thousand leaflets? This is the main cost a profit-seeking printshop would charge for. Second, there is the cost of postage of sending the leaflets back. This could well (as you know, this a problem that has come up before when we've contested local elections in the North East) outweight the financial advantage of having them printed cost-price in London. So, if you can do the layout or find someone to do it (don't foreget to put your name and address in small letters at the bottom as the publisher so as to conform to electoral law), it would probably be better for the leaflets to be photocopied locally. Anyway, first things first: the manifesto needs to be written which could at least serve as a press statement or letter.
But Steve had stated here that he didn't want any financial support
steve colborn wrote:Had offers of support from N.E. Socialists, (non members that is) monetarally but turned them down. I will stand, or fall, by my 32 years of advocating Socialism in this constituency, letters, meetings, talking to fellow workers. Advocating "our" aims, on the terms that if, "you do not understand and agree", we do not want, or need, your vote.Steve.Hopefully, then, electors will remember the manifesto he put out in 2005 which can be seen here (message #6). It will be interesting to see if he gets more than the 313 votes he got last time.
Someone there likes us:http://thebadolddayswillend.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/i-renew-my-acquaintance-with-spgb.htmlThey seem to be restocking old pamphlets since I don't think we send ordinary enquirers copies of the Questions of the Day pamphlet (last published in 1978). After all, it's selling on Amazon for £95. OK, that's the 1942 edition.
We're already on to this. Conference last year passed a resolution calling for:
Quote:A one-day workshop to be held at Head Office as soon as practical for the purpose of exploring strategies to exploit the current dissatisfaction with capitalismThe first workshop took place last October. See here, A second workshop was held on Easter sunday.
Quote:“Engineering is a subject in which individuals with a dislike for ambiguity might feel comfortable,” they wrote. According to a US survey, engineers were “less adept at dealing with the confusing causality of the social and political realms and . . . inclined to think that societies should operate in an orderly way akin to well-functioning machines”.The Zeitgeist Movement has inherited this mindset via Jacque Fresco who was a supporter of the Technology Movement in his younger days in the 1930s. It finds an echo in their call to "redesign society" and underlies their criticism of democracy as mere consultation of the ignorant and their belief that political discussion is unnecessary as there's only one solution to any problem to be left to experts in the field to find.
TheOldGreyWhistle wrote:Join in the partyhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/margaret-thatcher-dead-durham-miners-1820941Will you be going? It would be interesting to have a report on the festivities.
Morrisey is being unfair to her. According to the last letter here, she was opposed to hare coursing.I didn't buy the English papers today but even this Irish one I bought instead had 4 pages on her. But our friends in the North (East) will appreciate this item:http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/thatcher-was-figure-of-hate-for-many-britons-1.1353232Mind you, it was capitalism rather than Thatcher personally who was to blame for this. Her fault was to enjoy so much doing it.
Actually he's a "no description" candidate not an "Independent" (which is generally the designation used by undercover Tories!). That's of course only as far as the ballot paper is concerned.I missed that Steve is also standing for the County Council (where you don't have a choice of putting some description on unless you are nominated by a registered party):http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/StatementOfPersonsNominatedCountyDivisions.pdf
Pity, Steve, you didn't avail yourself of the opportunity to put something on the ballot paper as you can for Parish Council elections but it's a still straight Socialist v Labour fight:http://content.durham.gov.uk/PDFRepository/StatementOfPersonsNominatedParish.pdf
Here's Ian Bone's case for anarchists getting involved in this Left Unity project:http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/why-i-support-left-unity/I can't imagine him making any headway amongst them than he would amongst us.It will be interesting to see where this project goes. Nowhere I suspect, if only because of the first-past-the-post election system for elections in England and Wales. And of course there'll be the problem of keeping the Trot groups out.To give him his due, he does have a sense of humour:http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/the-schism-between-marxism-and-anarchism-is-over-historic-accord-signed/
That's a bit unfair, Ozy. The fact that so many people are rejoicing at her death surely indicates some degree of trade-unionist class consciousness which we must be pleased exists.Anyway, she wasn't really born a member of the working class was she though she was a despicable social climber, even changing her religion (from methodism to anglicanism) to get on. Wasn't she Alderman Roberts' daughter from Grantham (the Town That Died of Shame)?I hear that they are considering putting on her grave the epitaph that Byron wrote for Castlereagh's:
Quote:Posterity will ne'er survey a Nobler grave than this: Here lie the bones of Castlereagh: Stop, traveller, and p
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