imposs1904
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Fun fact. Robert Barltrop, of The Monument ‘fame’, was a boxer in his youth.
Link to the obligatory Socialist Standard article on boxing from yesteryear:
Ignoble art (1986)
“As an aside could I ask why people leaving the party was a subject for discussion in the first place? I would have thought, when compared to other political parties or voluntary organisations in general, the churn of members was quite low. Has this recently changed?”
That wasn’t the original topic of the meeting, but as the meeting progressed it strayed into that territory because of the anecdotal nature of the discussion.
It was an interesting and chatty discussion – and I’m not being dismissive in describing it as chatty – but I wouldn’t read too much into why the discussion took that turn.
Robbo203 wrote:
“. . . I cannot see any reason why the party should not advertise it.”
Maybe an alternative is for it to be reviewed in the Standard?
There’s an argument to be made that there should be expanded review section in the Standard that would cover the review of podcasts and video essays from YouTube and elsewhere.
PJS wrote an article about him in the December 2022 issue of the Socialist Standard:
https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2023/12/gb-news-and-garys-economics-2022.html
He’s also mentioned briefly in this Proper Gander TV column from the March 2022 issue of the Socialist Standard:
https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2022/03/proper-gander-where-wealth-went-2022.html
Woke up to this bollocks. What a time to be alive!
Bezos, Zuckerberg, Pichai join Trump at church
“Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg, Apple leader Tim Cook, and Google chief Sundar Pichai were seen taking their prime seats at St John’s Church.
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson were also spotted at the church.”“Anything new about this? Will it help?”
I think what’s fascinating about stuff like this is that it’s another indication of how short-lived the current Labour government’s ‘honeymoon period’ was. I think it’s unprecedented in recent political history that a political party which had won a landslide in seats has pissed off so many people in such a short period of time. (An indication of the current political climate, no doubt.)
Once upon a time, a dissident current within the Labour Party would have denounced a Labour govt’s actions but would have stayed in the party and fought their political corner. In Broxtowe, they obviously don’t see that as an option in 2024 . . . and that’s only 6 months into this Labour government.
This is a one-term government.
20 Labour councillors in Broxtowe, Nottinghamshire, resign their party membership in opposition to Starmer’s Labour govt policies:
https://x.com/broxtowelabour/status/1874846754711142707
Wham’s George Michael was a member of the Young Communist League as a teenager.
Wham played Miners’ Strike benefit gigs during 1984/5.
Speed past my waffle at the start of the post. Click on the link for the list of the 20 most popular posts on the Socialist Standard Past and Present blog for the year ending 2024:
https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2025/01/in-year-2025-if-man-is-still-alive-and.html
A selection of Christmas related articles that have appeared in the Socialist Standard down the years:
https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2024/12/its-cliched-to-be-cynical-at-christmas.html
With added humbug.
I know not everyone is as overly fascinated by the history of the SPGB as I am, but surely this letter from the December 1933 issue of the Socialist Standard piques people’s interest.
A disputed story that’s so intriguing that it should have featured in The Monument by Barltrop. I’m guessing the Ridley Road debate would have been an outdoor debate:
https://socialiststandardmyspace.blogspot.com/2015/12/socialism-and-red-shirts-1933.html
I know it sounds trite but capitalist politics boils down sometimes to nothing more than a popularity contest, and Starmer has never had that ‘It Factor’, that likeability. I would be genuinely surprised if he was able to turn around his own personal popularity rating to any significant degree.
He’s a liability for Labour at this point. What’s troubling for Labour is that there’s no popular figure at hand within their ranks to step into his shoes.
(That’s enough cliches for one post.)
“. . . the over overriding message on the door step was anti Starmer and rightly so.”
I called it. I said in various SPGB Zoom Meetings that Starmer was always a liability for Labour. The question is: will he get ditched by his ‘friends’ and colleagues before the next election?
I still think this could be a one-term Labour govt.
If Farage wants it enough – and I’m not sure on that point, tbh – he could be the next UK Prime Minister.
