J Surman
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ALB wrote:]Bit surprised,though, to see Ian Angus describing himself as an "ecosocialist". He's the same Ian Angus who criticised the old SPC for not adopting Bolshevik tactics during the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike (see the thread on this).
Yes, He's the editor of 'Climate and Capitalism' – ecosocialism or barbarianism. They do have some interesting stuff on their site but their kind of socialism manages the economy better and more fairly (my tongue is bulging my cheek) than capitalism. Get rid of capitalism, have fair wages, be kind to the environment, etc etc.For anyone interested in more on B Commoner (on the C and C site today) here's the link:http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/climateandcapitalism/pEtD/~3/b5-n0kpHXEw/
Just like to say that an uncle of mine, a vicar of the church of England for decades, stated quite categorically that he had no belief whatsoever in any kind of afterlife. We never discussed socialism but now I look back I wished I knew about the party in those days because I’m sure we would have had much to agree upon, knowing the kind of man he was.
Hud955 wrote:Wow! I want one!Well you can have one!www.abebooks.co.uk have them from various independent booksellers (this one seems to be all from the US).Starting price £130.48 + shipping of £10.77. Cheap at half the price?
gnome wrote:Any possibility of a third option combining the best of both Fircroft and Harborne, Mike? That is, bar, en-suite rooms and good breakfasts to boot.I’ll second Gnome’s ‘third option’.Any local news on the security guy/bar tender/dogsbody, Mike?
Good morning!I’ve tried to send this several times, but with an apallingly slow connection in this rural backwater, failed miserably.I sent an email with information about our website, email address, blogspot, free material available from head office, plus 3 months free SS and an invitation to any of the meetings available around the country – assuming s/he is a UK resident.
Brief response to you and Ozymandias; rather than looking at organisations as a whole, maybe we should see them as a collection of individuals? Within the SPGB we encounter many viewpoints of how to achieve particular goals but we broadly agree on the overall concept. Zeitgeist is a – well what can we call it really? – a loose collection of independently -minded individuals who, as individuals, could well be disposed to hearing and being convinced by our arguments.Not having met anyone from Zeitgeist nor having visited their forum, has anyone from WSM/SPGB had any positive feedback from a one to one or small group encounter? (I did read about last week’s discussion with them, but apart from that?)
I add my thanks to all who contributed to make the 2012 Summer school such a positive and enjoyable event. In addition to the talks and post-talk discussions which were extremely lively with plenty of input there were informal small group discussions continuing throughout all ‘spare’ time. From breakfast time until the early hours one could always find a group to latch on to in order to listen and talk some more about the many topics that interest us – without the usual ‘Yeah, but—‘ to spoil it.It was great to meet up again with comrades old and new, young and old and to have the stimulation and motivation to carry me over some of the more depressing incidents we all have to deal with in our daily lives. If you’ve never attended one of these events I heartily recommend it – and I look forward to meeting next year’s attendees.
SussexSocialist wrote:I think its hedging your bets a little……..I think it’s hedging your bets a lot! However, how many others, like me, can’t even be bothered to read the article offered to us? If we wanted any more reading/opinion on the matter we would seek it out. I, for one, have had enough decades to mull this over and am perfectly happy with my own conclusions. I haven’t heard anything new or remotely interesting on this topic for a very long time. I just wanted to register my boredom. Yawnnnnnnnn.
Re the report of the meeting ‘Life without money’.Very succinctly put, Adam. I imagine it was well accepted. I’m certainly ‘sold’ on the idea – again! We now await the discussion with interest.
One world, one people, I interpret as we are all one species – which we are; able to interbreed with any other person. The One world is the only one we’ve got and we must share it with everybody.Multiculturalism is what we have to a greater or lesser extent depending on where we live. However, it’s how we value our own and others’ individualism/individuality that determines how well we can all get along together.Politics is deliberately divisive – aimed at control of the masses. But a socialist world – our aim – is striving for a world where all will have equity. One species peacefully cohabiting on its home planet.
I gave it a go the day it was posted and was a hedonist. Now really there weren’t enough choices for me to answer accurately, I would have preferred to write my own responses, however i just gave it another go knowing that I wouldn’t remember all of my earlier ones three days later. And I wasn’t allowed to miss answering any. It’s much too rigid for me! Anyway, guess what – I’m still a hedonist. Can’t imagine what you poor ‘hounded’ ones answered.
gnome wrote:Wonder what the hair looks like after a bit of rough and tumble with the Newt? Probably much the same
No! She definitely takes it off when she goes to bed.
“In this evolving dynamic, the protest in Koodankulam demonstrates the power of an organised non-violent mass movement. For six months, the people of the region physically stopped the construction of a nuclear plant, while resisting a barrage of governmental propaganda. Whether or not the government is finally able to force the construction of this particular reactor, this enduring movement is likely to serve as an inspiration for environmental groups throughout the world.” Yes, these people have been amazing – against all odds. I find events like these can raise lowered spirits and it is possible to reimagine what real democracy could be like. We grew up being told, even believing that our governments were there to represent us and our interests. How they duped us and continue to dupe so many. Well it’s not so easy for them now – the word on the street (and in the ether) spreads more widely and rapidly – and the general feeling of the denial of democracy is growing fast. More people are wising up and putting themselves on the line to get themselves and their demands heard.A groundswell of general raising of consciousness? Now wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing!
Agreed, coal is bad. So is the mining, refining and burning of other fossil fuels. The article talks about accidents from nuclear power production. There is much more to it than that. There is no solution to the disposal of nuclear waste – one reason why so much depleted uranium is currently used for production of weapons for the military – pass the problem on. We are all gradually accumulating more radiation in our bodies with detrimental effects. However we can only brush the surface of this topic here. As the decades have passed I have become more convinced that nuclear power should not be part of our future.
Re nuclear power, I would recommend reading anything by Helen Caldicott, founder of Physicians for Social Responsibility, who has spent 30+ years trying to educate people internationally about the medical dangers of nuclear power etc, (‘Nuclear Madness’, ‘The New Nuclear Danger’, ‘If you love this planet’ or google her)Today I picked this up: http://www.countercurrents.org/alvarez240412.htm which explains how much more serious the effects of the Japanese nuclear disaster – still progressing – are compared with those of Chernobyl.My feeling is that, although removing the profit motive from any industry, nuclear, fossil fuel or alternative energy will certainly have a massive positive effect on safety practices, the mass of information we have against the use of nuclear energy needs to be more widely understood and dispersed. There really is no way that this can be safe for life or planet.
