Mike Foster
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I’m glad to say that Darren Poynton will be giving the following talk at Summer School (a slight change from his previously-announced topic):
Marxism and The Social Republic. Marx and Kautsky on the Democratic Transformation of the State
Much has been made of Marx’s comment that “the working-class cannot simply lay hold of the ready-made state machinery, and wield it for its own purposes,” For some within the Marxist tradition this statement has come to mean that the working class should abstain from electoral political activity. I will show how this reading, from the likes of left communists, councilists, and communisation theorists is mistaken.
What Marx meant was that socialism could only be achieved through a widening of democratic mechanisms – through the development of what we could call “the social republic” – and not by minority decree or dictatorship. The only realistic way of achieving socialism lies in a majority gaining control of the state and enacting a democratic transformation that creates the conditions that allow for the realisation of socialism.
I will examine this idea as it was put forward by Kautsky, one of the chief popularisers of Marxism. Kautsky’s opposition to the Bolshevik dictatorship, on the grounds that it was undemocratic, led him to being labelled a ‘renegade’ by Lenin. Also, his criticisms of spontaneity – emphasising the need to build and develop clear democratic structures – led him into disagreements with left radicals like Rosa Luxemburg and Anton Pannekoek. An obituary in the Socialist Standard of January 1939 stated that “Kautsky’s life and work might perplex future historians of the working class”. This talk will serve to clarify a highly important factor of Kautsky’s contribution to Marxism, the inseparability of socialism and democracy.As should be widely known by now, bookings close on the 18th! See here for more details: https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
I’m happy to announce another talk at Summer School.
Guest speaker Cat Rylance will present ‘Marxism, Reforms and Reformism’
The question of the role and function that reforms play in the transformation from capitalism to communism has been brought to the surface again in recent years by ‘democratic socialist’ trends advancing the argument for ‘non-reformist reforms’. How does the idea of non-reformist reforms relate to existing approaches to reforms and reformism within the communist movement? And what place, if any, would we understand reforms as having within a Marxist programme? The talk will explore how reforms are related to in the programmes of Classical and Orthodox Marxism, in particular the purpose of minimum demands within this, considering these questions in relation to the approaches of the left today, and thinking about how we might deal with the challenges that emerge from these approaches.Remember that bookings close on Friday 18th July. See here for more details: https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
I’m pleased to announce another Summer School session.
Dr Edmund Griffiths of the Communist Corresponding Society will be giving a talk titled ‘For Marxist Pluralism’
Breaking news: Marxists don’t always agree. And yet the idea has got about that Marxism ought to be something unitary, monolithic, and unquestionable. This talk will argue instead that debate and disagreement are no bad thing: in fact, it’s hard to see how Marxism could be either a democratic movement or a scientific theory (and it claims to be both) without them. Socialist society itself will probably include an enormous diversity of opinions, on all sorts of topics: some of them innovative, some bracing, some pedantic, some plainly wrong-headed (William Morris’s vision of socialism in News from Nowhere includes a ‘grumbler’ who thinks capitalism probably had a lot to recommend it). The talk will sketch out a case for Marxist pluralism on both democratic and scientific grounds, and will suggest that Marxism is only strengthened by the existence of a range of views—but if you don’t agree, you are of course welcome to come along and argue the other side. (You’re also welcome to come along and agree.)There’s now less than a week before the booking deadline, which is 18th July, and there’ll be more updates before then. Information about the event can be found here: https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
This year’s Summer School’s practical session will be an opportunity to make badges, fridge magnets and mosaics with a revolutionary message. There are still other talks to be announced, and details will be available soon. There are just over two weeks left to make a booking for Summer School, as the deadline is the 18th July. For more information, see http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
Bookings for Summer School can be made until 18th July (a month from today). Details of more sessions will be announced soon, and for information about the event, see here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
Here are details of another talk at Summer School. I’m glad to announce that Darren Poynton will be speaking on ‘Karl Kautsky and the Invention of Marxism’
Karl Marx died in 1883 but it wasn’t until a generation later that his ideas, through the interpretation and popularisation of others, came into full force. This talk will focus on Karl Kautsky who, besides Engels, was arguably the most important populariser of Marx’s work. Kautsky’s opposition to the Bolshevik dictatorship led him to being labelled a ‘renegade’ by Lenin, and his criticisms of spontaneity led him into disagreements with left radicals like Luxemburg and Pannekoek. An obituary in The Socialist Standard of January 1939 stated that “Kautsky’s life and work might perplex future historians of the working class”. This talk will serve to clarify what is of use in Kautsky and to encourage socialists to examine his work once more.
More details about the event will be posted shortly. Summer School is being held on 22nd – 24th August in Worcester, and information (including how to make a booking) can be found at https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
Today was Leveller’s Day in Burford. As with previous years, there was a procession through the village, some talks and music events, and a room for stalls. In here, there were a couple of Communist groups, the Bristol Radical History Group, ‘Make Votes Matter’ and the Radical Tea Towel Company, among others. Piers, Stephen and myself ran our stall, which attracted some interest through the day, although perhaps numbers were down overall on past years. Still, a few people were happy to stop and chat, and some literature was sold on, with the ‘What’s Wrong With Using Parliament?’ pamphlet being most popular.
I’m happy to announce another talk at this year’s ‘What Is Marxism?’ Summer School. Howard Moss will be asking ‘Do Socialists Need Marx?’
It has been said that, when socialism is established, it will be without the majority of the people who establish it knowing much if anything about Marx. And with reference to now, when the socialist case is put to people, they can easily be put off if it is closely associated with Marxism. This is because Marxism is commonly represented either as something that has been tried and failed (e.g. the Soviet Union) or, when seen as existing now, some kind of authoritarian political system (e.g. China). It is also often associated with small left-wing groups wedded to the ideas of Lenin or Trotsky, which most people also find unattractive. So should the SPGB, while in its theory espousing many (though not all) of the ideas about capitalism and socialism put forward by Marx, claim these as an integral part of its case for socialism? Or should it at least avoid putting them in the forefront and focus instead on simply fostering an understanding of how capitalism works and why and how socialism should replace it – all based on the reality of the contemporary world and not on a theory put forward close to two centuries ago?Details of other sessions will be announced soon. The event is being held in Worcester on 22nd – 24th August, and for more information, visit https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
I’m pleased to announce the first of the talks at this year’s Summer School. Keith Graham will be presenting ‘Marxism and Marx – Can They Ever Be Friends?’
Karl Marx was both a theorist and a political activist, and in both cases many people have either claimed his name or had it inflicted on them. This talk will consider what things Marxists would have to say and do to merit the name. The most prominent political movement claiming his name is or was Marxism-Leninism. Two common theoretical stances are those of Western Marxism and analytical Marxism. In each case they will be measured against the most plausible relevant commitments which can be attributed to Marx. While they vary widely in their nature, in each case it will be suggested that in some respects or other they all fall short of an accurate reflection of Marx’s own views.The other sessions are in the pipeline, and more details will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information about the event, go to https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/summer-school-2025/
The extended version of Bedsitter by Soft Cell, from the 1981 12″ single release. Soft Cell did a few ‘kitchen sink drama’-type songs, and this one’s probably their best.
Labour’s publicity department seriously messed up recently when it released a video promoting claims about how the government will improve things for people. Its AI-generated graphics of animals representing keyworkers (such as a hare wearing a nurse’s uniform) are unsettling enough, but the soundtrack is a song in Portuguese which advocates abusing young girls. Releasing this video at the same time as debate about how the state has dealt with ‘grooming gangs’ makes it even more of a misfire. The sorry story is reported here: https://news.sky.com/story/labour-apologise-after-posting-tiktok-video-featuring-explicit-song-13284944
