Mike Foster

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Viewing 15 posts - 181 through 195 (of 251 total)
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  • in reply to: NOTICE FROM THE TREASURER #119895
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Sorry to hear you've been unwell, and I hope you're feeling better soon.

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114852
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    More Summer School news! Attendees will receive a free, exclusive illustrated publication packed with specially-commissioned articles on the theme of money and a moneyless society.There are still spaces available, so if you're interested in coming along, booking details can be found here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-birmingham

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114850
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The other confirmed session for Summer School is:Socialists In Spaaace: A Game Of Co-operative Economics run by Bill MartinThis team game will give us a chance to co-operatively run a money-free society!  

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114849
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The next session which can be confirmed is Colin Skelly giving a talk about Labour-Time Vouchers And Socialism. More updates soon!

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114848
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Thanks for the suggestion. It's a bit early for me to think about what to do with the display after Summer School, but I'll see what I can do.

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114846
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    At Summer School there will be an exhibition on the SPGB's views on money and a moneyless society over the decades. This will include some rarely-seen articles from the Socialist Standard, leaflets, posters and cartoons. More news soon!

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114845
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The next confimed session is The Root Of All Evil? How money affects behaviour and attitudes: some short videos selected by Darren Poynton.

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114844
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The next confirmed Summer School talk is Adam Buick who will present 'An Idiot's Guide To Banking: How To Avoid Being A Currency Crank'. This will explain how banks work by comparing them with individuals lending money, moneylenders, pawnbrokers, building societies, credit unions, peer-to-peer lending etc and showing how nobody can lend what they haven't got.

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114843
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The first confirmed session for this year's 'Money Talks' Summer School is Janet Surman discussing a moneyless society: 'Profiting From A Moneyless World'. Stay tuned for further details!

    in reply to: Summer School 2016 #114841
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The votes have been counted, and the theme will be announced in the next few days!

    in reply to: STANDING UP FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON OXFORD’S STREETS ! #114702
    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Oxford council's approach is out of step with how councils and police are handling begging elsewhere. In Birmingham (and to a lesser extent, Coventry and Stratford, and probably other places), the police are working closer with homeless agencies and enforcing the law only as a last resort. This approach is helping some individuals in that it's allowing support to be put in place without being interrupted or hampered by prison stays, fines etc, even though it's come about partly because of streamlining of services necessitated by funding cuts. There are no ambitions to end rough sleeping, though, just an acceptance that it's a part of society.The main piece of legislation used against beggars is the Vagrancy Act, which was first enacted in 1824! Despite the more softly-softly approach in the Midlands, prosecuations under this act are on the increase, especially in London, in line with the increase in rough sleeping. I expect Oxford council's decision to persecute beggars is because of fear that visible homelessness will make the city 'look bad', affecting the tourist trade. 

    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Thanks for the photos, they've come out really well. I enjoyed the weekend, and I hope everyone else did, too. Thanks again to everyone who came along, and especially to those who gave presentations, contributed to the publication, and who helped behind the scenes, including Ed, Darrell, Dave, Jacqueline, Rob and Vince.There was a poll taken at the event for what kinds of outreach activity we think are most valuable and worthwhile. Here are the results:joint 1st: holding public meetings, and maintaining the SPGB website2nd: using social media (facebook, twitter, blogs etc)3rd: standing in electionsjoint 4th: running literature stalls, appearing on radio / TV, and producing short films5th: producing printed literature6th: engaging with other organisations7th: participating in online discussion forums8th: attending demos

    Mike Foster
    Participant

    There are now very very few places left at Summer School. So, if you haven't already booked or reserved a place, please do so soon – first come first served!

    Mike Foster
    Participant

    Simon Wigley introduces his talk ‘As a Marxist, frankly, I'm skeptical’: I would like to present a fundamental rethink of our position, based on a skeptical worldview. In particular, that rather than being isolated individuals navigating a social world, each of us is a social world. The explanation should be simple. I hope that you will give it a sympathetic first hearing – and then kick it till it breaks: it may be that what I think is extraordinary, is an ordinary misunderstanding. But if it stands – then we would need to view our current activity, of working for 'socialism', whatever that is, as fundamentally navigating capitalist space – suitable for the nineteenth century when we had to ride the coattails of the radical bourgeois, but not now. Instead we should be looking at our objective as being 'after capitalism', and looking at the actual day-to-day practice of our class, and work out how to support our class in its struggles to overthrow their own versions of capitalism rather than demanding that they join us in a 'back-to-the-future' crusade, fighting the class war of the last two centuries rather than this one and, if necessary, the next.

    Mike Foster
    Participant

    The Summer School's literature stall has been re-stocked, thanks to a generous donation of books. Hundreds of titles on many subjects will be available.

Viewing 15 posts - 181 through 195 (of 251 total)