Mike Foster
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I don't think summer school needs to be in London. Summer School has been held in the Midlands partly because it's a central location potentially easier and cheaper for more people to get to. Also, having it away from London helps to broaden the Party out from having the majority of its events in the capital. If summer school was held in London, presumably there would be more people who'd just attend as day visitors (as someone who lives in London might be less likely to bother with booking accommodation). So, I think it would turn out more like a day school, with some attendees doing it as a residential weekend. This would give it a different feel to when we've all been staying in a bubble like Fircroft or Harborne Hall. So, I don't have any objections to a summer school held in London. But, as it would have a different feel to those held in Birmingham, it should be in addition to, and not instead of.I'm not sure if summer school needs to be in a university. Surely we can go with any venue with meeting rooms, meals, accommodation, transport links etc?Warwick university would be a great venue, but we'd need extra funding confirmed before booking there, as pointed out by gnome. I've been able to work within the current subsidy (£50 per pesron, on average) without turning anyone away from summer school who's wanted to attend but can't afford to. Despite advertising summer school more widely each year, the tendency has been for it to be attended more by a hardcore of regulars recently. So, the advertising hasn't led to an increase in new attendees, who instead have usually heard about summer school by word-of-mouth. So, I'm not sure how many extra people would attend if the subsidy was increased. Maybe if we advertised it with a much bigger subsidy in future we'd get more attendees. If we did get a significant amount of more interest, we'd need a larger venue than Fircroft or Harborne Hall (unless people fancy sharing rooms).Personally, I'd say that any major changes to summer school in terms of cost, subsidy, format etc should start in 2015. This would give us more time to agree these changes, as I really need to book a venue for 2014 before the end of the month before availability goes. Anyone new coming in to the organising of summer school would also have an easier introduction if we followed the tried-and-tested format for another year, before starting something new the next.I'll ask for discussion of summer school to be put on the next EC agenda.
It seems that Warwick University would be too expensive as a venue, and Fircroft and Harborne Hall are likely to be more-or-less the same cost (within a couple of hundred pounds, at a guess). Any other views as to which venue people prefer?
Thanks for the suggestions – I'll enquire at Warwick University and Harborne Hall. Warwick might be more difficult to get to by train and looks more expensive. The B&B rates there are at least £78 per night in September (the website wouldn't let me check rates in June or July), which is twice as much as Fircroft before taking into account the use of conference facilities. Harborne Hall will probably work out more expensive than Fircroft (it was £400 more last time), and there were some issues with the accommodation. My personal preference is for Fircroft, despite the alcohol ban and breakfasts.I'm in favour of increasing the subsidy. Up to now, I've been able to work within the existing subsidy while also ensuring that anyone who wants to go has a place. So, even if there is no increase we can still work with existing arrangements.I won't bother trying to avoid a clash with Marxism, based on the helpful posts above.
Well, it's all over for another year. Thanks, everyone, for making it to sunny Brum, and I hope you had an enjoyable and interesting weekend. There'll be a write-up of the event, and talks will be available to listen to in due course.
Not long now! I hope anyone who's travelling to sunny Birmingham has a good journey, and I'll see you tomorrow!
The bus stops around New Street station have changed recently. If anyone's getting a 61 or 63 bus from Birmingham city centre to Selly Oak, the web page below has details of where they start from: http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/web/FILES/BCCImaps/new61.pdfhttp://nxbus.co.uk/files/NXWestMids/current_timetables/B061_02Sep12.pdf
It's only two weeks until Summer School! If you want to go, but haven't yet made a booking, please let me know soon (as the venue is asking for numbers).
As promised, all the 'Relationships' Summer School sessions can now be announced!Friday evening: Steve Clayton on Family In Class Society: From Engels To Anti-OedipusSaturday morning: Mike Foster on Alienation At WorkSaturday afternoon: Jacqueline Shodeke on The SPGB Object And Principles – Their Relationship To The Political And Non-Political Working Class And To Earth ItselfSaturday afternoon: What's In A Word? Exploring What We Mean By 'Comrade' – A Workshop. Facilitated by Richard FieldSaturday evening: Bill Martin on "If We Had But World Enough, And Time": Relations With The DeadSunday morning: Mike Foster on Facing Up To Physiognomy – The Pseudoscience That Won't Go AwayMore details can be found here: http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/summer-school-2013-birmingham
If you've already made a booking, details of the venue and session times will be arriving through your letterbox in a few days' time. This includes info about a so-far unannounced extra!
Available only at Summer School: a new pamphlet of Socialist Standard articles on the theme of relationships!
There's a facebook summer school page, where more updates on the event will be posted. It's here: https://www.facebook.com/events/397277923702854/?fref=ts
I'm pleased to announce the first confirmed talk of the weekend: Steve Clayton will discuss 'Family In Class Society: Engels to Anti-Oedipus'.More announcements are on the way!
I haven't seen or read any of the Hunger Games films or books, but they certainly look interesting based on what Ed says. It would be interesting to know what the author of the books' political views are, and if any of them have been toned down for the film adaptations, in the same way that the film of V For Vendetta has a different political message to that of the original graphic novel.The premise of the Hunger Games reminds me a bit of Logan's Run, which describes a future society where anyone over 21 (in the book) or 30 (in the film) is 'eliminated'. Here, it's a metaphor for fears of overpopulation (which were more prevalent in the 60s and 70s when this came out than they are now) and fears of aging (which are probably more prevalent now).As for comparisons with Lord of the Flies, I'm not sure if there's much of a link. Lord of the Flies gives the view that people can't co-operate without the framework for society being imposed by an elite. This would probably be the view of the fictional elite in The Hunger Games, but based on what Ed says, this wouldn't be the message of the film/book itself, which sounds more optimistic about co-operation.
