robbo203
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Despite a reminder the Surrey Advertiser has refused to publish this correction to their mistake in saying that we stood for “Lexit” as a “pro-worker EU exit”:
I am quite surprised by this because back in the days when there was an active branch in Guildford, the Surrey Advertiser would definitely have been more amenable . Did they give a reason for refusing to publish a correction? Of course, there is always the option of writing a letter to the Letters Page which may in fact be preferable to getting them to publish a correction inasmuch as it would stand out more prominently. As I remember it, the Advertiser was notable for its Letters page and Guildford Branch members must have had well in excess of 100 letters published in that paper over the lifespan of that branch. But of course, things may have changed now….
Hi Alb
Having now read the Snopes article I’m now inclined to agree that the claims about death of 200-300 starlings as a result of a 5G experiment do look very dodgy indeed. If you look at the link to Kuhle’s article he claims to have rebutted the Snopes article and that a colleague of his had debunked Snopes completely. I dont quite see how this is the case. It seems there was a time limited 5G experiment of 1 day but this wouldn’t account for the deaths of the starlings over several days
So, fair enough, we can probably safely dismiss this particular case as unwarranted speculation. However, I am far less reassured when it comes to the more general claims about the health impacts of 5G. As I said there is credible mainstream scientific evidence of a correlation between electromagnetic radiation and leukaemia clusters for example in the case of power lines. There was a mega study recently (Ill try to fish out the link) that collated the results of a large number of studies and came to this conclusion. There are also other factors involved such as airborne pollutants (especially in the vicinity of motorways) that can complicate the picture when dispersed .
As I understand the point about pylons for example is that you have to live pretty close to one to be potentially at risk; the effect falls off sharply the further you move away from the radiation source
The worrying thing about 5G is , as I said, that “represents a very substantial increase in the densification of radiation with an exponential increase in the number of masts as well as thousands of satellites beaming waves to earth”
I dont think it is unreasonable to be concerned
Hi Adam,
Well, I did qualify my position on the matter by saying that
“I am not sufficiently knowledgeable to make a judgement as to how strong are the grounds for concern about this particular technology but I wonder if others here, better informed than me, might like to comment?”
I wouldn’t say I am a “sucker” for conspiracy theories (you are wrongly assuming I accept them because I bring them up for discussion) – though I am fascinated by them and yes I was aware that the name of the website in question – “Truth Revolution” – might give one good reason for being cautious/ suspicious. But all the same one must be equally wary of just dismissing something as simply a “conspiracy theory” when it might well be presenting an inconvenient truth, albeit tucked away amongst a lot of over the top rhetoric. There can be exaggeration being used on either side of this debate and the link you gave, I think demonstrates this.
The writer, Harrieta Hall, is quite right to criticise Helke Ferrie’s article for its sensationalism e.g. Don’t use cell phones, Don’t watch TV , dont use microwaves etc etc – but I think she goes too far the other way in dismissing the potentially harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation about which there is fairly credible scientific evidence e.g. leukaemia clusters in children.
See for example this
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/08/science/debate-continues-on-hazards-of-electromagnetic-waves.html
There is also this, though you might regard the Environmental Health Trust as a conspiracy site (but check out some of the links)
Regarding 5G the concern is that it represents a very substantial increase in the densification of radiation with an exponential increase in the number of masts as well as thousands of satellites beaming waves to earth. The expression “tipping point” springs to mind
What about the incident in Holland where hundreds of birds suddenly died reputedly in connection with a 5G experiment – which is what prompted me to start this thread in the first place. The Snopes website which exposes fraud exposed this incident as a fraud.
But the person who seems to have made the original claim has responded thus.
I agree it smacks a bit of conspiracy theory talk but the important point is are the central facts correct and if so how would one explain them? I would be interested to hear counter explanations. What would be yours?
What is the latest information concerning responses to our four batches of inserts in the Independent Newspaper? I think last time this was discussed a figure of about 500 responses was mentioned but this has presumably risen since then. I am in discussion with comrades in the US and Canada about their own proposed publicity campaigns.
One lesson that seems to have been learnt from the euro election campaign is that, if you want to elicit a higher response rate, it is imperative that you include in the insert a mention of the 3 month free trail subscription to the SS. I think the comrades in the US and Canada have taken this on board and so once can expect an increased number of subscribers to the SS from that part of the world in the near future…
I’ve already given you “a rough figure”, Robin – 4.
No I mean the total number of individual leaflets inserted in these 4 campaigns. Did each campaign involved 185K inserts or did they vary?
Well, at the very least I think doing a follow up or ascribing those who subscribe a contact can’t be anything but helpful.
Probationary membership is not really what I meant either, I mean more giving these people more than just paper to engage with. Access to a process of some form.Yes I endorse what James is suggesting here. We do need something more proactive than just leaving it up to the individual concerned whether he or she she wishes to maintain some form of contact. Perhaps at the end of the trial subscription period an information pack could be sent to reader inviting them to become more involved in various ways A buddy system would certainly help and there are plans to initiate a pilot scheme soon I understand. We can help by identifying the nearest branch for the person to contact. A feedback response sheet would also be useful. In short anything that encourages the person to keep in contact and interested…
I’ve obviously not expressed myself very well. The 500 (or so) responses we’ve had is the total for ALL the insert campaigns we’ve conducted in the i newspaper in various regions which, from memory, is 4, including this one. The total number of responses for the latest insert (i.e. the green election manifesto) is currently about 125. So, not quite as good as you first thought.
Ah OK Dave but just to get the maths correct – what was the total number of all the inserts that generated these 500 or so responses? Just a rough figure would so we know more or less what we are talking about?
Yes it is not quite as good as I thought but its still quite impressive. Hopefully I detailed breakdown will be made available shortly
Hi Dave
So you are saying that for 185k inserts at £18 per 1000 – which comes to £3300 – we have had about 500 responses so far. That comes to £6.66 per response
That is actually quite good. 6 lots of inserts would come to £19800 and generate 3000 responses on that basis. If you did each lot in quick succession – perhaps once per week – you are likely to increase the response rate, because of the repetition effect, to maybe 3500
You could also vary the inserts with each focussing on a particular theme to broaden the appeal – that too might push up the overall response to , say, 4000
The picture question is – has the Party got the funds to engage in a one off experiment of this kind? £20k is a lot of money but then so also is 3-4000 responses a lot of responses! Furthermore , this could have potentially enormous side effects in terms of boosting morale and changing gear as far as Party activity is concerned. Quite likely every branch would benefit in terms of the increased numbers of publicity contacts within its locality. It might also induce one or two ex members to re-join if they saw things were beginning to happen in a serious way
If 6 lots of inserts is considered too expensive how about 3 or 4? Could this be formulated as serious proposition for the EC to consider? Obviously it will require a lot of preparatory work beforehand (including negotiating a discount rate for 6 lots of inserts). If several different kinds of inserts are contemplated careful thought needs to go into selecting a theme and composing the relevant text.
I am quite heartened by this response and propose to relay the details to the comrades in America and Canada as they embark on their own publicity campaigns….
Once again the i newspaper has been shown to be a useful publication in which to place our inserts and, currently, our election manifestos. 185k went out with last Wednesday’s South edition (15 May) and has so far brought well in excess of 100 requests for the 3 free Standard offer. Around 75% of respondents also asked for an information pack.
That’s interesting to hear Dave. Perhaps it might be worth capitalising on the “repetition effect” by placing inserts in this newspaper on a monthly basis perhaps for a six month trial period and in different parts of the country
What is the total for responses so far? What would be the total cost for 6 lots of inserts?
This sounds like relatively good value for money spent
Just a brief report on developments with the American Party.
Membership: A recent applicant for membership was accepted on the Party’s decision making forum – a google discussion list. There are no outstanding applicants but future applicants will be processed by the SPGB Membership Committee by agreement. The WSPUS Gen Sec has contacted the Committee to sort out the details of the arrangement. There are 2 other members – or apparent members – who had not been included in my original Report who are being contacted with a view to getting them involved again.
Literature: The revived WSPUS has got off to a flying start with 2 new pamphlets published via Kindle Direct publishing (hardcopies also available) These are the first two in a planned pamphlet series with several writers contributing
How the drive for profit devastates our environment: World Socialism Pamphlets 1 (World Socialist Pamphlets)
Employment — a form of slavery?: World Socialism Pamphlets 2
by WSPUS (WSM)The link is as follows https://www.amazon.com/s?k=WSPUS+WSM%27&rh=n%3A154606011&ref=nb_sb_noss
Other literature include a possible stock leaflet for distribution at events such as the big Socialism2019 event in Chicago (where we have some members)
Website: This is being revived an updated with some fresh material included
The Link is follows: https://www.wspus.org/
Comrade Jordan Levi is working on a YouTube facility
Publicity Drive: Plans have been made to embark on a substantial publicity drive thanks to the injection of funds (£5000) approved by the EC of SPGB recently . Provisionally four types of outlets have been selected: left-wing journals, science/ecology journals, student newspapers, social media, allocating $1,500 to each of the first three types of outlet, $1,000 to social media, and the remaining $900 toward the cost of distributing free literature (with the expectation of covering the latter partly from the WSPUS’s own funds).
The hope is that this will generate a very significant increase in publicity contacts out of which future applications for membership might emerge. People contacting the WSPUS will also have the option of taking advantage of the trial subscription offer to the Socialist Standard so this could also benefit the SPGB as well in terms of an increase in the number of subscribers to the SS
Cooperation with the Canadian Party: Discussions are presently taking place about possible forms of cooperation between the two parties. The EC is due to discuss next month providing similar support for the Canadian party to enable it to likewise embark on the kind of publicity drive that the WSPUS is planning.
All in all the position that the WSPUS finds itself in now is a lot more upbeat and positive than it was a few months ago…
Hi Stephen
That’s excellent stuff you’ve written there. Have you thought about possibly posting this on the revived WSPUS site?
Left winning election in Spain
The Far Right, Vox Party, was initially projected to get more seats – 30-35 – than it actually did (24) which is comforting in a small way. This organisation primarily emerged out of, and in response to , Catalunya’s attempt to secede from Spain. All those naïve Leftists who supported Catalan nationalism as some sort of “progressive! movement should be hanging their heads in shame. By their actions they paved the way for a revival of the Spanish Far right and its distinctly fascist tendencies.
All nationalism, be it or the Left or the Right, is fundamentally reactionary . As old Charlie Marx, the workers have no country, they have a world to win
