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"Jesus," said Dave. "Where'd you get that shiner?"
Weekly Bulletin of The Socialist Party of Great Britain (70)
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 70th of our weekly bulletins to keep you informed of changes at Socialist Party of Great Britain @ MySpace.
We now have 1375 friends!
Recent blogs:
A professor defends capitalism A call to action 'The fruits of labour'(John McCain)
Coming Events at SPGB Head Office, 52 Clapham High St, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North):
A Season of Free Film nights from Sunday 14th September to Sunday 23rd November at 52 Clapham High Street, London.
Quote for the week:
"You think this man is the enemy? Huh? This is a worker! Any union keeps this man out ain't a union, it's a goddam club! They got you fightin' white against colored, native against foreign, hollow against hollow, when you know there ain't but two sides in this world - them that work and them that don't. You work, they don't." From Matewan, 1987.
Continuing luck with your MySpace adventures!
Robert and Piers
Nice wee anecdote from FN Brill over at the WSPUS discussion list:
"I've spent a fair bit of time in Europe hanging with various radicals of various stripes. I was at a party in the squatted anarchist bookshop in Brixton, London. IT was a three story affair with huge kitchen on the top floor. I went up to get something to eat. Now, I can pass as English, so I walked up to the guy selling the food and he says in a parody American accent (not knowing I'm not British) "Do you want a hot dog or Burger?" Emphasis on the vowels, very long and nasally. My reply "Well since I'm American I should celebrate my countries' culture with a Burger". To which I got the most outrageous "American culture is nothing more than Imperialism and the Pershing Missle!" I quietly replied, "Yes, just like British culture is nothing more than the Irish Famine and the Raj." He was stunned and sheepish, I took my burger and had a splendid time."
A Season of Free Film Evenings
From Sunday 14th September to Sunday 23rd November
Radical Film Forum - 52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North)
- Tired of mainstream films?ยท Bored of the blockbuster?
- Want more than just passive consumption?
The Smiths set for comeback?
I can't see it happening myself.
Mozzer's already belting out the songs from The Smiths back catalogue on the solo tours; Johnny Marr can't pick up a guitar at the moment because he refuses to put down his blackberry for a second in fear that he will miss the email informing him that the critical tide has finally turned with regards to his 2003 album, Boomslang. (Rolling Stone has taken his petition into account and revised the review up to 2.5 stars); and the Other Two? Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler are fully booked for autograph signings at Smiths Fan Conventions for the next three years (see them tomorrow night at Apsley Village Club . . . entrance fee 75 pence).
But as far-fetched as this particular one-off reunion sounds, it would be a nice bookend to this book. Real life so rarely imitates fiction . . . unless you take into account that time I borrowed Jimmy McGrory's old football boots and scored seven goals in a double period 5 a side game as the gospel truth.
Today, and only for today, let a hundred Smiths song titles bloom as post titles on a thousand blogs.
Via the SPGB website:
*Launch of new pamphlet -- Saturday 25 October*
Questions regarding the environment are constantly in the news. If it's not global warming and climate change, there is concern over future energy resources and rain forest depletion. The environmental list seems never-ending with the increasing human impact making serious inroads on finite resources. Hardly a day goes by when politicians, economists, environmentalists and the scientific community are not voicing their opinions and offering various explanations for the continual global degradation. The Oscar winning film by Al Gore, 'An Inconvenient Truth' exemplified not only these concerns but also the solutions on offer. Without exception none of the solutions query the root cause of global environmental destruction. Consequently, all of the solutions are pro-market and pro-profit and the degradation continues unresolved.
Obviously, what is needed is an alternative solution outside of the capitalist mindset and one that takes into consideration the ownership and control of our productive processes; in short the social ownership of the means of life. Only then will we be able to address solutions which will not only benefit all of humanity but also the global environment. To this end the Socialist Party have recently published a pamphlet: 'An Inconvenient Question - Socialism and the Environment' .
You are cordially invited to attend the official launch of the pamphlet at our head office at 52 Clapham High Street, Clapham, London, on Saturday the 25th of October at 6 pm. The guest speaker, Brian Morris is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London and is well known for his fieldwork on human interaction and the environment. The Socialist Party speaker, Adam Buick, has written many articles on the environment, human behaviour and political economy. With both speakers holding different political perspectives, the launch promises some lively discussion on what positive action is required to replace the market incentives of putting profit first and the environment second. If you acknowledge that we are just as much dependent on the environment as the environment is dependent on us you will find this discussion forum educational and engaging.
Free refreshments and free literature.
New Pamphlet
An Inconvenient Question. Socialism and the Environment
In recent years the environment has become a major political issue. And rightly so, because a serious environmental crisis really does exist. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat have all become contaminated to a greater or lesser extent. Ecology - the branch of biology that studies the relationships of living organisms to their environment - is important, as it is concerned with explaining exactly what has been happening and what is likely to happen if present trends continue.
Since the publication of our Ecology and Socialism pamphlet in 1990 environmental problems facing the planet have got much worse. We said then that attempts to solve those problems within capitalism would meet with failure, and that is precisely what has happened. Recent research on increasing environmental degradation has painted an alarming picture of the likely future if the profit system continues to hold sway. Voices claiming that the proper use of market forces will solve the problem can still be heard, but as time goes on the emerging facts of what is happening serve only to contradict those voices.
In this pamphlet we begin with a brief review of the development of Earth and of humankindโs progress on it so far. We then examine the mounting evidence that the planet is now under threat of a worsening, dangerous environment for human and other forms of life. The motor of capitalism is profit for the minority capitalist class to add to their capital, or capital accumulation. Environmental concerns, if considered at all, always come a poor second. The waste of human and other resources used in the market system is prodigious, adding to the problems and standing in the way of their solution.
Earth Summits over the last few decades show a consistent record of failure - unjustifiably high hopes and pitifully poor results sum them up. The Green Party and other environmental bodies propose reforms of capitalism that havenโt worked or have made very little real difference in the past. Socialists can see no reason why it should be any different in the future. Finally we discuss the need, with respect to the ecology of the planet, for a revolution that is both based on socialist principles of common ownership and production solely for needs, and environmental principles of conserving - not destroying - the wealth and amenities of the planet.
To get a copy by post send a cheque or postal order for ยฃ2.50 (made out to โThe Socialist Party of Great Britainโ) to: The Socialist Party, 52 Clapham High Street, London SW4 7UN.
From the intro to Ian Bone's recent radio interview with Tony Wood, organiser of the long established - and just passed for this year - London Anarchist Bookfair:
"Good evening anarchists, everywhere . . . On October 18th the most momentous event - some cynics would say the only event - in the annual anarchist calendar takes place, the Anarchist Bookfair. Thousands of anarchists suddenly appear like Brigadoon for the day before promptly vanishing again. Prompting the immortal quote from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, "Who were those guys?"
An mp3 of the interview can be downloaded here.
Weekly Bulletin of The Socialist Party of Great Britain (69)
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 69th of our weekly bulletins to keep you informed of changes at Socialist Party of Great Britain @ MySpace.
We now have 1371 friends.
Recent blogs:
Ballyhoo and Baloney (US National Conventions) Gordon Brownโs solution : โethicalโ markets Crime and the causes of crime
Coming Events at SPGB Head Office, 52 Clapham High St, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North):
A Season of Free Film nights from Sunday 14th September to Sunday 23rd November at 52 Clapham High Street, London.
Quote for the week:
"Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?" George Carlin.
Continuing luck with your MySpace adventures!
Robert and Piers
Via BBC Sports:
See if you can singalong:
'You're Cetic, united, last night's result left my sporting life blighted.'
'I'm only three days old and I already need a haircut.'
"I refuse to go to the same place that dad goes to. According to mum, his barber never cuts his bangs right.'
'I still can't believe Chris Iwelumo missed that sitter.'
'This green and white hat will do until I get my Glasgow Celtic bunnet from Uncle Graham.'
'Go figure. Turns out I share the same birthday as this well-known Eugene and, therefore, people will assume that I was named after him but I was actually named after that lesser-known Eugene. Don't ask me why. I understand that it's an Indiana/Socialist thing.'
'PS - You didn't ask for a speech, but I'm giving one anyway.
'Thank you to Auntie Anne for taking the pics. You've really captured my best side. I'm sure I will work with you again.
'Thanks for all comments in the post below. Really appreciated . . . even if you do all come across as a bunch of scruffs with varying tastes in music, politics and football . . . Dad, did you write this speech?
' I'm off to investigate wordpress - blogger's so 2005 - and then I have plans to disrupt the sleeping patterns of a certain twosome I know for the next couple of years.'
There'll be a meeting on "Capitalism in Crisis" this Saturday 18th October 7.30 p.m. at the Socialist Party Head Office, 52 Clapham High St, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North)
Capitalism in Crisis
With the banks refusing to lend to each other the flow and circulation of global capital is being disrupted on scale not seen since the depression of the 1930's. Share values have declined and major financial concerns are under pressure from the credit crunch. There have been massive bail-outs and buy-outs or state intervention and nationalisation in an effort to save the situation for capitalism. But whatever happens the short-term prospects for capitalism globally look bleak now that the consumer bubble fed by easy credit has finally burst.
The only course of action now open to the powers that be is to get us to tighten our belts till the economy starts picking up. How long this will take is anybody's guess for in the cutthroat world of competition the market determines who survives and who goes under. What is clear is that millions of workers will be unemployed. And consequently poverty will increase, health will deteriorate, homelessness will grow, deprivation and destitution will accelerate, crime will multiply and, in the so-called Third World, food riots become a regular occurrence.
This is nothing new because throughout the history of capitalism there is only one course of action available. In short - no profit no production. However, despite what the supporters of capitalism would have you believe there is one course of action available to the workers. The capitalist class won't even contemplate it because it means a future without profits, private and state ownership, borders, money and inequality. Find out more about the economic crisis we now face by coming to the meeting.
More information about the Socialist Party:
. . . the labels should have been:
BooksIvejustfinishedreading Booksivejustfinishedrereading
But I didn't think it through.
Didn't want you to think that I was just absent-mindedly picking books off the shelf and then proceeding to cut and paste a random paragraph from said book to keep the blog ticking over.
That's what YouTube clips are for.
Bullet points come in 3s:
At the time of writing, Kara is five days overdue. At this rate Chinese Democracy will see the light of day before we see the inside of the delivery room. Things are still up in the air with regards to the baby's weight, eye colour and hair colour but we do already know that his or her first words will be, 'How the hell did Chris Iwelumo miss that bastard sitter?' Better put a swear box in the baby's room. It'll help fund their college education.
Kara's iBook decided to commit hari kari during the week. Logic board . . . hard drive . . . even the solitaire game on the desktop decided to go kaputin. At this point it would be cheaper bailing out the American banking system than it would getting the iBook repaired. I don't want to shout conspiracy theory but I was looking at the AWL's website 15 minutes before the laptop's demise. Serves me right for checking out Sean Matgamna's poetry.
In happier news, Darren Redstar fortuitously finds a fascist politician to go with his blog headline and the class war started apace late last month. Granted, it was the Lehman Brothers gym, rather than barricades across Wall Street, but it's got to kick off somewhere. (Hat tip to Marx and Coca Cola blog.)
From the latest issue of the Weekly Worker comes the (unintentionally funny) quote of the day from Mark Fischer:
It is also very much on display in the leadership's attempt tp whip up anger against David Broder and Chris Ford, two comrades who resigned from the AWL (primarily over the organisation's pro-imperialism, but also citing the sect's lack of operative democracy) to form the grandly named International Communist Group, organised around the Commune website . . . . [My emphasis.]
Why is it so unintentionally funny? Only because Mark Fischer is the National Organiser of the equally "grandly named" 30-40 strong Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee).
If I could make this stuff up I'd be writing King of the Hill episodes.
Weekly Bulletin of The Socialist Party of Great Britain (67)
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 67th of our weekly bulletins to keep you informed of changes at Socialist Party of Great Britain @ MySpace.
We now have 1361 friends!
Recent blogs:
Who needs finance? Rights Act is promise to pay of the bankrupt Imagine a world without law
Coming Events at SPGB Head Office, 52 Clapham High St, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North):
A Season of Free Film nights from Sunday 14th September to Sunday 23rd November at 52 Clapham High Street, London.
Quote for the week:
"You see things as they are and ask, "Why?" I dream things as they never were and ask, "Why not?" George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah, 1921.
Continuing luck with your MySpace adventures!
Robert and Piers
No apologies for returning to this. Absolutely love it.
I could listen to this between now and the next time Newcastle Utd win a trophy. Pete and Dud . . . . . The Troggs . . . Lenny Bruce . . . . Ray and Dave Davies, piss off.
I know it's through a glass darkly but don't you think that Billy Mehmet looks a wee bit like Henrik Larsson in the pic?
I think what makes me think that way is the combination of the bald head and the joyous expression on his face after his team have gubbed R*ngers.
Brings back happy memories.
R*ngers supporters in humour bypass shocker.
This time next week: *Pope admits to wearing pointy hat*.
Sheer unexpurgated genius. Joe Kinnear does Roger Mellie from the dugout.
It's official: Newcastle Utd now populated by a cast of cartoon characters. Dennis Wise as Cockney Wanker . . . Joey Barton as Brown Bottle . . . Danny Guthrie as Rat Boy . . . Alan Smith as Terry Fuckwitt . . .Michael Owen as Spoilt Bastard . . . Chunky Viduka as both Fat Slags . . . and, er, as someone previously pointed out, Mike Ashley as Bobby Hill.
Shay Given as . . . nah, I like Shay Given. He should sign for a decent team.
Weekly Bulletin of The Socialist Party of Great Britain (66)
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the 66th of our weekly bulletins to keep you informed of changes at Socialist Party of Great Britain @ MySpace.
We now have 1351 friends!
Recent blogs:
People's capitalism The right to be homeless A Culture of Violence
Coming Events at SPGB Head Office, 52 Clapham High St, London SW4 (nearest tube: Clapham North):
A Season of Free Film nights from Sunday 14th September to Sunday 23rd November at 52 Clapham High Street, London.
Quote for the week:
"Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion." Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism, 1891.
Continuing luck with your MySpace adventures!
Robert and Piers