The more observant of you will have noticed that this blog has pretty much stopped being updated. That's because I have been ridiculously busy doing other things in other corners of the internet. I'm pretty much solely responsible for the South West Communist Party website, and I've been trying my hardest to launch a larger more wide-ranging left wing blog for the South West - The Broadside (which anyone can contribute too)
So rather than looking at this blog, check out www.southwestcommunists.org.uk and read and contribute to www.thebroadside.org.uk
"What remains of democracy is chiefly the right to choose between commodities" - Noam Chomsky
Monday, 19 November 2012
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Stalingrad Anniversary - STALINGRAD 1942 : THE HOUR OF COURAGE HAD STRUCK THE CLOCK
We know what’s at stake and how great the foe’s power,
And what is now coming to pass.
The hour of courage has struck on the clock
And our courage will hold to the last.
The bullets can kill us, but cannot deter;
Though our houses will fall, we shall remain.
Anna Akhmatova, 1942
13 September, 06.45, 1942 the Nazi onslaught on Stalingrad commenced with a bloody vengeance. The sky turned brown from the dust of fragmented buildings, the ground vibrated because of the power of the explosions. The Fascist army's advance continued but faced the most ferocious resistance imaginable. The horror of fighting the Soviet troops on their favoured terrain, the approaching Russian winter, fast became a reality for Hitler's Generals. While German tanks entered the outskirts of Stalingrad the Soviets dug in preparing to fight for every district, every street, every house.
Almost six months later , 2 February 1943 and the defeat of the Nazi forces which had sought to encircle and destroy Stalingrad was complete. Out of each Red Army division sent to defend the city no more than a few hundred soldiers survived, 1.1 million casualties, of which 485,751 lost their lives.
For Hitler the defeat at Stalingrad was the beginning of the end. The story of the Red Army's sacrifice had a powerful effect across the world, especially on resistance movements in occupied Europe. The Russians who had taken the brunt of the German onslaught since 1941 were now turning the tide and a year later would be joined by the Allied forces opening up the second front with the D-Day landings landings at Normandy.
Philosophy Football's 1942-2012 Stalingrad range marks the battle's 70th Anniversary. Inspired by Anna Akhmatova's poem the designs are based on a medal, a fuselage, a propaganda poster, a book title from the time and the slogan with which the Russian people greeted their eventual victory. " Nobody is forgotten. Nothing is forgotten!"
Stalingrad Anniversary Shirts available from www.philosophyfootball.com
And what is now coming to pass.
The hour of courage has struck on the clock
And our courage will hold to the last.
The bullets can kill us, but cannot deter;
Though our houses will fall, we shall remain.
Anna Akhmatova, 1942
13 September, 06.45, 1942 the Nazi onslaught on Stalingrad commenced with a bloody vengeance. The sky turned brown from the dust of fragmented buildings, the ground vibrated because of the power of the explosions. The Fascist army's advance continued but faced the most ferocious resistance imaginable. The horror of fighting the Soviet troops on their favoured terrain, the approaching Russian winter, fast became a reality for Hitler's Generals. While German tanks entered the outskirts of Stalingrad the Soviets dug in preparing to fight for every district, every street, every house.
Almost six months later , 2 February 1943 and the defeat of the Nazi forces which had sought to encircle and destroy Stalingrad was complete. Out of each Red Army division sent to defend the city no more than a few hundred soldiers survived, 1.1 million casualties, of which 485,751 lost their lives.
For Hitler the defeat at Stalingrad was the beginning of the end. The story of the Red Army's sacrifice had a powerful effect across the world, especially on resistance movements in occupied Europe. The Russians who had taken the brunt of the German onslaught since 1941 were now turning the tide and a year later would be joined by the Allied forces opening up the second front with the D-Day landings landings at Normandy.
Stalingrad Anniversary Shirts available from www.philosophyfootball.com
Sunday, 19 August 2012
Stalin and why much of the left needs to grow up
It seems to me that
the various “socialist” parties spend more time talking about
Stalin than anyone else.
I've never written about Stalin or “Stalinism” before – I've never seen the point. Why would I? His “terrors” happened eighty-odd years ago and the man himself died over half a century ago. But despite that, you'll find people on the left casually throwing around the phrase “Stalinist” at just about anyone they disagree with.
It's a strange thing. Members of the public you talk to rarely bring up Stalin, and if they do they'll raise perfectly justified concerns. There's nothing wrong with that, I tend to agree with them. The public at large certainly don't think of “Stalinism” as an ideology, or as something anyone is advocating we should try and build in this country.
But much of the left seem utterly obsessed by the man. The “anti-Stalinists”, the various “socialist” parties, spend more time talking about Stalin than anyone else. These are, generally, the same parties who say things like “the USSR wasn't really communist”. The Soviet Union may not have been a communist utopia, but it was a damn site better than what replaced it (you only need to look at average life expectancy to see the effects).
These same parties are quite happy to call themselves Marxist, but never communist. They generally call themselves “Trotskyist” but not necessarily from any in-depth following of his work. To me it seems these parties are so scared, obsessed and paranoid about the past that they are desperate to distance themselves from the word communist. That way, rather than having to analyse anything that went on in the USSR eighty years ago, they can just say “oh no not us, that's the other lot, we don't even think the Soviet Union was communist”.
And what do they even mean by “Stalinist”? I simply can't work it out. You should try it. Next time someone calls you a Stalinist, challenge them. Ask them what they mean by it, then ask them for any evidence whatsoever that you are a supporter of Stalin. Do they think that communists want to set up gulags? Do they think we want secret police? Show trials? That we go home at night and read Stalin's writings underneath a portrait of him that hangs on our living room walls?
Perhaps the greatest irony of all that many of these people who accuse the Communist Party, its members and even the Morning Star of being “Stalinist”, also call the People's Charter “reformist”. The Communist Party is a leading force behind the People's Charter and champions its six points as an alternative economic strategy that would lay the grounds for building socialism in this country. So in the same breath the Communist Party is some hard-line, bureaucratic, authoritarian dictatorship, and also a reformist, apologist, pro-capitalist, anti-revolutionary party that panders to the “trade union bureaucracy” and Labour Party.
So in short, the left needs to grow up. The only people who give a toss about Stalin are the people who are scared of being called Stalinist themselves. The Communist Party has moved on, everyone else should too.
I've never written about Stalin or “Stalinism” before – I've never seen the point. Why would I? His “terrors” happened eighty-odd years ago and the man himself died over half a century ago. But despite that, you'll find people on the left casually throwing around the phrase “Stalinist” at just about anyone they disagree with.
It's a strange thing. Members of the public you talk to rarely bring up Stalin, and if they do they'll raise perfectly justified concerns. There's nothing wrong with that, I tend to agree with them. The public at large certainly don't think of “Stalinism” as an ideology, or as something anyone is advocating we should try and build in this country.
But much of the left seem utterly obsessed by the man. The “anti-Stalinists”, the various “socialist” parties, spend more time talking about Stalin than anyone else. These are, generally, the same parties who say things like “the USSR wasn't really communist”. The Soviet Union may not have been a communist utopia, but it was a damn site better than what replaced it (you only need to look at average life expectancy to see the effects).
These same parties are quite happy to call themselves Marxist, but never communist. They generally call themselves “Trotskyist” but not necessarily from any in-depth following of his work. To me it seems these parties are so scared, obsessed and paranoid about the past that they are desperate to distance themselves from the word communist. That way, rather than having to analyse anything that went on in the USSR eighty years ago, they can just say “oh no not us, that's the other lot, we don't even think the Soviet Union was communist”.
And what do they even mean by “Stalinist”? I simply can't work it out. You should try it. Next time someone calls you a Stalinist, challenge them. Ask them what they mean by it, then ask them for any evidence whatsoever that you are a supporter of Stalin. Do they think that communists want to set up gulags? Do they think we want secret police? Show trials? That we go home at night and read Stalin's writings underneath a portrait of him that hangs on our living room walls?
Perhaps the greatest irony of all that many of these people who accuse the Communist Party, its members and even the Morning Star of being “Stalinist”, also call the People's Charter “reformist”. The Communist Party is a leading force behind the People's Charter and champions its six points as an alternative economic strategy that would lay the grounds for building socialism in this country. So in the same breath the Communist Party is some hard-line, bureaucratic, authoritarian dictatorship, and also a reformist, apologist, pro-capitalist, anti-revolutionary party that panders to the “trade union bureaucracy” and Labour Party.
So in short, the left needs to grow up. The only people who give a toss about Stalin are the people who are scared of being called Stalinist themselves. The Communist Party has moved on, everyone else should too.
Sunday, 17 June 2012
North South Divide?
Last week I ended up in a discussion with a comrade from "up north" or, if I'm honest, had some truly bizarre views on the "south".
His first statement was a massive generalisation, "the Tories only win general elections because people in the south vote for them". Really?
Secondly he insisted, with some force, "it's a fact, absolutely indisputable, that the cuts are affecting the north more than the south, because the Tories want to punish the north". As if all of us in the south are practising some sort of internal colonialism.
His third preposterous claim was that "the cuts in the north are driving people into poverty, in the south they are only cutting cultural funds".
I may not be quoting exactly word for word, but you get the idea.
I didn't know where to start, I was well and truly shocked that someone who claims to be a communist could fall for the old divide and rule lies perpetuated by the Tories themselves. That's why it's taken me a week to get round to writing this blog, even now I still can't quite believe what was coming out of his mouth.
So here goes:
- Over 4000 people in Plymouth relied on a single food-bank in Plymouth last year.
- Cornwall still receives EU Convergence support (which yes, mainly gets swallowed up by private companies, but I'm not going into that here). To quote from their website Cornwall is in the same league as "The Convergence programme is mostly funding the new member states of the EU, East Germany, Southern Italy, most regions of Spain, Portugal and Greece".
- Pay in the region is nothing to shout about. Figures from the SW TUC which reveal that pay in the region is already amongst the lowest in the country. Devon and Cornwall in particular, with pay rates in Cornwall £3.59 an hour below the national average.
- The south is not a bastion of private enterprise. The public sector makes up around 27% of the workforce in the South West.
- The South West has the highest median house prices in the country. This is 13 times the average income. House prices have increased 3 times faster than wages over the last decade.
The "evidence" for my comrade's claims can probably be traced to this BBC report. It is a shocking report. But if you look at it closely you'll notice that rather than a north south divide, it's actually an urban rural divide. That big light coloured blob in the south is mainly countryside and the London commuter belt - if you look at the south coast, it is ringed by areas just as badly affected, and in some cases hit even harder, than places in the north.
And never forget, when it comes to the NHS, schools, legal aid, welfare cuts. . . the list goes on, these are all NATIONAL issues, affecting all of us, no matter where we live.
So, to sum up. Lets stop talking about north south divides and playing the "we've got it harder than you" game, and how about we just kick out the Tories.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
How about we abolish the monarchy, and don't replace it with anything?
I said I was going to start blogging again, so here goes.
I also promised myself I wasn't going to write about the jubilee. Because while an anachronistic, unelected, hereditary head of state who provides no meanigful constitutional role or any function outside of the ceremonial is ripe for slagging off - it's just too easy to do.
What really got my goat about the whole jubilee thing was the way republican protesters were treated by the flag waving masses. People actually booed them. I mean, what? People were criticising people who think democracy is a good idea.
To be honest, I'm not actually for an elected head of state either. We should abolish the monarchy and not replace them with anything. Or maybe replace them with one of us, chosen at random. It could be like the lottery. "Trip to meet the new French president next week, get you tickets now and you could represent the country! Free meal and a night in Paris included"
And the biggest farce I've heard coming from the royalists so far. It was something like this - "If you hate the queen so much, why don't you go and live in North Korea". Yes, that makes sense. I think you'll find the flag waving, hysterical personality cult, crying in the streets, mass outpourings of grief when one of them dies, jubilation when another one gets married and the seeming immortality of the dear leader Elizabeth makes the Kim dynasty and the House of Windsor rather alike.
I also promised myself I wasn't going to write about the jubilee. Because while an anachronistic, unelected, hereditary head of state who provides no meanigful constitutional role or any function outside of the ceremonial is ripe for slagging off - it's just too easy to do.
What really got my goat about the whole jubilee thing was the way republican protesters were treated by the flag waving masses. People actually booed them. I mean, what? People were criticising people who think democracy is a good idea.
To be honest, I'm not actually for an elected head of state either. We should abolish the monarchy and not replace them with anything. Or maybe replace them with one of us, chosen at random. It could be like the lottery. "Trip to meet the new French president next week, get you tickets now and you could represent the country! Free meal and a night in Paris included"
And the biggest farce I've heard coming from the royalists so far. It was something like this - "If you hate the queen so much, why don't you go and live in North Korea". Yes, that makes sense. I think you'll find the flag waving, hysterical personality cult, crying in the streets, mass outpourings of grief when one of them dies, jubilation when another one gets married and the seeming immortality of the dear leader Elizabeth makes the Kim dynasty and the House of Windsor rather alike.
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Saturday, 15 October 2011
New South West YCL blog
I've not posted on here in a while. Or at least, I've not actually written a post on here for a while. Some of you may have (hopefully) noticed, there is now a South West England and Cornwall District website, www.southwestcommunists.org.uk (plug plug plug) and with it is a new YCL blog, www.swycl.blogspot.com (more shameless plugging, it's the capitalist in me). To say I had a big part in setting these up would be an understatement - call me a control freak, but yes, I did it all.
So while I've been distracted, this blog has been neglected. Whether I manage to redress the balance all depends on how many people now start to contribute and take some of the work off my hands. And if I let them. . .
So while I've been distracted, this blog has been neglected. Whether I manage to redress the balance all depends on how many people now start to contribute and take some of the work off my hands. And if I let them. . .
Friday, 14 October 2011
Thursday, 13 October 2011
South West News and Views
A new edition of News and Views has just been released with all of the latest news from the South West District. It includes all of the details of the Speaking Tour in Exeter, Somerset, Dorset and Bristol
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Sunday, 28 August 2011
Britishness – an impossible concept?
I think we can all agree that any concept of nation and nationality, wherever they are in the world, are social and political constructs. Nations are historically constructed based upon lines on a map, often many hundreds of years old. As an island nation, the lines of the map are rather more easy to define for Britain, but historically, the “kingdom” of Britain could have included much of northern France, and if it were not for the various struggles of medieval Britain, the concept of Britishness, and of much of Europe, could have been very different today.
Nations are also constructed on ethnic grounds. These ethnic divides were accentuated as history progressed, with various ethnic groups settling in different geographic areas, often based upon the same artificial lines described above.
But nationhood is also capable of encompassing ethnically diverse groups. We are quite familiar with concepts of British-Asian, British-Afro-Caribbean etc. and many people self identify as such. National identity along these lines allows different groups to come together and construct a shared identity based upon common values and engaging in common expressions of democracy and government.
Monday, 15 August 2011
Analysing the riots - sort of
Analysing last week's riots is going to take a long time. There are such big issues at stake that trying sum up the root causes simply cannot be done in a news report or newspaper article. As a Marxist, when someone asks me my opinion, all I can do is sit down and sigh. It is simply too big for me to do.
And let me take a line from all of the politicians – I'm not making excuses. But when someone says that the riots are “criminal”, a whole series of questions goes through my head, as well as the Daily Mail type answers.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
The People's Charter - Not just an anti-cuts campaign
Recently the People's Charter was described to me as "the CPB's anti-cuts campaign".
The People's Charter is not an anti-cuts movement. Yes, if adopted, it would mean that none of the government's cuts would be enacted. But more than that, it is a document for the future. It is a set of policies and demands that lay the groundwork for the building of socialism in this country.
As for the CPB reference, I hand over to John Hendy QC
Taken from the Morning Star 17/05/2011
The People's Charter is not an anti-cuts movement. Yes, if adopted, it would mean that none of the government's cuts would be enacted. But more than that, it is a document for the future. It is a set of policies and demands that lay the groundwork for the building of socialism in this country.
As for the CPB reference, I hand over to John Hendy QC
Taken from the Morning Star 17/05/2011
Monday, 8 August 2011
Activists planning autumn strikes and mass protests
Taken from This is Plymouth
ACTIVISTS in Plymouth are planning further strikes and mass protests against cuts to jobs and public services.
Around 40 trade union figures and campaigners met to discuss their autumn action plan over the weekend.
They are to stage dozens of events in coming months, including marches, rallies, "flash mobs" and festivals.
Unionists urged the city's public sectors workers to support a national day of action, due to be held across the country on November 8.
The latest call to arms follows mass action at the end of June, which saw thousands of people support striking teachers and civil servants in Plymouth.
Plymouth Fightback Against the Cuts held the latest conference at the Quaker House, Mutley Plain, on Saturday.
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Nouveau Fascism?
I have a problem. OK, not personally, but I have a problem with the word fascism and calling people fascists. It occurred to me during the anti-EDL march at the start of the month. I found myself in a group of people carrying placards and shouting “EDL, fascist scum!” And perhaps controversially, I don't think the EDL are fascists.
And I'm not alone. The Hope not Hate website EDL article has this:
“The English Defence League (EDL) is a racist organisation whose main activity is street demonstrations against the Muslim community”, and, “the EDL is not a national socialist or a fascist organisation but that certainly does not mean it is not a right-wing extremist organisation”.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
EDL outnumbered 4 to 1 (at least)
Estimating the number of people at protests is always difficult. Each side always tries to exaggerate their own turnout. But even if we use the biggest estimate of EDL numbers, and the smallest estimate of anti-EDL protesters, they were still outnumbered 4 to 1.
I'm being generous to them just to show how insignificant they are. If we reverse the logic (smallest EDL estimate and largest anti estimate) the ratio jumps to nearer 7 to 1.
Numbers aside, the most important thing we need to ask is, what on earth are they protesting about? The Westcountry is the least ethnically diverse place I can think of. Honestly, if any of the EDL on the streets of Plymouth yesterday ever travelled to London, they'd have a heart attack.
The EDL say they are protesting against Islam (they've started to drop the militant bit). They argue that all Muslims are at heart as extreme as the Taliban, and that if we are not careful, Britain will soon become an Islamic state. Rather laughably, the EDL claimed yesterday that they were defending women, homosexuals, children (from paedophiles), English culture, human rights, equality, the very fabric of our society.
In reality what we saw was a small group of drunken football hooligans being escorted through the streets of Plymouth while shouting “E – E – EDL”. Very productive. I feel safer already.
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
A Common Sense Ideology? How neoliberalism dominates discourse
Most of you will probably know, I gave a workshop on Saturday at the Exeter Anarchist Summer Conference. I thought I stick up the notes I took into the session. Below is sort of what I said for an introduction, and my ideas on the subject.
It was a very good hour and we covered a lot, with loads of audience participation.
It was a very good hour and we covered a lot, with loads of audience participation.
- Use the current political and economic situation to demonstrate how neoliberal ideology dominates opinion and discourse. Challenge common ideas of democracy and analyse the concept of the “big society”
Intro:
Welcome and thanks for coming. For those who don’t know me I’m the secretary of the local branch of the communist party. This isn’t about the CP, or necessarily about Marxist ideology.
Monday, 6 June 2011
So why are we reforming the NHS?
I pinched this from Liberal Conspiracy
A major report ranked the British NHS #1 for efficiency and effective care when compared to other developed countries.
The US report compares the quality and cost effectiveness of healthcare systems in seven major countries.
Overall, the NHS is ranked second.
Survey ranks NHS #1 for efficiency, #2 overall
A major report ranked the British NHS #1 for efficiency and effective care when compared to other developed countries.
The US report compares the quality and cost effectiveness of healthcare systems in seven major countries.
Overall, the NHS is ranked second.
Survey ranks NHS #1 for efficiency, #2 overall
Saturday, 14 May 2011
So much to do, so much to oppose
Been a while since I last posted, but to be honest it's because I've been so busy, and because the government is throwing so much crap at us it has been hard to know where to begin.
On the 11th of June I'm taking part in the Exeter Anarchist Summer Conference, leading a workshop on the ideology of the ConDems and what neoliberalism has done to democracy. The "choice democracy" I'm calling it. It's, hopefully, going to be about the cultural hegemony of capitalism and the "common sense" ideology that has grown up around deficit reduction.
There were of course the two May Day festivals in Plymouth and Exeter, which were great. Lots of nice people with banners, what more can you want!
On the 11th of June I'm taking part in the Exeter Anarchist Summer Conference, leading a workshop on the ideology of the ConDems and what neoliberalism has done to democracy. The "choice democracy" I'm calling it. It's, hopefully, going to be about the cultural hegemony of capitalism and the "common sense" ideology that has grown up around deficit reduction.
There were of course the two May Day festivals in Plymouth and Exeter, which were great. Lots of nice people with banners, what more can you want!
Sunday, 1 May 2011
AV Referendum Press Release
Scare mongering and communist baiting by the supporters of AV will fool no one. Indeed, writes general secretary Robert Griffiths to newspaper editors, our position on electoral reform, first defined in 1944 is more consistent than the record of other political forces.
LETTER TO NATIONAL PRESS
Saturday, 30 April 2011
May Day in Plymouth
With around 100 people on the march through Plymouth the turnout could have been better - but we all made plenty of noise to make up for it!
After the march there was a rally in the university's Roland Levinsky building, where we had a stall
As usual, you can see all the photos on our facebook page!
After the march there was a rally in the university's Roland Levinsky building, where we had a stall
As usual, you can see all the photos on our facebook page!
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