This meeting was chaired by Nick Wrack, on 18th September 2023. Watch the video here. Ed Potts introduces a discussion looking at democracy. What sort of democracy do we have under capitalism? What sort of democracy do we need? What should democracy mean in the workers’ movement? Ed starts by reflecting on the Continue Reading
Marxism
50 years since Pinochet’s coup in Chile
To mark fifty years since General Augusto Pinochet’s coup in Chile, carried out on 11 September 1973, we carry this poem by Janet Sillett. The disappeared By Janet Sillett Stooping women searching in the arid sand of Atacama Desert bone fragments meticulously cleaned the loudest of silences The baked earth Continue Reading
Online Discussion: What sort of public ownership do socialists want?
Zoom session on 29th May 2023. Watch the video here. Read Nick Wrack’s article here. Nick Wrack introduced this session, looking at what sort of public ownership socialists should call for. Socialists often talk about nationalisation, and about the need for state ownership. Nick argues that at root we should Continue Reading
Capitalist Environmental Crises: A Socialist Response
In ‘Revenge of Nature: did the Rain Spoil your Grand Prix?’[1], Will McMahon paints a stark picture of the choices facing humanity under capitalism in the face of environmental catastrophe, but also throws down a gauntlet to socialists regarding our responsibilities in response to the crisis. What are we, and should Continue Reading
What sort of new party of the left?
A call has been put out by a number of small left-wing groups and individuals for a new party. Left Unity, the Breakthrough Party, the People’s Alliance of the Left, and three Liverpool Community Independents councillors, together with other individuals have put out a call for a new party of Continue Reading
Acemoglu, AI and automation
There is a new burst of techno-optimism emerging over the application of ChatGPT and LLMs. One analyst reckons that AI “has huge potential to boost economy-wide productivity” and cited a recent MIT study that showed a massive improvement in productivity while using ChatGPT. Also, much of the productivity gains were seen Continue Reading
Why do we have a Labour Party instead of a socialist Party?
This article originally appeared in Prometheus. It was also used to facilitate a discussion in a meeting of Talking About Socialism on 12th June 2023 – watch the video here. What sort of an organisation is the Labour Party? Its dominance of the left in Britain for over a century Continue Reading
No short cuts
Should Jeremy Corbyn stand as an independent in Islington North? Should socialists stand candidates against Labour generally and against Keir Starmer specifically? Should socialists be calling for a new workers’ party? If so, what sort of party? None of these questions can be answered without first answering the questions that Continue Reading
Whether Jeremy Corbyn stands or not …
On Tuesday 28 March I joined 35 or so socialists in Welwyn Hatfield constituency to watch a screening of the film ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn! The Big Lie’ distributed by Platform Films. By chance, the showing took place on the day that the Labour Party National Executive Committee took the decision Continue Reading
Not all quiet on the Eastern Front
The Stop the War demonstration took place last weekend amidst a huge wave of pro-war propaganda in the British media. Even the BBC World Service, which usually has to attenuate its imperial message for a global audience, is full-throttle behind Ukraine – no other voices are entertained. In this context, Continue Reading