Solidarity 372, 29 July 2015

Owen Jones and Little Britain

Owen Jones writes in the Guardian that the left should declare itself Euro-sceptic (14 July). Apparently a couple of other journalists (Suzanne Moore and Nick Cohen) and someone who writes a column in the Times agree with him. The list of “leftists” who support him, we are led to believe by Jones, is growing. Even assuming this small list of people who are not really on the left is much, much bigger, this isn’t a good way to start an argument. Rather than assessing what’s right and wrong by getting the nod from “well known” and “important” people, the question to ask is: does it make sense...

From “oxi” to “nai”on a new Memorandum

The agreement of Tsipras to put austerity measures to the Greek parliament caused outrage and dismay on the streets of Athens. However speaking to people soon after the overwhelming “oxi” (no) to any acceptance of austerity measures, there was a general feeling approaching euphoria. I was in Crete the week before Tsipras’s turn where there had been a huge “oxi” vote of about 70%. The “oxi” vote there, as elsewhere, defied an immense press campaign predicting impending doom. A taxi driver told me that he had stopped watching the TV news — "all they do is try to scare you" he said. I talked to...

What's in the new Memorandum?

On 15 July Tsipras won a vote in the Greek parliament to approve his deal, a third Memorandum. Red Network, an alliance of socialist organisations that is a leading force in Syriza’s Left Platform, distributed this leaflet on the day of the parliamentary vote explaining what’s in the new Memorandum. The text was translated and published by the International Socialist Organisation . "A LIST of atrocities." That is how the German magazine Der Spiegel described the new agreement. "Tsipras submitted to 'mental waterboarding'" read the headline of the Guardian. Tsipras was like "a beaten dog" in...

Automation, deskilling and safety

Martin Thomas’ criticisms of my review of Nicholas Carr’s book on automation ( Solidarity 370) focus on two related issues: the deskilling effects of automation and my rejection of the full automation of safety-critical systems through e.g. driverless cars or pilotless planes. On deskilling, I think there is one misunderstanding and one difference. Firstly, I do not “want to have all traditional skills kept in general use” indefinitely. I am not proposing we return to handloom weaving or horse-drawn carriages. But I doubt that Martin as a maths teacher believes that his students should not...

Bill Hunter 1920-2015

Bill Hunter died on 9 July. He was a leading member of the early British Trotskyist group, the Revolutionary Communist Party, later a member of the organisations led by Gerry Healy, but joining the faction which opposed and split from Healy in the 1980s. Sean Matgamna remembers Bill Hunter. Insofar as it is possible to separate personal qualities from politics, Bill Hunter was a model revolutionary: selfless, dedicated, always striving to be “objective” — that is, not to let personal feelings intrude on political attitudes and decisions — willing to pay whatever personal price his politics...

Support the Corbyn campaign - fight for working-class politics and socialism

The huge support for Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign for Labour leader is a reminder that what seems like an overwhelmingly dominant right-wing “consensus” in bourgeois politics can be limited and unstable. It shows that large numbers of people, including working-class and young people, want a politics that is different to, to the left of, the consensus of neo-liberalism — that the “market” must rule, the welfare state must be cut back, and getting rich is the best thing to aspire to in life. Workers’ Liberty supporters are active in the Corbyn campaign in many areas of the country, in the trade...

The problem with Bernie Sanders

The Bernie Sanders campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination is probably the most exciting development in US politics since the 1930s. And it's not a coincidence that both the resurgent left of that decade and the Sanders phenomenon have followed the spectacular economic crashes of 1929 and 2008. The Sanders campaign is a phenomenon. He's not only rising rapidly in the polls, posing a clear threat to Hillary Clinton, but he's raising millions of dollars in small donations and filling arenas with supporters – including in some surprising places, like Phoenix, Arizona. A self-described...

Neither “leaving” nor “reclaiming” Labour will do

Two recent articles, by Michael Chessum in the New Statesman and by Ben Sellers on the blog Left Futures , ask the question: “Should socialists leave the Labour Party?” Ben says they shouldn't. Michael isn't sure, but is certain the question needs thinking about. Well, there's no arguing with that. Socialist strategy needs continuous re-examination and reassessment, even in good times, which ours, sadly are not. We should probably define our terms here. Although myself, Michael, and Ben are all coming from slightly different places politically, when we discuss what socialists should do, I...

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