The EIS teaching union has claimed that cuts in staff are making it harder to deal with bad behaviour in schools. 'The union blames falling teacher numbers, support staff cuts and falling numbers of educational psychologists. One particular concern is that pupils who might be better suited to special schools are remaining in mainstream schools without appropriate support.' (BBC News, 2nd January) Just another example of what capitalism's priorities are when it comes to education budgets. RD
The Glasgow & Edinburgh Branches Blog. Towards a better understanding of the world, in order to change it.
Saturday, January 03, 2015
Human need, not capitalist greed
The benefits of a socialist system rests essentially on
replacing profit as the primary motivator for production with mutual aid.
Capitalism itself has provided the prerequisites that will bring this to the
fore. It has laid the foundations of creating relative abundance for all and it
has progressively eliminated the need for routine labour to produce this
abundance. From the 19th century onwards, capitalism has developed
immense productive forces but it has done so at the cost of excluding the great
majority of people from influence over production. It put the rights of private
ownership before the collective rights of mankind. Although the world contains
resources which could be made to provide a decent life for everyone, capitalism
has been incapable of satisfying the elementary needs of the world’s
population. It proved unable to function without devastating crises and mass
unemployment. It produced social insecurity and glaring contrasts between rich
and poor. Socialism was born as a movement of protest against the problems inherent
in capitalist society. The capitalistic system of production, under the rule of
which w live, is the production of commodities for profit instead of for use
for the private gain of those who own and control the tools and means of
production and distribution. Out of this system of production and sale for
profit spring the problems of misery, want, and poverty that, as a deadly
menace, now confronts civilisation. The essence of capitalism is the
exploitation of workers and the orientation toward profit at the expense of
every human being and every human need. We can never use the logic of capital
to build new social relations.
One immediate problem for a post-capitalist society is that
it has to emerge from conditions created by its capitalist predecessor, socialism
grows directly out of capitalism, so the old division of labour cannot be
magically eliminated overnight. Everyone understands that it is impossible to
achieve the vision of socialism in one giant leap forward. It is not simply a
matter of changing property ownership. This is the easiest part of building the
new world. Far more difficult is changing productive relations, social
relations in general, and attitudes and ideas. Certainly Marx saw the need for
a "first phase" of socialism but only because of the low development
of the productive forces of his time. This is further shown where he states:
"The distribution of the means of consumption at any time is only a consequence
of the distribution of the conditions of production themselves." And he
also points out that "Right can never be higher than the economic
structure of society and its cultural development thereby determined."
Obviously to satisfy everyone’s needs there must be the
greatest of plenty of everything. In addition, there must have developed a
change in the attitude of people toward work—instead of working because they
have to, people will work because they want to, both out of a sense of
responsibility to society and because work satisfies a real need within their
own lives. Under capitalism, these private enterprises dominate the economy and
operate for the purpose of generating wealth for their owners by extracting it
from working people who are paid only a small fraction of what their labor
produces. Socialism turns this around so that the class that produces the
wealth can collectively decide how it will be used for the benefit of all. Socialism
prioritises human needs and eliminates the profit motive that drives war,
ecological destruction, and inequalities based on gender, race, or nationality.
Like capitalism, socialism must be international so that global resources can
be shared. No country can be truly independent of the global economy.
Socialism is, by definition, democratic hence an early
alternative label for the socialist movement being social democracy. Without
freedom there can be no socialism. Socialism can be achieved only through
democracy. Democracy can be fully realised only through socialism. Since the
Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, Leninism and Trotskyism has distorted the
socialist tradition beyond recognition.
It has built up a rigid theology which is incompatible with the critical spirit
of Marxism. Lenin used Marx's philosophy to perform the socialist revolution
but he completely removed Marx's notion of equality of people claiming that
workers have not developed enough knowledge and consciousness, and therefore
they must be guided. Socialists aim to achieve freedom and justice by removing
the exploitation which divides men under capitalism, state-capitalists seek to
sharpen those class divisions only in order to establish the dictatorship of a bureaucracy
and of a one-party leadership. The Socialist Party supports the idea of a
delegative form of democracy that calls upon the working class to decide their
fate for themselves. Workers without any access to decision-making do not
accept social ownership as their own, and thus may well choose to have no
responsibility towards the same.
If socialism means more than state ownership or state
intervention, then how should it be understood? A socialist economic system
would consist of a system of production and distribution organised to directly
satisfy economic demands and human needs, so that goods and services would be
produced directly for use instead of for private profit driven by the
accumulation of capital. Accounting would be based on physical quantities, a
common physical magnitude, or a direct measure of labour-time in place of
financial calculation. The characteristic of the new socialist society is that (a) control of production be fully
vested in the producing individuals themselves and (b) that the social character of labour is asserted directly, not
after the fact. In other words, productive activity in this socialism is social
not because we produce for each other through a market but because we
consciously produce for others. And, it is social not because we are directed
to produce those things but because we ourselves as people within society
choose to produce for those who need what we can provide. Our needs as members
of society—both as producers and as consumers—are central. This is a society
centred on a conscious exchange of activity for communal needs and communal
purposes. It is a society of new, rich human beings who develop in the course
of producing with others and for others. The point of social ownership is to ensure
that the social brain and the social brawn are devoted to the full development
of human beings rather than used for private purposes.
Socialism is the science of human association reduced to a
practical proposition, based upon a study of society. It is an interpretation
of the past, a diagnosis of the present, and a forecast of the future. It
recognizes that life is constantly passing through a process of evolution. It
is therefore founded upon an enduring basis of fact against prejudice.
The common good is our fundamental purpose as a movement and
as a party. Socialism aims to liberate the peoples from dependence on a
minority which owns or controls the means of production. It aims to put
economic power in the hands of the people as a whole, and to create a community
in which free men and women work together as equals. Socialism can still
continue to attract, inspire, and mobilise a social movement capable of ending
capitalism’s rule. Socialism will establish a new social and economic system in
which people will take responsibility for and control of their neighbourhoods
and all the administrative organs, plus the production and distribution of all
goods and services. The Socialist Party stands for a fundamental transformation
of the economy, focusing on production for need not profit. The Cooperative
Commonwealth is its goal. In the end, socialism will succeed or fail depending not
on the activities of we in the Socialist Party but whether the growing anger
against the injustices and failures of the present system can be channeled and linked
together to create not just a call for change, but a challenge to the ruling
order itself.
Friday, January 02, 2015
Fake Money Tragedy
Amidst festive celebrations an awful tragedy struck when at least 36 people were killed in a stampede during the New Year's celebrations in Shanghai, which may have been caused by the crowd rushing to grab fake money thrown from a bar balcony. 'Another 47 injured people were hospitalised after the fatal crush in Chen Yi Square in the city's waterfront Bund area, which attracted 300,000 people last New Years Eve and is notorious for severe congestion at major events. The stampede just before midnight is the city's worst disaster since 58 died in an apartment building fire in 2010.' (Daily Mail, 31 December) RD
Suffer In Silence
Here is a very laid-back philosophical outlook on death from a medical man. 'Dying of cancer is the "best death" and Dr Richard Smith, a former editor of the British Medical Journal, said that cancer allowed people to say goodbye and prepare for death and was therefore preferable to sudden death from organ failure or "the long, slow death from dementia.' (Independent, 31 December)This outlook might appear to be a very calm scientific one but it is hard to imagine that the doctor concerned might not feel a twinge of regret if he had to suffer from the disease. RD
Unbearable
Mere statistics and catalogues of welfare cuts do not really capture the incompetence of the NHS. It takes a shocking example of the cruel behaviour suffered by an elderly worker to put in concrete terms the sheer criminality of the system. 'An elderly stroke patient was left lying in her own urine in a cold ward on Christmas Day, it was claimed today. Elsie Keirl, 84, was admitted to Musgrove Park Hospital - which has since launched an investigation - in Taunton, Somerset, a day after she had a stroke at her home in nearby Brigwater. Her son David Keirl, 58, stayed with her until Christmas morning before returning home for a few hours rest - but found on his return that his mother was "blue" because her room was so cold.' (Daily Mail, 31 December) RD
Ambulance Shortage
As more and more government cuts affect the NHS it is the ambulance service's turn to feel the pinch. 'Ambulance services in England are close to breaking point with three of the country's 10 ambulance trusts declaring themselves under intense pressure . London and Yorkshire have been critical for more than two weeks. The head of the British Medical Association said patients were suffering as the NHS's emergency and urgent care system struggled to cope.' (BBC News, 31 December) The ambulance service is essential for the working class so of course it is badly curtailed to save expenditure. RD
Bust Scotland
About 1,000 companies will go bust and 12,000 Scots will be
made bankrupt in the coming year, a report Business advisers BDO has predicted.
Cooling consumer demand, geopolitical and financial uncertainty and potential
interest rate rises were cited as causes for concern.
Bryan Jackson, business restructuring partner with BDO,
said: "For many companies and individuals there is the prospect of another
year of standing still as profits remain flat and incomes are static. The
slightest change in any circumstances could have serious consequences… it is of
concern that even six years after the start of the recession there are still so
many firms going bust.”
Hard Lessons
The EIS teaching union has claimed that cuts in staff are
making it harder to deal with bad behaviour in schools. The union blames
falling teacher numbers, support staff cuts and falling numbers of educational
psychologists. One particular concern is that pupils who might be better suited
to special schools are remaining in mainstream schools without appropriate
support.
In 2007 the SNP made a manifesto commitment to cut class
sizes between Primary 1 and 3 to 18 or less. The average class in Primary 1, 2 and
3 has 23.3 pupils.
The latest government statistics also showed that the number
of teachers in Scotland's schools fell in 2014 while the number of pupils
increased. Full-time equivalent teacher (FTE) numbers stand at 50,824 which is
254 fewer than 2013 although the number of pupils in Scotland's schools is up
3,425 on the previous year to 676,955.
Whisky Galore
According Scotland’s chief statistician, barley production
has grown from around 190,000 tonnes in 1914 to 2million tonnes last year.
Figures also revealed the area of land used to grow barley has increased by
316% to more than 800,000 acres, from just under 200,000 acres. Yields have
increased by 178% to 2.55 tonnes per acre, from just under one tonne per acre
previously.
According to farm minister Richard Lochhead, around 30% of
the 2013 crop – 600,000 tonnes – was used by the brewing and distilling
industries. “Over the last 20 years, the barley area has represented around 70
per cent of the area of all cereals grown in Scotland, and around half of all
crops,” said Mr Lochhead.
In the past 20 years, barley has made up around 70% of the
area of cereals grown in Scotland and around half of all crops. In the first
half of the 20th century, the area of barley grown in Scotland didn’t exceed
247,000 acres.
Let’s be blunt, and despite some peoples fondness of a wee
dram, say clearly whisky isn’t a beneficial nutritious food and the barley not
grown for food but as a cash-crop for the distilleries means it isn’t available for livestock or
people.
Thursday, January 01, 2015
Fracking Media Silence
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Professor John Robertson who accused the BBC of pro-No bias
in its coverage of the referendum campaign has turned his attention to an
apparent media silence on the subject of fracking in Scotland. In a survey of a
recent 30-day period of news coverage of fracking he concluded that the
Scottish national press and broadcasters have hardly covered the question at
all, at a time when it is attracting headlines in the UK press and also in the
frack-friendly US.
During the period. The Scotsman, Daily Record and Daily
Express carried one story each, while the Daily Mail had seven, most of them
critical of anti-fracking opposition and especially the decision of the
Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, to ban the industry in his state due to
health and environmental concerns. The Herald news headlines and BBC’s
Reporting Scotland made no mention of fracking, while STV’s Scotland Today
reported fracking once.
“Scotland’s mainstream media, including of course our
‘Public Service Provider’ BBC Scotland, cannot be accused of distortion bias in
their coverage of the debate on shale-fracking, because they just didn’t cover
it at all,” writes Robertson. “Much more difficult to prove that distortion
bias is bias by omission, where the electorate is kept ill-informed and where
the media can insist that they don’t cover it because it’s not ‘newsworthy';
that no one is interested in it.” Prof Robertson points out that the event may
have attracted a great deal of attention on social media, but very little in
the mainstream media. Speaking to Newsnet.scot he made the point that Scottish
TV news in particular is dominated by murders, violence, road accidents and
sport.
The question is: why? Prof Robertson concedes that this
brief study could not reach conclusions. However, his research does point out
factors of interest to news desks and editors around the country. Fracking is
raising serious concerns within central Scotland, and especially local
communities such as Falkirk and Grangemouth, where the processing plant
operator Ineos has announced significant investment plans related to the
industry.
Robertson argues that there was ample reason to find
fracking newsworthy. He cites the UK HM Chief Scientific Adviser’s annual
report, which raised questions about fracking. During the last month there have
also been significant reports about fracking and local health in the US,
concerns that underpinned the New York Governor’s decision. A US survey of 400
peer-reviewed papers into shale gas found that 96 per cent of them drew
conclusions on adverse health impact.
A group called Concerned Health Professionals of New York
stated: “A significant body of evidence has emerged to demonstrate that these
activities are inherently dangerous to people and their communities. Risks
include adverse impacts on water, air, agriculture, public health and safety,
property values, climate stability and economic vitality.” In Ohio just before
Christmas, families in Monroe County were evacuated and a “no-fly zone” instigated
for more than a week because of an uncontrolled gas leak from a fracking well,
one of several incidents reported in the US this year alone.
In the UK, concerns are being echoed either by local
authorities such as North Lanarkshire Council – which has called for a
moratorium – and community groups. Scotland’s public attitude to fracking is
ill-defined. In Scotland, despite the existence of a thriving shale oil
industry in West Lothian until the early 1960s, it has been assumed widely that
the country’s geology means that the profitable extraction of onshore oil or
gas is very unlikely.
Fracking had a lower political profile until 2014, when
Ineos signalled great interest in the industry in two ways. Firstly, the
company is investing £300m to create docking and handling facilities for
tankers carrying US shale gas to the UK and European markets. This deal was at
the root of a dispute with trade unions over planned changes to work practices
at the company’s Grangemouth plant last year.
Next, Ineos – a rapidly growing player in the chemicals’
market – declared its intention to become a major player in shale in the UK,
setting aside more than £500m for that purpose. Ineos bought the rights to
explore fracking for shale gas in a 127 square mile area around Grangemouth and
the Firth of Forth. This has made the company, and the area, the focal point of
anti-fracking protests, and hundreds of people participated in a protest march
from Falkirk to Grangemouth this month. Without being specific it appears to be
willing to back, or even lead, fracking-based exploration. The company has
embarked on a major propaganda campaign to promote its enthusiastic embrace of
shale gas. That latter move is at the root of concerns about possible fracking
in Scotland. Protestors are wary that Ineos may use its clout – as it did so
successfully during that union dispute – to force through planning decisions.
It is likely that outside of the environs of Grangemouth refinery , there will
be little benefit but significant risks to communities in the Central Belt.
When fracking – or “hydraulic fracturing” – was first
discussed in the UK, the media focus fell on communities in England, where
companies are already involved in putative exploration of onshore oil and gas
from shale. Protests at Cuadrilla’s test drilling in the Home Counties raised
the profile significantly. Chancellor George Osborne proposed in his Autumn
Statement to create a “sovereign investment fund” to benefit northern England if
fracking is successful there and the Coalition government appears determined to
issue licenses. The Scottish Government has kept its public response low-key to
date. This may be on the assumption that the problem will go away because of
Scotland’s geology, although some opponents suspect that Ministers may be swung
by the emergence of some new oil or gas bonanza to be realised onshore. The
crash in global coal and oil prices may delay this activity in Scotland.
His view of the media as a corporate channel that publishes
or broadcasts only corporate “news” is underlined in his research. He comments:
“Those who lead the media are part of those inter-locking elites revealed long
ago by people like Noam Chomsky, who work daily in their own interests which in
turn are the interests of those same elites – employers, industry executives,
senior civil servants, speculators, military chiefs, government ministers,
lawyers and, uniquely in Scotland, the Labour Party leadership”. He adds:
“Further closing off any opportunities for alternative voices is the reliance
of hard-pressed reporters on press releases from the corporations that come to
dominate the news.”
PS The BBC Scotland’s environment correspondent David Miller
has confirmed via Twitter that he starts work on a fracking documentary January
5th. No transmission date given yet.
A Nasty System
£1.57billion is the amount that the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate that prostitution contributed to the economy in 2012, following a decision by the EU that illegal drugs and prostitution should be counted as part of a country's Gross Domestic Product. 'The ONS estimates that: about 61,000 people work in prostitution in the UK the average cost per visit is about £67 - each prostitute sees about 23 clients per week, working 52 weeks a year - in total about 1,200.(BBC News, 31 December) These less than flattering statistics illustrate what a nasty system capitalism really is. RD
Infant Slayer
The boom in supplying guns to the public has reached the crazies peak possible with a two-year old becoming the slayer of his mother. 'A woman in the US state of Idaho has been killed after her two-year-old son accidentally shot her with a gun he found when reaching into her handbag. The woman, named by the local sheriff's office as Veronica J Rutledge, 29, was shot in a Wal-Mart in Hayden, a town in Idaho's northern panhandle. She had been shopping with several children at the time, a spokesman for the office said.' (BBC News, 31 December) There is no limit to the sale of weapons despite the social cost. RD
Pollution And Profits
Michael Greenstone, the Milton Friedman professor of economics at the University of Chicago who runs the Energy Policy Institution there, has come up with a far from surprising conclusion about pollution. 'When one compares pollution readings from around the globe, it is evident that lower-income countries tend to have higher pollution.' (New York Times, 30 December) China and India are leading polluters simply because it is a more profitable way to carry out business. RD
Big Bucks Big Bangs
It is often difficult for UK observers to understand the fascination the USA seems to have with the possession of guns. Take the city of Chicago for instance. Although the city is on track to register its lowest murder rate in decades the number of shootings has risen in 2014. 'More Chicagoans were shot and wounded than in 2013 when the final tally reached 2,182 . This year has even closed with a grim bang, with five people killed and 18 shot over the weekend.' (Economist, 29 December) Over-looking the peculiar history of gun possession in the USA the major factor is of course the power and influence of the gun manufacturers. RD
A New Year?
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On behalf of the Socialist Courier blog, we send greetings
to the world’s working peoples for the New Year 2015, wishing them success in
the struggle against capitalism in the coming year. Happy New Year to all
comrades and friends in the spirit of working class solidarity.
People all over have been victims of attacks the like of
which they have rarely experienced. The recession affected every part of our
society. Every day still brings in fresh reports of business failures and
bankruptcies, strikes and lock-outs, wage-reductions and cuts in working
conditions and—as the most natural, though most terrible result—increased suicides.
Looking at these facts, the anticipations for the New Year would seem anything
but cheering. But it always the darkest before dawn. If there were no remedy
for these crushing social evil the outlook would indeed be black, full of doom
and gloom. But, fortunately, there is a remedy; though no one person can apply
it alone and that cure is socialism! The future can be ours.
2014 wasn’t exactly what you’d call a peaceful year. Wars
were fought in people's villages towns, and cities. We hope we’re wrong about
this but we confidently predict that many on-going wars will still continue in
2015 and that new conflicts will arise. Many are already simmering. Others are
temporarily off the boil and sitting on the back-burner. There’s some hope that
a few wars might end but in many cases that’s a tenuous hope at best. Wars are
murder on a massive scale. War and military spending is hardwired into
capitalism.
War didn't used to look like it does today. It did not used
to be the case that 90 percent of the dead were non-combatants, or as they say,
collateral damage. We still talk about "battlefields," but there used
to actually be such things. Wars were arranged and planned for like sports
contests. Ancient armies could camp next to an enemy without fear of a surprise
attack. Enemies negotiated the dates for battles. War's history used to be one
of ritual and of respect for the "worthy opponent." Sneak attacks
were not engaged in, not because nobody had ever had the idea, but because that
just wasn't the done thing for what a warrior to do.
Today the gloves are off. Despite all those Geneva
conventions on the rules of war and international war crime legislation, war is
nowadays organised mass killing sprees. The astronomic spending on wars and
preparations for could end starvation in the world, provide the globe with
clean water for all, etc. Governments could have saved millions of lives but
chose to kill millions instead. Billions budgeted for death and not for life.
At this time of the year, when “Happy New Year!” is on
everyone’s lips, in the midst of all the well-wishing, let’s be thoughtful and
consider what the prospects and promises are for this new year, if 2015 is to
be, for the working class, a truly happy one. We face another new year of
struggle in conditions where the socialist cause is only beginning to revive
after receiving setbacks and where confusion and disunity still afflict us. The
coming new year will be a time when the fortunes of capitalism can hardly be
expected to take a turn for the better, and indeed may well take a turn for the
worse, so hopefully opening up new opportunities for an advance in the
socialist case.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Spend, Spend, Spend
We are constantly being reminded that the UK is going through an economic recession, but dire as these times might be it would seem that the owning class can still spend millions in the auction houses. 'A £40m van Gogh, £15m Patek Philippe watch and a £5m Stamp: How 2014 saw super-rich investors make series of world record purchases at auction houses. Very rare 19th century stamp from British Guiana sold for £5.6m in June . 114 bottles of Romanee-Conti Superlot sold for £1m - £1,100 per glass.' (Daily Mail, 30 December) People starving while some parasite spends over £1,000 for a glass of wine. Capitalism is crazy. RD
No Cuts Here
At a time when the government seems especially keen on making welfare cuts, witness the NHS, Old Folk's Homes and libraries there is one area that seems untouched by any cuts. SNP ministers have been accused of enjoying a luxurious lifestyle at some of the world's grandest five-star hotels. 'Among those to enjoy top treatment while on government business are Humza Yousaf, the minister for Europe and international development. He stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Qatar - which boasts its own inclusive island and the Middle East's largest chandelier, decorated with 2,300 crystals The stay cost almost £1,400.' (Times, 29 December) RD
An Unpredictable Society
Capitalism is an unpredictable society only a couple of years ago it was predicted that there was going to be an oil and gas boom, but this has turned out to be a complete fallacy. 'The oil and gas industry is set for a year of mergers and takeovers as a result of the plummeting oil price, a business consultancy has predicted. PwC said 2015 may bring the first hostile takeover in the sector in living memory. It warned of "uncertain times" for the estimated 440,000 people employed in the UK's oil and gas industry. The oil price has fallen from $115 a barrel in the middle of the year to about $60.' (BBC News, 29 December) Market forces dictate slumps and booms not the "experts". RD
A Dire Future
'Almost 7,000 homes and buildings will be sacrificed to the rising seas around England and Wales over the next century, according to an unpublished Environment Agency (EA) analysis seen by the Guardian.' (Guardian, 29 December) It is reckoned over 800 of the properties will be lost to coastal erosion over the next 20 years. The properties, worth well over £1bn, will be allowed to fall into the sea because the cost of protecting them would be far greater. But there is no compensation scheme in place for homeowners to enable them to move to a safer location. RD
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Paternalism is a common attitude among well-meaning social reformers. Stemming from the root pater, or father, paternalism implies a patria...
