Sunday, 14 March 2010
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Town centres: Voids, antheaps, and covered markets
A week ago, a walk around central Birmingham could have confirmed my many metropolitan prejudices, especially as spent a long time not finding an open photocpying shop, but finding many many closed chinese resturants instead. A week later a triple night bus ride across central London showed that it seems to be changing into a 24 hr city as jolly revellers mingled with the morose and knackered leisure industry workers who had been servicing them.
But whilst London now has hosts of Rickshaws clogging its night arteries like pedalled cholestrol, Birmingham, which seemed to lack covered bicycles , does have several covered markets, which seemed to have the convenience of modern malls with none of their bland characterlessness.
But whilst London now has hosts of Rickshaws clogging its night arteries like pedalled cholestrol, Birmingham, which seemed to lack covered bicycles , does have several covered markets, which seemed to have the convenience of modern malls with none of their bland characterlessness.
Friday, 29 January 2010
“Thirlington Cubicles”
In the good old, bad old days, before flying away for foreign holidays became more immoral the more that you thought about it, I went to Bulgaria. This was in the very last days of Communism, at the time of the coup against Gorbachev in the USSR. Bulgaria was beautiful, or I saw the beautiful bits of it, but there was something a little boring about it and I couldn’t figure out what that was.
Then I realised whilst sitting in a roadside café that, the passing lorries had no logos on their sides. They were not emblazoned with any slogans, names or images. Bulgarian camions at this time were mostly pale grey in colour with a black registration number on the side in some sort of militaristic font.
I would rather be bored by Bulgarian logoless lorries than see capitalism continue along its destructive trajectory, but the all pervasive advertising plastered on nearly every available surface in contemporary Britain, brings me all sorts of absurd statements that I sometimes enjoy if I’m in the mood for it. I’ve even seen a sandwich delivery van than claimed, in its mission statement, to have an overarching existential purpose.
Today in Cricklewood I saw a large white lorry with the words “Thirlington Cubicles” written on it.
I realised immediately that I had been given a new name and a solution to some of the quandaries that might confront me when I sit at the Standing Orders Committee table at the next Green Party Conference. If someone approached with a problem or query and asks “Are you Peter Murry?”. I will respond “No. I am, Thirlington Cubicles, Peter Murry is that person of there in the red pullover who is grinding his/her teeth” This might buy me enough time to escape.
Then I realised whilst sitting in a roadside café that, the passing lorries had no logos on their sides. They were not emblazoned with any slogans, names or images. Bulgarian camions at this time were mostly pale grey in colour with a black registration number on the side in some sort of militaristic font.
I would rather be bored by Bulgarian logoless lorries than see capitalism continue along its destructive trajectory, but the all pervasive advertising plastered on nearly every available surface in contemporary Britain, brings me all sorts of absurd statements that I sometimes enjoy if I’m in the mood for it. I’ve even seen a sandwich delivery van than claimed, in its mission statement, to have an overarching existential purpose.
Today in Cricklewood I saw a large white lorry with the words “Thirlington Cubicles” written on it.
I realised immediately that I had been given a new name and a solution to some of the quandaries that might confront me when I sit at the Standing Orders Committee table at the next Green Party Conference. If someone approached with a problem or query and asks “Are you Peter Murry?”. I will respond “No. I am, Thirlington Cubicles, Peter Murry is that person of there in the red pullover who is grinding his/her teeth” This might buy me enough time to escape.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
THE Kneeling Man
When I turned the corner into the narrow Holborn back street which leads to the Dragon Hall, I saw a man kneeling on the pavement. He was silhouetted against the bright electric light coming through a plate glass door situated behind him. At first he knelt, then he went down onto all fours then he rose again.
I can be sure how many times he repeated this movement as I slowly approached, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. His movements did seemed voluntary and did not indicate pain, so I began to come to the conclusion that he was engaged into the ritualised grovelling to an imaginary being that people call prayer.
This assumption depressed me until I came near enough to see the screwdriver in his hand. He was engaged in fixing the lock that was situated in a metal strip on the bottom of the plate glass door. I was relieved to see that his actions were rational and not mindless self abasement following a dogmatically dictated formula.
I was not to encounter much other such rationality that night because I was about to attend a meeting of the London Federation Of Green Parties.
I can be sure how many times he repeated this movement as I slowly approached, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. His movements did seemed voluntary and did not indicate pain, so I began to come to the conclusion that he was engaged into the ritualised grovelling to an imaginary being that people call prayer.
This assumption depressed me until I came near enough to see the screwdriver in his hand. He was engaged in fixing the lock that was situated in a metal strip on the bottom of the plate glass door. I was relieved to see that his actions were rational and not mindless self abasement following a dogmatically dictated formula.
I was not to encounter much other such rationality that night because I was about to attend a meeting of the London Federation Of Green Parties.
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Two Camerons in Cricklewood
The citizens of Cricklewood are being confronted with a frightful sight, as they stand in large grey meltwater slushpuppies at the northbound bus stop on the Broadway.
The Conservative Party has seen fit to erect two vast, adjacent and almost identical billboards both depicting huge images of David Cameron’s head and shoulders, captioned with some implausible slogan about ‘cutting the deficit not the NHS’.
The two giant Camerons are only almost identical, since in each he is a different colour. On the left, (if you were facing east), he has a very pale green skin tone, like fish flesh just going off. However the right hand Cameron is a shiny orangish hue, like a Kilroy-Silk suntan.
Could this diversity in skin tone be deliberate?, After all Cricklewood is possibly one of the most ethnically heterogeneous places on the planet, whilst waiting at the bus and staring at the strange Camerons, you are likely to hear people speaking English, Polish, Tamil, Brazilian, Portuguese, Somali and Lingala at least. However I doubt if many know or care who the terrible twins on the billboard are.
Perhaps there is a subliminal political message, e.g.: ‘I’m slightly concerned about the environment sometimes, but also a bit liberal and democratic’.
As I stand staring incredulously at the dual apparitions, waiting for a bus, I find it warming to think that the Tories have wasted money putting up these silly posters, but chilling to think how much more such rubbish they will be able to afford before the general election.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Notes for speech on The way forward for the working class- re political representation
1. Socialism and Green as political terms have many things in common notably that they are and have been applied to a wide variety of things, from fascism to washing powder.
2. Socialism is possibly the more coherent of the two, in terms of political movements, it usually refers to political movements and/or organisations that seek to replace and/or reform capitalism with a government which operates with the explicit aim of using the profits of capitalism for the benefit of those seen as the real generators of wealth under capitalism, the working class.
3. Green usually denotes political concerns which identify which identify the physical environment of this planet as being under threat from a variety of sources that are mostly human in origin e.g.: Pollution, the destruction of species and ecosystems. The one that is currently seen as most threatening is climate change impelled by increasing human -caused Carbon emission. Some contemporary Green media pundits (eg Monbiot & Lynas), suggest that unchecked the impact of climate change might lead to the extermination of humans or at least the destruction of most contemporary industrial societies.
4. Greens advocate various solutions or even adaptations to an inevitable catastrophe. Jonathon Porritt insists that capitalism is the only workable economic system and therefore the only one that can avert eco-cataclysm. Other Greens think that capitalism cannot provide the solution because it will continually pursue increasing profit and economic growth. (Sharks’ reputed need to continually swim is usually mentioned here).
5. Some of the latter (e.g. Kovel) come from a Trotskyist wing within a Marxist tradition which means that they could account for the ecological damage caused by historically existing socialist societies such as the USSR in terms of them not being Truly socialist.
6. Be this as it may most of the damage was done and is being done by societies which are capitalist.
7. Global warming is often evidenced by the ‘ hockey stick’ graph of readings same time as European industrial Revolutions and coinciding with continuing world industrialisation from that point.
8. This marks a technological change which some suggest was preceeded in Europe by cultural changes, eg max Weber argues that the advent of Protestantism which changed attitudes and laws regarding ususry thus making capitalism possible.
9. It is also possible to argue that the problem has deeper roots than this . Anthropologists (eg Harris and Diamond) have commented on human societies can cahnge organisation and technology to cope with existential needs and threats (eg food supply, disease, climate. Predation, war etc).
10. seen from this perspective capitalism combined with industrialisation is the latest (and perhaps most effective) means of coping with these threats but arguably it not only does this but also to expands its scope to increase the profits of its dominant classes.
11. There a number of ways in which it does this
a)using new technologies and often thereby exploiting more natural resources
b)making previously free or shared goods and/or services into saleable products
d)reducing workers’ abilities to organise in defence of pay and conditions in an attempt to minimise labour costs
e) Increasing workers and consumers insecurity. In the British context mortgages, other debt and pensions create powerful incentives to curb union militancy and even union membership. Globalisation, Privatisations, marketisations, advertising and aspects of culture all play their role in this.
12 . Insecurity fuels continuing consumption, which encourages compliant labour and a fuels incessant pressure on natural resources which in turn causes climate change and other ecological threats.
13 hence Greens must advocate changes in lifestyle especially for the more affluent sectors of populations in industrailised nations (which does include groups of relatively better paid workers).
14 the only feasible way to do this is by enhancing workers rights and their abilities to defend them and the only feasible way to do this is by replacing capitalism.
15 a strategy to achieve this is by making what Trotskyites some times term ‘transitional demands’ which might be at least partially granted under capitalism. The GPEW has its only version of this its Mfss and policy pointers contain both reformist demands to the current system (eg a minimum wage of a level compatible with literally earning a living) and a wish lists of proposals that a Green gov’t might one day enact, (eg a citizen’s income).
16 Therefore Greens defend existing workers rights and call for their extension recently in the following ways
GP Conference Autumn 2006 Emergency Motion Support for NHS Logistics workers’ strike
14 August 2007 support for low paid City cleaners
23 August 2007 Support for RMT anti privatisation lobby of Downing St
24 September 2007 Lambeth Green Councillor Rebecca Thackray & Jean Lambert MEP Supports the Remploy Campaign against factory closures
Support KEEP the NHS public campaign 3.11.2007
Thursday, 15 November 2007 SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TRADES UNION CONFERENCE
12 December 2007 support protest against the dismissal of Karen Reissman
Green Party of England and Wales (Response to consultation on welfare reform, ‘No-one written off’.) By Alan Wheatley and Anne Gray October 2008
Green Worker - November 2008
- MEPs Demand Recognition for Green Union Reps.
- Green Success Makes Southwark A Living Wage Employer
Support PCS Strike 10TH Nov2008
8 October 2008 Green Euro Mps call for legal recognition of green reps
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 support CWU dispute
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 support camapaign against Victimisation of Trade Union Official, East North East Homes, UNISON Convenor, John McDermott
Friday, 19 September 2008 GPTU statement on public sector pay dispute “GPTU notes that the NUT, and PCS, are balloting for strike action over public sector pay and that Unison still has the possibility of calling strike action over this issue. GPTU supports industrial action over this issue when relevant Union members decide it is appropriate, especially as the pay settlements now being discussed are below current inflation rates”
Thursday, 11 September 2008 Protest UCU derecognised at Nottingham Trent University
Sunday, 7 September 2008 Green Party Minimum Wage Motion (Passed At Green Party Conference 6/9/2008)
UNION WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTAL REPS (MOTION PASSED AT GREEN PARTY CONFERENCE 6/9/2008)
"Trade Unions and their branches will have the right to establish workplace environmental representatives, who will have the same rights at work as other trade union representatives. This will include appropriate facilities and time off to undertake their duties. Such representatives should play a decision making role in the development of strategies and implementation plans for making workplaces, companies and other public, private and third sector organisations greener and more
sustainable." (This text to be inserted in the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society, the main GP policy document)
Thursday, 28 August 2008 Support RMT LONDON´S TUBE CLEANERS campaign
24 August 2008 affiliate to Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning
19 August 2008 Support RMT tube strike ballot
Thursday, 24 July 2008 Derek Wall, the Green Party's Male Principal Speaker, has called for trade unions to put increased pressure on the Government and public sector employers by uniting to carry out sustained strike action, in opposition to attempts to impose pay cuts.
Support for Campaign for reinstatement of PAT CARMODY shop steward at Pell & Bales Tuesday, 22 July 2008
21 July 2008 Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly Member, has called on London's Mayor to lobby Tubelines, the employer, to follow Transport for London’s lead and pay cleaners of its section of the network at least £7.45 an hour.
Friday, 18 July 2008 Support For Unison Strikers in Norwich by Green Councillors
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 Vauxhall Green Candidate Supports Local Unison Strikers , also statements of support from Jean Lambert MEP and Darren Johnson AM, and Brighton & Nottingham Councillors Richard & Sue Mallender
Saturday, 16 February 2008 EMERGENCY MOTION PASSED AT CONFERENCE 14/2/08 “The Green Party is extremely concerned to learn that a private American health firm (United Health Europe) has won control of three GP surgeries in London. We fear that this is the first step in an attempt to corporatise health care in the UK. “(Continues)
20 September 2009 The Green Party Trade Union Group supports the postal workers’ Union, CWU
GPTU Fringe meeting at GP Conference, Hove 5/9/2009 "Welfare Reform & Low paid Workers "
GP conference plenary on Just Transition with Cllr Romayne Phoenix, Caroline Lucas MEP, Chris Baugh (PCS), Chris Rapley (Director, Science Museum),
July/September support Vestas campaign
Tuesday, 1 September 2009 Support all out strike at Tower Hamlets College
Green Party wants full railway nationalisation From Gp website 01 July 2009
July 2009 campaign against sacking of Stalin Bemudez & Removal of SOAS cleaners
1/10/2209 support REINSTATE JUAN CARLOS PIEDRA, SACKED FOR UNION ACTIVITY
2. Socialism is possibly the more coherent of the two, in terms of political movements, it usually refers to political movements and/or organisations that seek to replace and/or reform capitalism with a government which operates with the explicit aim of using the profits of capitalism for the benefit of those seen as the real generators of wealth under capitalism, the working class.
3. Green usually denotes political concerns which identify which identify the physical environment of this planet as being under threat from a variety of sources that are mostly human in origin e.g.: Pollution, the destruction of species and ecosystems. The one that is currently seen as most threatening is climate change impelled by increasing human -caused Carbon emission. Some contemporary Green media pundits (eg Monbiot & Lynas), suggest that unchecked the impact of climate change might lead to the extermination of humans or at least the destruction of most contemporary industrial societies.
4. Greens advocate various solutions or even adaptations to an inevitable catastrophe. Jonathon Porritt insists that capitalism is the only workable economic system and therefore the only one that can avert eco-cataclysm. Other Greens think that capitalism cannot provide the solution because it will continually pursue increasing profit and economic growth. (Sharks’ reputed need to continually swim is usually mentioned here).
5. Some of the latter (e.g. Kovel) come from a Trotskyist wing within a Marxist tradition which means that they could account for the ecological damage caused by historically existing socialist societies such as the USSR in terms of them not being Truly socialist.
6. Be this as it may most of the damage was done and is being done by societies which are capitalist.
7. Global warming is often evidenced by the ‘ hockey stick’ graph of readings same time as European industrial Revolutions and coinciding with continuing world industrialisation from that point.
8. This marks a technological change which some suggest was preceeded in Europe by cultural changes, eg max Weber argues that the advent of Protestantism which changed attitudes and laws regarding ususry thus making capitalism possible.
9. It is also possible to argue that the problem has deeper roots than this . Anthropologists (eg Harris and Diamond) have commented on human societies can cahnge organisation and technology to cope with existential needs and threats (eg food supply, disease, climate. Predation, war etc).
10. seen from this perspective capitalism combined with industrialisation is the latest (and perhaps most effective) means of coping with these threats but arguably it not only does this but also to expands its scope to increase the profits of its dominant classes.
11. There a number of ways in which it does this
a)using new technologies and often thereby exploiting more natural resources
b)making previously free or shared goods and/or services into saleable products
d)reducing workers’ abilities to organise in defence of pay and conditions in an attempt to minimise labour costs
e) Increasing workers and consumers insecurity. In the British context mortgages, other debt and pensions create powerful incentives to curb union militancy and even union membership. Globalisation, Privatisations, marketisations, advertising and aspects of culture all play their role in this.
12 . Insecurity fuels continuing consumption, which encourages compliant labour and a fuels incessant pressure on natural resources which in turn causes climate change and other ecological threats.
13 hence Greens must advocate changes in lifestyle especially for the more affluent sectors of populations in industrailised nations (which does include groups of relatively better paid workers).
14 the only feasible way to do this is by enhancing workers rights and their abilities to defend them and the only feasible way to do this is by replacing capitalism.
15 a strategy to achieve this is by making what Trotskyites some times term ‘transitional demands’ which might be at least partially granted under capitalism. The GPEW has its only version of this its Mfss and policy pointers contain both reformist demands to the current system (eg a minimum wage of a level compatible with literally earning a living) and a wish lists of proposals that a Green gov’t might one day enact, (eg a citizen’s income).
16 Therefore Greens defend existing workers rights and call for their extension recently in the following ways
GP Conference Autumn 2006 Emergency Motion Support for NHS Logistics workers’ strike
14 August 2007 support for low paid City cleaners
23 August 2007 Support for RMT anti privatisation lobby of Downing St
24 September 2007 Lambeth Green Councillor Rebecca Thackray & Jean Lambert MEP Supports the Remploy Campaign against factory closures
Support KEEP the NHS public campaign 3.11.2007
Thursday, 15 November 2007 SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE TRADES UNION CONFERENCE
12 December 2007 support protest against the dismissal of Karen Reissman
Green Party of England and Wales (Response to consultation on welfare reform, ‘No-one written off’.) By Alan Wheatley and Anne Gray October 2008
Green Worker - November 2008
- MEPs Demand Recognition for Green Union Reps.
- Green Success Makes Southwark A Living Wage Employer
Support PCS Strike 10TH Nov2008
8 October 2008 Green Euro Mps call for legal recognition of green reps
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 support CWU dispute
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 support camapaign against Victimisation of Trade Union Official, East North East Homes, UNISON Convenor, John McDermott
Friday, 19 September 2008 GPTU statement on public sector pay dispute “GPTU notes that the NUT, and PCS, are balloting for strike action over public sector pay and that Unison still has the possibility of calling strike action over this issue. GPTU supports industrial action over this issue when relevant Union members decide it is appropriate, especially as the pay settlements now being discussed are below current inflation rates”
Thursday, 11 September 2008 Protest UCU derecognised at Nottingham Trent University
Sunday, 7 September 2008 Green Party Minimum Wage Motion (Passed At Green Party Conference 6/9/2008)
UNION WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENTAL REPS (MOTION PASSED AT GREEN PARTY CONFERENCE 6/9/2008)
"Trade Unions and their branches will have the right to establish workplace environmental representatives, who will have the same rights at work as other trade union representatives. This will include appropriate facilities and time off to undertake their duties. Such representatives should play a decision making role in the development of strategies and implementation plans for making workplaces, companies and other public, private and third sector organisations greener and more
sustainable." (This text to be inserted in the Manifesto for a Sustainable Society, the main GP policy document)
Thursday, 28 August 2008 Support RMT LONDON´S TUBE CLEANERS campaign
24 August 2008 affiliate to Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning
19 August 2008 Support RMT tube strike ballot
Thursday, 24 July 2008 Derek Wall, the Green Party's Male Principal Speaker, has called for trade unions to put increased pressure on the Government and public sector employers by uniting to carry out sustained strike action, in opposition to attempts to impose pay cuts.
Support for Campaign for reinstatement of PAT CARMODY shop steward at Pell & Bales Tuesday, 22 July 2008
21 July 2008 Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly Member, has called on London's Mayor to lobby Tubelines, the employer, to follow Transport for London’s lead and pay cleaners of its section of the network at least £7.45 an hour.
Friday, 18 July 2008 Support For Unison Strikers in Norwich by Green Councillors
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 Vauxhall Green Candidate Supports Local Unison Strikers , also statements of support from Jean Lambert MEP and Darren Johnson AM, and Brighton & Nottingham Councillors Richard & Sue Mallender
Saturday, 16 February 2008 EMERGENCY MOTION PASSED AT CONFERENCE 14/2/08 “The Green Party is extremely concerned to learn that a private American health firm (United Health Europe) has won control of three GP surgeries in London. We fear that this is the first step in an attempt to corporatise health care in the UK. “(Continues)
20 September 2009 The Green Party Trade Union Group supports the postal workers’ Union, CWU
GPTU Fringe meeting at GP Conference, Hove 5/9/2009 "Welfare Reform & Low paid Workers "
GP conference plenary on Just Transition with Cllr Romayne Phoenix, Caroline Lucas MEP, Chris Baugh (PCS), Chris Rapley (Director, Science Museum),
July/September support Vestas campaign
Tuesday, 1 September 2009 Support all out strike at Tower Hamlets College
Green Party wants full railway nationalisation From Gp website 01 July 2009
July 2009 campaign against sacking of Stalin Bemudez & Removal of SOAS cleaners
1/10/2209 support REINSTATE JUAN CARLOS PIEDRA, SACKED FOR UNION ACTIVITY
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)