Histomat: Adventures in Historical Materialism

'Historical materialism is the theory of the proletarian revolution.' Georg Lukács

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Marxism 2015 - Ideas for Revolution

Marxism 2015: Ideas for revolution
A five day political festival: 9-13 July 2015, Central London
www.marxismfestival.org.uk
Book up - Just over one week to go!
New meeting: Tackling the Racist Offensive
Sat 11th July, 7pm
Marxism Festival is very pleased to announce that Diane Abbott MP will speak alongside Sabby Dhalu and Weyman Bennett (Joint Secretaries of Unite Against Fascism, pc) at this new meeting at Marxism.
Meetings on Greece at Marxism 2015
The crisis in Greece poses sharp questions for the left.
Don’t miss our special debate:
Syriza in power: Whither Greece?
With Stathis Kouvelakis (Syriza Central Committee) and Alex Callinicos (SWP)
Sat 11th July, 2pm 
Plus
  • Greece: keeping the hope for change alive
With Panos Garganas (SEK)
Sunday 12 July, 2pm
  • The fight against Golden Dawn in Greece
With Petros Constantinou (Athens Councillor and co-ordinator of the Movement Against Racism and the Fascist Threat) and Kostas Papadakis (part of the legal team representing the victims of Nazi attacks at the trial of Golden Dawn)
Saturday 11th July, 11.45am
  • Fighting the Troika and austerity across Europe
Maria Styllou from Greece will peak alongside Richard Boyd Barrett from Ireland and Christine Buccholz from Germany
Sunday 12th July, 3.45pm
Plus Panos Garganas will join the Marxism opening rally on Thurs 9th July at 7pm

Other meetings at Marxism 2015
  • After Kobane and the general election: where now for Turkey and the Kurds
 Ron Marguilies will be joined by HDP MP Sebahat Tuncel
Sat 11th July, 7pm (the time of this meeting may change – please check our website)
  • Orgreave: the search for the truth
Gareth Peirce and Mike McColgan from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign
Sun 12th July, 3.45pm
  • The story behind Pride
With Nicola Field and Gethin Roberts, original members of LGSM
Sun 12th July, 7pm.
And if you missed Pride at the cinemas there is chance to watch the film afterwards.
  • Darcus Howe, broadcaster and civil liberties campaigner discusses his political life with his biographers Robin Bunce and Paul Field

The final timetable for Marxism 2015 will be on line from tomorrow . . . to book tickets and for more information go to www.marxismfestival.org.uk or call us on 020 7819 1190

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Saturday, June 13, 2015

Arguments for Revolutionary Socialism

Image result for arguments for revolutionary socialism molyneux
A classic 1987 book Arguments for Revolutionary Socialism by John Molyneux is now online, and provides a characteristically clear explanation of the case for revolutionary democracy and workers' power.

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New Labour or socialism?

While the late entry of veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn into the race for the Labour Party leadership has been one of the most positive and welcome political developments in British politics of late, the fact that he has such a major struggle on his hands to even get onto the ballot paper tells you just how far removed from the values of working class solidarity and the principles of internationalism the modern Labour Party has become.  The fact that it is almost certain that the next leader of the Labour Party will be a Blairite (or in the case of Andy Burnham, a former Blairite) who will be even more right wing than Ed Miliband means that it is perhaps timely to reconsider a 1996 pamphlet that is now online by Alex Callinicos, New Labour or socialism? - its content is kind of self-explanatory from the title, but it explains well - as does a 1983 book by Callinicos which is also now online, The Revolutionary Road for Socialism, why the task ahead for socialists remains to build a socialist alternative to New Labour - a task that looks set to become more pressing than ever given the likely outcome of the ongoing leadership election.

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