What you want to say… Open Thread, 12th December, 2012 December 12, 2012
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
As always, following on Dr. X’s suggestion, it’s all yours, “announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose”, feel free.
Just in case folk haven’t seen this, as recommended by the Financial Times Alphaville blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSIUf2hD6Io
bjg
LikeLike
Severe setback for unions in MIchigan
-Now that Snyder has signed right-to-work and Michigan has become the 24th right-to-work state in America, will it be the domino that causes other states to fall? –
http://www.freep.com/article/20121212/COL10/312120091/Rochelle-Riley-Unions-need-to-remind-people-what-life-was-like-without-them?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
LikeLike
Protest this Friday from 4.30pm during the passing of the Property Tax Bill. March from Central Bank to the Dail. https://www.facebook.com/events/375336892560780/
LikeLike
I’ve just discovered the wonderful Coyle and Sharpe podcast (free on iTunes). ‘Coyle and Sharpe were the early masters of street pranks and puts-ons. Using hidden microphones, they clandestinely recorded their bizarre encounters with unsuspecting citizens on the streets of San Francisco in the 1960’s.’
Given the future japes of Mister Beadle, it could easily have been dreadful but it isn’t. It’s hilarious and wonderful and the tolerance shown to the surreal silliness is actually quite life-affirming.
LikeLike
Looks like the Pat Finucane report is a hurricane.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/1212/breaking31.html
LikeLike
More exciting developments in South Africa:
The Anglo-American Platinum miners appear to be on the verge of victory in their long running dispute.
The miners independent strike committees will now be the nucleus of a new workers party due to be launched on March 23 next year
“The strike has elevated the question of a political alternative for the workers firmly and irrevocably onto the agenda. The idea of a new mass workers’ party is now part of the political discourse inside the country. Many commentators recognise that this demand has been injected into the political situation by the DSM.
The DSM is now taking the initiative to take matters forward. On 15 December plans to launch the new mass workers’ party will be announced by the DSM and the miners’ national strike committee. Already, at a meeting in Limpopo, 5,000 workers endorsed the call for a mass workers’ party.
A press conference, preceded by a rally of the mineworkers, will proclaim the political independence of the working class from the tripartite alliance in which they have been incarcerated. The new party will target the 2014 elections.
The press conference will happen the day before the ANC’s conference, the run up to which has exposed sharp factional conflicts and is likely to prove to be the most divisive conference certainly since 2007 and the eviction of Thabo Mbeki as president. The ANC’s authority is in such decline that the strategists of capitalism are encouraging the historically-white liberal opposition Democratic Alliance to “change its demographics”, ie elect more blacks to leadership positions to give it greater appeal to black workers, as well as other political alternatives.
A resolution proclaiming a new mass workers’ party has been discussed by all the miners’ shaft committees.
The idea will be to launch the new party on 23 March 2013, coinciding with the Sharpeville massacre anniversary. Before that there will be various events, rallies, marches, and a recall campaign of councillors so that they can be substituted with real fighters from the new party.”
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/15839
LikeLike
Lovely little film from 1960 of (all white) (all) men doing more or less my job and in more or less the same way……but entirely unionised. As stagehands and techs still mostly are in the US, but almost no where else.
LikeLike
ICTU mobilising for a Saturday in February against govt paying the next tranche of the Anglo Irish commitment yokey. MOBILISING.
LikeLike
And February!
LikeLike
Paul Krugman has gone marxist! He claims that he has only copped the importance of the capital and labour relationship recently.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/human-versus-physical-capital/
LikeLike
For them as follows Italian political life, it looks as if Il Manifesto is on the way out: the last of the founders, Valentino Parlato, has left, not too long after Rossana Rossanda.
LikeLike
Socialist Party Statement on the ULA issued Friday 14/12/12
http://socialistparty.net/component/content/article/1-latest-news/1103-the-socialist-party-a-the-political-position-a-operation-of-the-ula
LikeLike
Apparently (according to P.ie. so pinch of salt) the SBP is reporting tomorrow that the cabinet will introduce legislation on X on Tuesday. Sindo reporting that Lucinda will resign if it’s too liberal. Inadequate as any legislation is likely to be, the last bit is a pleasing prospect.
LikeLike
I am inclined to think that Lucinda threatened to resign, and the cabinet then resolved to introduce the legislation on Tuesday.
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
Yanis Varoufakis in good form.
LikeLike