http://onionbagblog.com/2010/04/28/do-the-hust-le/#content
http://southeasteleven.blogspot.com/2010/04/fallout-from-vauxhall-hustings-good-bad.html
http://garethwyn.blogspot.com/
At work today so could not blog before now about it. There was drama and a call for Straw and Blair to be tried as war criminals plus some up front questions re LGBT rights for Kate Hoey - my response to her record on this was "could do better." Comments on my blog from the SPGB suggest some bile in my direction, which I experienced last night from the candidate immediately after the hustings. Apparently quoting William Morris is only allowed for card carrying members of the SPGB. I do actually agree with Morris and regard him as much closer to the ideals of the Green Party than the SPGB.
I will be at Queer Question Time on Friday night at the Vauxhall Tavern, albeit not on the platform. Darren Johnson is speaking on behalf of the Green Party, Linda Bellos for Labour and Brian Paddick (remember him?) for the Lib Dems, together with some non-party speakers. Hoping that the South London Press will cover it. This will be an opportunity for Greens to show off our LGBT manifesto, which is far in advance of that of any other party. Question Time starts at 9pm and entry is £7.50 except for unwaged and NUS who are half price. As a gay local parliamentary candidate I would not miss it for the world and am glad that LGBT issues will be fully debated in London's second gay village.
I'm afraid I've got to respond as the accusation of "bile" is unfair. I was merely adding an observation of fact to your blog item as I recalled Geoff Martin's expulsion from the Labour Party being reported in the local press at the time of the European elections last year in which I was involved.
ReplyDeleteAs to William Morris, of course anyone can quote him but I don't think you will be able to sustain the argument that his ideals were closer to those of the Green Party than the SPGB. A reading of the Manifesto of the Socialist League which he drafted (see http://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1885/manifst1.htm) shows this. The SPGB in fact came from the same stable as the Socialist League, being a breakaway from the Social Democratic Federation 20 years later over the same issues.
I know you don't agree with everything the Green Party advocates but there is a great difference between your party advocating a "Living Wage" and Morris's support for the "Abolition of the Wages System". But perhaps this is an issue that can be debated after this election is over.
"I do actually agree with Morris and regard him as much closer to the ideals of the Green Party than the SPGB."
ReplyDeleteMorris's writings and political life suggest otherwise.
But hasten the day when the Green Party stand for common ownership and democratic control of society.
Hi Joseph
ReplyDeleteI'm not just a card carring member of the SPGB ( as a matter of fact I couldn't tell you where my membershipcard/rule book is)I'm a human being and as a member of the congregation that heard your propositions Teusday evening in the church, and as such entiteld to an opinion and entiteld to express it. I don't recall being billious, frustrated yes. Here's an example f why I was frustrated.
When I first encountered the SPGB 15 years ago I was encouraged to aquaint my self with the works of W. Morris, I did. Not only did I dicover his ideas on: architecture, design, and conservation, I discovered his politics, which just happen to be, as I see it, at variance to yours.
In conversation with you at the Lambeth Pensioners hustings you told me you were a socialist. So my main beef with you is this: if all the people who called themselves socialist were real Socialists, who undrestood, affirmed, and worked for the kind of society William Morris envisaged, we would have had socialism long ago, and my grandchildren would be living it.
Billious?