I've included below the contents of the latest newsletter of the
Foundation for PR-based Socialism (where PR stands for proportional
representation not public relations). Anyone can download the
newsletter in Micro$oft Word or PDF format to print out if they wish,
from the Foundation's website (www.PRsocialism.org). It is
particularly intended for the Labour Party conference, anti-war demo
and Convention of the Left which all take place in Manchester (from
Saturday). I had intended to publish a draft first, but there isn't
much time; I could nevertheless do a new version if important issues
arise.

I've also written a discussion document on strategy for achieving a
socialist society with a government elected by proportional
representation, which I'm hoping will start a debate on the forum
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PRsocialism) about the way forward. To
read the document, visit that forum or go to http://www.PRsocialism.org/strategy.htm.


Foundation for PR-based Socialism
Forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PRsocialism  Website: www.PRsocialism.org
Newsletter 4 (15/9/08)


Struggle for real democracy and socialism – inside and outside the
Labour Party

Labour is in crisis, with Gordon Brown and the entire New Labour
project deeply unpopular and many demanding a change of leadership and/
or policies.

Brown claimed to have ended the cycle of boom and bust – impossible
under capitalism. He borrowed heavily to prolong the boom and we are
now entering a severe recession. Big business and its New Labour
allies are trying to make working class people pay for their crisis –
escalating food and fuel prices and a housing slump, with big cuts in
living standards unless we go on strike.

The credit crunch is mainly blamed on “subprime” mortgages in the
USA , sold to people with a poor credit history and with high interest
rates starting low. This caught many out, since most US mortgages are
at a fixed rate for the entire term, which (due to high inflation)
could lead to many banks around the world that have lent the money for
such “prime conforming” mortgages facing bankruptcy. New Labour would
probably bail other banks out like when it nationalised Northern Rock
(and like the US government recently did with Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac) or lent £50 billion without revealing to whom, but other
governments may adopt a different approach.

The problems of capitalism are so severe that mere reforms (entailing
greater government borrowing) are insufficient; we should point out
that a complete change of society is needed. We should also fight for
real democracy – proportional representation, under capitalism or
socialism (see below).

Convention of the Left
Saturday 20 – Wednesday 24 September, Manchester
For details, visit www.conventionoftheleft.org

The Labour Party conference takes place this month in Manchester .
Meanwhile, the Convention of the Left will bring together activists
from a wide range of organisations inside and outside the Labour Party
simultaneously in the same city. It would be premature for socialists
to leave Labour now, with struggles for the direction of the party
just beginning, but the Convention could play a big role in the
creation of a new socialist party capable of challenging for power at
the next general election. If we fail, the Tories will almost
certainly win it (perhaps leading to an independent Scotland , the SNP
splitting and socialism could start in Scotland ). Come along to
debate the way forward.


Campaign for renewable sources of energy – and point out the need for
socialism

In these difficult economic times, it is unsurprising that many
ordinary people give higher priority to maintaining their living
standards than saving the planet. Since thousands are likely to freeze
to death this winter due to not being able to afford to heat their
homes, it would be inhuman to ignore their plight. We are rightly
cynical about politicians who sometimes talk green but help polluting
companies or use “climate change” as an excuse for building more
nuclear power stations – with by-products needed for nuclear weapons,
and those politicians supposedly worried about terrorism. [Would they
allow a terrorist attack on a nuclear power station, to excuse such a
severe clampdown on civil liberties that a socialist revolution would
become impossible?]

Capitalist politicians use talk of climate change as an excuse for
divide-and-rule, with some ordinary people more concerned about the
problem than others. Some fly across Britain while others use trains
or coaches; politicians serious about climate change would tax flights
to subsidise public transport.

With Scotland having just had the coldest Easter for 46 years (and
China the coldest winter for 50), cynicism about global warming is
understandable. Even if it isn’t mainly caused by mankind, investment
in renewable sources of energy would still be preferable – due to the
pollution of carbon fuels (highlighted by the smog in Beijing before
the Olympics) and the fact that such resources are running out
(shortage of supplies have caused recent price hikes). Also, it’s
better to be on the safe side than risk disastrous global warming.

Tidal and wind power are probably most suitable for the British
climate, but solar power is ideal in African deserts. An EU committee
recommended concentrating solar power (CSP) plants in Africa, that
focus sunlight onto a tower to drive a turbine, to provide Europe ’s
power. The dangers of unstable African regimes or terrorist attacks on
power lines may make it unfeasible in the current unethical capitalist
world – but we should use that as a reason for socialist revolution,
rather than merely suggesting minor reforms that do little to solve
the world’s energy problems or help the struggle for a better world.


For the single transferable vote (STV) form of proportional
representation

Marxists argue for hierarchies of committees based on workplaces (that
were called “soviets” in the USSR ) backed up by a “workers’ militia”
to enforce the rule of just the working class – “the dictatorship of
the proletariat”.

Hierarchies enable those with bad intentions (including infiltrators
from the secret services) to reach and stay in positions of power,
because only those on the same committees know who such people are and
what they are up to.

STV, where voters specify preferences for different candidates, is the
fairest form of PR, since it eliminates the need for tactical voting.


--
Steve Wallis (Glasgow, Scotland)
For important/urgent communications, please email:
warcrysteve@yahoo.co.uk
Blogs: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/steve-wallis-socialist-blog,
http://blog.myspace.com/galaxiasteve
My socialist website: http://www.socialiststeve.me.uk
My pages at MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/galaxiasteve and Bebo:
http://www.bebo.com/SteveW519
Founder, Good Intentions Network: http://www.goodintentionsnetwork.org
Founder, Ethical Capitalism Network: http://www.ethicalcapitalism.net
Founder, Foundation for PR-based Socialism: http://www.PRsocialism.org
Founder, Revolutionary Platform Network: http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net
My socialist band, Red Day: http://www.red-day.net
Author, "Revolution Destroyed? Have I ensured that a world socialist
revolution will never happen?": http://www.revolutiondestroyed.net
For discussion of the credit crunch, go to
http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net/forum/index.php?board=156
For discussion of 9/11 conspiracy theories, go to
http://www.revolutionaryplatform.net/forum/index.php?board=89