I'm sending this message in a hurry, trying to catch Rangers fans
going to Manchester for the UEFA Cup Final. I'm sending the same
message to groups for fans of other teams I support in the Manchester
area (where I used to live): FC United of Manchester and Manchester
United, since you too may bump into Zenit St Petersburg fans in
Manchester (or go to Moscow next week for the Champions League final).
[I've found a Chelsea group too and am sending it there as well.]

I am about to revise a web page I've written containing a Good
Intentions Manifesto (http://www.goodintentionsnetwork.org/
manifesto.html). I argued that the struggle between people with good
intentions (wanting a more ethical world) and those with bad
intentions (wanting a world as unethical as at the moment or a world
like depicted in George Orwell's book "1984" where revolutionary
change is impossible). I realised yesterday that rather than this
being in opposition to the idea of a struggle between socialism and
capitalism or the working class and big business, it really provides a
moral perspective on that struggle (but I want the middle class in
control as well as working class, with the government elected by
proportional representation, preferably using the Single Transferable
Vote system since it eliminates the need for tactical voting). Control
from below of industry is important too, rather than just having
nationalised industries controlled from above.

Somebody I talked to about it yesterday mentioned Vladimir Putin.
According to British media reports, Putin nominated his successor
Dmitry Medvedev as President and the Russian media obligingly gave him
virtually all the coverage, and there didn't seem to be any doubt that
he would get elected - which did indeed happen. Medvedev then selected
Putin as Prime Minister, and it seems that Putin (perhaps in
conjunction with advisers representing the interests of big business)
is really in charge. I remembered a TV report about Man U and Chelsea
fans planning to go to Moscow and it was mentioned that if you get
stopped by the police in Russia and aren't carrying a passport you
would get arrested. ID cards are compulsory for Russians, and
presumably they could show them rather than a passport. The rational
conclusion is that Russia already has a 1984-type society, with the
state keeping track of all or virtually all significant dissidents.

However, change is still possible in Russia while people who live in a
freer society can interact with Russians. If the whole world has that
form of society, the forces of big business would be permanently in
control, but that hasn't happened (yet), so football fans talking to
Russians in Manchester or Moscow could turn the tide in that country,
perhaps even inspring some sort of uprising from ordinary Russians
wanting true democracy (perhaps even democratic socialism)...

--
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 socialist musical poetry: http://www.socialiststeve.me.uk/poetry.htm
(and at my MySpace and Multiply pages)
My pages at MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/galaxiasteve, Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731729407 and Multiply:
http://socialiststeve.multiply.com

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

On May 14, 12:56 pm, Steve Wallis
 wrote:
> I'm sending this message in a hurry, trying to catch Rangers fans
> going to Manchester for the UEFA Cup Final. I'm sending the same
> message to groups for fans of other teams I support in the Manchester
> area (where I used to live): FC United of Manchester and Manchester
> United, since you too may bump into Zenit St Petersburg fans in
> Manchester (or go to Moscow next week for the Champions League final).
> [I've found a Chelsea group too and am sending it there as well.]
>
> I am about to revise a web page I've written containing a Good
> Intentions Manifesto (http://www.goodintentionsnetwork.org/
> manifesto.html). I argued that the struggle between people with good
> intentions (wanting a more ethical world) and those with bad
> intentions (wanting a world as unethical as at the moment or a world
> like depicted in George Orwell's book "1984" where revolutionary
> change is impossible). I realised yesterday that rather than this
> being in opposition to the idea of a struggle between socialism and
> capitalism or the working class and big business, it really provides a
> moral perspective on that struggle (but I want the middle class in
> control as well as working class, with the government elected by
> proportional representation, preferably using the Single Transferable
> Vote system since it eliminates the need for tactical voting). Control
> from below of industry is important too, rather than just having
> nationalised industries controlled from above.
>
> Somebody I talked to about it yesterday mentioned Vladimir Putin.
> According to British media reports, Putin nominated his successor
> Dmitry Medvedev as President and the Russian media obligingly gave him
> virtually all the coverage, and there didn't seem to be any doubt that
> he would get elected - which did indeed happen. Medvedev then selected
> Putin as Prime Minister, and it seems that Putin (perhaps in
> conjunction with advisers representing the interests of big business)
> is really in charge. I remembered a TV report about Man U and Chelsea
> fans planning to go to Moscow and it was mentioned that if you get
> stopped by the police in Russia and aren't carrying a passport you
> would get arrested. ID cards are compulsory for Russians, and
> presumably they could show them rather than a passport. The rational
> conclusion is that Russia already has a 1984-type society, with the
> state keeping track of all or virtually all significant dissidents.
>
> However, change is still possible in Russia while people who live in a
> freer society can interact with Russians. If the whole world has that
> form of society, the forces of big business would be permanently in
> control, but that hasn't happened (yet), so football fans talking to
> Russians in Manchester or Moscow could turn the tide in that country,
> perhaps even inspring some sort of uprising from ordinary Russians
> wanting true democracy (perhaps even democratic socialism)...
>
> --
> Steve Wallis (Glasgow, Scotland)
> For important/urgent communications, please email:
> warcryst...@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 socialist musical poetry:http://www.socialiststeve.me.uk/poetry.htm
> (and at my MySpace and Multiply pages)
> My pages at MySpace:http://www.myspace.com/galaxiasteve, Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731729407and Multiply:http://socialiststeve.multiply.com
>
> 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 tohttp://www.revolutionaryplatform.net/forum/index.php?board=156

No surrender.

On 14 May, 12:56, Steve Wallis
 wrote:

<snip>

It's too late, they've already packed their luggage. There's no room
for Democracy in their suitcases, and besides, you can't take more
than 100ml of Democracy on board these days. I reckon Russia would
need at least 7,000 litres of Democracy for any significant change,
and that amount of Democracy on a single flight is a significant
risk.

They also seem to like very much being ruled by a big hard man, so who
are we to argue?

Go Putin, Go Putin, It's your Birthday, It's your Birthday!