Wot no Marxism thread !

[Nigel Irritable]

Dunno.

However he does have the advantage that he can write whatever he likes as a reference.

And he has written some books that, whatever you may think of them, have been published by well established bourgeois publishing houses. A career in academia seems likely.

I'll ignore the 'sect' raspberry that you just blew. U ain't worth the time of day.

I doubt if putting "Long time chair of the Stop the War Coalition" or whatever his post is, hurts too much either.

 

[mutley]

It could simply be that last years attendance claim was more exaggerated than this one, so that growth in real attendance was masked by stability in fictional attendance.

You would certainly expect, all other things being equal, that more random people would show up this year than for the last couple of years given the wider political situation.

So lets get this straight, more people actually did turn up, and the organisers are now giving a figure that's closer to the truth?

Actually the serious point in all this is that there were loads of students there. Some will say that students have no political significance or whatever, which is yet another arguemmt that I can't be arsed with, but the fact that there were is undoubtedly true.

Right, off to the shops.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

So lets get this straight, more people actually did turn up, and the organisers are now giving a figure that's closer to the truth

I don't know.

RMP3 seems to think it was significantly larger than last year. The official claim for this year and the three preceding years have been within spitting distance of each other. So either RMP3 is wrong, or its just that the claim is less exaggerated than it has been recently. You were there, you tell us.

 

[mutley]

Back from the shops...

It seemed like loads there, but tbh I missed both opening and final rallies both this and last year, and last year I wasn't there on the friday or saturday.

So I'm not in a position to judge it numerically in comparison. But there was definitely loads of students.

 

[Nigel]

Didn't go last year, met someone for a drink the year before.
Having a smaller venue definitely gives the impression that there are more people.

Reckon some people turned up to a few of the larger meetings and then left,reminising of when they were young idealistic 'wevolutionaries'.
Generally numbers are dropping at Marxism.

 

[mutley]

Didn't go last year, met someone for a drink the year before.
Having a smaller venue definitely gives the impression that there are more people.

Reckon some people turned up to a few of the larger meetings and then left,reminising of when they were young idealistic 'wevolutionaries'.
Generally numbers are dropping at Marxism.

So this is based on you going this year? Otherwise a unique moment of your life as you posted that gem just slipped away, to no purpose whatsoever...

 

[JHE]

I'll ignore the 'sect' raspberry that you just blew. U ain't worth the time of day.

I thought I was being polite. I could have called yuzall a cult, ya silly cult.

 

[Nigel]

No I usually pop in to see people I wouldn't usually bump into.
Although I haven't been to a meeting at Marxism since late nineties, when you decided to 'rough up' AWL members and SWP pronounced that the only way the Irish peace process would work would be to give all your worldly belongings and support to Eamon McCanns mickey mouse outfit.

 

[mutley]

I thought I was being polite. I could have called yuzall a cult, ya silly cult.

Ok, I'll be a bit more pleasant.

Nigel: you need to think about ur priorities, u only live once.

 

[Nigel]

I love the political clarity of the SWP

 

[audiotech]

I doubt if putting "Long time chair of the Stop the War Coalition" or whatever his post is, hurts too much either.

Here's some released of the 2003 stop the war demonstration. It's huge to bulk up his CV.

 

[Pickman's model]

But there was definitely loads of students.

no great surprise when it's held in university buildings. but how many of them were attending marxism and how many of them were doing something useful with their time?

 

[Nigel]

One good thing I learnt at the meeting is that Karen Reisseman has found employment again in the Health service

 

[JHE]

Ok, I'll be a bit more pleasant.

There's no need, really.

 

[mutley]

no great surprise when it's held in university buildings. but how many of them were attending marxism and how many of them were doing something useful with their time?

It's July. There ain't no lectures and there ain't no seminars, not till the autumn.

Like I said, loads of students attended the actual event, on purpose and everything. Many will say 'ha! No roots in the working class!'. However if there had been less students the same people would say 'ha! Aging membership - you're on the scrapheap as an organisation!'. Can't win really.

But definitely students were there. Given the prospect many of them have of not walking straight into a job, but actually suffering a bit of poverty for a while, its hardly surprising that radical ideas are getting more of a hearing.

 

[mutley]

There's no need, really.

It'll be my good deed for the day.

 

[Nigel]

It's July. There ain't no lectures and there ain't no seminars, not till the autumn.

Like I said, loads of students attended the actual event, on purpose and everything. Many will say 'ha! No roots in the working class!'. However if there had been less students the same people would say 'ha! Aging membership - you're on the scrapheap as an organisation!'. Can't win really.

But definitely students were there. Given the prospect many of them have of not walking straight into a job, but actually suffering a bit of poverty for a while, its hardly surprising that radical ideas are getting more of a hearing.

Are you claiming that attendance has increased over the last few years?
Working class people are all well into middle youth?

 

[JHE]

Uniformed Trot Youth Movement?

It'll be my good deed for the day.

 

[grogwilton]

Are you claiming that attendance has increased over the last few years?
Working class people are all well into middle youth?

What wrong with hedonism Nigel? Is a bit of drinking and fun not a useful part of a conference like this?

 

[Nigel]

I didn't say it wasn't.
However if that is one of the main priorities when involved in serious political work

 

[Pickman's model]

What wrong with hedonism Nigel? Is a bit of drinking and fun not a useful part of a conference like this?

frankly you'd need to drink yourself near oblivion before a meeting hosted by the likes of alexander callinicos became alluring.

 

[Nigel]

frankly you'd need to drink yourself near oblivion before a meeting hosted by the likes of alexander callinicos became alluring.

 

[Das Uberdog]

As far as my understanding goes, there were far more attendees this year (and lots of the meetings were indeed 'packed', with people having to sit on the floor and in the aisles in every meeting my friends attended) though the amount of people signed up was only marginally larger. The majority of the membership sign up every year and only a small portion ever actually turn up - this year they got alot of noobs (and students) which bulked attendance.

 

[Pickman's model]

As far as my understanding goes, there were far more attendees this year (and lots of the meetings were indeed 'packed', with people having to sit on the floor and in the aisles in every meeting my friends attended) though the amount of people signed up was only marginally larger. The majority of the membership sign up every year and only a small portion ever actually turn up - this year they got alot of noobs (and students) which bulked attendance.

it's surprising how frequently reports indicate that swp meetings are packed when all the evidence points quite the other way

 

[mutley]

The official line in party notes is that 4300 registered for the event, and that is 200 up on last year. Sounds about right to me.

On a different but obviously related note, Socialist Worker has given Hannah Sell of the SP space to respond to the open letter. I think that's extremely welcome, and something I've thought was necessary ie let some of the SWP's critics on the organised Left have a say. In fact in a minor way its probably historic..

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=18467

 

[JHE]

As far as my understanding goes, there were far more attendees this year (and lots of the meetings were indeed 'packed', with people having to sit on the floor and in the aisles in every meeting my friends attended) though the amount of people signed up was only marginally larger. The majority of the membership sign up every year and only a small portion ever actually turn up - this year they got alot of noobs (and students) which bulked attendance.

Were the two prayer rooms used much?

 

[mutley]

Were the two prayer rooms used much?

We'll pray for you if you like. Do you need to repent? Are you concerned about the hellfire?

 

[Pickman's model]

We'll pray for you if you like. Do you need to repent? Are you concerned about the hellfire?

& there was me thinking that the swp were atheists

 

[mutley]

& there was me thinking that the swp were atheists

You're past saving... waste of a good prayer

 

[Pickman's model]

You're past saving... waste of a good prayer

if being saved means being like a swappie, i'd sooner become a christian