Thursday, September 18, 2025

New Page: Letter From Europe column (1979-1986)

As promised, new pages for the blog. These new pages of old Socialist Standard columns will eventually be grouped together in one page at the head of the blog alongside the pages for the current Socialist Standard columns, film reviews and theatre reviews.

Letter From Europe was a regular Adam Buick column in the Socialist Standard in the late 1970s and early 1980s which focused on political events in Belgium, Luxemburg and, most importantly, in France. As the eighties wore on, the column applied a forensic eye to the efforts of President Francois Mitterand and his French Socialist Party's government's to enact a left-wing programme to challenge — and transform — French capitalism. It'll be no surprise to regular readers of the blog that it ended in tears.

To access the individual articles, click on the months.

1979
  • Jun: Congress of French reformists [Article on the French Socialist Party.]
  • Jul: Dictatorship of the proletariat [Article on the French Communist Party.]
  • Aug: SOS Longwy [Article on the French steel industry.]

1980
  • Feb: The French movement for abundance [Article on Jacques Duboin.]
  • Jun: A Shorter Working Week? 

1981
  • Feb: Communist Party's racist policy [Racist rhetoric from the French Communist Party.]
  • May: France's presidential election [The triumph of Mitterand.]
  • Aug: Communists in Government [Article on the French Communist Party.] 
  • Dec: The French bomb [Article on the French nuclear programme.]

1982
  • Feb: Bordiga and the Idea of Socialism [Article on Amadeo Bordiga and Left Communism.]
  • Mar: The French Nationalisations 
  • Apr: "Produce French": who benefits? [Article on the French Communist Party's nationalism.]
  • May: General Strike in Luxemburg
  • Jun: Interpreting Marx [Article on Maximilien Rubel.]
  • Aug: Mitterrand clamps down [Austerity and devaluation in France.]
  • Sep: Money must go [The Sun newspaper and Herbert Lomas.]
  • Dec: Enter the green reformists [The rise of the German Green Party.]

1983
  • Jan: Wage-freeze in France [Wage restraint under Mitterand.]
  • Apr: Allah under the bed [Islamophobia in France.] 
  • Jun: France: from failure to fiasco [Article on Michel Rocard and French politics.]
  • Dec: The Belgian public sector strike 

1984
  • Jun: Applying the logic of capitalism [Austerity in France.]
  • Sep: Exit the "Communist" Ministers [An article on the French Communist Party.]

1985
  • Jan: Mitterand organises poverty [Article on the difficulties of the French 'Socialist' government.]
  • Aug: Racism and anti-racism in France

1986
  • Jan: Greenpeace killing [The sabotage of The Rainbow Warrior.]
  • Mar: Whose turn to screw the workers? [Article on the French General Election.]

New Page: Aspect column (1967-1971)

As promised, new pages for the blog. These new pages of old Socialist Standard columns will eventually be grouped together in one page at the head of the blog alongside the pages for the current Socialist Standard columns, film reviews and theatre reviews.

An irregular Socialist Standard column from the late 1960s and early 1970s, 'Aspect' can be viewed as a column primarily given over to focusing on Marxian economics and Marxian theory. No one writer wrote every column, and it featured such seasoned Socialist Standard writers as Edgar Hardcastle, Adam Buick, John Crump and Bob Ambridge.

To access the individual articles, click on the months.

1967
  • Mar: Money for Nothing by Edgar Hardcastle
  • Oct: The Future according to Galbraith by Edgar Hardcastle

1969
  • Dec: Socialists and Christmas by C & J. MCL.

1970
  • Feb: Capitalist education by Adam Buick
  • Mar: A Question of Class by John Crump

1971
  • Jan: Increasing Misery by Adam Buick
  • Feb: Relative Wages by Adam Buick
  • Mar: Karl Marx and the Paris Commune by Adam Buick
  • Apr: The Rate of Profit by Adam Buick
  • May: Labour Time Vouchers by Adam Buick
  • Jun: Marx and Keynes on Unemployment by Edgar Hardcastle
  • Jul: Can Banks Create Credit? by Edgar Hardcastle
  • Sep: Engels: The Man and His Work - Part One by Bob Ambridge
  • Oct: Engels: The Man and His Work - Part Two by Bob Ambridge
  • Nov: Marx’s Critique of Political Economy by Adam Buick

New Page: Letter From America column (1977-1978)

As promised, new pages for the blog. These new pages of old Socialist Standard columns will eventually be grouped together in one page at the head of the blog alongside the pages for the current Socialist Standard columns, film reviews and theatre reviews.

Letter From America was a short-lived column written by World Socialist Party of the United States member, Harry Morrison, during the period of the Carter administration. Based out of Boston, Massachusetts, Morrison's articles focused on such subjects as America during a time of recession, US healthcare, the circus that is US politics, and America's supposed 'exceptionalism', amongst other topics. To access the individual articles, click on the months.

1977:
  • Jun: The Hospitalization business by Harry Morrison
  • Jul: Those “Neutral” Agencies of Capitalism by Harry Morrison
  • Sep: "Making it" v World Socialism by Harry Morrison

1978
  • Jan: Ethics and conflicts by Harry Morrison
  • Apr: Snowbound in Boston by Harry Morrison
  • Jul: Carter, credibility, confusion by Harry Morrison
  • Aug: California's "Boston Tea-Party" by Harry Morrison
  • Oct: Business week and the “Marxist assault” by Harry Morrison
  • Dec: Those good old “Good as Gold” dollars  by Harry Morrison

Slacking

I've not forgotten these proposed plans for the blog . . . though I bet you have.

Things got in the way, as they do, and I had the added 'bonus' of the laptop recently crashing which resulted in me losing a wedge of material. Some of the lost material can be recreated/rewritten but, unfortunately, some of it is gone for good. Shit happens.

Socialist Sonnet No. 202: SS Great Britain (2025)

From the Socialism or Your Money Back blog

SS Great Britain
The ship is sinking. ‘I know what to do!’

One of those who would be captain said,

‘This vessel will float if we paint it red.’

‘Nonsense!’ The paint job just has to be blue.’

A second declared. Then a third fellow,

Decided he had better intervene,

Insisting it would be better yellow.

But, a fourth politely suggested, ‘Green!’

Finally, a shrill jingoistic old lag

Spoke out, ‘It really would be best, I think,

To cover the hole with the Union Flag.’

However, the ship continued to sink.

The crew had the answer, ‘We’ve had a vote;

We’re going to build a completely new boat.’

D. A.