This is from the speech which Friedrich Engles delivered at Marx’s funeral: He [Marx] discovered the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of ideology, that mankind must first of all eat and drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, religion, art etc. and that therefore the production of the immediate… read more »
IN THIS issue we print letters from Austin Meredith and Shane Roberts; further Letters to the Editor are invited. Please try not to exceed 500 words – “Small is beautiful.” If you want your letter to appear unedited or not at all, please say so. ANARCHISTS proclaim themselves in favour of freedom, and they (sometimes… read more »
While I admire your persistence in the matter of the SPGB, something quite sizeable will have to happen before I can get interested. I was greatly heartened by “Anti-Freeze;” it is a fine demonstration of s.i. analysis at work. Your “New Readers Start Here” does not actually define eidostatic and the other terms and I… read more »
The story of Christmas and its significance in human affairs makes a fascinating study for the socialist. It is a story bound up with so many different and seemingly unrelated things: sun-worship, human birth, the annual seasons, man’s guilty conscience, Big Business, the Golden Age, Christianity, symbolism, the Roman Saturnalia, magic and the Brotherhood of… read more »
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS NUMBER Our leading item in this issue is “The Christmas Story” by Harold Walsby. On the face of it this is nothing more than a factual account of the origins of what we now know as the Christmas festival, but one of the more substantial propositions of s.i. lies just below the surface…. read more »
And the Lord said unto Noah: “Where is the ark which I hast commanded thee to build?” And Noah said unto the Lord: “Verily I have had three carpenters off ill. The wood supplier hath let me down – yea, even though the wood hath been on order for nigh upon 12 months. What can… read more »
We recently attended a meeting of a Buddhist sect whose practice is to chant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO repeatedly, morning and evening; if this is done, the disposition will improve and the level of daily happiness be raised. This was presented as a practical suggestion which each member of the audience could readily test for… read more »
Supernatural Powers: “When I wrote Chinese Looking Glass, certain superficial critics in England sneered at me for suggesting that superstitious belief and religious custom had survived Communism in China itself. The Chinese Communists, being rather better acquainted with the subject, have repeatedly admitted that the supernatural has been among their most stubborn ideological foes.” (Dennis… read more »
One branch of the party has found IC so instructive (or perhaps so offensive, or so entertaining – they don’t say which) that they have asked for a supply, to be distributed to each member. The copies requested have been sent, and we shall be glad to supply other branches if they will say how… read more »
In IC13 we pointed out that the “racial” struggle in South Africa is better understood as an ideological conflict. The same thing applies, of course, to “racial” struggles elsewhere, but not only to these. It applies, for example, to the “feminist” movement. Consider the belief that women are inclined by their gender toward gentle, peaceful,… read more »