View Full Version : Solidarity from Saskatchewan!
Salyut
14th April 2009, 07:38
Hey, just stumbled across this site today!
Anyway, I'm born and raised rural Saskatchewan, currently working on my family's farm, and uh, hoping to get into the power engineering field soon.
Politics wise, I discovered Marx at a young age, but for some reason I had a falling out and turned to libertarianism (ew). Needless to say I ended up with a Conservitive Party membership and yeah...Not proud of that. Anyway, I came to realize it was all bullshit and decided to reexamine my left wing roots.
Anyway, I'm looking to join the Communist Party of Canada (paperwork and such is coming through the mail); I'm really big on supporting family farms and all that jazz, and uh, I'm cool with anarchist thought too. I guess I'm kind of a Narodnik. :lol:
Blackscare
14th April 2009, 07:52
Welcome!
I don't know how it works in Canada, but in the US they pursue a pretty senseless policy of farm subsidization (for those who haven't heard of it, basically paying farmers not to grow corn).
Don't get me wrong, I support farmers, but I think a sensible alternative (if governments are going to pay money into farms anyway) would be to just guarantee state demand of surplus crops and sell them at a severe discount to starving nations, or just give it to humanitarian organizations. Also, there's the option of guaranteeing state demand for alternative crops that could be very useful (as well as good for the environment) like hemp.
I am no expert on the farming situation, and I may be totally wrong. Have you had experience with agricultural policy/subsidies? Could you tell me what it's like in Canada in that regard?
Not to derail you on your very first thread. :lol:
By the way (in spite of all my references to "state demand" earlier), I'm a Platform-Anarchist (or just Platformist). I'm guessing you're some degree/variation of Marxist-Leninist if you're a member of the CPC?
Salyut
14th April 2009, 09:09
Welcome!
I am no expert on the farming situation, and I may be totally wrong. Have you had experience with agricultural policy/subsidies? Could you tell me what it's like in Canada in that regard?
Not to derail you on your very first thread. :lol:
By the way (in spite of all my references to "state demand" earlier), I'm a Platform-Anarchist (or just Platformist). I'm guessing you're some degree/variation of Marxist-Leninist if you're a member of the CPC?
I'm not siding with a particular school of thought until I can sit down and relearn all the stuff I've forgotten. I'm open to ideas though, conforming to a narrow idealogical view has never struck me as a good thing. :D
Now farm subsidy wise - we don't. At least not in the cattle/grain business. It might be different in diary operations and in fact, I think it is. I agree with you that they are bullshit though. Trouble is - farmers don't really get a fair price for their product (my opinion anyway), and when you couple this with the cost of machinery (a hundred thousand dollars for a new combine!) you get very little return on the effort put into producing all this food.
As a result, no one is going into farming. Agribusiness is taking over, and the farmers are getting to retirement age - and have no one to pass the farm over to. They either sell the farm or work until they die - both of I find unacceptable.
They have farm lobby groups out in Ontario and stuff, but we don't seem to have that out west. We have a national farmers union (tied to the NDP) but last time I checked they weren't big enough to accomplish much. If there was urban-rural solidarity and a strong enough union - things could get done. But its just not there...
Anyway feel free to ask more questions or PM me. I need to hit the sack. :)
LOLseph Stalin
18th April 2009, 18:53
Welcome. :)
I'm Canadian as well and I thought I would warn you that the Communist party is Stalinist. You should probably read up on stuff some more before you make your decision.
Salyut
21st April 2009, 16:01
Welcome. :)
I'm Canadian as well and I thought I would warn you that the Communist party is Stalinist. You should probably read up on stuff some more before you make your decision.
I was under the impression they were revisionists (which I don't have a problem with - I think I'm leaning that way :lol: ). Socialist Alternative still around?
LOLseph Stalin
21st April 2009, 18:07
I was under the impression they were revisionists (which I don't have a problem with - I think I'm leaning that way http://www.revleft.com/vb/solidarity-saskatchewan-p1421457/revleft/smilies2/laugh.gif ). Socialist Alternative still around?
Haha, I see. Us Trots are the "revisionist" ones. Anyway, if you want a real party: http://marxist.ca/ ;)
bailey_187
21st April 2009, 18:24
I was under the impression they were revisionists (which I don't have a problem with - I think I'm leaning that way :lol: ). Socialist Alternative still around?
They aren't Stalinist.
LOLseph Stalin
21st April 2009, 18:29
They aren't Stalinist.
Fine if it makes you happy they're Anti-Revisionist.
bailey_187
21st April 2009, 20:31
Fine if it makes you happy they're Anti-Revisionist.
lol
Maybe i'm wrong but i thought the CPC-ML is the anti-revisionist or "Stalinist" one, not the CPC
LOLseph Stalin
21st April 2009, 20:47
Maybe i'm wrong but i thought the CPC-ML is the anti-revisionist or "Stalinist" one, not the CPC
They both are, but CPC-ML is more Hoxhaist.
RedAnarchist
21st April 2009, 20:59
Welcome to RevLeft:)
Salyut
21st April 2009, 21:09
Fine if it makes you happy they're Anti-Revisionist.
They have a nice agricultural policy though. :p:lol:
LOLseph Stalin
22nd April 2009, 00:37
They have a nice agricultural policy though. http://www.revleft.com/vb/solidarity-saskatchewan-p1421794/revleft/smilies/001_tongue.gifhttp://www.revleft.com/vb/solidarity-saskatchewan-p1421794/revleft/smilies2/laugh.gif
Care to enlighten me?
Socialist Alternative still around?
Yeah, they're still around :)
Die Neue Zeit
22nd April 2009, 14:16
Where's Saskatechewaner genstrike when you need him? Anyway, welcome to the board!
Salyut
22nd April 2009, 20:30
Care to enlighten me?
Here we go:
Ensure Canada’s food sovereignty through policies that benefit family farms and fishers, including income supports – no more bankruptcies! Save the Canadian Wheat Board – expand or re-establish single-desk selling for more crops and livestock. Reduce rail freight rates and curb the agro-industrial monopolies; set price controls to reduce the cost of farm inputs. Increase food safety inspections. Set price controls on staple foods for Northern communities. Support organic farming; reduce the use of antibiotics, fertilizers, pesticides, and other potentially harmful farm inputs, and ban “terminator” seeds in Canada. Require labelling of genetically-modified food products as a first step towards reducing the scale of the GMO food system.
I highlighted the important parts; any party that actually did that would get major support out of the rural west. In my experience the conservatism is mostly centered around small towns - many farmers here are ex-CCF (but the NDP stopped giving a damn eventually...).
Incidentally Tommy Douglas used to stop by every year and chill out with my granddad. :cool:
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