Communist University August 7-14 (London, UK)

[Serge's Fist]

Communist University takes place between August 7-14


Raymont Hall, 63 Wickham Road, New Cross, London SE4 – click here for a map (http://www.multimap.com/maps/?zoom=16&countryCode=GB&qs=SE41LX)


15 min walk from New Cross tube station (East London line)
5 min walk from Brockley railway station – there are trains leaving London Bridge Station every 10-15 minutes


It’s never too early to prepare for war. Across Europe, the ruling elites are determined to make working people pay for the crisis. Greece and Ireland have shown already that our class will not take this lying down – there will be serious resistance. But do we have the programme and strategy to win?
The outlook seems bleak. The political and theoretical disorientation of the left both inside and outside the Labour Party finds stark reflection in the left’s lack of social weight and bitter sectarian divisions. That’s simply one of the unpalatable facts of political life today.


Communist University faces the facts. We discuss what divides us – in an open, democratic and thorough way. This not only promotes clarity, it actually prepares the ground for principled left unity. That’s why CU is so different to other schools of the left, which more resemble trade fairs than genuine festivals of competing ideas. That’s why it is such an important contribution to the preparation for the looming struggles that face us all. That’s why you should be there.


Please see here (http://cpgb.wordpress.com/)for more info.

[Die Neue Zeit]

You need to post an updated blog. That one's from March.

[bricolage]

Lars T Lih (http://cpgb.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/lars-t-lih/) – Author of Lenin Rediscovered: What is to be done? in context
Hillel Tickin (http://cpgb.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/hillel-ticktin/) – Editor of Critique
Yassamine Mather (http://cpgb.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/yassamine-mather/) – Hands Off the People of Iran
Lionel Sims – Socialist Workers Party and Radical Anthropology Group
Jack Conrad, CPGB, author of Fantastic Reality. Marxism and the politics of religion
Mike Macnair – CPGB, author of Revolutionary Strategy


* Lars T Lih (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/750/rediscovering.html) - Author of the excellent Lenin Rediscovered: What Is to Be Done? in Context (http://books.google.ca/books?id=8AVUvEUsdCgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0)
* Hillel Tickin - Editor of Critique
* Boris Kagarlitsky (http://www.anonym.to/?http://www.cpgb.org.uk/worker/648/russia.htm) - Russian Marxist, author of Empire of the periphery: Russia and the world system
* Moshe Machover - Israeli anti-Zionist and Matzpen founder
* Lionel Sims - Author and member of the Radical Anthropology Group
* Yassamine Mather - CPGB, exiled Iranian revolutionary
* Mike Macnair - CPGB, author of Revolutionary Strategy (http://www.anonym.to/?http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8682919597603842499)
* Jack Conrad - CPGB, author of Fantastic Reality: Marxism and the politics of religion
* Jean-Michel Edwin - Marxist involved in the NPA in Francehttp://www.revleft.com/vb/communist-university-2009-t108568/index.html?highlight=communist+university

My point being this years Communist University (while there are differences) appears to be remarkably similar to that of last years.
I suppose this isn't just confined the CPGB, Marxism 2010 had Callinicos vs Holloway vs Zizek after 2009 had Callinicos vs Zizek and 2008 had Callinicos vs Holloway, but it does reinforce the idea that what passes for 'the left' is still hammering out the same ideas and the same thinkers over and over again and getting absolutely nowhere. Yet noone sees that perhaps a rethink is in order.

[Serge's Fist]

Yeah it is quite similar but there are new additions and new topics, also there is an ongoing development of research and analysis with many of our speakers, so they wont be saying the same thing as last year.

[Q]

You need to post an updated blog. That one's from March.

That's actually just the top post, the rest is from July.

[Die Neue Zeit]

What an ackward way to arrange a blog. Oh well, I'll go ahead and read Lih's "We Must Dream" paper and perhaps post it here later on.

[Die Neue Zeit]

CU 2010 has started today, comrades!

[Serge's Fist]

CU 2010 has started today, comrades!

One week late comrade! I was unable to attend because of a new job but I heard it went well and was full of interesting and exciting debates. More reports and videos will be up shortly :)

[Die Neue Zeit]

Damn! I thought the Weekly Worker was down in preparation for the event, not due to the event itself!

[Serge's Fist]

Still one more week without the Weekly Worker though as our great editorial team have a well deserved break!

[Die Neue Zeit]

You guys can come back in September if you like. [Just publish the vids before then. ;) ]

[Serge's Fist]

Voice files from sessions at Communist University are now going online here: http://cpgb.podbean.com/

[mossy noonmann]

how did it go?

what paper is the cpgb's? ( i get confused)

i used to live just round the corner and never knew there was a hall there. did they know you were political? how many could you fit in there at a push?

did you go to the wickham arms ?

[scarletghoul]

what paper is the cpgb's? ( i get confused)
They publish the Weekly Worker, which is amusing as I'm not sure any workers read it. Perhaps it's good for some people who are interested in obscure historical and theoretical points and sectarian irrelevence, but they really shouldn't pretend it's for the average worker, that's just arbitrary and silly. check out the latest exhilerating front page http://www.cpgb.org.uk/pdf/ww829.jpg

[Serge's Fist]

Moosy,

Reports will be in this weeks paper, I was at work but comrades said it went well.

Scarlet Ghoul,

Over 15,000 people read the paper every week, we sell the paper on picket lines, at union conferences and demonstrations. We sell it to the same audience as the economist papers that the left push. Every time I have sold the Weekly Worker on strikes I have only ever had a good response. Unlike you, we do not consider the working class stupid and illiterate so we do not dumb down Marxism and water down our politics like patronising tin pot Bolsheviks. What is more we have stated from day one that because of our situation and the dire state of the movement it is a paper of the communist movement, it is paper for political struggle.