Today I went to a "Socialism Day", organised by Socialist Alternative, the Dutch branch of the Committee for a Workers' International. "Socialism" is a name regularly used by several CWI sections for open meetings that feature discussion, mostly introduced by CWI members.

The observant reader might note that I also went to a meeting organised by the SP branch in Breda recently with the same name. There is a simple reason for this: Once upon a time, back in the...

So I wanted to take up miniature-based wargaming as a hobby again, but what with having next to no disposable income, what was I to do?

I don't exactly remember where I got the idea from, but I was recently struck with the notion of using those little plastic toy soldiers, you know the ones I mean, the guys that come in tubs or bags of 100-200 individuals.

So I today I went down to the high street and bought two different tubs of cut-price commandos, as well two plastic...

Below is a translation of my introduction to the SP discussion meeting. I'm making a new post because it was too long for a comment.

The SP and the demand for the republic

Republican discussion: A non-discussion

There is no republican tradition anymore in the Netherlands. The most advanced that we now seem to have is the New Republican Society. I’ll quote from their website what they’re all about:

...

This is a response I made to a thread/post about the question of socialist organization and the role of Leninism. I was writing in response to an article from the Socialist Standard, the entirety of which can be found here.

I wanted to respond with my own rejection of what the authors of this article outlined regarding Lenin and the revolutionary party, but my response ended being much longer than I anticipated.
________________________________________


...

This morning, I told my fiancée of 2 1/2 years that I'm packing my bag & leaving her & our son. She has been such an incredibly positive influence in my life since we met, but I just can't stand to have the responsibilities of being a parent & spouse hanging over my head anymore. My son will be a year & a half old in just a few days, but I just can't take it anymore. They'll be better off without me.
Crystal, the woman who has stood by me, loved me despite everything...