The Socialist Network Annual Meeting is just nine days away – it runs from Friday 23rd of October to Sunday 25th inclusive – and will be covering some of the key issues for the international left (see Agenda below).
This year the meeting is being held in Athens, Greece, which has seen such drama this year in the struggle against austerity being imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
Kicking off the meeting will be a speech from renowned socialist economist, Michael Roberts, who will analyse the causes of the capitalist crisis we are still passing through, and open up a discussion on the alternatives.
Building on this, Jonathan Clyne will be introducing his new version of the Socialist Manifesto which points to the kind of society we need to replace capitalism with.
On the second day of the conference we will be hearing from our Editor Pat Byrne on the national and international significance of the momentous election of left-winger Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the British Labour Party. We will also hear a report from the international Campaign for a Democratic Public Banking Service which The Socialist Network has played a big part in launching recently.
On the final day some Greek socialists will detail the latest situation in Greece and discuss possible ways to resolve the crisis in favour of the Greek people rather than the international financial institutions. Indeed, the weekend will be a great opportunity to meet local comrades from both Syriza and the new left-wing party Popular Unity.
If you would like to attend the Annual Meeting in Athens either in person or online please contact our Coordinator, Jonas, who will provide you with all the relevant details (venue, accommodation, etc.). Jonas can be reached by email at: jonas_ryberg
AGENDA
Friday 23rd Oct
10.00 Welcome & Opening Remarks: Leonidas Karigiannis (Socialist Expression).
10.30 The Causes of the Capitalist Crisis ? Speaker Michael Roberts (marxist economist and blogger).
13.00 Lunch
14.30 Socialist Manifesto parts 1 and 2 (the capitalist class and the working class) ?Introduced by Jonathan Clyne (Socialist Network, Sweden).
17.00 Report of the Coordinating Committee and nominations of officers ? Jonas Ryberg (TSN Coordinator).
18.00 Close
Saturday 24th Oct
10.00 The Implications of the new left-wing British Labour Party leadership ? Introduced by Pat Byrne (TSN Editor).
13.00 Lunch
14.30 Socialist Manifesto parts 4 and 5 – the basis for a new society and a democratic movement ? introduced by Jonathan Clyne (Part 3 of the Manifesto is about the capitalist crisis and should be discussed during that session on Friday morning).
If we have time: Developing the ‘Socialists and the Mass Organisations’ document (including an update about the British Labour Party).
17.30 Campaign for Democratic Public Banking Service ? introduced by Tim Horvath (Joint Campaign Organiser)
18.30 Close
Sunday 25th Oct
10.00 ? Introduced by a comrade from the Greek group Socialist Expression
13.00 Lunch
14.00 TSN Organisation
+ Website, Facebook ? TSN Editor Pat Byrne (Turkey)
+ Treasurer?s report ? TSN Treasurer Stefan Söderberg (Sweden)
+ Membership report ? TSN Membership officer Tim Horvath (Portugal)
15.30 Constitution & Venue and Date of Next Annual Meeting
16.00 Election of Officers
16.30 Meeting Roundup – Remarks by attendees
16.50 Closing of the Meeting by Manzoor Ahmed (Revolutionary Struggle, Pakistan)
Great job , like to take part online from Pakistan