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joerourke's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
a strong list of recommendations for how to implement and portray socialism in the modern world. focus on what people actually care about, not on inconsequential programmes that cost fuck tonnes
burning_sage's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
tomasz99's review against another edition
1.0
Really 101 in the full sense. There's nothing new here. You can browse in about 15 minutes. It would be nice as a textbook for 13-year-olds fascinated by politics.
Part one: definitions of socialism vs capitalism (booring), plus something about the NHS. Next.
Part two: cybernetics, of course the Cybersyn project. Classic. Democracy, culture war, neoliberalism, all in three paragraphs. The climate crisis, housing, the world of work, platforms, 2008 - all you have to do is open the first article you come across from any think tank to read the same thing. In Poland, both the left and the right write about it. Nihil novi sub sole.
And finally, we have the Program.
„Contemporary socialism cannot be authoritarian in nature, relying on a culture of conformity, as twentieth-century socialism so often did.”
What won't you say man?
Ah, then there's the Allende dictatorship. And then about the green deal. Of the empty passwords, only degrowth is missing (fortunately, this word is not mentioned anywhere).
“One obvious way to reduce the power of finance capital over the rest of society would be to create institutions such as local and national investment banks that could invest in and support new and small businesses, which would no longer be reliant on private loans and investments ; this would deprive financial institutions of their exclusive control over the allocation of capital and investment. Another way would be to take back into public ownership many of the services and institutions that have been privatized during the neoliberal era, from railways in the United Kingdom to refuse services in American municipalities.”
Truly revealing.
The author proposes UBS, UBI, democracy in schools, trade unions. Finally, a chapter on Strategy (there are plenty of strategists on the left, but there is no one to do it):
“any socialist project (at least outside the United States) must seek allies around the world and find ways to enable socialist movements. This history also suggests that socialism can be built only with the support of a real majority of a population”
Shocking.
Part one: definitions of socialism vs capitalism (booring), plus something about the NHS. Next.
Part two: cybernetics, of course the Cybersyn project. Classic. Democracy, culture war, neoliberalism, all in three paragraphs. The climate crisis, housing, the world of work, platforms, 2008 - all you have to do is open the first article you come across from any think tank to read the same thing. In Poland, both the left and the right write about it. Nihil novi sub sole.
And finally, we have the Program.
„Contemporary socialism cannot be authoritarian in nature, relying on a culture of conformity, as twentieth-century socialism so often did.”
What won't you say man?
Ah, then there's the Allende dictatorship. And then about the green deal. Of the empty passwords, only degrowth is missing (fortunately, this word is not mentioned anywhere).
“One obvious way to reduce the power of finance capital over the rest of society would be to create institutions such as local and national investment banks that could invest in and support new and small businesses, which would no longer be reliant on private loans and investments ; this would deprive financial institutions of their exclusive control over the allocation of capital and investment. Another way would be to take back into public ownership many of the services and institutions that have been privatized during the neoliberal era, from railways in the United Kingdom to refuse services in American municipalities.”
Truly revealing.
The author proposes UBS, UBI, democracy in schools, trade unions. Finally, a chapter on Strategy (there are plenty of strategists on the left, but there is no one to do it):
“any socialist project (at least outside the United States) must seek allies around the world and find ways to enable socialist movements. This history also suggests that socialism can be built only with the support of a real majority of a population”
Shocking.
frankied1's review against another edition
3.0
Whilst I thought this book offered interesting insights into what a more modern model of socialism could be made of, this book was seriously lacking in explaining how this large transfer of power to the people would occur. Gilbert seems incredibly naive in bashing attempts at crushing US imperialism and building socialist models, such as in the DPRK, and fails to at all recognise the force and violence needed to overcome such violent systems. He seems to not comprehend that factory owners won't simply hand the keys over to the workers because they proposed a nice idea, and is in denial about the fact that socialism is an overwhelming system that requires a revolution of brute force.
prancer's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
3.5
Great introduction to socialism. Had some good analysis on platform capitalism
mcomer's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good overview of the global political situation and a fairly good (if basic) guide as to how socialism can get us out of it. The first part, which details how we have gotten to a point where capitalism and its strictures rule and ruin the globe, can be a little eye-rollingly polemical, but the points are sharp and solid. The second part outlines the crises we as a global society face today, including the climate crisis, the cybernetic revolution, and increasing atomization; this part focuses on how capitalists and their cronies have shaped all of these issues, and how previous socialist movements have tried and often failed to combat it. Many such manifestos, when it gets to the part about the future, provide stirring rhetoric but no real plan to move forward. Jeremy Gilbert, conversely, does lay out some clear steps and principles that societies, groups, and individuals can follow to achieve a socialist future. He particularly emphasizes the importance of building truly democratic groups, workplaces, and societies - this, not individual atomization, is true freedom. All in all, a good introduction to the state of play in 2021, especially for those new to socialism and the left.
stphfrmn's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
A good little book covering the basics. Picked up some useful arguments and could see this being recommended to people who are interested in what socialism is.
helena_kolberg's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0