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Diary entries by ben_norman in October 2007
By Ben_Norman
on Thu, 25th Oct 2007 at 21:07
On the 24th and 25th of October ninety years ago a group of men and women determined to overthrow dictatorship, bring an end to war, abolish poverty and conquer exploitation triggered what was perhaps the most important event of the twentieth century. Out of the flames of war, and in the shadow of tyranny the Russian Revolution was born. Historians have, and will continue, to argue over the consequences of the revolution and the transition from the utopian ideals of Lenin and Trotsky to the blood-soaked dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. One thing is certain, at no other point in modern human history had there been such an opportunity to start again, to create a fair and equal society based on men’s needs, not men’s greed. In 1917 Socialism was alive, it was well and it was promising the liberation of all.
In 1989 that hope and optimism had long since been sent to the Siberian Gulags or purged by the secret police, the Soviet Union collapsed and Eastern Europe was released from a dictatorship which lasted over seven decades, a dictatorship which was not based on an inevitable corruption of those ideals but in response to the constant threat of war and Nuclear apocalypse. Many jubilant commentators heralded this as the end of history, the death of ideology. Socialism however is not dead; it has survived and continues to call for a better world. But What does it mean to be a socialist in the twenty first century? Does it require holding delusional notions of a grand world vision of equality which inevitably corrupts in to Stalinism? Is it the chosen ideology of dictators and corrupt regimes the world over? Does it make it necessary to address everyone as "comrade" or to wear a t-shirt with Che Guevara plastered across the front? Simply Put, No, Not at all. Socialism is the belief that people should campaign against the injustices in the world. It is the simple realisation that society is not fair and can be cruel and merciless. Socialism is against war, tyranny, poverty, oppression and greed wherever it may be found. It is an ideology which acts for the weak, for the majority. It is the hope and the dream that with one voice we can all show that we will not stand by and let the few profit from the suffering of millions.
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By Ben_Norman
on Thu, 25th Oct 2007 at 20:48
The new term is well underway, and there have already been many essential changes to the way your
In my manifesto I promised to increase participation, champion democracy, celebrate diversity and promote direct action. It is integral that you, as students and as the electorate hold me and the rest of the sabbatical team to account, to ensure we uphold the pledges we have made. Today is the first opportunity I have to tell you how I and the rest of the sabbatical team are delivering on those promises. The Equality, Ethics and Diversity committee, a project launched and pioneered by your President Elle Gray will act as the final reform of Union council, ensuring that your Union is now, finally, fully democratic. The newspaper that you are reading at this very moment is a fantastic new project created by your Media Officer Alex Harries ensuring wider participation and greater opportunities for student development; consider these projects as two examples of promises kept. As for my role, I have re-launched Volunteering in Portsmouth as an entirely student run and student led organisation to promote democracy. I have launched S.T.A.N.D, student training and new development to increase participation and student development. I am also working towards creating alcohol free nights to ensure that the Union is a welcoming place to all. It is especially important to me that international students feel that this Union is their Union. I have also continued to nurture the growth of societies, and this year I am proud to welcome a number of new societies into the
Your time in University is about opportunities. Here you have opportunities to become the person you want to be. Never before in your lives will you have had as many choices laid out for you. As your elected sabbatical team it is our task to provide those opportunities, taking them is a task that falls to you.
B.Norman
Student Activates and Development Officer ... About 0 more words in this entry about me"Like Gollum but with a bouncy walk"
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