“If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle, unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial…
“Go back again, now you have seen us, and your outward eyes have learned that in spite of all the infallible maxims of your day there is yet a time of rest in store for the world, when mastery has changed into fellowship—but not before. Go back again, then, and while you live you will…
Anarchists of all varieties believe that the state lacks political authority—i.e., a special right to coercively rule its subjects. However, anarchists disagree about whether people have private property rights. This talk will defend the social anarchist rejection of such rights. Specifically, it takes Michael Huemer’s influential libertarian argument against state authority and redirects it against…
The Canterbury Socialist Society are back for 2025 with our first event, a panel exploring the political left in the context of local government. Local Government in Aotearoa/New Zealand is fairly opaque. The level of powers devolved to local bodies is less significant than in much of the world, but is nonetheless broader than often…
Central Otago-born Doug Jolly served on the front lines throughout the Spanish Civil War and in WW2, developing innovative systems for treating patients as soon as possible after they were injured. His systems were widely used by UK and US surgeons in WW2 and later wars, and their influence can be traced today in the…
The Otago Socialist Society is thrilled to be presenting this guest lecture for our October 2024 monthly event. Chris Lam is a recent graduate of the English programme at the University of Otago, having completed their master’s degree this year. Their research focuses on horror, alienation, and the weird in fiction. ———————————–Of Parasites and Plagues:…
The Canterbury Socialist Society is pleased to confirm our 2024 Fred Evans Memorial Lecture. For this lecture we invite a speaker to present on a topic related to working class politics and history in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Fred Evans was a prominent unionist during a pivotal moment in New Zealand labour history – the Waihi Miner’s…
Coming to us all the way from Chile, Pablo Abufom is the Sunday keynote speaker at the Second New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies National Conference – Labour Weekend 2024. Pablo will speak to “Resisting neoliberalism in Latin America: The 2019 Chilean revolt and the struggle for constitutional reform.” Please note: the Sunday keynote is…
The Saturday keynote panel of the Second New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies National Conference – Labour Weekend 2024 brings together experienced Tino Rangatiratanga activists Catherine Love (Te Ātiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Ruahinerangi), Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa), and Dougal McNeill to speak on “Te Tiriti and the struggle for socialism.” Wellington City…
Today the climate crisis and humanity’s broader relationship to non-human nature are among the most important questions for the Left to grapple with. However, even among socialists the Marxist theory of ecology is not widely known or discussed. This session will seek to introduce people to the ‘Theory of the Metabolic Rift’ and its application…