Socialist Standard October 2009

Socialist Standard magazine October 2009 -
Front cover: ‘Capitalism 2025: U.S. Spooks Make Their Predictions’
Editorial – ‘Capitalism and Health Care’
Articles –
‘Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World’.
An analysis of the US report designed to guide strategic thinking and inspire political action on behalf of the U.S. ruling class and its allies.

‘The rise and fall of the ILP’
With proposals to set up a united leftwing party to challenge Labour, we look at a previous attempt at this.

‘The disease that is capitalism’
What’s better - treating the symptoms or dealing with the cause?

‘Big Brother and the Robots’
A discussion of a Socialist Party meeting in London entitled ‘Here Come the Robots’

‘New roots of conflict’
The conflicts over oil may give way to another source of military dispute - lanthanide metals.

‘The SLP of America: a premature obituary?’
By some accounts, the Socialist Labor Party of America has ceased to function.

Regular features -
Pathfinders (pop science / technology) – ‘Is Technology Making Us Stupid?’
Material World – ‘Why they keep piling up manure: the psychology of wealth accumulation’
Pieces Together – news cuttings from mainstream media
Cooking the Books 1 (economics) – ‘It Isn’t Over ‘til it’s Over’
Cooking the Books 2 – ‘Funny Money’
50 Years Ago –  ‘The Power You Have’ (re. voting)
Voice From the Back - selected news items
Book Reviews -
The Mind of the Market : How Biology and Psychology Shape Our Economic Lives.  By Michael Shermer
Made to Break. Technology and Obsolescence in America.  By Giles Slade
Reports & Reflections on the 2009 UK Ford-Visteon Dispute: a Post-Fordist Struggle. Past Tense, June 2009

Plus letters, meetings, etc.