Weekly Links - 23/09/07

First up this week I would like to plug the latest edition of the Socialist Register - Socialist Register 2007.

The Socialist Register, the intellectual lodestone of the international left since 1964, was founded by Ralph Miliband and John Saville in London as an annual survey of movements and ideas in the particular historical context of the British New Left. Currently edited by Leo Panitch and Colin Leys, with each annual volume constructed around a particular topical theme, it has consistently been committed to developing an independent relation to Marxism, free from sectarian and dogmatic positions.

The current volume is entitled "Coming To Terms With Nature" and contains a range of articles linked to environmental and Climate Change related issues. Among the contributors are Ecosocialist Manifesto co-author Michael Lowy and left German Green critic Frieder Otto Wolf.
In the preface, editors Colin Leys and Leo Panitch lay out their reasoning:

We see this volume as contributing to the development of a better eco-socialist understanding of contemporary capitalism, and the kind of politics that could lead to an ecologically sustainable as well as a democratic socialism.

Out amongst the bloggers this week Derek Wall has been talking about the 1953 Sci-fi novel, The Space Merchants. This put me in mind of Tim Barton's appraisal of the great science fiction writer Philip K Dick which he posted back in May.

It is the Party conference of the ruling party this week, and Dave Osler posted his pre-conference thoughts over at Dave's Part. Dave is predicting that New Labour will "merge with the Lib Dems" within five years, and reports on the deselection of Labour leftwinger (and Charlie Drake lookalike, judging from the picture Dave found!) Bob Wareing.

Meanwhile, the latest wrangling and upheaval in Respect continues to be covered critically at the Socialist Unity blog with posts on the 23rd here, the 22nd here and the 21st here.