YCL Vancouver - What's coming up?

Discussion Group

The second to last part of our extensive study groups on historical materialism will be January 30th at 5:30pm, just before the Left Film Night, at the Centre for Socialist Education (706 Clark Dr.). If you couldn't make it for previous parts don't worry you can still catch up! Reading material will be Historical Materialism by Maurice Cornforth chapters 7 and 8.

Read Historical Materialism for free online: http://leninist.biz/en/1971/HM147/index.html

Facebook event


Left Film Night

"The Cradle Will Rock"

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, 7 pm
Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver

**************
Directed by Tim Robbins, 1999, 132 minutes

Set in the turbulent 1930’s, The Cradle Will Rock focuses on the National Theatre Company, set up during the Depression to help out-of-work actors present live theatre to culture-starved audiences. The film centers on attempts to block the production of a left-wing musical about union organizing at a steel factory. Director Tim Robbins fills the screen with a rich assortment of characters, from Orson Welles, to Nelson Rockefeller and revolutionary Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, covering the social spectrum from industrialists to union organizers and the unemployed. During this time of escalating state & corporate repression of civil liberties, The Cradle Will Rock is an important reminder that the struggle for freedom must be won again by each new generation.

No charge for admission; donations welcome. Coffee and refreshments available. Left Film Nights are presented by the Centre for Socialist Education, Young Communist League, and the Vancouver East and Montivero Clubs of the Communist Party of Canada. Call 604-255-2041 or email for further information.


Skills Development Weekend

The YCL BC will be holding a skills development weekend at the Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark Dr., on March 12-13. The event will bring together YCLers and friends for a weekend of education and the development of activist skills. Registration is $20. Billets will be available in Vancouver. Further details including full programme and registration information will be coming very shortly. E-mail ycl_bc@ycl-ljc.ca for information.

Rally in Solidarity with Postal Workers - January 21st

YCL Vancouver January meeting and film night

YCL Vancouver meeting -- January 22

Our first club meeting of the year will be held on January 22 at 6pm. The venue will be our office at the Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark Dr. The draft agenda is below. The meeting will be followed at 7:30pm by a continuation of our discussion of Maurice Cornforths book Dialectical Materialism. We will be looking at chapters 5 and 6. You can read it online for free at: http://leninist.biz/en/1971/HM147/index.html


Draft Agenda
Roll call
Previous minutes
Membership

Old Business
World Festival of Youth & Students report back & discussion

Standing Items
Student movement
- Post Secondary
- High School

Peace & international solidarity
- WPF (guest)
- Western Sahara
- Other

Young workers movement
- BCFED Convention/Young Workers Conference report back
- EARN
- Minimum Wage
- Other if any

Rebel Youth
- Discussion of new issue
- Distro plan for new issue
- Subscriptions
- Next issue

Culture & Agit-Prop
- Left Film Night on Jan. 30
- Other

New Business
- Report from Provincial Committee about Winter School and other items

Adjourn



Left Film Night -- January 30

"The Cradle Will Rock"

Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011, 7 pm
Centre for Socialist Education, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver

**************
Directed by Tim Robbins, 1999, 132 minutes

Set in the turbulent 1930’s, The Cradle Will Rock focuses on the National Theatre Company, set up during the Depression to help out-of-work actors present live theatre to culture-starved audiences. The film centers on attempts to block the production of a left-wing musical about union organizing at a steel factory. Director Tim Robbins fills the screen with a rich assortment of characters, from Orson Welles, to Nelson Rockefeller and revolutionary Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, covering the social spectrum from industrialists to union organizers and the unemployed. During this time of escalating state & corporate repression of civil liberties, The Cradle Will Rock is an important reminder that the struggle for freedom must be won again by each new generation.

No charge for admission; donations welcome. Coffee and refreshments available. Left Film Nights are presented by the Centre for Socialist Education, Young Communist League, and the Vancouver East and Montivero Clubs of the Communist Party of Canada. Call 604-255-2041 or email for further information.

YCL BC eBulletin - December 2009

The December 2009 eBulletin can be viewed here

E-mail ycl_bc@ycl-ljc.ca to subscribe.

On the State of BC Electoral Politics

YCL BC Executive Committee
November 25, 2010

British Columbians were recently pleasantly surprised when, in an obvious attempt to put the brakes on a popularity free fall, the BC Liberals forced the resignation of their leader, Premier Gordon Campbell. While trying to shake the scandal of undemocratically instating the HST payout to big business this government has publicly flogged and booted the Energy Minister, Bill Bennet, for being critical of the failing regime. But cracks are showing in other areas of Liberal policy, including the question of BCs shameful $8 minimum wage. While we welcome the resignation of the Premier, the firing of the minister, and the possibility of a minimum wage increase, this must not be used as a way to divert public attention from the lies and failings of the BC Liberal government. Full, complete, and immediate, resignation of the entire government is the only remedy to the political problems facing BC.

Meanwhile, the opposition BC NDP has begun to prepare for election. But the division around the leadership of Carole James has broken out into a public fight. While it is not our place to advise our NDP sisters and brothers on who ought to lead their party, we do express concern with James' moves to distance the NDP from labour and to reach out to business. We reject the politics of "fairness" between business and labour and maintain that one cannot represent both the working people and their bosses. Two NDP MLAs have left that party recently, Bob Simpson and Katrine Conroy, in public protest over the unwillingness to hold a leadership convention. We hope for a strong, united, NDP with progressive policies going in to the next election. The danger from the right is too great to risk.

This danger comes not only in the form of the disintegrating Liberal Party which is struggling to find legitimacy in the wake of its own collapse, but also in the increased popularity of both the BC Conservative Party and the BC First Party, both of which have been given increasing media attention in recent weeks. These parties represent the same backwards, big-business interests as the Liberals and will undoubtedly continue their anti-worker, anti-youth, anti-student offensive.

The Young Communist League re-iterates its call for resignation or recall of the BC Liberals. We reject wholeheartedly the Conservative and BC First Parties. Our schools, ours hospitals, our libraries, our collective agreements; our province and everything that working people have fought for in BC are at is at stake. It's time for progressives across the province to unite and ensure that every pro-corporate candidate is defeated in the next election so that our province can begin down a new path. It's up to us as workers, you, and students, to stand up before, during, and after that election and actively make sure that our interests are looked after - no matter what government takes power. The economic hardship of Canada's lowest minimum wage, highest child poverty, and increasing barriers to education must be stopped or BC is in trouble for a generation to come.

Drop the 2010 Olympic Legacy of Poverty!

Young Communist League – BC Executive Committee

On November 17th it was announced that Millennium Water, the developer responsible for the 2010 Olympic Village, had gone into receivership. This means the value of the frivolous of excessive high-cost condos will be shouldered by the people of British Columbia. Yet another blow to B.C., the fightback must advance to block the further misuse of tax money.

British Columbians cannot shoulder the $750 million dollars for this housing, most of which is out of the reach of regular working people. The Young Communist League demands that corporate taxes be raised to cover the cost of the housing, and the project be transitioned into low-cost units for working class, low-income families.

Furthermore, corporate income tax should bare the complete burden of all low income housing. Dedicated homes for students must be provided at no cost for a truly accessible education system. Instead of paying out for the 2010 Olympic Circus, money must be used to fund real people and their immediate needs.

The fate of Millennium Water proves both that the poor planning of the Olympics is going to leave a lasting economic scar on B.C., and that the interests of working people are not being advanced by the Provincial and Vancouver Municipal governments. Now is the time for change, British Columbians cannot wait until the next election to boot out corporate politicians. Affordable, accessible housing now!

Discussion Group Postponed

Tonight's discussion group is postponed. Details of the new date and time will be coming shortly.