The Canterbury Socialist Society is pleased to confirm our second annual Fred Evans Memorial Lecture. For this lecture we invite a theorist, organiser, or other person of interest to speak on a topic pertaining to their expertise. Fred Evans was a prominent unionist during a pivotal moment in New Zealand labour history – the Waihi…
For our October event, CSS member David Colyer will present a lecture on some of the earliest aspects of the workers’ movement in New Zealand. In the late 1880s a new wave of radicalism swept the industrial world. Millions of workers joined new trade unions, socialist political parties, and the Knights of Labour, which was…
“War is the mass murder of workers. When workers refuse to obey the calls of their governments, there will be no more war” -Keir Hardie “I would close every recruiting station, disband the Army, and disarm the Air Force. I would abolish the whole dreadful equipment of war, and say to the world; ‘Do your…
“…against this collective power of the propertied classes the working class cannot act, as a class, except by constituting itself into a political party, distinct from, and opposed to, all old parties formed by the propertied classes; That this constitution of the working class into a political party is indispensable in order to ensure the…
“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” -Lenin Similar to our previous “show and tell” events, this will be an opportunity for anyone who would like to contribute to a discussion to bring some thoughts and reflections on the situation the working class finds itself in today in New…
“The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at…
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the developing situation with COVID-19 and travel restrictions Caleb has needed to return to the United States early. As such this event has been canceled. We regret missing the opportunity to speak with Caleb but are confident attendees understand that these are extraordinary circumstances. We are privileged to have the opportunity…
“The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on…
Climate and Capitalism: A Public Lecture on Climate Change and Capitalism “It seems to be easier for us today to imagine the thoroughgoing deterioration of the earth and of nature than the breakdown of late capitalism.” -Fredric Jameson “Socialists have all too often failed to take ecological issues seriously enough. However, this is not a…
“Our immediate aim should be chiefly educational… with a view to dealing with the crisis if it should come in our day, or of handing on the tradition of our hope to others if we should die before it comes.” -William Morris, 1884 Our first event for 2020 is a bit of a regroupment at…