En Passant

The 99 Passant
I am about half through compiling the first volume of my most read (readers’ view) or most interesting (my view) articles from this blog.  Keep an eye out for Volume I of the 99 Passant when it is published later this year. I’ll keep you updated. (0)

More threats
As some of you may know I have been censoring the posts of a serial pest who makes anti-Muslim and racist comments and has in the past threatened me. He has posted again saying that the next time he is in my area – he names my street – he’ll ‘drop in to say g’day’. Clearly this is an attempt to further intimidate me. If anything happens to me or my family here are his details to provide to police.  jack 58.96.105.106  He has a druid name email at txc. (0)

Doctors and other bruises
I am having various tests and analysis done with a range of doctors over the coming weeks so may not be as communicative as normal on this blog. Bear with me. Hopefully I will be back in the New Year fighting fit. (4)

Marxism and women's liberation
Sharon Smith from the US International Socialist Organization talks about Marxism and women’s liberation in a very interesting video from Socialism 2012 in the US. (0)

Digital disruption and tax
Me in The Conversation today, with my second piece on the likes of Google and other highly mobile digital companies not paying much tax in Australia. Digital disruption is eroding Australia’s tax base (0)

Giant profits, tiny tax bills
It might well be a case of a stopped clock being right twice a day, but on the very day I had an article in The Conversation called Giant profits, tiny tax bills: time to close loopholes on corporate tax avoidance dealing with multinationals like Google et al and the inadequacies and problems with 20th century tax models for 21st century tax arrangements, Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury appointed the head of the revenue Group in Treasury, Rob Heferen, to develop a scoping paper to ‘set out the risks to the sustainability of Australia’s corporate tax base and look at the potential solutions.’ (0)

Turnover Time and Marx's Law of the Tendential Fall in the Rate of Profit
From Canberra comrade Peter Jones a very interesting paper: Abstract: This paper develops a method for quantifying the influence of four factors on the average rate of profit (ROP): the organic composition of capital (OCC), prices of constant capital, the rate of surplus value, and the average turnover time of variable capital. This is applied to data for the US from 1947-2011. The OCC is the largest influence on the ROP, and outside of periods of crisis, it rises consistently. But during 1947-1966 and 1980-97 the ROP was nevertheless able to rise, mainly due to shortening turnover times and cheapening constant capital. During periods of falling profitability these two counter-tendencies were absent or were reversed, leading to the crises of the mid-1970s and recently. This suggests that Marx correctly predicted the main direction of influence of the tendency and each counter-tendency, but that for the ROP to actually fall, capital cheapening and improvements in turnover time generally have to cease. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/49581464/Jones%2C%20Turnover%20Time%20and%20Marx%27s%20LTFRP%20v1.pdf (0)

Quote from Chomsky
I recently posted a supposed quote from Chomsky about Gaza which I checked before publication and which had been run in Salem-news, giving it some authenticity. The quote is in fact an amalgam of something Chris Hedges said in 2009 and something Chomsky said in 2004. Ceasefire has the details here. Given it is misquote I have removed it. My apologies to my readers and to Noam Chomsky. (0)

The politics of George Orwell
In Canberra Socialist Alternative’s next public meeting is on the Politics of George Orwell. As John Pilger reminds us, ‘Orwell is almost our litmus test. Some of his satirical writing looks like reality these days.’ This talk reclaims Orwell for the left. 6 pm Thursday 8 November Room G 8 Moran building ANU (0)

Labor's tax trickery
The Gillard government refuses to take on the business lobby, John Passant writes http://www.canberratimes.com.au/opinion/labors-tax-trickery-masks-deeper-moral-conflict-20121029-28dnl.html#ixzz2AcotC87J (0)