Contents
Page Two
New Year Conference Report - Should Fabian EC be "representative"? - Legalise
all Drugs
Page Three Wales 2002 Conference Report - Fabian Speakers List - Llandudno Field Day
confirmed for 15 Febuary -
Field Day planned for Abergavenny
Page Four/Five
Newport Fabian Alan Wood Swansea speech on the prospects for world war,
perspectives of Islam
Page Six Strasbourg
Visit 8 March - full Group of twenty-one now complete
Page Seven
Fabian Frank Beal of Cardiff, and aged 92, outlines his socialist
vision...
Page Eight
Join the Fabians - Recruit a friend
Votes at 16
- Winter Fabian Review pp 8,9 carries an excellent For/Against review of the arguments
I favour votes at 16.
But my reason is not the pragmatic one, that "turnouts" will be increased - I have no sympathy with such self-serving manipulative concerns. Such arguments defeat the serious intent of the proposition.
I say
that at 16 our teenagers are ready to address the issues confronting their
society, and should be empowered to elect their legislative representatives.
Besides, it will make these more challenging for our emerging political salariat, whose power otherwise threatens to overwhelm us all.
Our teenagers have much to teach us about the workings of our society - about
recycling and the centrality of environmental concerns, about drugs, race
relations, gender equality - and about inter-generational relations.
This is the new logo of the Fabian Society - sharp, crisp, brisk, direct, and contemporary. The process fascinates me, by which typefaces move into and out of fashion. My hope is too that the Fabians will demonstrate the cutting-edge which this typeface implies...
- Contact The Fabian Society
What is Government FOR?
Aberystwyth challengeSwansea Fabian Dr Graham Humphrys challenged the Aberystwyth Fabians to re-define the very rationale for Government and "government intervention" in society. Speaking to Fabians at Aberystwyth University College on Monday 27 January, Dr Humphrys argued that it was for Fabians, at one remove from the current political leadership, to pose such questions.
"At every level, the appropriate functions of government are changing. Functions that were formerly discharged by national government now rest more appropriately with international associations - making war, securing environmental protection, migration management, action against drugs and international crime - none of these functions is now convincing, as a national function.
"With sub-national matters, following the examples of Scotland and Wales and many parallel European arrangements, it is becoming clearer that regional government would better perform functions previously considered to be the province of national government.
"And recognition is growing too that government at the level of the small town, neighbourhood and village os capable of assuming full responsibility for certain local functions