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What is LM?
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LM is a the big-mouthed, broad-minded magazine that will
shout what others don't dare to whisper. We live in an age
of caution and conformism, when critical opinions can be
outlawed as 'extremism' and anything new can be rubbished as
'too risky'. Ours is an age of low expectations, when we are
always being told what is bad for us, and life seems limited
on all sides by restrictions, guidelines and regulations.
The spirit of LM is to go against the grain: to oppose
all censorship, bans and codes of conduct; to stand up for
social and scientific experimentation; to insist that we
have the right to live as autonomous adults who take
responsibility for our own affairs. These are basic human
values that cannot be compromised if we are ever going to
create a world fit for people.
LM aims to be a forum for argument over the big issues
that have been squeezed out of public debate today. If you
have something to say that is worth hearing, let us know.
A
revolutionary project for our times
The Point Is To Change
It
If you have any comments or suggestions read this and
join in the debate, either in the discussion areas, or email
us at lm@informinc.co.uk.
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Who writes for LM?
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The editor of LM is Mick Hume. Anybody can submit
articles for consideration in the published version of the
magazine or commentaries for the Online version.
Please send full contact details (including postal address)
with any submission either by email to
lm@informinc.co.uk or by
post to LM, InformInc, BM InformInc, London WC1N 3XX,
England.
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How do I get involved?
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The best way to get involved (if you don't live in the
UK) is to help in Online campaigning. This involves
publicising the Online chats we hold at regular intervals
and publicising specific issues (either commentaries or
articles in the magazine) as they become topical.
Mail us at
lm@informinc.co.uk for the
current topic.
You can also join one of the readers' groups which meet
in major cities or start one yourself. Mail us for details
of the group nearest you at
lm@informinc.co.uk.
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Where can I buy
LM?
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LM is sold by subscription (£22.50 for addresses in
Britain and Northern Ireland, £30 for addresses in
Europe and £40 for addresses outside Europe), in
various WH Smiths and John Menzies throughout the UK and by
streetsellers in major cities in Britain.
There is also a list of
US
stockists in the bookstore. You can get a
subscription
direct from informinc Publications, from the bookstore.
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What is your alternative?
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While we have no crystal ball or blueprint for what a
future society will look exactly like, we do have some
ideas.
There
is an Alternative
For
the tyranny of the majority
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Isn't Marxism dead?
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We don't think so. In fact, the people involved in the LM
project think that promoting ideas which will lead to
fundamental social change are more important now than ever
before. As capitalism and capitalist societies decay and
stagnate we aim to recreate revolutionary ideas for the late
1990s. Read
A
revolutionary project for our times
Marx
and the Marxologists
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How will change come about?
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We believe in revolutionary change. However we recognise
that it is unlikely to happen in the near future. The first
task of revolutionaries in the 1990s is to recreate some
self-esteem, to regenerate an idea that social change is not
just necessary but that it is also possible. For an
examination of the central problem facing society if social
change is to be put back on the agenda Read
Communal
self-sacrfiice
Rescuing
the subject
Tyranny
of Rights
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You take up a lot of
issues that don't seem to have
much of a 'class' content. Why is this?
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A lot of people have pointed out that LM is more likely
to comment on the latest health panic than on a strike or on
the internal shenanigans in the Tory Party. This is very
true. We think that to make an impact on politics in the
1990s you have to address the issues which concern most
people. Most people are not interested in the
'old-fashioned' issues like parliamentary politics. They are
more concerned with their own health and less with the
health of public discourse.
Ban
these evil spoons
Why
mad cows are bigger than EMU
The
dangers of safety
Body politics
Forget
poverty, let's talk about the real issues
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Why does LM oppose all bans - even on
racists?
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We don't. However, we recognise that in a censorious
climate it is important to recognise what are real threats
and what are mere inconveniences. Thus, our support for free
speech is driven by an opposition to controls and
censorship. We live in an era in which more and more
controls are being placed on what we can do, what we can see
and what we can say. In this climate, it is important that
we counterpose freedom of speech to censorship.
It is also important to expose racist and other
objectionable ideas for what they really are. We believe
that people are perfectly capable of making up their own
minds about ideas and do not need any other body to decide
for them what is and is not acceptable. We are not children.
You can Read
Racist
Psychology Lecturer Faces Ban , LM commentary
The
Campaign for Internet Freedom
Some of the articles on this issue which have appeared
recently in LM include:
The
new inquisition
Why
ban racist Brand?
Soft totalitarianism
Free
speech on campus
Ban
Nothing and
You
can't ban bad news
The
right to be offensive
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Aren't people too selfish for any sort
of real change to come about?
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Read
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Human nature is often blamed by those who are too willing
to accept things the way they are. Marxists reject the
concept of human nature and instead argue that the problems
facing humanity today are social. That is not to say that
individuals are not shaped by their environment and
therefore may express apathy in an age when no alternative
is on offer. However, it is then up to those who do want to
change the world to offer an alternative.
For an example of LM's views on human nature Read
No
natural born killers
Community
Conformity
There have been a number of reviews in LM on the issues
of human nature and social constructionism.
The
trouble with men
A
woman's nature?
Psyche
and Society
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Isn't the biggest problem ignorance?
Shouldn't we aim to ensure that everybody is better
educated?
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Everybody should have an excellent education. But that,
in itself, will not change society as the inequalities
within society are stronger than any teaching method.
Education is also very much a fetished service. For a look
at that, and other problems with the British education
system Read
Degrading
education
Teaching
people their place
A
comprehensive failure
A
deficit of education.
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If we don't know whether what we are
doing to the environment today will cause lasting damage,
shouldn't we be careful anyway?
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The principle that what we don't know must be bad news is
periodically referred to as the 'precautionary principle'.
This principle is fundamentally paralysing and, if taken to
its logical conclusions, would mean that no experiments
would be carried out, there would be no scientific
investigation and trials on anything unknown would be
stopped. The implications are that society would begin to
regress. As innovators we regard the possibility that this
might happen as horrific.
For more on this read the following:
The
Dangers of Safety
New
food, no danger
Carry
on the car
Who's
afraid of nature's revenge?
Who's
afraid of global warming?
The
dangers of sustainable development
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When will all the back issues be
available online?
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At the moment, we put the current issue (as available in
bookstores and to subscribers) Online once the following
issue goes on sale which is on the last Thursday of the
month. We now have all the back issues since number 40
Online. If we receive lots of requests for previous issues,
we will consider putting them on. At the moment, we feel
that developing and promoting our current and future work
takes precedence.
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Who updates the LM Online pages?
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Webmaster is
Sally Gray .
She is assisted by Nico, Richard, David and Chris.
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Can I repost articles from the LM
Online site?
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Of course, provided that you reference it to the LM
Online site and let us know that you have done so.
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Why is the server sometimes slow?
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We are constantly updating our technology. However, with
so many people visiting the site we do sometimes experience
overload and the server is sometimes slow. If you would like
to help us to buy better and faster equipment all donations
are gratefully received.
Please make cheques/sterling drafts payable to informinc
Publications and send to BM JPLTD, London WC1N 3XX England.
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