politics is the only road to heaven now

the title comes from a rallying cry of the social gospel movement in winnipeg, 1920 or so. their goal was to 'build the kingdom of god on earth', in opposition to the mainstream churches who would tell poor people that, rather than attempt to change contitions here and now, they should hurry up and die, because heaven awaited the virtuous. wait a second, why make people suffer now? why not build the kingdom of god on earth? fabian socialists wanted to seize the state through democratic means. these sentiments came together in the resigned, yet determined title statement. politics is the only road to heaven now. j.s. woodsworth was elected as a progressive party m.p. for winnipeg north centre in 1920.

the goal of the british socialist party, at the turn of the 19th century, was to make only substantative policy change: enact a 100% inheritance tax. within one generation, all collected weath would be redistributed amongst the masses, and the bourgeousie would be back at the starting gate.

i have not listened to long fin killie in ages, which is disappointing. putting houdini on now is a revelation: i really had good taste in high school! it is still an unclassifiable album, drawing on stuff that i simply don't know, i can only assume for how novel a lot of it sounds. i don't have any similar albums, aside from their second album, valentino. there's some morrissey in here, definitely, in terms of the sexual politics and drama. the violin and woodcut aesthetic is different, though, as is the relative lack of misery, etc. hm. i listened to long fin killie before morrissey, too!

i finished fights of our lives tonight. it's been on my reading list for several years now, and didn't quite live up to its promise, but that's ok.

records that sound good while it is snowing.(it is snowing? the sky is snowing? the clouds are snowing? what is the "it" that is snowing...? that's a strange sentence structure, but i think it is technically correct. it is snowing.)

• cocteau twins, victorialand(1986)
  
• saint etienne, too young to die: singles 1990-1995 - i bought this without ever hearing saint etienne before, and it made my year. that would have been the end of 2000, i guess.
  
• jane siberry, no borders here(1983)
  
• bruce cockburn, high winds white sky(1971), and joy will find a way(1974)
  

'it' isn't snowing but i wish it would. the lake has been frozen over, just enough so that ducks can walk across, but dogs can't. last year it was frozen solid, and i walked across with my dog. perhaps we'll get a cold snap in january again.

i don't listen to the cocteau twins enough. i also don't explore enough. i had a great time exploring the other night. i will have to get my camera fixed soon, and take it out on trips. there is so much to explore! i will also need to compile a list of 24-hour establishments. i though i'd discovered a new 24-hour coffee shop, but in trrying to recall where it is, or when i'd found it, i think i just dreamed it. i seem to recall garett being present. it was near water, with a neon sign, standalone, round... called 'waves' or something similar. we didn't go in, but noted the sign in the window: 24hrs.