The Socialist Party of Massachusetts (SPMA) held its annual State Convention in Worcester on Saturday. Seven members showed up at the Stone Soup Community Center, where they discussed the agenda for 2008.


The group encircled a pamphlet-covered coffee table to discuss the anti-war movement, International Women's Day, universal healthcare, this year's presidential election and how to expand the party's modest base (as of 2006, there were 176 registered Socialist voters in Massachusetts).

The Allston/Brighton Neighborhood Assembly (ABNA), a group of residents, local workers and allies, has declared its opposition to any "public benefits" package from Harvard. Harvard and some of our neighbors have suggested that a benefits package could compensate for the University's massive expansion into North Allston and Brighton. ABNA feels that arguing over benefits will pit neighbors against each other. This is a classic "divide and conquer" strategy.