UK UK Newswire Archive
March, chant, and repeat...
14-10-2010 15:27
This was originally submitted to a Bristol student newspaper, but wasn't published. This explains some of the remarks and the slightly 'explanatory' tone of the piece. I am putting it here mainly so I don't feel like I wasted my time writing it, although I imagine I'm preaching to the converted.Cuts – in case you hadn't noticed – are very much in vogue. On October 20th, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government will announce the results of its comprehensive spending review. Judging by what has been announced already, it is likely that the plans outlined in the review will be targeted largely at the poorest and most vulnerable within society. No doubt there will be a number of diversionary exceptions intended to create the image of spreading cuts across every sector of society – for an example, see the changes already proposed to child benefit payments. But the further privatisation of the welfare system, the NHS, and the numerous other cuts to all manner of social programs will inevitably places the biggest burden on those who can least afford it. Examples of such policies have already been provided: June's 'emergency budget', according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, left working families on the lowest incomes as the biggest losers.
What is truly startling about this is not that a Conservative-dominated government is enacting retrogressive policies, but rather the collective amnesia that seems to have afflicted the majority of the country's political and media classes. Despite the fact that the current deficit is almost entirely attributable to the financial meltdown that was caused by politicians and bankers, speculators, and stock market gamblers, the narrative most often heard is that the profligate spending of the New Labour administration is to blame. The most important aspect of this narrative is, of course, the idea that 'we are all in this together'. Despite the massive implausibility of such an idea, the recent Conservative Party Conference descended upon Birmingham with the tagline 'together in the national interest'. Nothing could be further from the truth, something ably demonstrated by the conference itself. £1,000 a head dinners, champagne receptions, and the confirmed attendance of the eighteen Conservative millionaires in the cabinet (not to mention however many other Tory MPs and party members' worth runs into six figures) are just some of the highlights of the blatant hypocrisy on show. What lies behind these slogans is in fact a project based on political ideals - not necessity – which seeks to drastically reduce the role of the state in any attempts to promote social equality and cohesion, and replace such attempts either with operations run for private profit, or with nothing at all. The New Labour government was in many ways also guilty of trying to implement similar ideals, but on a scale nowhere near that intended by the coalition government.
It was with such things in mind that on Sunday 3rd October I took the decision to travel to Birmingham and join the demonstrations against both government policy and the conference itself. Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people (depending on whose numbers you believe) had made the same decision – not bad for a rainy Sunday spent outside. The atmosphere throughout the afternoon verged between joyful and enraged, and preceded by a number of speakers ranging from the rousing to the risible, the demonstration set off at about one o'clock to the sound of chanting and soggy, stamping feet.
After about two hours the march came to an end, in a grey street, next to a half-flooded car park about a mile away from the conference we were there to protest against. Conveniently, it was the very same car park in which there were a number of coaches waiting to take a large number of the protesters home. Fair enough, I thought. We had probably all had enough of wandering around in the rain. However, I couldn't help but feel somewhat embittered towards the organisers, who go under the name of the Right to Work campaign. They have hailed the day as a success, claiming that people came in their thousands 'to tell David Cameron and the Tories we won't pay for a crisis we did not create' (http://sites.google.com/site/righttoworkconference/home...begun). It is true that people came in their thousands. However, there was an utter failure to tell the Tories anything. On a route negotiated with the police, the closest any of us got to the conference itself was a distance of about 300 metres, with hundreds of police officers and eight foot high metal fences preventing us getting any closer.
For their part, the police are 'very pleased with the way the march [went]' (http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/np/birminghamwestand...=1236). This is a serious problem. By agreeing to march along a route negotiated with the police, the very purpose of protest itself is nullified. Protests can be successful in a number of ways: two of the most important include either succeeding in disrupting the event or practice that the protest opposes, and making people aware of why a protest is taking place. The events of Sunday 3rd October achieved neither of these. The conference continued as if nothing was happening, whilst the march was directed largely through empty backstreets and past identikit office buildings, providing almost no opportunity for engagement with people who may well be interested in finding ways to oppose government 'austerity' policies.
Before the march, John McDonnell (a Labour MP, no less), spoke enthusiastically about the need for, amongst other things, direct action, a statement that was followed by a resounding cheer from the crowd. Direct action comes in a number of forms – strikes, sit-ins, occupations, blockades, sabotage, and so forth. The attitude displayed by the organisers and the vast majority of protesters was one that reflected a desire to do nothing more than march, chant, and repeat, ad infinitum. There is certainly a time and a place for such things, and there is no doubt that it feels good and helps to build a further sense of unity amongst those already involved and committed. However, it does nothing to bring new people toward a campaign or change the course of government policy.
There are local movements across the country aiming to halt the move towards the increases in social inequality that will be caused by the abolition, downsizing, and privatisation of the welfare state (a welfare state which, it is worth nothing, was largely created when Britain's debt as a percentage of GDP was 250%, in the period following WWII (http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Countering-the-cuts-myths)). If these movements want to make a serious attempt at halting the reactionary policies the government intends to impose upon the country, they will need to more than participate in marches negotiated with the police. Undoubtedly, there will be strikes by workers in a number of unions. However, without a wider social movement working to support those strikes as well as taking action of its own accord, these strikes are unlikely to have any impact.
Many of us have grown up in a country where a vast number of public utilities (railways, water, electricity) are already run for private profit, not public benefit. We can choose to grow older in a country (indeed, a world), where ever more institutions established for social welfare are subordinated to the ideals of the market. Universities already have been, and that logic appears to be leading to uncapped tuition fees. If it seems desirable to apply such ideas to the NHS, unemployment benefit, and protection for the sick, elderly, and disabled, all we have to do is sit back, turn on the television, and do nothing. However, regardless of what the government and their cheerleaders in the media are so keen of saying, there will be no wider social benefits to removing what remains of the welfare systems that so many people in decades past struggled, and in some cases, died, to establish, and on which so many people now rely. Quite the opposite: there will be very narrow benefits, chiefly to those politicians and commentators who see the removal of such systems as a notch on their ideological bedpost, and to their friends in business who will be able to make money from it. There is a protest organised by the Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance in response to the comprehensive spending review, due to meet at 11:00 on Saturday October 23rd, in Castle Park by Broadmead. For those of us who believe that the policies the government would like to impose on us are in fact a choice (not a necessity) and that they should be opposed, it would be worth our while to turn up and think about doing more than simply marching, chanting, and repeating.
‘Enough is enough’ declares greyhound owner
14-10-2010 13:31
Owner questions involvement in greyhound racing following spate of injuries.Arms and Careers at Bristol Uni
14-10-2010 13:28
Die-in at BAe stall (courtesy Tristan Martin)I spent a fairly depressing couple of hours yesterday inside, and out the front of, Bristol Uni's Engineering & IT Careers Fair. A very well attended event - there must have been more than a thousand students. Some 53 employers attended. So far, so harmless.
The problem was that an incredible number of these employers are involved in the "defence industry". A euphemism for people who build machines to kill and main human beings. In particular we had....
... Thales, QinetiQ, Atkins, GCHQ, Tessella, the Defence Engineering and Science Group, Babcock, Rolls Royce, the Royal Navy, Agusta Westland, BAe Systems, and the Atomic Weapons Agency...
All of the stalls were bright and shiny - I have a pile of glossies that were being given out to all and sundry - and were manned by young, hip characters speaking the language of de yoof. Perhaps I'm getting too old and cynical, but the students seemed to be lapping it up eyes wide, brains unplugged. The great undead seeking a job.
Nice jobs too. Good conditions on very attractive "graduate programmes". Starting salaries in the region of 25K with all the perks, travel, opportunity for promotion etc etc. It's an easy sell.
Protest
For my part, I gave out a few leaflets I'd drawn up suggesting that people THINK before they sleepwalk into one of these jobs. I was very happy to be joined after an hour or so by a bunch of students thinking along similar lines.
They had placards focusing on the presence of BAe, and at their particularly hideous reputation in matters of corruption, graft, and violence. They also staged a rather satisfying "die-in" next to BAe's stand. More power to them.
A little background
First some cause for hope: according to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, arms companies have been struggling to recruit enough graduates to their dirty game. They quote Dick Olver, the Chairman of BAE, as saying, “Without action , the UK's widening skills gap will have become an irreversible gulf”. Fucking nice one!!
On the downside, I've also looked into possibilities around pressuring Bristol Uni to stop these guys coming on campus. It turns out that the Careers Fairs pretty much fund the entire Bristol University Careers Service. Central university funding for this service has pretty much frozen since the 1980's. The ever-widening gap between central funds, and required funds, is filled by the hefty fees these companies pay to attend these fairs.
Which says two things: (1) those companies really want to be there! If they're paying through the nose, they must NEED to be there. Which suggests that this is a weak point where we could hit them. (2) On the downside, the Careers Service simply can't afford for them NOT to be there. The big companies have the big cash, simple as that.
The way ahead
It's a long and winding road, but maybe one day we'll get there. To a world without BAe Systems and their ilk. There are plenty of people in Bristol doing good stuff agains the arms trade - while I was at the careers fair, a lot of good people were fighting the good fight in Brighton:
http://bristol.indymedia.org.uk/article/694176
If you're in Bristol and want to act against the arms fair, get in touch, or check out some of the splendid groups below:
http://universities.caat.org.uk/
http://decommissioners.co.uk/
We'll stop 'em yet.
Smash EDO protest ends with mass arrests in Brighton
14-10-2010 13:10
The protest at EDO MBM/ITT, a top ten U.S. defence contractor, aimed to shut the factory down for the day. Hundreds of police ensured that no one got near the facility and ended the day with mass arrests. Brighton, United Kingdom, 13/10/2010.Pictures from the day;
http://www.demotix.com/news/473932/smash-edo-protest-ends-mass-arrests-brighton
County Hall Attacked
14-10-2010 11:38
The Nottinghamshire County Hall was attacked last night with hammers and graffiti. Messages of "Fight the Cuts" and "Fuck Austerity" were left on the walls of the entrance facing the trent, whilst several windows were smashed.London Animal Rights Group meeting - Wednesday 28th October
14-10-2010 10:40
Wednesday 28th October
Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, WC1R 4RL
Striking port workers in Marseille know the truth (modified by General Joe)
14-10-2010 10:18
"They (French workers) are “fighting privatization,” as we all should be. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be a slave to private capital either! This article, like most in the capitalist press, omits this essential information to benefit the owners and bosses. Get a clue folks and stand up and fight back or be prepared to have everything stolen from you. Remember, the rich don’t want but one thing. And that’s “everything.” Kind a makes the bank bailouts a little more understandable don’t you think. See “class war” all around you."Cumbrian Greenfield Nuclear Sites 'Removed'
14-10-2010 09:50
Free Film-Making Course and Free film Screenings Programme in Glasgow
14-10-2010 09:23
Digital Desperados, a Glasgow based group, are pleased to announce our two new projects.
Anarchist Federation release October 2010 Resistance
14-10-2010 09:23
OCTOBER 2010 RESISTANCE is out.
Features include: SCOTTISH COMMUNITIES RESIST OPEN CAST MINING, Anti-racist resistance in Bradford and Brighton, Coca-cola strike, The Pope, UK and international workplace roundup, France pension strike, Spanish miners, Greece mass demo by truck drivers, Hackney Pride, Cape Town residents, AF group roundup, Forthcoming events, and more.
Linda Norgrove - another perspective
14-10-2010 08:29
The official story makes no sense. Special forces chuck a grenade at the person they should rescue? Rescue of a Brit carried out by the US? There is more to this story.Crude Awakening - Final Checklist for this Saturday
14-10-2010 07:38
This is it. 2 days to go. Oil – time’s up!Yes! to Fairer Votes Bristol: 2nd meeting
14-10-2010 06:27
Change the Govt: change the electoral systemWe have a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to change our anti-democratic electoral system which has kept the duopoly in power for 92 years.
Come to:
The Naval Volunteer
King Street
Yes! to Fairer Votes is a non-partisan, single-issue coalition
English Defence League V Muslim Defence League London rally October 42th
14-10-2010 04:24
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/10/464466.html] All anti racists should attend to oppose the fascists outside the Israeli Embassy October 24th
Police Station Squatted In London
14-10-2010 01:48
What follows is a communique' from the occupied to the occupiers:
The Crude Awakening - this Saturday, 10 AM! Final checklist...
13-10-2010 23:53
So this one is going to be short and sweet. Here’s your final checklist.Dark Light Graffiti Exhibition @ The Refectory 1
13-10-2010 23:27
A Graffiti Session, exhibition, and a bit of a party etc.
A Graffiti Session, exhibition, and a bit of a party etc.
At The Refectory, Hooton Steet off Carlton Road, Nottingham.
Is the writing on the wall for Cllr.Collins
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2010/02/445811.html
Oxygen Thievz
http://www.oxygenthievez.com
LightDark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNDEFjF4144
OhMyGosh Charity Live Graffiti Art Session & Street Party
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2009/03/424854.html
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2009/03/424875.html
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Dark Light Graffiti Exhibition @ The Refectory 2
13-10-2010 23:27
A Graffiti Session, exhibition, and a bit of a party etc.
A Graffiti Session, exhibition, and a bit of a party etc.
At The Refectory, Hooton Steet off Carlton Road, Nottingham.
Is the writing on the wall for Cllr.Collins
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2010/02/445811.html
Oxygen Thievz
http://www.oxygenthievez.com
LightDark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNDEFjF4144
OhMyGosh Charity Live Graffiti Art Session & Street Party
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2009/03/424854.html
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2009/03/424875.html
____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham. UK
Email: tash@indymedia.org
Web: http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
<ends>
Full article | 1 addition | 3 comments
SmashEDO besiege Brighton bomb factory
13-10-2010 20:25
Today the Smash EDO ITT's Hammertime demonstration saw 300 protesters surrounding Brighton's bomb factory and demonstrating against EDO/ITT for six hours.The demo was named for the 2009 Decommissioning, when a group of activists broke in to the EDO/ITT factory, decommissioning it with hammers to stop the production of weapons components being used by the Israeli military in the Gaza war. The Decommissioners were victorious in court, when they were unanimously acquitted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage in June.
Ratcliffe on Trial
13-10-2010 19:10
21 climate change activists face a Crown Court trial for defending the future of our planet. Their crime: Planning to shut down the UK’s third largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.