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MayDay 2002 - in the countryside

Daniel Brett | 04.05.2001 12:15

The countryside has the same problems as the city, but is harder to police!

I definately think there is room for showing solidarity with people in the countryside. Forget the Chelsea farmers union and the gentry that dominate the Countryside Alliance. It's the small farmers and farm shops that need support. They produce the food we eat. They are often hampered from doing anything but produce the chemical-driven high yields that the EU and the government demand them to produce. As anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist activists, we should campaign for local production for local need. Farmers, particularly small holders, are the key to this and we should give them support to diversify crops, go organic and help the local wildlife.

The problem is that many on the left are silent on countryside matters because they see it as the stronghold of the right. But rural people are just as adversely affected by capitalism as anyone else - and the issues concerning public transport and environment are just as important as any urban area.

The next MayDay demonstration should be in the countryside. It's hard to police and could cause just as much mayhem. I suggest the M11 junction that leads to Stansted Airport. There's a petrol station and a group of corporate businesses in the service station plus the worries local people have over airport expansion proposals and creeping urbanisation. An occupation of the roundabout would close down the M11 and Stansted airport. How about it?

Daniel Brett
- e-mail: dan@danielbrett.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Hey Dan

04.05.2001 12:27

I don't think this is the place to be discussing action locations for next year really now is it.

-


novel idea

04.05.2001 14:44

Perhaps a good idea. Focus on positive disruptive activity to benefit people, rather than using the rather tired option of marching ourselves into easily cornerable streets on the Met's home turf

Paxman


Why not?

04.05.2001 15:27

Why can't we discuss plans and proposals here? If not here, then where? This seems to be an open democratic forum to express opinions, unless you believe everything has to be done secretly behind closed doors. Then it's hardly different from a bunch of Trots telling us how to behave and what to do.

Daniel Brett
mail e-mail: dan@danielbrett.co.uk


Don't forget the farmworkers

04.05.2001 15:34

Don't forget the people who actually work the land. They have been totally excluded from any discussion of the countryside - the NFU only represents landowners and employers. Casual workers in the industry only get £3.73 an hour - thats when farmers aren't exploiting 'illegal' immigrants at much lower rates of pay.

The agricultural workers' trade group which is part of the Transport and General Workers Union represents some of these workers. The leader of the group, Barry Leathwood, interviewed in the New Statesman last week said:

" Every Year, farmers get £ 3.5bn in subsidies, which is £1bn more than the total wages bill for the industry, and most of it goes to the biggest, 20 per cent of farms. We should be giving far more support to the organic sector."

These are the people who need our solidarity.

Spurious Cause
mail e-mail: spuriouscause@hotmail.com


Land is Ours

04.05.2001 15:40

Maybe the Land is Ours group should be more involved with next year's MayDay actions. Where are they now?

Daniel Brett
mail e-mail: dan@danielbrett.co.uk


Here's the thing . . .

04.05.2001 15:50

I think this is a discussion that we all need to have, so here's my tuppence worth:

With about 5,000 people and even though there was *some* limited damage, we still managed to get some of the more sensible in the media to realise that this is the way public opinion is going. So, why not trade off some 'autonomy' ('cos that worked, didn't it?) and go hell-for-leather to get as many people as possible out on mayday.

This could be done by an appeal to all protest groups, not just anti-globalisation and those at this year's mayday, but resident's groups and stuff, as well as the trade unions and others who may see things our way. Next year, let's shock 'em with sheer numbers!

Well, what d'ya think?

Tony Benn. (Rules)


yes

05.05.2001 14:05

yes!

yes