A Summer event? (read me!)

Makin' hay. | 12.05.2001 10:15

Okay, okay, so this is a discussion piece really. I apologise for hijacking the news section. This is just to test the waters for a summer event.

Like I said, this is not really a news article - so all you pedants out there, I apologise in advance.

I thought I'd post this to test the waters to see if we could start to get a summer event organised. Ultra-fluffy as it may sound, many more people are likely to turn up for a protest party if the sun's shining. I was there on mayday in the rain, but many more will have stayed away as a result of police presence and rain. We can't really stop the police attending, but we can plan around the weather (to a degree)

So - come on, what ideas have you lot got?

Makin' hay.

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

tour de london

12.05.2001 13:01

a tour of london, on foot and bike, seeing all the sites, the nike stores, parliament, trafalgar square, hyde park, and loads of other places, just a no stop crawl

sparky
mail e-mail: blutacis@thefreeintnet.co.uk

Hot weather + riot gear = low police morale

12.05.2001 15:21

Very good idea. A summer mayday-type demonstration would be a lot more affective, as the police will have to wear thick, heavy black riot gear which won't combine with hot weather very well, saping their morale, reducing the chance of them going all aggressive, changing their mindset from being one expecting violence and so being full of adreneline and bravado, to one that really just wants to sit down somewhere, so, you never know, some of them might actually listen. Okay, so here in Blighty we won't get too much of theat sort of weather, but if we time it right it could work. The only promblem is if we have wombles etc. again then they won't have much fun, but I'm sure we'll be able to work around that somehow. With any luck, the police might be using water cannons by then which would cool them down.
Or, of course, we could just orginise the thing, get the media going and the police on the streets, then get everyone to forget to go, so the police have to stand around doing nothing all day. Just an idea.

a
mail e-mail: alanomaly@hotmail.com

How about...

12.05.2001 19:04

How about a protest at the Labour Party conference. Its in Brighton but I can't remember the dates (check out www.labour.org.uk 'cos I can't be bothered). It isn't really summer but seeing as how the election's a foregone conclusion perhaps we should tell them that we are not prepared to accept another four years of middle of the road government. It's not as if there aren't many causes to protest about:

Iraq, Kosovo, 'Son of Star Wars', their failure to democratize the Lords or reform the electoral system, Huntingdon Life Sciences, their treatment of refugees, the failure to abolish Clause 23, globalization, the ongoing attacks on privacy, privatisation, their failure to abolish the anti-trade union laws, fox hunting, environmental destruction etc. etc.

What does everyone think?

Disillusioned kid

Now there's an idea !

12.05.2001 21:09

I really like disillusioned kid's idea about the Labour party conference for a number of reasons:

1) MAXIMUM media coverage.
2) Good local activist community. (Convergence centres etc)
3) Could be combined with a beach party to attract even more people. (Fuck yeah, I'm serious!)
4) BEST OF ALL, it would embarass the hell of Blair & co.

Let's do it. I'll go if anyone else is. I am, as they say, 'mad for it'. I reckon we could get a shit load of people together for this one if we plan & promote it right.
With enough people there might be a danger of the conference getting blockaded though. Could we forgive ourselves if that happened. (Heh, heh).

Personally, I think we should go all out for numbers on this one. Sound system if poss. Whatever.

This one needs further feedback though. So get tapping out there. What does everyone else think?

Still makin' hay.

Blair ditch project

12.05.2001 21:32

Bury all the weapons and arms factories in england and a few die hard facists.
Sorry about all the ronnie biggs posts,Im fom melbourne and RB helped build the tullamarine airport.
I blame net congestion.Hows M.A.M?

proff daddy

Wicked Idea

13.05.2001 10:52

The brighton idea is wicked, as already said its a prime opertunity to show up the party in front of the watching media. The only two potenal problems are that security and policing are likely to be tight as hell, and people might not be willing/able to get to brighton, with it not being as cental as london. But as people travled insane distances to get to may day (I know I did), the later can probably be sorted out. It'll take a hell of a lot of organisation, but Im sure we could pull this off.

(sorry about spelling BTW, Im very dyslexic)

Volocity Girl
mail e-mail: ickle_miss@hotmail.com

I'm there

14.05.2001 13:30

sounds good. let's do it. Brighton's been missing something since the free festival stopped happening, and whilst i agree that it probably won't attract as many people as mayday (which was well publicised after last couple of years), there is a large activist community within brighton itself, a smattering of wombles, a good alternative media network (partic. shnews) and maybe the anarchist teapot could do some grub. and it is only an hour from london...even those with minimal commitment can surely manage that. excellent idea. it could serve as a meeting and tactic sharing point for the various focus groups who are already planning to be there. i've got a few foreign policy questions i wouldn't mind putting to cookie myself (preferably in large, dayglo letters)

ranter

Me Too

14.05.2001 15:20

What an idea. Brighton would be well up for it - there are plenty of sound systems in the area and its the home of the Schnews people. Lets see if we can get the police chasing samba band from last Sundays 'No to Sainsburys' party involved!

MoonKat

I'm in too.

15.05.2001 20:09

Sounds like a great idea. Reckon it would go down a storm!

How about IMC doing a 'front page' article on this to really see what could be done?

Count me in as well!

Lizard.