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Blockade Brighton 30 September

markP | 29.07.2001 15:45

Genoa. Gothenburg, Nice, now Brighton. Should direct action be used to blockade the opening of Labour Party Conference?

Genoa, Gothenburg, Nice, its now almost impossible for the neoliberal/corporate elite to meet without thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands turning up to light the spirit of resistance to the global sell-off of public goods. Yet in Britain one of the organisations that claims (sic) to represent the anti-globalisation movement, the SWP led 'Globalise Resistance' refuses to call for a blockade of the most important gathering of the individuals behind the domestic privatising agenda, the Labour Party. Instead Globalise Resistance is putting its not inconsiderable energies into a march and lobby which will tour round Brighton' backstreets, hear a few speeches, have hordes of paper-sellers inflicted upon it before boarding the coaches home all over again. And achieve, well what?

The Labour Party is spearheading the privatisation of anything that doesn't move, has all but accepted Bush's Star Wars while being the USA's number one European cheerleader and has for the past five years passed law after law to criminalise dissent. So why march past or lobby, just like the direct action against the Democrat convention in the USa last year activists should be organising now to blockade Labour's conference, to delay its start for 6, 12, 24 hours, as long as we can.

Yes it might upset their carefully staged agenda. And however bad Labour might appear there are still some dissenting voices within the party. But these are 2 good reeasons to build the blockade, not oppose it as Globalise Resistance is doing.

Is anybody seriously suggesting we can't build such a blockade? No, of course they're not. But the toytown trots of Globalise Resistance like to manage dissent, to lead and control. A decentralised opposition is their worst nightmare. But we don't have to share their dream. Support the protest in Brighton Sunday 30 September but turn it into a blockade. Genoa, coming to a seaside resort on the south of England soon. See Brighton Rock to Yabasta!

markP

Comments

Display the following 30 comments

  1. But I thought GR were up for the blockade? — -
  2. GR are the SWP — o
  3. The Phatboy — tim
  4. blockade? — noel
  5. Diversity... — Disillusioned kid
  6. DIVIDED WE FALL!!!! — TOMMYJ
  7. Slagging? — Sqoo
  8. Be nice to ahve a festival atmosphere — chap
  9. brighton — Pheet
  10. A day at the sea side — Jack Lucid
  11. 'Island site' at the conference — mole
  12. For a united and mass movement — Guy Taylor
  13. I hate to disagree, but... — Disillusioned kid
  14. SWP oppose direct action — ranter
  15. thinking tactically — noel
  16. SWP - the line changes — john
  17. labour blockade — rejectionist
  18. The Case for the Blockade — mark P
  19. rank and file — noel
  20. wait a minute... — ranter
  21. Time for a charm offensive — Adam Shiels
  22. I agree — rosie
  23. How do we win a mass movement? — Guy Taylor
  24. Not the last word — MarkP
  25. What about us? — Disillusioned kid
  26. Dealing with the forces of the past — Robert Clough
  27. labour party — big bird
  28. final word — solomon
  29. Wombling Blockade AND Unity March y not? — Wellington Womble
  30. Ever trusted the swp? — sventy