Tonight (26/9) over 200 people met to start a Sheffield Coaliltion against the war.
The meeting had a strong SWP influence (the chair and one of the speakers) but there were a wide range of views represented.
During the last half hour of the meeting people broke up into smaller groups. These were proposed to be based on local and workplace groups and administrative tasks.

One local direct activists pointed out the need to take action and suggested some ideas. At the end another called for a local action group to develop these ideas. About 30 to 40 people then gathered to brainstorm ideas and arrange to meet after the next peace vigil. This mini-meeting was faciliated in a non hierachical manner. This meant that the energy of the people there could turn to action and not just talk.

There may be a lesson here for direct activists/ anarchists in other areas who might find the idea of working in a coalition with the SWP and reformists difficult to take on. If direct activists only work with ourselves in opposing the war we cannot connect with lots of people who wanted to do more than go on marches in London. We have lots of skills and experience to offer. Not least in how to conduct meetings to maximise participation. So if there is anti-war meeting in your area why not go along and ask anyone who wants to do some graffitti, blockade, do some symbolic action in solidarity with moslems, disrupt the war machine, banner drop, party for peace or get on the streets to get together with you.

You might be surprised at who wants to go out with a spray can - its not just your stereotyped anarcho hippy type.

It occurs to me that if we can make direct consensual participatory democracy the normal way of working in campaigns we will have done far more to undermine the authoritarian left than any amount of pamphlets or leaflets criticising them.

Lets show that horizontal automonous forms of organisation work.

And most important lets get ACTION going to stop the blood lust