Quarrying = BIG hole, everything in the vicinity trashed.

But that's not my main point, "Tink". EarthFirst! isn't a membership organization. It's simply a bunch of individuals working singly and together to protect what they can. Nowhere near enough people to even make the slightest attempt to protect everything so just pick something handy and put up the best fight you can. That's right, that YOU can. "Tink" if there's a green field near you being threatened with development why instead of criticizing what OTHER EF!ers are doing, shake a little pixie dust, get your ass over there, and join the fray.

Tactically? Hell, why NOT choose to make a fight against the quarry where a Neolithic circle would be threatened by it (in addition to the rest of the envionment there). At least you could maybe expect as allies helping the "archeology buffs", the Neo-Pagans, etc. It doesn't HURT to have allies. And maybe while standing shoulder to shoulder with them you could get some of those Pagans to join in other defenses of the Earth -- I mean they DO give lip service to the Earth being sacred.

hmm, tinkerbell, it seems like you too had a bad time at a 9 Ladies party! You are clearly ill informed, as there is a little more to EF! UK than the gallant folks defending Derbyshire - albeit that they are also hindering the renewed roadbuiding program by camping on top of the next batch of aggregate...
But even if the sum total of EF! activism was stopping some hole in the ground (which also has archaelogical significance), it would have more constructive value than sniping from afar at those who do something (quite a lot actually) rather than nowt. Do something helpful and help YOUR local greenfield site, rather than expecting someone else to do it for you! Love The Hook

Hmmm, another bloody posting to indymedia designed to cause argument - WHAT A SURPRISE!!

Give it up and start posting news.

Get the crap off the newswire!

My understanding is that from a historical prospective Earth First!UK has been a vital source of energy in the struggle to save mother earth.The road campaigns at Newberry and elsewhere were a tremendous source of inspiration for Earth first activists here in the USA. We learned alot about tactics and ethics from reading about EF!UK.Personally,I don't care if people are defending potted plants at the local coffee shop,hey at least they are doing something.Earth First!ers-please stay active,have hope,keep up the struggle,through outreach,education,direct action campaigns,be proud,be loud,stand up for the earth,animals,birds,slugs,snails,rocks,plants,everything that is mother earth.Stay positive.Ignore blowhard skeptix.Peace,love and anarchy!

What EF! needs is to be reinvigorated with new energy and commitment so that it becomes the massive movement that it used to be back in the days of Twyford and Newbury.
With plans such as the terminal 5 at Heathrow and Star wars over at Menwith. As well as all the greenfield site developments, EF! needs to exist but it needs a core group of activists that have the time, energy and contacts to get it up and going again!

There current campaign is an extremely valid cause, and to attempt to cover the entire UK would dilute there effectiveness. Sure, we'd like action at every site in the UK, but lets be realistic and let certain groups concentrate on specific campaigns.

The W.O.M.B.L.E.S are dead, while they had their moment
at May Day 2001 (but unlike the Italian White-overalls, Ya Basta!) they haven't moved on.
May Day 2001 really put Anti-capitalism into the mainstream british media, but I read their website and it is so tedious.
The plans for Mayday 2002 just show they haven't progressed,
they don't seem to realise that we had a massive anti-imperialist demonstration in November (100,000 people),
that we have had Genoa. Whilst they may be an SWP front to
some, I support the general strategy of groups like Globalise Resistance who are calling for a picket of the World Bank, and mass strikes by workers (such as RMT and
CWU unions).
All the W.O.M.B.L.E.S seem obsessed with May Day (I was their, but I have to confess I thought the demonstrations
lacked focus, though it did create media hype that has brought our movement into the public eye.)
They claim to be non-hierarchical, yet they seem to be dominated by the London group, where all the initiative comesfrom. Ultimately like all these groups EarthFirst! Reclaim the Streets etc. they are left-liberal reformists
(Despite their claim to be anarchists) as they have absolutely no idea how to overthrow capitalism, and they are totally incapable of building a mass movement that can produce real change in society.
By the way - Reclaim the Streets are dead too

i dont know what kind of 'stone circle' you refer to but surely, if its an ancient monument, it must be protected, as much as say giza or angkor wat.

why choose this article to start ranting against the 'wombles ?' worse still, to brag up the less principled parts of the movement, such as the notorious GR ?
the problem facing any genuine group looking for radical solutions is having to start from 'scratch' in a sea of apathy and moderate hostility. how many times must it be restated that the british left does not have a radical history, and someone has to get it rolling somehow. dont blame the 'wombles'; blame livingstone, raven, the swp and all other labourites who abandoned them to the police

wow, where did that bitter and misguided attack come from? not a cop by any chance are you?
It's difficult to know where to start replying to your post. ahh, i know, you're full of shit and have no idea what you're talking about.
1) Wombles have never, ever organised a mayday event and are not organising this year's. there may not even be a wombles action of any kind on mayday. who knows?
2) London wombles have recently completely changed their meeting structures, and a lot of people involved with the group have been putting time and energy into ways of expanding the movement and broadening its social base (social centres, prop, networking meetings etc.). You have obviously not been to a meeting for a very long time (if ever).
3) as to the white overall movement in the uk being dominated by london wombles, bollox. london wombles just do what they think's best. they hardly have any contact with other WO groups that i know of. other wombles groups do their own thing. if that turns out to be not much, well, thats the way it goes
4) And anyway, what the bloody knackerin hell would it matter if wombles were 'dead'?. a lot of groups and actions have grown out of the london wombles meetings and a lot of good stuff is getting done. if the people in the group were to move on and ditch the name, so what? its only an experiment anyway, there's no point in fetishising particular tactics or names. then they become like commodities. Your posting sounds so personally bitter, as if you feel somehow cheated or betrayed. One of the points of the white overall/padding tactic is to demonstrate how ANYONE can protect their body during a demonstration, how ANYONE can refuse to be herded and coralled like dumb sheep. The wombles idea is not nor ever was (despite what the media might say) supposed to create some kind of 'anti-capitalist' guerilla group. Never supposed to be the 'if you can find them, maybe you can call....'thing. If you like the tactic, do it. If you don't, do something else.
As to Wombles being liberal and reformist, you can ram that right up yer jacksy. Whatever you might think about the Wombles' way of going about things, you can never legitimately call the London Wombles liberal OR reformist. Maybe we haven't got all the fucking answers or a map to the revolution (who has) but we're trying.
i don't know why you decided to launch into such a pathetic and anguished tirade, but may i suggest that you at least try and research your wild and ill-considered view points before posting them here?

get a life.
why would it matter anyway if these groups are 'dead'? the people involved in them are (presumably) mostly still alive. they are just experiments, don't get attatched to a name or a tactic. things change, evolve, move on.
And don't call me a liberal reformist you muppet. maybe RTS, WOMBLES et al haven't exactly brought about a worldwide libertarian revolution, but they are trying to work towards it. unlike GR and other assorted trots, many of whom genuinely are reformist (socialist alliance, anyone?).
i don't understand why you sound so hurt by it all. as if somebody owed you something.
if you don't like EF, RTS, WOMBLES etc etc, do your own bloody thing.
or just snipe from your computer if that makes you feel fulfilled.

And let's not forget anarchism - it's dead too! Must be, as it's the anarchists who focus on mayday and forgo 'movement buildng' for sub-cultural 'autonomy'. Socialism died a while ago of course - its' corpse now a useful deterrent to all 'alternatives'. Feminism is busy watching sex and the city, and the gay 'movement' is out spending it's pink pound...

Hello...is anyone there?

D'oh.

Earth First!, London RTS etc are not organisations or groups that you can say "they don't/haven't/are snipe snipe snipe...."

They are YOU. They are simply banners under which diverse people take action, some in groups, some on their own.

Change things through participation. EF!, London RTS etc are fluid - don't define 'em as "them over there". If you think they're too liberal or London-based, move outta London and stay radical AND active, not spending time on this damn pixel dance.

Oh yes - I am dead too. I haven't done anything useful in ages so I just haunt websites like this slagging off everybody else for having a go.

Maybe it's time for a new name for a new coalition of wombles, ef, rts, and anyone we can rescue from gr too. Let's sort out the scene in the UK and stop bitching. And work with the RMT, and other unions just waking up again and, jeez, anyone who is awake and alive and gives a fuck about the future.
We could call it UK Global Action.


(and no, i;m not trying to start another socialist worker party front group, i'm serious)

*dont blame the 'wombles'; blame livingstone, raven, the swp and all other labourites who abandoned them to the police*

what is raven?