whats the reason being used to do this? Or is it just a cat & mouse type sport that appeals to tribal instinct that we are hardwired with? can you just have a game of footy?

I'm sure there are many reasons / justifications / motivations for this action but here is one:

This company, Eon, are profiting massively from the death and misery that is being, and will be, caused by climate change. The laws of this country, that so wisely dictate murder is always wrong, don't apply in this case. The death and misery caused by Eon is legal.

So motivation #1: Make it less profitable. Hell, make it unprofitable. Make them bankrupt if that's what it takes.

The reason behind this action is clear - E.ON need damaging. Their share price, their property, their reputation, the image......until they learn that the people, us, we, want a clean future with out coal power stations.

I was there yesterday and i think what everybody did was brilliant. i feel even more like the struggle is growing again in a way not seen since the cops in Italy killed Carlo Guliani (but unfortunately that momentum was killed off by 9/11, which happened 2 months later).

Im determined to lock on to E.ON's offices at some point in the future, to continue the fight against them. check out my blog about how much i hate E.ON........eye8eon.wordpress.com

I think most people are doing it because it gives a purpose to their lives.

This is my theory....

Your typical anarchist (baring the middle class i hate the parents brigade) probably spent their time in school not paying attention and hating it, and left with little or no qualifications. This is the full step and no doubt the most important.

In the big, wide world, they could not find meaniful work and so most likely went through a cycle of petty crime and hanging around on street corners until their end up in some kind of young offenders institute or prison. At this point they are very angry with the system because it hasnt treated them fairly (not realising you have to put something in to get something out of it). This probably cycles around for a while in a course of self destruction and feeling of a meaningless existance.

Then they probably stumble across anarchism explain that it is Capitalism's fault and how we should join the fight against the opressors. This will usually be an older calm guy who will just listen to the kid and pay attention to his anger. At this point, they have direction in their lives and their will be some "meaning".

Its a vicious circle.

Thanks for enlightening us with your theory there Scotty, but I'm guessing you've never actually met an anarchist, because you're so far off the mark it's laughable!

Most self-professed anarchists I know are actually pretty well educated - many having degrees and beyond. (I know quite a few "Dr. Anarchists" with PhDs and well-respected positions in academia.)

Sometimes, some of us are accused of being "too academic" and therefore unable to connect well with the wider public. We get lost in complex analysis of things (and big words) and fail to convey our earth-shattering realisations as well as we could do.

Most if not all (including those without degrees) have educated themselves on many things, by continuing to ask "why?" about the world, and never accepting "because it just is" as an answer. We know that nothing about society is set in stone, and that changes can always be made if there is sufficient willpower and momentum. We generally welcome difficult questions, and are interested in confronting uncomfortable events and realities that most people (currently) would probably prefer not to think about.

I think it's safe to say that virtually all anarchists have maintained their own love of finding out knowledge and thinking about things - so again, your assumption of some kind of uneducated, unthinking rabble is ridiculously wide of the mark. Everybody has a brain, and anarchists generally like to use theirs constantly.

In fact, it is undoubtedly this which leads us to so strongly reject the (quite frankly ridiculous) idea that anybody other than ourselves knows what is best for us or our lives. Funny that this should be considered "radical" or "extreme", but there you go.

If you think someone else can run your life for you better than you can yourself, then don't let me stop you!

Similarly, if you only co-operate with other people when an external entity forces you to, then I genuinely feel sad about how much joy and close friendship you may be missing out on. It is a wonderful thing to do things with other people for no reason other than you feel like it!

Many anarchists (myself included) originally come from somewhat middle-class backgrounds, and have simply realised that everything we were taught about the purpose of our lives was total and utter crap. I reject so-called "middle-class values" almost completely - all the competition, focus on accumulation of material wealth, lack of community spirit, vacuous consumerism, the so-called "Puritan work ethic", the snobbery, the envy, the meritocratic drivel, the mediocrity of life, the almost inevitable mental health issues, the lack of joy in simple things, the focus on career ahead of family, the social pressure to conform.

For these reasons, I consider myself anti-middle-class. I'm not rebelling against my parents, but against a way of life that is fundamentally cruel, exploitative, unjust, unsustainable, and actually just bloody miserable and boring to be involved in.

Middle-class values embody all the worst aspects of human nature, are largely anti-humanity as a whole, and if taken to their logical conclusions, will wipe us off the face of the Earth in no time at all.

Therefore capitalism - which is largely based around these same middle class values - is also anti-humanity, and will wipe us off the face of the Earth if allowed to continue.

Contrary to what you said about "not realising you have to put something in to get something out of it", under capitalism, this is not really the case. Capitalism is the world's biggest pyramid scheme, and thus those lower down the scheme put in increasing amounts of time, effort and energy, for rapidly diminishing returns.

We are "lucky" in Britain to be somewhere near the top of that pyramid - but the human cost of being near the bottom is why the terms "developing world" and "majority world" are mutually interchangeable. For most people around the world, capitalism means a really shitty existence.

Most people around the world will NEVER have anywhere near the lifestyle and posessions we in the "developed" world have come to believe are "normal" to own and to aspire to.

It is physically impossible, and would require many more planet Earths worth of resources to be in any way achievable. Oh yes oh yes - capitalism also defies the laws of physics. (And I'm sure you know that "ye cannae change the laws of physics", right Scotty... or was that a different Scotty?)

The wheels are already falling off this delusional pyramid scheme called "capitalism", and those left dangling are going to be mightily pissed off when it ends before they get their promised reward.

Such is the nature of pyramid schemes - best to just not get involved, and try to raise awareness about the scam.

Which is why, despite having a degree, I have chosen not to have a "career" - because what is the point in being someone else's slave on a sinking ship for the best part of my life? Note that I *WORK* (as well as doing many other things), I'm just not in anyone's *EMPLOYMENT*. There is plenty of meaningful work - you can invent your own - but very little meaningful employment.

But, let's cut this long story short.

No two anarchists are the same. I'm not even sure it makes sense to call ourselves "anarchists", because essentially we might as well just call ourselves "human beings who think for ourselves"... and that could / should apply to every single human alive!

We are individuals, we are collectives - and we are not static entities, but we are living, breathing humans who define ourselves dynamically based on getting in touch with our thoughts and feelings at any particular moment in time. People who define themselves based on what they "are" or "aren't" are living in self-imposed boxes, and might as well be fossilised rocks.

Anarchy is all about thinking about the world critically and in an adaptable manner. It is not about pretending to have all the answers, or looking for anybody else who says they do. We put our trust in ourselves and in each other, and we work together for no other reason than we want to - for the mutual benefit of all (and ourselves too).

You cannot (necessarily) put "anarchists" into a coherent group, because much of the point is that we define ourselves and our lives completely on our own terms. We do not need others to tell us how to think, or to categorise us, or to make broad sweeping (and incorrect) statements about us.

So really, there are no anarchists - just human beings who think for themselves.

Actually, I have no right whatsoever to make any statement on behalf of any other "anarchist" anyway - I can only talk for myself. (I daresay I've even annoyed a few of my fellow anarchists by writing any of this, and getting something way, way wrong about them, and misrepresenting them!)

Every single person is born an anarchist - and what a shame that so many of us have it drummed out. The socially destructive ways our repressed independence / interdependence manifest themselves are all around, and the costs are very high indeed. (It's just that this suits people who want power over others perfectly, which is why those with the power are not interested in changing things.)

So you see, anarchy is complicated, and yet at the same time, it's incredibly simple.

A bit like humans, funnily enough. (I'll leave you to work out why.)

Further to what I just wrote, Scotty, you said: "I think most people are doing it because it gives a purpose to their lives."

I have my own theory on this, which is that most people (as in the apathetic general populous) are NOT out there protesting about climate change because they have very little purpose to their lives, and therefore why should they care about some abstract notion of the possible imminent extinction of humanity? It's just somebody else's problem.

The people who ARE out there protesting about it very much have purpose to their lives.

It is why we want a future, and will risk injury and arrest to try to ensure we all have one.

It is why we want real justice for all, so that all may experience our love for life and our love for the Earth without fear of untimely death, destruction of our homes, and countless amounts of exploitation and misery.

It is why we care so much that we reach the point of (completely justified) hysteria about the destruction of the only known example of life in the universe.

So, if you want to see people who are looking for a purpose to their lives, try looking in the following sorts of places: shopping centres, popular holiday destinations, beauty salons, souped-up cars, on sofas in front of the TV, in places of employment etc. etc.