I'm writing as a proud part of the bristol anarchist/squatter movement. I'm not writing this to tear us apart - just to suggest ways we could improve our 'service'. I'm about to leave the area and am keen to put one or two opinions out there before I leave.

I'd like to respectfully suggest that, as an anarchist in the SouthWest, while we do lots of very good work, we are falling miles short of where we should be in terms of supporting workers and unions right now. I'm as guilty of this as anyone else - I believe it's a trap very easily fallen into to. But I'm trying to find ways of changing, and just want to put my thought processes out there. I'm also aware that everyone has personal circumstances etc. I'm not trying to take a pop at anyone in particular, more our collective areas of struggle and focuses.

I'd appreciate respectful/constructive feedback.
On Monday the TUC decided to adopt a strategy of coordinated action against the savage cuts that threaten to further devastate UK's vulnerable groups. Bob Crow of RMT - the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers - has specifically called for a campaign of civil disobedience. The class war is on.

It seems to me that we don't do too much workers' solidarity work. It may be a simplistic way of looking at things but it's always seemed to me that the reason for this is the unions, workers' movements etc tend not to hold and shout anarchist beliefs, slogans etc.

So we don't agree with them on everything, and they tend to be more socialist than anarchist. But we're just toying with terms. The radical critique of the state is not something that you average union always has the comfort time to sit back and consider, whereas the average SW anarchist gets plenty of time to do exactly that while locked in their squat. I do not mean to attack the squat-dwelling anarchist (I'm one myself), but I think we should recognise that our existence within the squat rather than the workplace grants us a certain angle of privilege in that we have time to reflect upon the world, just as it also grants us a certain angle of disadvantage - no steady income etc.

That's a privilege that we could use to support those who do work in incredibly unjust environments, those who wish to do something about it. The unions, at the very least as they represented themselves at the TUC, are allies with which we can struggle for social justice. We may not agree with everything about how unions are organised and the beliefs that union reps hold, but hell when you're facing the wrath of maggie's little puppies surely some sense of context must occur to the clear-thinking.

Anarchism, to me at least, is about empowerment of everyone to do what they wish with their time upon this planet and encouragement of people to use that responsibility ... responsibly. There is so much good work to be done, so many vulnerable people and communities to support. We shouldn't insist on people holding every one of our standards before we deign to help them. Then we're sunk unless everyone spontaneously just ... realises the anarchist way! And in the meantime we're some closed community that only looks after itself.

If you think the fight for workers' rights is too state-ist, perhaps consider how you'd react (by 'you' I mean your standard squatting JSA-claimant) if squatting were criminalised or the dole were scrapped. Would you continue as if nothing ever happened? They're just state handouts right? We should look to our own solutions right? No gods no masters right? No! When you're in jail you fight for your crust of bread. Sometimes I think we're so desperate to condemn the state and prove the strength of our beliefs and existence outside it that we're scared of getting close enough to it to confront it.

So I guess I want to finish by encouraging people to get stuck into workers' rights/solidarity work. The tory party conference is on october 3rd in birmingham - there's been a call-out for an anarchist direct action bloc. I know some people involved in organising this demo and there's been a huge amount of work gone in, there's a LOT of people mobilising. It would be a shame not to see lots of black hoodies mobbing about fucking shit up.

In the shorter term, the Bristol IWW (Industrial Workers of the World Union) is meeting tonight at 7.30pm in the Smiling Chair Anarchist Bookshop on Stokes Croft. It's a pink and black building opposite the freeshop. The IWW welcomes everyone to attend and contribute, however only members can vote. Presumably after Monday's decision for coordinated action and calls for civil disobedience there'll be plenty to talk about!