“Policing the Crisis Today”, 44 pages, printed in A5 and A4 sizes
Published by Cl@ss War Classix; Mayday 2012, £1, ISSN 2042-048X
This is a new pamphlet that talks about the policing of the working class movement from the very beginning of the police, and it is the best pamphlet size introduction to the police available today. Written to fill a gap given that thousands of people new to protest and the police have questions that needs answering. The pamphlet does that, using relevant information and analysis whilst ignoring no issues and establishing a framework for further reading.
Police as we know them today originated after the working class movement began to become effective, and it was acknowledged by the ruling class that a new force other than the army was necessary to deal with the conflicts industrial capitalist society generated. Industrial capitalist society itself only shortly predates the working class movement and the police.
The front cover design uses the classic Guernica painting by Picasso and creates a modern day scream against police oppression. Inside articles like ‘It’s Not the Apples – it’s the Rotten Barrel’ tackles the lazy bourgeois idea of the bad police as ‘a bad apple’, the implication being there are good apples. Rather it is the institutional corruption and malpractice which means that the apples are irrelevant and it is the barrel which is rotten and the source of multiple harms.
Thus it is necessary to provide an introduction about the experience of the police as felt by progressive movements throughout history, and this pamphlet provides some international evidence for comparative analysis too. In order to educate, to provide a springboard for further activity and research, and the necessary political understanding which may provide some clarity for people they cannot find elsewhere.
This pamphlet starts the debate the whole movement needs on the law and the police.
Contents include; ‘Police State? The State of the Police’ editorial introduction
‘The Genesis of the Police’. ‘It’s Not the Apples – it’s the Rotten Barrel’. ‘Officer Down’ by Phoenix Class War Council. ‘Come and Wet This Truncheon’ by Dave Douglass
The Class War Classix pamphlet series;
1st in the series was the Introduction to the 1970s political group “Big Flame”.
2nd was the 1924 Presidential Address to the Independent Labour Party conference, “Putting Socialism in to Practice”.
3; “An History of Economic Relationships with Crime” was published in 2009.
4; the Class War ‘Poll Tax Special’ 20th anniversary edition
5; The Anti Fascist special, published in February 2010
6; The Workers’ Committee: An Outline of its Principles and Structure
7; Syndicalism & the Russian Revolution, is not available at present
8; So, You’re out of a job.
9; Policing the Crisis Today, published Mayday 2012.
10; Class War; To Be, or Not To Be – That is the question
Cl@ss War Classix is a new initiative to produce seminal publications of the class war.
You can pay via Paypal at dr_trevorbark @ fastmail. net
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 & 10 can be purchased for £1 each including P & P.Contact Cl@ss War Classix at: 07931 301901
Comments
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failed your exam
17.05.2012 07:25
The first recorded regular police style patrols in the UK at least was in Roman times as part of the fire watchers job, the official policeing job at the time was given to local auxillaries of the legions posted to the garrison.
Jumping to the middle ages a "sherrif" system was in place and he would hire local men at arms to keep the peace.
C17-C19 the control of areas was not policed and local companies and areas would hire local toughs to look after the security of thier assets, the pearly kings are a modern reminder of those days as they were the enforcers at the London docks.
Local boroughs established a local police patrol to enforce the ordinances and law giveing legitamacy to some of these gangs.
The best example of these forces is the City of London police and the Mets Marine police who exist today.
in about 1926 the government of the day was concerned about the lack of training and skills of these indipendant forces and set in place a regular training standard and first aid training.
The current policeing standard has been adapted several times and is under constant change and review, the records of these are available to public scrutiny in the public records office and through the FOI act.
oh and in answer to the latest socialist revolutionary propoganda, the right to strike was given up in 1972 in exchange for a wage that would be set at 2.5%max above base line inflation (cost of living).
sorry for the poor spelling I have just woken up.
revolution, the art of going around in circles
anon watcher of history
Do try harder numpty
17.05.2012 20:07
It really doesn't matter that some were employed in 'watching' stuff historically. What DOES matter is the social control aspect of this, the actual debates going on within the ruling class about needing a force of social control OTHER than the army.
Anon would have been better staying in bed with the other filth skiving on the sick.
ITs quite amusing that anon wants to convince his (prob not a her) conscience that the filth are not employed in social control when its plain that they are.
Commander of Armies in the North
Stuff and Sense
18.05.2012 20:09
Smith Winston