The European Social Forum is supposed to be a non hierarchical gathering of grass roots alternatives to the traditional political process.
At the London meeting a few days ago the solitary wanker party in bed with the GLA (London assembly) disrupted the organising meeting, as they did with the last one, no discussion or decisions could be made. At the last moment after 1/3 of the meeting called for the amendment of the proposal they were pushing through, and after refusing to read out the list of proposed amendments with out turning it into a SWP/GR/GLA political statement they closed the meeting, handing out a sheet of paper saying if you didn’t sign this, that is agreed to the their proposal, then you wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the formation of their ESF Steering committee. Agree with the solitary wankers party or you will be excluded from the ESF process.
Throughout the whole ESF London organising they have disrupted and controlled the process. The process has been far from “open and accountable” The London ESF is becoming a farce and a disgrace. The majority of people still want it to happen, however, a small group in the shadows are disrupting and polluting the whole ESF movement. The WSF and ESF are forums for the social moments that created the humane globalization movement explicitly not for the old dogmatic left political parties.
It’s hard to say what can be done with this situation as these people have long experiences of packing meetings, manipulating chairs, imposing agendas and telling lies through nit-picking truth. The globalisation movement has no experiences, or stomach, from this kind of behaviour and avoids it by working in very different ways.
Hamish Campbell
ESF practicalities/culture/media working groups
www.undercurrents.org
www.oxford.indymedia.org.uk
Notes: for non alt-ghetto readers the SWP are an authoritarian unreconstructed socialist party. GR (Globalise Resistances is a “front” organisation for the SWP). The GLA is run by Ken Livingston who has recently re-joined the Labour party – that’s Tony Blear and the UK government.
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RESOURCES TO GET INVOLVED
* Mobilise lists
http://lists.mobilise.org.uk/wws/lists/esf (non official organising lists)
* Democratise_the esf list http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/democratise_the_esf (non official organising list)
* esf_culture homepage http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_culture (ESF working group)
* esf_media homepage http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_media (ESF working group)
* Early stage open website http://www.esf2004.net
* Closed website http://www.mobilise.org.uk
If the are more resources please add them as comments. A WIKY is needed to facilitate the overall agenda and working groups.
Throughout the whole ESF London organising they have disrupted and controlled the process. The process has been far from “open and accountable” The London ESF is becoming a farce and a disgrace. The majority of people still want it to happen, however, a small group in the shadows are disrupting and polluting the whole ESF movement. The WSF and ESF are forums for the social moments that created the humane globalization movement explicitly not for the old dogmatic left political parties.
It’s hard to say what can be done with this situation as these people have long experiences of packing meetings, manipulating chairs, imposing agendas and telling lies through nit-picking truth. The globalisation movement has no experiences, or stomach, from this kind of behaviour and avoids it by working in very different ways.
Hamish Campbell
ESF practicalities/culture/media working groups
www.undercurrents.org
www.oxford.indymedia.org.uk
Notes: for non alt-ghetto readers the SWP are an authoritarian unreconstructed socialist party. GR (Globalise Resistances is a “front” organisation for the SWP). The GLA is run by Ken Livingston who has recently re-joined the Labour party – that’s Tony Blear and the UK government.
----------------------
RESOURCES TO GET INVOLVED
* Mobilise lists
http://lists.mobilise.org.uk/wws/lists/esf (non official organising lists) * Democratise_the esf list
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/democratise_the_esf (non official organising list) * esf_culture homepage
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_culture (ESF working group) * esf_media homepage
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/esf_media (ESF working group) * Early stage open website
http://www.esf2004.net * Closed website
http://www.mobilise.org.uk If the are more resources please add them as comments. A WIKY is needed to facilitate the overall agenda and working groups.
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