During their protest against a coal-fired power station in Kent, Greenpeace hung a large banner saying "Put Coal on the Dole" on the side of their ship.
Most nuclear power stations are on the coast, but Greenpeace don't tend to sail their ship outside them any more, limiting themselves to taking part in rare minor disagreements over where the waste goes.
But recently they spent money taking their vessel to protest against a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, in the Medway area of Kent. "PUT COAL ON THE DOLE" said a large banner they hung out, mocking the heroic miners' strike of the mid-1980s, the defeat of which paved the way for the horrendous attacks on working class people which have proceeded with hardly any meaningful resistance ever since - to a point where we are on the brink of a depression which will be worse even than the 1930s. To a point where most working class people are in debt up to their eyeballs. To a point where the authorities paint working class people as Neanderthal knuckle-dragging Nazi cretins. To a point where the "green" lie is always on the authorities' and businesses' lips as they paint as "anti-social" those who don't want to help them with their advertising by carrying "green" shopping bags (or can't afford them), who don't want to give raw materials back to big business without getting paid for it, or who don't feel things are hunky-dory when their streets are plagued with rats, now that domestic rubbish collections only happen once a fortnight rather than once a week.
Faced with such a hate-filled attack on working class people, by "activists" who know exactly what they are saying, we can only say in return: "Where are the French secret service when we really need them?"
But recently they spent money taking their vessel to protest against a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth, in the Medway area of Kent. "PUT COAL ON THE DOLE" said a large banner they hung out, mocking the heroic miners' strike of the mid-1980s, the defeat of which paved the way for the horrendous attacks on working class people which have proceeded with hardly any meaningful resistance ever since - to a point where we are on the brink of a depression which will be worse even than the 1930s. To a point where most working class people are in debt up to their eyeballs. To a point where the authorities paint working class people as Neanderthal knuckle-dragging Nazi cretins. To a point where the "green" lie is always on the authorities' and businesses' lips as they paint as "anti-social" those who don't want to help them with their advertising by carrying "green" shopping bags (or can't afford them), who don't want to give raw materials back to big business without getting paid for it, or who don't feel things are hunky-dory when their streets are plagued with rats, now that domestic rubbish collections only happen once a fortnight rather than once a week.
Faced with such a hate-filled attack on working class people, by "activists" who know exactly what they are saying, we can only say in return: "Where are the French secret service when we really need them?"
Comments
Hide the following 10 comments
So we should start killing Greenpeace activists?
15.11.2008 12:04
Mark
not relevant
15.11.2008 12:38
news hunter
response
15.11.2008 13:04
Newshunter - are you being honest when you say this is a "well-worn" argument, as if it doesn't have the shininess of new original activism and therefore you don't want it spread about too much? Sure, my reaction is what many people's was. There's nothing particularly original about it. The greens think workers smell bad and are stupid and belong to the past. Yes, many people make this point, and we're right about it too. I posted some recent evidence, in the hope that it might influence some people to have more confidence in thinking. Does 'latest evidence to support social points' not fit your criteria for what's acceptable to say here? But you don't think that, do you? Be honest - it's WHAT THE POINT IS, isn't it, that you have a problem with?
b
response 2
15.11.2008 13:07
b
News?
15.11.2008 14:38
echo 3
Are "workers" not affected by environmental destruction?
15.11.2008 16:01
Are you saying that we should just be happy in our shitty little jobs living a grey existence, and put up with things like pollution and global warming? Maybe Greenpeace's slogan was a little crass and unthoughtful, but their basic argument still stands.
Rich people can pay their way out of these problems but ordinary people can't. When environmental problems start really kicking in, it is always working class people that get shafted.
This really is tunnel vision and short-termism of the highest order. I'm flabbergasted that anyone who isn't astroturfing for big business can actually believe this stuff.
I do a shitty job for a shitty company, and if they went bust because of campaigns against their shitty practices I would be fine with it. I realise there are more important things at stake than whether I can afford consumer crap.
Like whether I can breathe fresh air and whether my house is above sea level.
ecoboy
climate camp old news
15.11.2008 17:51
newshunter
unique and meaningful title, not in capitals
15.11.2008 18:42
b
b
pics, source, or assume it's disinformation
15.11.2008 19:38
If I was working for MI5 on a project to disrupt activism against climate change, this is exactly the sort of rumour that I'd spread. And I'd choose to do it on the eve of the Workers Climate Action conference.
Making no accusations against anyone. I want sources on this.
I was unable to find mention of this on the Rainbow Warrior's blog:
Or on the Greenpeace website:
And a scroogle search for "put coal on the dole" turns up nothing but this story (here and on libcom).
ch
Photo
15.11.2008 20:15
© Kristian Buus / Greenpeace
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