PROTEST PROTEST PROTEST OCTOBER 9th 2006

[VforVictory]

OK. Here it is. We could argue. We could bicker. We could ramble. We could waffle. And yes, much of that 'waffle' might indeed be well-informed theory, carefully honed of all praxis, the most glorious and wonderful debate on earth.

But here is an alternative vision. You may find it infantile, you might find it a distraction, you may find it piecemeal, you may find it intellectually impoverished.

But let's just ACT!!!

There's a date. October 9th. It's the date Parliament is meant to re-convene. Now to anyone except the terminally blind, mute, insensitive and comatose, this Parliament has NO LEGITIMACY WHATOSEVER.

So what conclusion do you draw?

Even if you have a long-term, substructural analysis, why not just let your hair drift down from the superstructures for ONE DAY and go ABSOLUTELY MENTAL and SPONTANEOUSLY RISE UP and, even if you have no hope of anything better occuring, just dance and sing and speak and protest and rant and rage and agitate and organise and mobilise for something better?

What do you reckon?

Independence from Bush's idiot 51st state? Tea in the Thames? A riot? A rollercoaster ride?

Why not?

Can it be any worse than this nonsense?

BLAIR OUT. BUSH OUT. BIN LADEN OUT.

WE'RE IN.

WARS OF ERROR OVER. AND OUT.

OCTOBER 9th 2006.

 

[VforVictory]

In short, LET'S GO MENTAL. COMPLETELY. 100%.

OCTOBER 9th 2006.

 

[TonkaToy]

WE'RE IN.

Who's in?

 

[SuburbanCasual]

What load of stupid meaningless crap.

FFS!

 

[The Black Hand]

What load of stupid meaningless crap.

FFS!

Au contraire. Its called action against the capitalist state. Obviously you are a capitalist

 

[In Bloom]

What do you reckon?

I reckon you're a fucking idiot.

What's the point of all this? What on Earth can you possibly hope to achieve?

 

[aylee]

Now to anyone except the terminally blind, mute, insensitive and comatose, this Parliament has NO LEGITIMACY WHATOSEVER.

Although I don't like a lot of things that this Parliament has done, at least they're democratically elected, which you aren't. You are, however, a hopelessly pretentious cunt, which means that you have more in common with a lot of MPs than you realise.

 

[JHE]

...go ABSOLUTELY MENTAL and SPONTANEOUSLY RISE UP... just dance and sing and speak and protest and rant and rage and agitate and organise and mobilise for something better...

Yeah!

It sounds like it's going to be a lively Monday afternoon in V's student union bar.

 

[AndrewNumLock]

What's the protest actually about?

 

[STFC]

What's the protest actually about?

What ya got?

 

[In Bloom]

What ya got?

 

[VforVictory]

Although I don't like a lot of things that this Parliament has done, at least they're democratically elected, which you aren't. You are, however, a hopelessly pretentious cunt, which means that you have more in common with a lot of MPs than you realise.

The notion that this Parliament are democratically elected is farcical. For an analysis of the right-wing nature of New Labour, and the bullying and the intimidation of the left-wing out of Parliament, see http://www.politicalcompass.org/extremeright.

It has legitimacy in the same sense that Mussolini's Parliament had legitimacy.

 

[Dubversion]

that's nice, dear. Is it rag week already?

 

[VforVictory]

What's the protest actually about?

The protest, or rather the kaleidoscope of protests occuring simultaneously without any form of overarching top-down centralised control (in other words, a critical mass par excellence) is about many things.

You could start with the illegal occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; or ID cards; or the secretive, backhanded and inept privatisation of our public services (PFI/PPP); or the concentration camp archipelago from the CIA's secret prisons to the privatised detention and removal centres in the UK; the culture of spin and soundbites; government waste of taxes (as a tiny example, the recent SECRET dropping of the DWP computer system, which cost us £141m.); the appalling record of the government on the environment and the failure of our Parliamentary system as it stands to even begin to deal with the challenges of global warming (glacial retreat, permafrost melting, warming climate, potential loss of Gulf Stream and ramifications for the UK etc); the lack of any kind of proportionality in our representation; the kow-towing to the agenda of the oil and gas mafia that has overtaken the USA -

please, add yours. The causes are multiple.

One no, many yes's.

OCTOBER REVOLUTION!

 

[Streathamite]

This parliament was elected by EXACTLY the same rules that every other parliament has been since well, since the advent of universal suffrage.
It has, therefore, 'legitimacy'.
This protest is utterly fucking idiotic.

 

[VforVictory]

that's nice, dear. Is it rag week already?

One of the most interesting, and most lamentable, features of the 'war on terror' period is how far the anti-war movement, or perhaps peace movement, and more broadly the Left, has been fragmented and fractured. The old principle of 'divida et impera' has been flourishing.

In France in the late 1960s, and elsewhere of course, one of the most remarkable features of the rebellions, riots and revolts that were a corollary of the 'baby boomer' generation desiring a better world after the appalling nature of the Second World War, was the solidarity between groups such as students and workers.

What does it mean to denigrate somebody because they are at university, or not at university? We are all at the university of life from the moment we are born to the moment we die. We are here to help one another learn.

Parliament is not representing the people of the UK. You either adopt the ultra unorthodox position that no Parliament ever does, and that voting is irrelevant, which is perfectly legitimate and logical if at the same time a denial of every reformist movement in human history; or, if you do believe there is validity in a Parliamentary system, then you look at the state of things and draw the inalienable conclusion that on October 9th what has gone before must not be allowed to reconvene again.

 

[JHE]

...second time as farce!

OCTOBER REVOLUTION!

BANG!

 

[VforVictory]

This parliament was elected by EXACTLY the same rules that every other parliament has been since well, since the advent of universal suffrage.
It has, therefore, 'legitimacy'.
This protest is utterly fucking idiotic.

Put it this way: is there anything about the Parliamentary rules that you would change to make the system work better?

 

[VforVictory]

BANG!

Second time as farce, yes. Enjoy the farce: we've seen enough tragedy!

Although by that judgment, we have 11 years to go, and we're in the wrong country. But then maybe the French Revolution isn't over after all. We're just learning each time how to improve based on analysis of where we went wrong in the past.

Violence begets violence. That's a lesson!

 

[Dubversion]

thing is, Mr Lozenge, is that a lot of people might broadly agree with your points and instead be taking issue both with your self-importance and your rather lame sensationalist approach to it all..

Just a thought, like..

 

[JHE]

Violence begets violence.

...while the antics of pretentious students beget... laughter.

 

[Streathamite]

Put it this way: is there anything about the Parliamentary rules that you would change to make the system work better?

everything, actually, but doing it in this ridiculous, halfarsed and self-aggrandising manner is the biggest guarantee of failure and universal derision I can imagine.
ESPECIALLY when you bandy round words like 'legitimacy' without any reasoned argument behind it.

 

[FreddyB]

In short, LET'S GO MENTAL. COMPLETELY. 100%.

OCTOBER 9th 2006.

I'll go outiside and bark at the moon in solidairty.

If it isn't cloudy

 

[VforVictory]

thing is, Mr Lozenge, is that a lot of people might broadly agree with your points and instead be taking issue both with your self-importance and your rather lame sensationalist approach to it all..

Just a thought, like..

For nine years we have had to endure the self-importance and lame sensationalism of Mr.Blair and his cohorts. They have abused our system, abolished Parliamentary checks and balances, ensured the overweening might of a corrupt executive, sold off peerages, led us into illegal invasions, squandered the resources that we badly need to save the planet, and turned the UK into an appalling privatised police state. Their agenda is a Thatcherite, neoliberal one. The great era of neoliberalism, the next 30 year Kondratieff cycle after the one from 1945 to 1975, is now over. It is up to us to change the world.

We are all more important than Mr.Blair. His voice no longer carries any weight. Yours and mine do.

What are you doing? Now, in the future, and above all on October 9th?

 

[Groucho]

This parliament was elected by EXACTLY the same rules that every other parliament has been since well, since the advent of universal suffrage.
It has, therefore, 'legitimacy'.
This protest is utterly fucking idiotic.

Parliament doesn't really have legitimacy unless enough people agree that it does. There's the problem with an anti-Parliament demo at this stage. Where is the more democratic alternative?

If people want to have a fuck parliament party good oh, but it's not going to bring down the capitalist system. I have not heard of this demo from any other source whatsoever so I can only assume that the party/protest is a one student and his/her dog affair.

There is, however, a mighty big anti-war protest being held in Manchester on 23 September with coaches and trains booked from all over. This year may not see the back of capitalism, but it might see the back of Blair.

 

[VforVictory]

everything, actually, but doing it in this ridiculous, halfarsed and self-aggrandising manner is the biggest guarantee of failure and universal derision I can imagine.
ESPECIALLY when you bandy round words like 'legitimacy' without any reasoned argument behind it.

Look at the Political Compass site. New Labour is right-wing; the Tories are right-wing; the Liberal Democrats are right-wing. It's a right-wing Parliament. There is barely anything Left left.

So that is not legitimate, unless you happen to be a believer or proselytiser in the New Labour Middle Way Doctrine that means nothing more than the continuation of the Thatcherite abolition of the post-1945 Welfare State settlement.

Good luck in everything you are doing - and above all, let's find our voices! The oxygen of publicity was stolen from us.

Who is going to change the system if not us?

 

[FreddyB]

Look at the Political Compass site. New Labour is right-wing; the Tories are right-wing; the Liberal Democrats are right-wing. It's a right-wing Parliament. There is barely anything Left left.

So that is not legitimate, unless you happen to be a believer or proselytiser in the New Labour Middle Way Doctrine that means nothing more than the continuation of the Thatcherite abolition of the post-1945 Welfare State settlement.

Good luck in everything you are doing - and above all, let's find our voices! The oxygen of publicity was stolen from us.

Fuck off Tarquin

 

[JHE]

This year may not see the back of capitalism...

It won't. World proletarian socialist revolution is scheduled for next February.

 

[Dubversion]

What are you doing? Now, in the future, and above all on October 9th?

Now? laughing at your astonishing pompousness.
In the future? well, when i'm done laughing at your astonishing pompousness, I might open this bag of McCoys Thai Sweet Chili Chicken crisps.
On October 9th? stocking up on tinned goods and bottled water and nailing shut my door, ready for when you bring society to its knees.

 

[fractionMan]

Look at the Political Compass site. New Labour is right-wing; the Tories are right-wing; the Liberal Democrats are right-wing. It's a right-wing Parliament. There is barely anything Left left.

So that is not legitimate...

What an utterly shite argument.

Good luck anyway