The 25th Annual Anarchist Bookfair

[IPRN]

Why spreaad lies then????

"Lies"?! Attica, I think I probably knew Martin before you were born!

 

[SuburbanCasual]

Is this really the place to be discussing things like this IPRN? ffs!

 

[IPRN]

Is this really the place to be discussing things like this IPRN? ffs!

I'm only responding because I've been accused of being a liar, an idiot, and a patsy! I've no real wish to take this further on here. Anyone whose known MW for as long as I have will realise that my original post is actually very restrained, and that he's got off very lightly. That's something that his ignorant defenders may wish to bear in mind before continuing.

I'll wait to see the book before commenting any further, and if I do it won't be on here unless I'm provoked. The truth is sometimes inconvenient, but I have a long memory.

 

[The Black Hand]

"Lies"?! Attica, I think I probably knew Martin before you were born!

Doubt it sonny.

 

[Thora]

Leave it out boys

 

[IPRN]

Doubt it sonny.

Maybe I've got it wrong and you just post like a 5 year-old!

(I think I first met Martin in 1978.)

 

[In Bloom]

you might get some people coming along out of curiosity who then decide that they want to get involved. surely anything is doomed to failure unless it tries something to attract new blood.

The number of people who'll come just out of curiosity and not fuck off the second they lay eyes on the place wouldn't be worth the effort.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only way anarchist ideas could ever gain any kind of serious currency is if people could see clear examples of their usefulness. Getting people to come to the bookfair is probably the least worthwhile way of attracting "new blood". Plus using the bookfair as some sort of recruiting ground merely reinforces the sterile scene status of anarchism, instead of breaking it down.

 

[In Bloom]

Quite - 'we' need a conference/congress every 2 years of all the class struggle anarchists over a long weekend near to Mayday...

For a movement that has potential, and has so many people with ideas, surely there must be some way to practice solidarity amongst ourselves in a better way, and thats apart from the necessary levels of political understanding, research and development that our movement needs...

As long as you see solidarity as something to be "practiced" within the anarchist scene, you're kind of missing the whole fucking point of solidarity.

Which I'd probably be more polite about, if you didn't prance about acting like you're some kind of intellectual heavyweight. There's really not much hope for the Northumberland branch of Autonomous Class War, is there?

 

[The Black Hand]

Northumberland branch of Autonomous Class War

As long as you see solidarity as something to be "practiced" within the anarchist scene, you're kind of missing the whole fucking point of solidarity.

Which I'd probably be more polite about, if you didn't prance about acting like you're some kind of intellectual heavyweight. There's really not much hope for the Northumberland branch of Autonomous Class War, is there?

You missed the point again... Here it is again for you, the movement is so split it doesn't practice solidarity internally, therefore, why on earth should anybody think it can be done externally??? Indeed, the movement doesn't operate effectively in politics at all, and the 'successes' we have had have been by default rather than design. All are culpable, especially the time served who are in effective control of the movement and who amount to fuck all between them. SO - time to ditch egos and begin again without illusions comrades

Instead, the movement is split, dominated by personalities, organised hierarchically rather than horizontally, the movements decision making processes are similarly undemocratic etc... The list can go on...

I call it as I see it - why should I trim or pull my punches if these are the conclusions I see from the accumulated evidence of many years observation and praxis? If you see things differently, by all means go ahead and describe them. AS it goes, the 'Northumberland branch of Autonomous Class War' was a response to a form that called for 'my organisation', I see what I think as being in the Autonomist and Class War tradition. Its hard to jetison 20+ years experience just like that...

Indeed, I have more experience in Class War than anybody in London Class War (including Paul Marsh), however, since the grapevine has obviously been operative (you youngsters get so excitable, and so does Paul) I have been thinking overnight that Autonomous Class War might not be such a bad idea after all. I may do a website and call for groups to affiliate on an autonomous basis Time will tell, I will have to discuss this further...

 

[The Black Hand]

Maybe I've got it wrong and you just post like a 5 year-old!

(I think I first met Martin in 1978.)

Yes, I was right and you was wrong. I do post in an aggressive manner, that I know, and I make no apologies

 

[aurora green]

All this macho posturing is really off putting you know...

 

[SuburbanCasual]

All this macho posturing is really off putting you know...

Ignore them, it's two loons.

 

[chico enrico]

Maybe I've got it wrong and you just post like a 5 year-old!

(I think I first met Martin in 1978.)

Hello Fabian.
Fuck off Fabian.

 

[Thora]

Hello Fabian.
Fuck off Fabian.

Go on, have another guess...

 

[Blagsta]

Macho posturing and infighting on an anarchist thread? Who'd have thunk it eh?

 

[IPRN]

Ignore them, it's two loons.

Hello Fabian.
Fuck off Fabian.

Cheeky bastards!

 

[chico enrico]

Wonder if Martin will include the story about slashing some young lad's arm with a flick-knife at one of the early bookfairs? Or the one about him and his mate Steve terrorizing IB's ex-missus by phone after she'd just miscarried?

try getting your facts straight before you start posting your shite up here ya fuckin prick.

 

[In Bloom]

You missed the point again... Here it is again for you, the movement is so split it doesn't practice solidarity internally, therefore, why on earth should anybody think it can be done externally???

There is no generalised anarchist movement.

And I like it that way, personally.

 

[cholmondley]

Anarchist books

To get back to the bookfair.......there seems to be a lot of of new anarchist books out this October....which one to buy....has anyone read Wright's or Bone's or Rebel Alliances by Ben Franks or the new book on Crass?

 

[sipriano]

Martin's book is about the street-fight with the nf in the seventies, there's some stuff in there about the ruck at the crass gig in conway hall, when they were kicked all over the place. Ian bone's book is about class war in the eighties.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Does anyone know whether Ak press still come along? Been a few years since I've been to the bookfair. The Crass book sounds very tempting to me. Tho its hard to concentrate on reading with all this bickering...

 

[treelover]

It is true though that a few years ago a young guy got his face smashed in at the bookfair, i fel sick when i heard that. There has always been an undercurrent of violence in radical movements (even to each other.)

 

[Antrophe]

The number of people who'll come just out of curiosity and not fuck off the second they lay eyes on the place wouldn't be worth the effort.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the only way anarchist ideas could ever gain any kind of serious currency is if people could see clear examples of their usefulness. Getting people to come to the bookfair is probably the least worthwhile way of attracting "new blood". Plus using the bookfair as some sort of recruiting ground merely reinforces the sterile scene status of anarchism, instead of breaking it down.

Actually in organising the Dublin anarchist book fair significant effort was put into breaking out of the milieu through printing postcards advertising the event and distributing 2,000 local WSM newsletters specifically to advertise it door to door in the area where it was held. It was in a community centre so this made sense, but in many ways doing this allowed people to come along and see something beyond cliched stereotypes. It definitely, definitely had an impact on the numbers. Some of these fresh faces had a gawk at some meetings, others mainly browsed. This'll be my first year going to the London bookfair, but whats the point of a bookfair if not mainly to provide easy access to radical ideas in print form? The internal wrangling of the movement are a bonus.

 

[tbaldwin]

The book fair is a great opportunity to bring anarchists together in one place.
So that they can wander around looking at all the people they hate and try to attach themselves to the minority of people in the bookfair they dont think are complete wankers....

 

[The Black Hand]

All this macho posturing is really off putting you know...

Sexist! Women can be aggressive too.

 

[The Black Hand]

It is true though that a few years ago a young guy got his face smashed in at the bookfair, i fel sick when i heard that. There has always been an undercurrent of violence in radical movements (even to each other.)

I saw a facist manhandled out of the bookfair some years ago - that's not violence but a justified community response to an alien, jettisoning an undesirable from the body politik

 

[In Bloom]

Actually in organising the Dublin anarchist book fair significant effort was put into breaking out of the milieu through printing postcards advertising the event and distributing 2,000 local WSM newsletters specifically to advertise it door to door in the area where it was held. It was in a community centre so this made sense, but in many ways doing this allowed people to come along and see something beyond cliched stereotypes. It definitely, definitely had an impact on the numbers. Some of these fresh faces had a gawk at some meetings, others mainly browsed.

I don't know what the situation is in Dublin, so I can't really comment.

Did you get many people becoming involved in campaigns or organisations from doing that?

This'll be my first year going to the London bookfair, but whats the point of a bookfair if not mainly to provide easy access to radical ideas in print form? The internal wrangling of the movement are a bonus.

Honestly, I just enjoy going along and socialising with other anarchos. It's enjoyable.

Why should everything anarchists do as a group have a political aim? Can't we just enjoy ourselves now and again with people who have a shared perspective on the world?

I can't see the bookfair acheiving anything more than that, so why not just enjoy if for what it is?

 

[aurora green]

Sexist! Women can be aggressive too.

that's just pathetic.

 

[chico enrico]

It is true though that a few years ago a young guy got his face smashed in at the bookfair, i fel sick when i heard that. There has always been an undercurrent of violence in radical movements (even to each other.)

if you're meaning at the 1984 bookfair he deserved it. he got a slapping after it was revealed he beat up his girlfriend at the social the night before. he was challenged, admitted it, got a slapping and walloped with a chair and was told to fuck off. big deal. and surely no big loss?

 

[The Black Hand]

that's just pathetic.

THough true.