Where is the anti-capitalism movement going in the UK?

[sihhi]

The fact that it eventually dissolved as an activist group was the fact that we as a group were unable to involve people on a long term basis in the day to day job of keeping activities going on. That was a political problem and a real one which i think many of us struggle with. But was it to do with the politics on the ground i think not.

Just for the record like,

on Globalise Resistence:
Early 2004 Non-SWPers leave
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/02/285233.html

GR has taken on a rather more specific persona. It has become the mechanism through which the SWP engages with the European Social Forum process. Far from being an active, grassroots group incorporating different perspectives as it claims to be, with some natural tensions cropping up from time to time, GR has come to represent a very specific agenda. The agenda has not been endorsed by the Steering Committee and it seems to us one which is primarily aimed at increasing the profile of the SWP within the movement.

SWP can't stomach this and continue to plod on with Globalise Resistance pretending it is still an independent organisation by inserting a new group of "independents" into their steering committee.

 

[Steve Booth]

Perhaps protests are not productive

Wait a minute, I've already said above I don't agree with them, I just put it up to see what people think!

....
I agree with HB that something organised needs to come out of the G8, I just don't seen any signs of that happening so far.

No, sorry I didn't mean you personally, Cockney Rebel, the comment was aimed at the tendency.

I still feel worried about the way the 'Make Poverty History' marches and the Bog Beldoff concert thing marginalised the protests. Perhaps protest marches and such are just not profitable and we all really need to sit down and rethink how we go about doing politics...

 

[roddes]

Did the anti-capitalist movement ever really exist?

at the current look of things i'd say yes.its organiseation's trying to take power and controll i belive that have driven the anti-capitalist movement into its early grave.
its gone from stopping world trade summunit's to selling newspaper's.

 

[rghthrerightnow]

there is always a problem with being an anti- movement.

With anti-war its quite simple to the outsider. The alternative is peace.

It is a little different with economic systems. Especially when those espousing them explain things as black and white, and rooted in textual ideals rather than events on the ground.

I think events like the ESF are essential to do the difficult task of matching ideals with reality, and forming strategies and positive answers. This wont be as romantic as testosterone charged rebels flinging themselves at fences but will perhaps offer a better chance of winning the argument, whatever the argument is.

 

[Random]

What happened was that, for a time, various scattered campaigns and groups seemed to co-ordinate. maybe that was an illusion, but it has certainly fallen apart now -- back into it's constituent parts. Which means that the possibility of coming together should be, in theory, still there. Of course then we need to look at the question of whether the important constituent parts are still as strong. I'd argue that this is a more crucial question, but one that can't really be talked about within a simply discussion that assumes as 'anticapitalist movement'.

 

[Chuck Wilson]

It's all very well dismissing what has been achieved here and looking abroad but did the acm in Italy or the states succesfully smash the windows of the local Spar shop or symbolically pull down a panel of fencing? I think not.

 

[1%er]

Bump

Its destined to remain on the fringes of UK politics because the current standard of living is so high. When the economy turns to poo in the future then actual politics may return to the masses.

7 years on are times hard enough yet

 

[toblerone3]

Bump
7 years on are times hard enough yet

No, give it another three or four years.

 

[1%er]

No, give it another three or four years.

OK bye for now, I've put in in my Google diary

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Yeah, I can really see why this one was fucking bumped. Not to confuse people or anything at all.