Chasing Change Lessons from Big Rallies and the Debate Over Anti-Cuts Tactics Picture: Max Reeves Picture
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Price £3.00 Issue 233 Mid 2011 chasing change Lessons from big rallies and the debate over anti-cuts tactics Picture: Max Reeves Picture: We talk Analysis Red Flag: Plus our Also inside to Atari of the History economy Teenage students’ of a song rundown, this issue Riot conflict for rebels reviews... Editorial Welcome to Black Flag number 233. As would be expected, this issue reflects the crisis of neo-liberalism as it grinds slowly on. This year has seen Portugal joining Ireland in proving that austerity makes a crisis worse. Significantly, Portugal and the UK were among just five EU countries (including austerity-wrecked Greece and Ireland) to suffer negative growth in the final quarter of 2010. Not that our political masters have paid much attention – for them the lesson is not that austerity measures destroy economies but that Portugal did not cut fast and far enough (ignore the awkward fact Portugal adopted similar measures before Chancellor George Osborne announced his Comprehensive Spending Review). We discuss the many flaws of this ideological blindness. This issue also focuses on protests against the coalition cuts. As part of our co-operation with other libertarians the Anarchist Federation has written an article on the recent student movement. In addition, we have two articles Edge of darkness: Are we staring into the face of decline as neo-liberalism swallows the discussing the impressively large social gains of the working classes? Picture: Anya Brennan. demo on March 26th and what lessons we can learn from it in order to push the struggle forward. We have two interviews, one with Jon Active on radical distribution and another with anarcho-band Atari Teenage Riot. Our regular Breathing Utopia feature discusses the post in a libertarian society and how it could be self-managed (with classless stamps?). It also has the second part of our articles on what is libertarian history and Kropotkin’s revolutionary ideas. With the usual reviews (as well replies to one join the from the last issue), this is another issue packed with goodies for all discerning libertarians. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Brixton riots, 75 collective years since the start of the Spanish Since relaunching over the last three years Revolution, 90 since the Kronstadt this magazine has been gaining in recognition revolt (as reflected in this issue’s and has become one of the best places for Radical Reprint) and 140 since the serious anarchist writing in Britain today. Paris Commune. We can only hope Now we want to expand. We want you to that in the future decades 2011 is help us reach out into the wider left and beyond. We’re looking for marketers, remembered as the one which saw distributors, designers, writers, commissioning us start to successfully create the editors and photographers to force our beginnings of a libertarian social theories into the public domain. movement! Whether that is the Contact us at the email or snail case depends on us… mail address opposite. Content Ethos Black Flag is for a social system based on mutual aid and voluntary co-operation – against state control and all forms of n Cover story: Lessons of protest Page 18 government and economic repression. To establish a share in the general prosperity for all – the n In focus: The students’ fight Page 4 breaking down of racial, religious, national and sex barriers – and to fight for the life of n Analysis: Exposing neoliberal doublespeak as cuts one world. hit the economic “recovery” Page 7 The Black Flag has been a worldwide symbol for anarchism since the 1880s. It is at base a representative n Breathing Utopia: Looking at how our mail system of the negation of all oppressive would work ... post revolution. Page 10 structures. About n Analysis: The Stage Army Page 12 Contributors/excerpts: Anarchist Federation n Interview: Active Distribution Page 14 Iain McKay Rob Ray Alan Woodward n Interview: Atari Teenage Riot Page 16 Jon Active Ade Dimmick Alec Empire n History: Making of a people’s song: How the Red Tim Forster Flag was inspired by anarchists Page 22 Daniel Guerin Liz Willis Brian Morris n Radical Reprint: Remembering Kronstadt on its Paul Petard 90th anniversary Page 24 Dave Douglass Nick Heath n History: Class struggle and its burgeoning influence Layout/design on the story of stories Page 26 Rob Ray (Freedom Press) Printing n History: Part Two of Brian Morris’s ode to the Clydeside Press, Scotland revolutionary prince, Peter Kropotkin Page 28 ( 0141-552 5519 Contact us n Review: Iain McKay’s introduction to Mutual Aid : [email protected] Page 30 - Black Flag BM Hurricane, London, n Review: Looking at the Socialist Party’s politics WC1N 3XX, Page 32 United Kingdom, Bulk orders from AK Press n Review: Derek Wall and his eco-socialism Page 33 - AK Press (UK) PO Box 12766 Edinburgh EH8 9YE n Hob’s Choice: Our regular roundup of the best ( 0131 555 5165 political pamphlets Page 34 : [email protected] - AK Press (USA) n Review response: Dave Douglass, Ade Dimmick and PO Box 40862 Nick Heath go over the lengthy review of Douglass’s San Francisco CA ( 94140-0682 biography from last issue Page 36 : [email protected] 4 In focus: Student protests Is this only the In focus: The student protests have died down, but for how long? e’re from the slums of London” says a teenage protester, “how are we supposed to pay £9,000 “Win fees?” On December 9th, the day the vote on tuition fee rises went through, a mass demonstration outside parliament was kettled by the Met Police. Over the next 24 hours confrontations escalated and mounted charges at students brought back images that had not been seen since the Poll Tax riots. The events in December were the culmination of student protests that spread across the country, resulting in direct action from students that went even further back, to the 1980s. After the destruction at Conservative headquarters in November there was a take off in the student movement, but with the New Year the movement stagnated, with protests reduced and occupations few in number. What needs to be answered is why this has been so and what is needed to escalate the student resistance once again? During the protests of last year, it was Class wars: Occupations and clashes with police punctuated the student protests clear that action was being taken by students which was independent from the and self organisation inherent in anarchist argued that any organisation that mirrored NUS. This was a result of former president groups such as the Anarchist Federation the hierarchal system of capitalism was Aaron Porter and the bureaucracy that feeds have clearly struck a chord with many doomed, as a “governmental aristocracy” the union not responding to a rising tide of students. would be created destroying the democratic student activism, choosing an ineffective The NUS is a union that shows the limits nature of it. route of lobbying that has taken the fight of what working with a capitalist system can Once militants are promoted to positions against fees nowhere. achieve, what needs to be taken on board of power they forget their revolutionary Aaron Porter did nothing but condemn is that it only serves to create individuals roots, becoming ambitious self-seekers who the majority of action carried out by who are more concerned with furthering have chosen the union more as a career. students against the government’s attacks themselves politically, such as Aaron The fact that high-up SU officials are in a upon higher education, even mirroring the Porter and his well-known connections full-time paid job shows their disconnection coalition view of direct action being that of with the Labour Party. This extends not from those they represent. a violent minority. just to the national body but also down to The NUS of course creates a mechanism Students and workers within the local university unions which are rife with for funneling dissent from disaffected Anarchist Federation have been involved exactly the same careerists and popularity students via representation and increasingly in protests, teach-ins and occupations contestants. as an out-and-out business attempting to from the outset of the movement, even with Mikhael Bakunin, 19th Century theorist use their monopoly position to liaise with the organisation being wrongly accused and a founder figure of collectivist anarchism, companies and increase campus revenue. of masterminding the destruction of was no stranger to the bureaucracy of In the student struggle examples can Conservative HQ, when it was clearly the unions, when he explained how they could be seen with previous activists who had legitimate action of thousands. be stolen from the membership whose will previously argued for independent action The ideas and principles of direct action they are supposed to be an expression of. He from the NUS being drawn into the internal In focus: Student protests 5 beginning? student movement. on a student level this is based along the If the struggle is to continue the reliance principles of connecting students to actions upon the student unions must be broken. and events that they would have never The fight must be taken into the students’ become aware of before. hands who should, not be afraid to take This is a step forward in building an direct action and realise that the NUS alternative to the traditional left and also not cannot be won over to radical action due only capitalism itself, but against lobbying to its undemocratic structure preventing and ineffective mass protests as well. struggle. These pushes towards building networks This combination of ineffective reliance to bring local and regional struggles upon the NUS and supposed radical together are typical of anarchist communist alternatives has led to a slowdown in tactics of bridging resistance nationally and the urgency and impact of the student of creating a culture of resistance that is movement.