Anarchist Bookfair, London 19 October

[Blake's Baby]

I'm not sure this forum works as it should. I've posted this in 'Important Upcoming Events' but I'm going to make a thread for it too.

The annual Anarchist Bookfair at Queen Mary's College on the Mile End Road in London - 19th October.

Link to the Bookfair site here: http://anarchistbookfair.org.uk/

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

anyone going? I will almost certainly be able to make it this year as i'm based in London..

[Devrim]

I will be there.

Devrim

[freecommunist]

I'll be there with my paper and pamphlets in my bag :)

[The Idler]

I will be there, possibly spending some time on the SPGB stall outside, but also hopefully in meetings there. Please come and introduce yourself and say hello!

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

great to see there's a radical history area. I dunno if this is something they've done in previous years?

[Devrim]

KpK/MC meetings
Kolektivně proti kapitálu: Fighting Foxconn
Room 3.21, 2pm – 3pm
The biggest manufacturing company in the world exploiting hundreds of thousands of workers in China is quite well known. But it is less known that Foxconn is employing thousands of workers in Europe. We will focus on factories in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to understand how workers from 15 different nationalities could resist hard casual work both at the workplace and beyond, and could envision an open struggle against the company.

Mouvement Communiste: Workers’ violence does not always mean workers autonomy
Room G.07, 4pm – 5pm
We all know that violence isn’t good or bad, it depends what sort of violence! But what does this mean in the real world of workers’ struggles? Here we louok at concrete examples of violence (good and bad) deployed by workers (against bosses, scabs, company goons, union officials) in India, South Africa and China and draw some conclusions on what violence is as a means and how to use it.

Looking forward to seeing all you libcom posters again and meeting some new ones!

Devrim

[bricolage]

yep, i'm gonna head over after work but will only be able to make it for the last hour I think.

[whichfinder]

I will be there, possibly spending some time on the SPGB stall outside, but also hopefully in meetings there. Please come and introduce yourself and say hello!

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/literature-stall-anarchist-bookfair-east-london-1100am

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

this was great. Did everyone manage to see Lorenzo and JoNina Ervin's talks? Inspiring.

Although, given that the title of this whole day was 'anarchist bookfair', the actual books on sale were in the main prohibitively priced. Boo.

[Blake's Baby]

It was indeed a pretty amazing day. Some very interesting meetings, and a lot of catching up with various people (including Devrim and Theft).

The Idler - sorry I missed you, though I did talk to one of your comrades for a little bit.

[Thirsty Crow]

KpK/MC meetings

Devrim
Are there going to be write ups on those meetings perhaps? Oh yeah and if you remember, say hi in my name :)

EDIT: late as always.

[The Feral Underclass]

Did any anarchists actually go?

[Blake's Baby]

Quite a lot.

But they don't post on RevLeft at a guess.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

In one meeting some guy, fairly robustly, gave one of the (marxist) people I went with an absolute pasting. I thought it might have been you, TAT. :)

[The Feral Underclass]

I wasn't there. The idea of being surrounded by lots of British anarchists filled me with dread.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Why?

[The Feral Underclass]

I've been around the British anarchist movement for almost ten years. In those ten years I have been to pretty much every book fair since 2005. In that same time the anarchist movement has not changed. It's not reflected on itself or made any effort to engage seriously with the issues of our time. I have no interest in being around people who have no desire to change, self-criticise or find meaningful solutions to the problems we face as a class.

[Blake's Baby]

In one meeting some guy, fairly robustly, gave one of the (marxist) people I went with an absolute pasting. I thought it might have been you, TAT. :)

Which meeting was that?

And was it a verbal, or a physical pasting?

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

intro to anarchism, which turned out to be a bit pointless as it was a literal introduction. Verbal pasting.

I didn't see any fighting - no SWPers in sight so no danger of fisticuffs! :grin:

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

I've been around the British anarchist movement for almost ten years. In those ten years I have been to pretty much every book fair since 2005. In that same time the anarchist movement has not changed. It's not reflected on itself or made any effort to engage seriously with the issues of our time. I have no interest in being around people who have no desire to change, self-criticise or find meaningful solutions to the problems we face as a class.

fair enough. One of the problems I had with some people at the bookfair was that 'anarchism' seems to be such a broad tent, there were a lot of 'non-revolutionary anarchists' who were sort of, interested in non-hierarchy but from the perspective of eco-anarchy and so on.

But then again, I probably didn't speak to enough people to make a sound judgement, and tbf the two BPP talks I went to were superb.

I think Lorenzo and JoNina are giving another talk at hackney free cinema on thursday, there's a showing of a film about cointelpro, could be interesting.

[human strike]

Had the pleasure of meeting JoNina a few days ago. :)

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

She's lovely. Her and Lorenzo were kind enough to stay behind and talk with me and my mates for a bit after their KK talk.

[human strike]

Did anyone go to the anarcha-feminist meeting - I heard there was some controversy around transphobia, racism and rape apologism?

[The Feral Underclass]

there were a lot of 'non-revolutionary anarchists' who were sort of, interested in non-hierarchy but from the perspective of eco-anarchy and so on.

Yeah, precisely! I have no patience for those people any more.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Yeah, precisely! I have no patience for those people any more.

I gave up talking to someone when they were all like "I just, just don't know if we're gonna have time to do everything we want to do, because people have been telling me that we're fucking the planet up and we've only got like, 5 years left as a species"......:glare:

[freecommunist]

Some very interesting meetings, and a lot of catching up with various people (including Devrim and Theft).



Theft, to many forums and names about don't you think Slothjabber :D

[The Feral Underclass]

Did anyone go to the anarcha-feminist meeting - I heard there was some controversy around transphobia, racism and rape apologism?

It is probably the same guy who is there every year arguing about how privilege doesn't exist.

[The Feral Underclass]

I gave up talking to someone when they were all like "I just, just don't know if we're gonna have time to do everything we want to do, because people have been telling me that we're fucking the planet up and we've only got like, 5 years left as a species"......:glare:

What a sorry state of affairs.

[freecommunist]

Had a good time and managed to avoid most of the liberal hippie types, went to MC meeting on violence that was very interesting despite the two idiots that tried to spoil it. Didn't get to the KpK meeting as was on at the same time as the CWO meeting that was also good, though really needed 2 hours. Didn't buy any books at the bookfair, but did get two the day after from a small bookshop in Chiswick and of the two one I already have.

Spoke to loads of people CWO/ICC/KpK/MC/Afed/Plan-C people along with Blake's Baby, Devrim and Android from here. As usual missed a few, got rid of most of the contents of my bag which is good and missed the stuff outside.

[The Idler]

It was indeed a pretty amazing day. Some very interesting meetings, and a lot of catching up with various people (including Devrim and Theft).

The Idler - sorry I missed you, though I did talk to one of your comrades for a little bit.
Perhaps at Manchester Anarchist Bookfair (I will start a topic about this).

[Devrim]

Are there going to be write ups on those meetings perhaps?

I don't think that there was anything planned about this. I will ask them.


Oh yeah and if you remember, say hi in my name :)

There was nobody there you know. I will see someone you know in the pub at the weekend and will say hi.

Devrim

[Devrim]

In one meeting some guy, fairly robustly, gave one of the (marxist) people I went with an absolute pasting. I thought it might have been you, TAT. :)

It sounds like Iain McKay from the Anarchist FAQ (of course it could have been many other people).

Devrim

[Devrim]

I saw Android, Theft, Blake's Baby, and Ed Miliband (very briefly) off here. I quite enjoy it. I caught up with old friends, and drank too much (and spent too much money). You don't have to engage with the hippies, and weirdos if you don't want to.

Devrim

[Dennis the 'Bloody Peasant']

I gave up talking to someone when they were all like "I just, just don't know if we're gonna have time to do everything we want to do, because people have been telling me that we're fucking the planet up and we've only got like, 5 years left as a species"......:glare:

..were they called Ziggy?

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

..were they called Ziggy?

Don't think so. I'm not gonna get into personal slagging off online anyway, I just didn't really want to engage so much with them.

[Devrim]

Don't think so. I'm not gonna get into personal slagging off online anyway, I just didn't really want to engage so much with them.

It's a Bowie reference.

Devrim

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

You're all too old with your cultural references.

[The Feral Underclass]

Bowie brought out an album this year.

[Blake's Baby]

It wasn't a Ziggy Stardust album though. That was definitely 40 years ago.