Libertarian Socialist festival idea?

[The Idler]

Would anyone be interested in a Libertarian Socialist festival if one were to be organised? Similar to anarchist bookfair but not anarchist.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Why not just set up a stall at the anarchist bookfair? It's already quite a big and well-established event, I imagine it would be more effective attempting to do that than forming a breakaway that is likely to be smaller and fractious.

[StreetsRunRed]

Honest question. How can you be a libertarian and a socialist? I am under the impression that these are two very different and mutually exclusive ideals.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

Would anyone be interested in a Libertarian Socialist festival if one were to be organised? Similar to anarchist bookfair but not anarchist.

That seems to be a bit nit-picky. Or, at least, most of the anarchist bookfairs I've known haven't bee so narrow. Hell, the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair (which, for a longest time, was North America's largest) lets some explicitly anti-anarchist Left-Communists table.

Would your Libertarian Socialist festival welcome anarchists? On what basis would it draw the distinction? Etc.

[Creative Destruction]

Honest question. How can you be a libertarian and a socialist? I am under the impression that these are two very different and mutually exclusive ideals.

the word "libertarian" didn't really refer to the free market morons until the New Left came about. some in the New Left became infatuated with Austrian and, sometimes, Randian politics, who then basically forged a third path between the New Left and the contemporary batches of conservatives at the time. there was also a contigent of people who had their feelings hurt by conservatives who didn't want to nominate Barry Goldwater in the 60s. before then "libertarian" referred to anarchists or Marxists who had radically different ideas about the state than Lenin did.

[Devrim]

Honest question. How can you be a libertarian and a socialist? I am under the impression that these are two very different and mutually exclusive ideals.

The term 'libertarian socialist' predates the modern US usage of the term libertarian by many decades. For people my age, and from Europe, the US term is a bit strange. I always associate libertarianism with the terms communist or socialist. It means something similar, but not identical to anarchist.

Devrim

[The Feral Underclass]

Would anyone be interested in a Libertarian Socialist festival if one were to be organised? Similar to anarchist bookfair but not anarchist.

Wouldn't you first need to be a libertarian socialist to organise such an event?

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

Would anyone be interested in a Libertarian Socialist festival if one were to be organised? Similar to anarchist bookfair but not anarchist.

Yes if you can get Miley Cyrus to perform, absolutely.

[The Idler]

Wouldn't you first need to be a libertarian socialist to organise such an event?
I am, so it wouldn't be a problem for me.

[The Idler]

Why not just set up a stall at the anarchist bookfair? It's already quite a big and well-established event, I imagine it would be more effective attempting to do that than forming a breakaway that is likely to be smaller and fractious.
Well certain libertarian socialist stalls such as the SPGB haven't been particularly welcome inside Anarchist bookfairs in the past. In any case, I think there's room for both sorts of festival especially if a libertarian socialist one is more inclusive.

That seems to be a bit nit-picky. Or, at least, most of the anarchist bookfairs I've known haven't bee so narrow. Hell, the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair (which, for a longest time, was North America's largest) let's some explicitly anti-anarchist Left-Communists table.

Would your Libertarian Socialist festival welcome anarchists? On what basis would it draw the distinction? Etc.
I suspect the criteria would be something along the lines of the criteria used by Frank Girard's Discussion Bulletin, World in Common group or the Libertarian Communist publication. So yes, anarchists would be welcome.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Well certain libertarian socialist stalls such as the SPGB haven't been particularly welcome inside Anarchist bookfairs in the past. In any case, I think there's room for both sorts of festival especially if a libertarian socialist one is more inclusive.


Have you received a reason for this?

The anarchist bookfair website states:

"The bookfair collective makes decisions about which groups can and cannot have stalls and meetings at the bookfair. This is based on a very broad definition of anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist anarchism. Authoritarian ‘communist’ groups are not included and equally, ‘libertarian’ capitalists are not welcome. This is the only criterion for inclusion and the bookfair collective will not ban any groups purely on the basis of the behaviour of one of their members, so please do not ask us to do this."

- http://anarchistbookfair.org.uk/

[The Idler]

This has been discussed extensively here
http://www.revleft.com/vb/manchester-salford-anarchist-t184163/index2.html
there is also a disclaimer here
http://anarchistbookfair.org.uk/booking.html
It is possible we may reject your booking (Trots/people in political parties and stalls not related to anarchist or anarchist related activities please note). If you think this may mean you, please email us first to check.