Birmingham, UK - 20th June 2015, Midlands Discussion Forum

[Blake's Baby]

The next Midlands Discussion Forum will take place on Saturday 20th June in the back room of the Anchor Inn, 308 Bradford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham B5 6ET; meeting starts at 2pm. We will be discussing "Europe and the UK - Capitalism, Nationalism and class struggle".

All comrades are welcome to attend: even though it's me posting it, this is not a 'Left Communist' group, it's a forum for discussing working-class politics.

[The Feral Underclass]

At the same time as the national anti-austerity demo in London...Classy.

[Blake's Baby]

We only heard of the anti-austerity demo today. We've had this organised for ages, but no-one answered my enquiry to whether we were going to post a notification on RevLeft.

I'm sure the lack of the 6 of us isn't going to seriously blunt the working class's forces.

[freecommunist]

I'm sure the lack of the 6 of us isn't going to seriously blunt the working class's forces.

But we will miss all the important speeches from the trade unions and all the talk about if only we could push Labour a bit more to the left, vote TUSC/Left Unity, kick the Tories out and other such lefty nonsense. I'm totally gutted :laugh:

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

We only heard of the anti-austerity demo today.

No offence but like, where have you been?

Anyway, hoping that if you're not there in person you'll be supporting us in spirit, as we will do you. :)

[Blake's Baby]

In a major UK university and connected on FB and other forums to a whole host of leftist news and discussion sites.

I first heard about it on 12th June from the comrades of the CWO, who were saying they might not be able to come to our meeting.

There's nothing about it in 'Important events' here. Is it not an important event? Why has no-one posted anything about it at RevLeft?

I've had to do a search of LibCom to find info, which consists (as far as I could find) of the following text:

"Forgive me if this is in the wrong place or shouldn't be posted publicly at all if so please delete. There is an anti-austerity march commencing at the bank of England on the 20th of June, I was wondering if any sort of black bloc would be present?"

This was posted on May 9th under the title 'June 20th March' (hardly a limpid explanation as to what it is about) but has no replies to it. I didn't see it on May 9th, if I had perhaps I wouldn't have suggested to the rest of the MDF that we hold the meeting on the same day (on or around 13th May, I think). Certainly we'd posted the notification of the meeting on LibCom by 17th May.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

[QUOTE=Blake's Baby;2838064]In a major UK university and connected on FB and other forums to a whole host of leftist news and discussion sites.

OK- it wasn't meant as a dig in any way, I do find it surprising that a march that has been publicised amongst a variety of left-wing groups would not have cropped up.


There's nothing about it in 'Important events' here. Is it not an important event? Why has no-one posted anything about it at RevLeft?

I was wondering the same. I suspect that this says more about Revleft's dis-connection from real struggles (at least in the UK) than the importance of said event. There have been a host of actions going on in the UK recently, particularly in London, around reclaiming local communities and squatters' rights, anti-gentrification actions particularly by people of colour in Brixton for example, detention centres and immigration, and creating regional networks and groups. This suggests to me that important events simply do not get posted here because either most members here are dis-connected from actual struggles, or they do not see it is a fruitful exercise to highlight said actions/events on this website.


[I]"Forgive me if this is in the wrong place or shouldn't be posted publicly at all if so please delete. There is an anti-austerity march commencing at the bank of England on the 20th of June, I was wondering if any sort of black bloc would be present?"

For what it's worth, I saw about a dozen comrades from Class War who were present. I know certain other 'blocs' were there but the action generally passed off without 'riotous' action, though I did see some vegan pricks harassing some shop workers asking them if they were 'ashamed' of themselves for working in a butcher's. But there you go. :rolleyes::lol:

[freecommunist]

5tMNhGO2Sko

[Blake's Baby]

OK- it wasn't meant as a dig in any way, I do find it surprising that a march that has been publicised amongst a variety of left-wing groups would not have cropped up...Not being a member of SPEW, or a trade union, probably means that I don't get as much info from 'left wing groups' as some other people.



...
I was wondering the same. I suspect that this says more about Revleft's dis-connection from real struggles (at least in the UK) than the importance of said event. There have been a host of actions going on in the UK recently, particularly in London, around reclaiming local communities and squatters' rights, anti-gentrification actions particularly by people of colour in Brixton for example, detention centres and immigration, and creating regional networks and groups. This suggests to me that important events simply do not get posted here because either most members here are dis-connected from actual struggles, or they do not see it is a fruitful exercise to highlight said actions/events on this website...And your view of this position is...? Because if you think things like this should be on RevLeft, why aren't you putting them on RevLeft?

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Not being a member of SPEW, or a trade union, probably means that I don't get as much info from 'left wing groups' as some other people.


And your view of this position is...? Because if you think things like this should be on RevLeft, why aren't you putting them on RevLeft?

Because having tried to raise these sorts of things before i've come to the conclusion that it's not a fruitful exercise.

For the handful of active comrades on this website, I get the impression that many are simply here for the talking shop. Which is fine, but I mean there's plenty of shit out there if people really want to do something - i'm not going to beg them to do so.

[Blake's Baby]

That's not a very responsible attitude, is it?

'I know about things but if no-one else can be bothered to find out about them I'm not going to tell them, I'm just going to moan about them not doing the things that I think they should'.

Brilliant.

[Blake's Baby]

Audio from the meeting now available here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tMNhGO2Sko&feature=youtu.be