My review of “Struggle or Starve, Working Class Unity in Belfast’s 1932 Outdoor Relief Riots” by Sean Mitchell

lipstick socialist

“Struggle or Starve” could be an epithet for  UK in 2017  as the government pursues its policy of persecuting the poor. In this new book Sean Mitchell, socialist and founder of Ireland’s People before Profit Party,   reminds us  of an important part of Belfast history when Protestants and Catholics united to oppose a draconian Poor Law. It’s more than just a history book,  as  Sean shows  us that the conditions of the poor in Belfast in the 1930s had a direct relationship with the creation of the  Northern Ireland state in 1920,  and its continued existence today.

Northern Ireland was created as a one party state to enshrine  Protestant hegemony. But as the economic depression took hold after 1929 the position of both Catholics and Protestant workers reached a catastrophic condition of  poverty and hunger. Unlike in  Britain and over the border in the south of Ireland,  the 1834…

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Freedom for Ocalan Book Launch Report

Kurdistan Solidarity Network

FREEDOM FOR OCALAN CAMPAIGN – BOOK LAUNCH
Abdullah Ocalan, Manifesto for a Democratic Civilisation, Volume II: Capitalism – The Age of Unmasked Gods and Naked Kings

The book is published by New Compass Press, Norway: new-compass.net and International Initiative “Freedom for Abdullah Ocalan-Peace in Kurdistan, Germany: Freedom-for-ocalan.com; info@freedom-for-ocalan.com

The book was translated by Havin Guneser; the preface was written by Dr Radha D’Souza.

Report by Trevor Rayne

The launch of the English translation of this important work was hosted in London by Unite the Union and supported by Peace in Kurdistan and Centre for Kurdish Progress on 19 June 2017. Approximately 50 people attended. Unite, along with the GMB union, launched the Freedom for Ocalan Campaign in 2016. Opening the meeting, Simon Dubbins, International Director of Unite, described Abdullah Ocalan as ‘one of this century’s and the past century’s biggest political thinkers’ and emphasised that Ocalan’s release is essential to…

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RADICAL WORKERS’ BLOC AT TOLPUDDLE 2017

Wessex Solidarity

This year’sMartyrs Festival and rally is Friday 14th to Sunday 16th July 2017, our well oiled machine will spring into action on Friday lunchtime, if you haven’t done this with us before it’s a lot of fun. If you have, you know what to expect …View map

Photo by Wheelz.

For a world without leaders, elections, jobs, money, nukes or fascists: Report from Radical Workers’ Bloc at Tolpuddle 2016.

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The Green One

Winter Oak Quotes

A new book by Paul Cudenec has been published by Winter Oak Press.

The Green One is a thoroughly researched and yet poetic book. The author explores how the awareness of our belonging to nature has always been present in human thought and culture. Today this vital spirit, which he personifies as The Green One, is inspiring global resistance to industrial capitalism.

I am The Green One, although I would maybe better be named The Green Many. Green is the colour of eternal youth, of rebirth, of nature springing back into life after the death-sleep of winter.

I am Pachamama, I am Isis, I am Yemoja. I am Jack in the Green, I am Tammuz, I am Khidr.

I am regeneration. I am the right way of living. Sometimes I am revolution.

I have taken up the mighty sledgehammers of the Luddites. The Virgins are escaping from the churches…

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Worshipping Power?

Bristol Anarchist Federation

On Tuesday Bristol Anarchist Federation hosted a talk by Peter Gelderloos on the theories in his latest book Worshiping Power: An Anarchist View of Early State Formation.  We packed out Kebele with people eager to hear about it, we certainly weren’t disappointed. Our friends over in Bath also hosted a talk the following day after we got in touch with them, spreading a bit more anarchy to our gentile neighbour.

It is always refreshing to hear history unchained from the often stagnant ideas of mainstream society. However not only did the talk (and book) go into how states first arose, but how they continue to adapt to sustain the power they hold over us. The lessons contained are essential for all of us fighting for a better world – not just the anarchists. One that stuck out most is one of only two characteristics that all states shared upon forming,

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We love you!

To all those who attended (or tried to attend) the bookfair and/or the gig, all those who worked with us on the day or beforehand, all those who donated or lent us stuff, the musicians, brewers, stallholders and meeting hosts. We extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations on being part of this superb event.

We ran out of food but the kitchen crew put in a heroic effort to get everyone fed, going to the shops a couple of times and cooking all day.

We’re looking into hosting warm up events through the year to front-load the next one so the funding won’t be so tight.. Look out for gigs, talks film shows and lets us have your own ideas.

Lastly we welcome feedback, and if you get in touch we’d like to know how you found out about  the event so we can target our publicity most effectively.

Thanks again

Radical bookfair collective x

 

 

Vegan food

We’re making 3 bean chilli and chocolate cake for tomorrow …
Pasta bake and sweet potato wedges

We’ll have wraps, savoury rice baked potatoes and fresh fruit

Thanx!

Big shout out to Pompey Punx Collective for loaning us their Kit for the gig!

Last minute addition.

Late addition stall: Positive Money Bournemouth.

“We are a local support group of the national civil society campaign for monetary reform. Our aims are to educate ourselves in the various schools of economics and to promote the cause of full reserve banking and state money creation for publicly useful purposes, as opposed to inflating the assets of the rich (QE).”

Beer first, then revolution!

The following small-scale independent local brewers support our event and have kindly donated their wares free of charge to the afterparty.

• Cerne Abbas Brewery
• Dorset Sunshine (cider)
• Eight Arch Brewing co,
• The Brew Shack
• Vibrant Forest

This means we can offer you something proper tasty to drink at £2.50 a pint, all proceeds to the Bookfair. The bar will be organised by the Firkin Shed micro pub, in Holdenhurst road.