Here’s the statement from Martin to introduce the meeting at the Anarchist Bookfair on October 23rd to launch his election campaign:
‘Vicious government cuts virtually unopposed. Rise of the EDL ineffectually challenged. Fear, alienation,helplessness stalking vast swathes of the population.The anarchist movement petrified, retreating further into sterile lifestylism, deadend activism,internet gazing. We require a daring initiative to break this impasse.
The forthcoming Olympics, the subsequent devastation of our historic and evolving East End, and wrecking of communities needs to be seriously challenged. Reversed. But given previous failings……How?
This meeting is to announce a bold departure. We intend to stand a couple of candidates in the East London super constituencies on an anti-authority populist patform.Obviously not to gain votes but to utilise, in those months before the Olympics, an opportunity to unite all disaffected grass roots groups,isolated individuals, and rebellious elements into a new movement.This will present a unique challenge to those who seek to divide us such as the BNP, EDL and fundamentalists of all stripes.And we shall do this on the streets and in our communities. Come along to challenge or support us in the most controversial and rowdy meeting of the bookfair’.
Such is the level of interest and excitement about this meeting that a bigger hall at the bookfair is being sought. Not for the faint- hearted! Messages of support welcome!
What matters is not what those of us who turn up for the meeting (most of whom probably won’t live in East London anyway) think about this initiative but what (if anything) the ordinary folk of the area will think about it. The issue of the Olympics will have to be addressed very carefully to avoid coming across as boring no sport kill joys but that said the least that the rest of us can do is wish the project well, bung in a couple of bob and desist from whining about the FIA in ’36.
GOOD LUCK MARTIN.
Considering the present condition of the UK anarchist movement anyone who believes in anarchist principles should take EVERY available opportunity to debate and promote ‘the beautiful idea’.
Will you be registering a party name? – not for the sake of ‘party building’, but so that people around the country can get involved. The term ‘independent’ isn’t very inspiring and a deliberately provocative party name would attract more attention. In local elections you only need a dozen signatures to register and standing would give people the perfect opportunity to hold local meetings and put some alternative views through people’s letterboxes – it also allows you to attend the count so you can jeer at the BNP whenever their name is called out 😉
I’d certainly be up for standing locally. I usually find it difficult to get to the big events (in fact you’ve now given me the problem of choosing between Brum and the Bookfair as I won’t be able to afford to get to both in the same month 😦 ) and – as Dave E has often pointed out on this site – anarchists outside of London or the larger cities can often feel marginalised. This campaign has the potential to give more people in more places the opportunity to get more deeply involved…
Nice one Martin and Ian!
Warm regards,
Warren Draper
As the man said:
Nice one Martin and Ian!
Love Rage Anarchy,
M
“standing would give people the perfect opportunity to hold local meetings and put some alternative views through people’s letterboxes – it also allows you to attend the count so you can jeer at the BNP whenever their name is called out”
Can’t we do meetings and put stuff in peoples letterboxes at any time of the year?
Also,
http://herefordheckler.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/what%E2%80%99s-that-eggy-smell-urgh-it%E2%80%99s-the-bnp/
Don’t think the HSL lot had a candidate in that.
“Can’t we do meetings and put stuff in peoples letterboxes at any time of the year?”
Yes we can – in fact it’s highly recommended. Nice work HSL! 😉
But I kinda like the idea of playing THEIR game to OUR ends. If we had an anarchist party it would be like having a ‘None Of The Above’ box on the ballot paper – spoiled papers are counted, but the figure is not always widely publicised. This would be one way of giving a voice to those who are pissed off with the whole voting scam.
As long as its not about gaining votes or actually winning…I think actually most anarchists would support it.
It’d be like what Guy Aldred did nearly every election in Glasgow (standing to show the rest of the bastards up) only many times bigger. Fucking brilliant. : )
top ho chaps.sounds like a jolly jape to me.onwards and upwards.
Good Luck Martin. Nice you have gone for it
‘As long as its not about gaining votes or actually winning’
-This is fucking hilarious
Don’t get hung up on the idea of winning, comrades; we’re not going to. Didn’t a Class War candidate get 50-odd votes a few years back?! Left candidates generally get about 1% of the vote.
We should try to put the emphasis on community organising *through* the elections, rather than the elections themselves.
Standing candidates in elections is a load of bollocks. The IWCA gave it a good go, but ultimately failed. We should be promoting grassroots direct action, not organising electoral publicity stunts for the sake of it. Leave that to the Trot left.
Go for it Martin. A Hate Mail writer was asking what happened to “those great Eat the Rich gatherings” yesterday ( Britain needs a peasants’ revolt, not ‘tighten your belt’ lectures by Charles ) – what with rising food prices… big up the message
Frankly it takes less resources and will mobilise more people for the long term in a more useful way, to start direct action groups around easily winnable but common problems like wage theft and stolen deposits. This way you’re building a base that can grow into more ambitious projects later, while whatever publicity you might gain from standing in an election will vanish in a few days.
Yeah, how many times have we heard this tripe from SWP types like Lindsay German? Does Martin Wright seriously think standing in a bourgeois election is going to galvanise the working-class and stop the anarchist movement “retreating further into sterile lifestylism, deadend activism,internet gazing”?
“This will present a unique challenge to those who seek to divide us such as the BNP, EDL and fundamentalists of all stripes.”
How?
This is another boring and totally predictable attempt at self-publicity by a tiny group of fakes who have run out of stunts and whose ideas are bankrupt, worn-out, embarrassing and literally — pathetic.
“By The Half Brick and The Ballot Box” This statement is by and for the deluded.
Ian Bone and Martin Wright really can only be described as two clowns.
Dan.
Call me a purist and a pessimist but how can standing in elections be Anarchist, I thought the game was rigged Mr Wright?