U.K. left/anti-capitalist networks developing
North Star
Anticapitalist politics in Teesside
(Teesside Anticapitalists is a recently founded non-aligned organisation)
http://anticapitalists.org/2013/02/13/anticapitalist-politics-in-teesside/
Developing anti-capitalist politics in the Teesside/Tees Valley area of the North East has taken significant steps forward over recent months with almost embarrassingly positive engagement between participants from a range of organisations alongside independent leftists and those relatively new to political activism.
Arising in semi isolation, the small seaside town of Saltburn on the Eastern fringe of our sub-region has seen the development of an anti-capitalist activist network that has developed a regular cycle of meetings and taken initial faltering steps in building a culture of activism in the locality. Emerging from the 4 People Not Profit Human Rights/Global Awareness events network, the group has begun to develop community newsletters, radical film nights, street activity and critically an interface where a range of Marxist, Anarchist, Environmentalist and non-defined activists have begun to find their way. Learning from each other and very much DIY in approach, the group’s fluid identity, emerging on its own terms is felt to be a strength and although the group’s geographically enforced localism certainly has drawbacks, the consensus feel is that of being part of an overwhelmingly positive experience.
Elsewhere a process of networking facilitated through social media (primarily Facebook) has placed a range of people in contact with each other. This has led to an interesting meeting point where pre-existing activists, musicians, artists and variously other loosely defined leftists network. Increasingly the logic of these associations points towards a developing of some form of political organisation or movement, reflecting shared values and a growing Libertarian tinged anti-capitalist culture.
From within this creative atmosphere, several ideas have come to the fore. A new May Day Initiative has been developed as an attempt to rally activists to celebrate 01/05 in a more imaginative way. Significantly, the idea of marking May Day on May 1st itself has been warmly received and plans to develop a May Days (plural) Festival, with activities spanning from the day itself through to the bank holiday weekend are underway. Already discussed has been the idea of producing a propaganda leaflet that reintroduces the local population to the ideas behind International Workers’ day, of Solidarity and Resistance that will hopefully lead to distribution in all the localities, introducing the Facebook cohort into a non-screen activism. Beyond this, linking up with a demonstration organised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), public meetings, art workshops, family picnics, film nights, radical rounders on the beach will all hopefully contribute to the generating of an alternative.
What about the politics, well the question has been posed as to how we develop this and clearly there are differences. Moves towards creating an independent life for Teesside Anticapitalists is clearly on the cards, however what form this takes is still up for discussion. Developing community organising and moving outside of cul-de sac of sectarianism and introspection all seem to be aspirations generally agreed upon, as has been a developing culture of openness and the debating out of political differences between us in a mature and comradely way. The bringing back to life of a renewed Anti-Cuts Front can likewise not come quick enough and once again, private discussions have had a definite ‘outside of the box’ feel, with effectiveness, militancy and a jettisoning of loser scripts very much in evidence. A series of actions are due to follow and will hopefully feed into an emerging practice. With this in mind plans are underway to stand with the local community in South Bank, who informed by the involvement of the local Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) are striving to keep open local postal services for their locality. Marinating the rhythm of demonstration, the flavour of an away day is on the cards and we hope for a well-organised local contingent to support a community anti-English Defence League demonstration on March 30. Plans to properly steward our number inform our taking seriously the threat from the far-right who seek to target isolated communities in the north east, including the ex-mining villages still reeling from the defeat of the miners three decades ago. For us community and political organising are as much anti-fascism as going on demonstrations. Likewise debating the shortcomings of our practice in this area have already begun and will doubtlessly continue into the future.
Aspirations to a new political working class intellectual life, apart from, but very much linked to these processes have also been given concrete form, with plans for an educative event cum dayschool scheduled for the coming Autumn. Shaped by an emerging culture embracing a revolutionary pluralism it is hoped that an event of this nature that will both carve out an audience as well as illuminate some of the differences and critically make us think. Full praise can be given to local members of the Socialist Workers’ Party who originated the idea and have managed to gain trust, from a majority generally sceptical of this organisation. Their members have been joined by activists from the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, Socialist Party, CPGB as well as local anarchists, trade unionists and independent activists from the Labour Party who self-define unashamedly as both socialist and anti-capitalist. How plans for the as of yet unnamed event develop remain open, although clearly tensions exist between those wanting big names and those seeking to develop a culture very much opposed to reliance on lefty celebs or the radical wing of the trade union bureaucracy.
Where we go from here remains open of course, however its refreshing to be able to embrace an open process that has generated the involvement of numbers exceeding the combined tally of the pre-existing left groups that perhaps highlights the self-organisation existing already within our communities such as the bands/arts scenes, sports and tenants group and refugee groups. The list can very much be expanded upon and clearly our work needs to be built from this base. With the introduction of the Welfare Act and the ongoing class hate agenda from the government, we are likewise posed with the responsibility of offering resistance and creating a meaningful culture of protest that moves beyond tokenism, fighting demoralisation, forever striving to extend solidarity with arms stretched defiantly outwards. Being hard up is not a crime, another world is defiantly possible and is ours to shape.
Lawrie Coombs
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
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The link below should be of interest, if you haven't seen it already.
It's a London conference/meeting with speakers from TUSC Nonaligned, Anticapitalist Initiative and Socialist
Resistance/Fourth International on how left groups should organize.
Nick Wrack's is a good watchable/shareable clip.
http://anticapitalists.org/2013/02/14/videos-socialist-organisation-and-democracy-manchester/