Anti austerity march...urb meet up?
- Thread starter albionism
- Start date
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
so you are happy to be led and march when told/facilitated?
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
this this this!!
I have asked the big wigs in Cardiff People's Assembly how marching is going to do this and they can't or won't answer. sometimes in over a 1000 words
they also post things like 'see you on the streets' which to me implied more than marching from the statue of Aneurin Bevan up the street and back again to hear the usual people saying the usual things and patting themselves in the back for it and being congratulated and inspiring etc!
I have been ridiculed and banned. They also think you have something to hide if you wear face coverings and some want to march with the police as they "are just people too" it is seriously fucking depressing.
As mentioned before, when they were pushed they advertised one as helping the homeless and said they needed 4 cars to ferry the stuff donated from their many members. They ended up with one car load and i think it was mostly noodles and socks.
In contrast, a punk gig for a foodbank had a shitload from about 30-40 people that filled half the venue
I think it's worth drawing the distinction between the organisers and the people marching - different motivations.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
I'd rather we talked about the actual topic, so thank you to you and cesare for responding
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
agreed and a fair few people i know went for different reasons like the privacy and wobbly blocks, day out, meet up, see what happens etc
PA organisers get really really defensive when you ask them how it is ending austerity
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Not really. But I'm happy to go to marches to register my dissatisfaction
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
I get why people feel defensive about it though. It's pretty unanswerable as an event objective but more easily answerable when it's an individual objective.
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
who is registering it and where?
who, in power, is going to listen to people say "we're really not happy with the way you are doing things!!
"
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
yes agreed, but some of the main figures have been doing the same stuff over and over under different orgs for years and years and years!, taking many others up and down with them
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
What's better about marches than (for the sake of example) organising a big petition, or spending that amounty of hours writing letters to the government registering your disatisfaction? I'm guessing it's solidarity and pertceived strength in numbers?
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
Oh aye, absolutely. The marches are a political activity for them, they don't need to be linked to any measure of successful outcome, it's the action that counts for them (the organisers).
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Yes.
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
The political hamster wheel of marches.
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
Would you feel even further motivated if you could experience solidarity and perceived strength in numbers but for specific measurable outcomes?
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Such as?
cesare
shady's dreams ♥
Perhaps get involved with the Radical Housing Network? http://radicalhousingnetwork.org/
What sort of issues matter to you?
comrade spurski
Well-Known Member
The people responsible for starting the violence are always masked up, attacke the innocent in packs, prepare for trouble weeks in advance, are divisive and are loved by all those who hate demo's and any form of descent...and they are called the police. I have never seen trouble on a protest without them starting it with their random and unprovoked acts of violence
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Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
comrade spurski
Well-Known Member
An amazing experience and it restored my faith in humanity that day. I'm not usually a protestor - this was my first ever demonstration and I will be attending more in the future, because enough is enough.
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Mike EnochThis was only my second demo. It's taken 66 years to get me on the street and now I can't wait for the next piece of action!
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Natasha MarchantYes - I know what you mean. My mum is 62 and this was her first demonstration too - she'll be coming to more too. We just felt we had to do something and we couldn't sit back and let this continue - This government is giving us no option.
Like I posted earlier, the peaceful demo seems to have paid dividends, lets hope the PA doesn't squander it.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
please stop posting such bollocks
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i had nothing to do with what happened to the ritz, so please don't say that's my approach. you seem to think i have something other than i have. i don't believe in violence or damage to property as a shibboleth, a strategy. non-violent action often gets the goods - so does attacking people and property. it's simply a choice of the right tool for the task. but always best to follow the path of least resistance. nonetheless, you'll see scraps in future as people have asked nicely now and been denied. it's not at all a question of "my approach", it+'s a question of people having had enough of their noses being ground in shit.
ddraig
kicking against the pricks...
in what has it 'paid dividends'?? genuine question
That a fair number of people now say that the fact it was peaceful(and fun), means they want to do it again, but also do local campaigning, we will see if that happens.
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friendofdorothy
Solidarity against neoliberalism!
The woman at the check out in my local Sainsburys said something similiar to me after the march along the lines of 'it's a waste of time' 'it won't change anything'.
You may well be right, but should we just shut up and die quietly? My reasons to march and go to demos:
- I want to FUCKING SHOUT - that doesn't go down well most places but is fine if your on the street with thousands of others. THERE'S A LOT TO SHOUT ABOUT.
- It's my democratic right to do so and with free speech becoming more proscribed its important that we still can.
- It's an education. Seeing who else attends, what their banners say, what speakers are there etc. Talking to different people, listening to their point of veiw, their experiences.
- Feeling of solidarity. I am glad I am not alone in hating what is happening in the name of Austerity.
- Changing public opinion. It's hard for the govt to convince the whole population that all is fine and dandy if there are regular demos, marches and civil disobedience. The bigger the better. And lots of them.
- Being able to say 'I was there' ( or 'not in my name')
- Seeing friends, getting out, beer on the way home.
Hard to say what part the protests had, but - Greenham Common was closed, Apatheid did end in South Africa, Mandela was freed, the poll tax was scrapped, Clause 28 was eventually got rid of, same sex age of consent was lowered and laws to protect queer people from discrimination were introduced.
You do what you want to - I hope what ever actions you take help make a change.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
i met a lot of people after the poll tax riot who were enthused by what happened. so it's not like your point the only one!
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
That objective was attained. The fact that the government was never going to pay any attention, well, I suspect everyone knew that.
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