YouSir
Retired from Urban
Tbf people like her are in lockstep with quite a lot of our media, unfortunately what they say does reflect something.
In this instance that they've waited even less time to turn on EiE than they did with Mick Lynch.
Cost of Living Crisis: Enough is Enough Campaign
- Thread starter Smokeandsteam
- Start date
Tbf people like her are in lockstep with quite a lot of our media, unfortunately what they say does reflect something.
In this instance that they've waited even less time to turn on EiE than they did with Mick Lynch.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
Disgusting really. I was ambivalent to 'supertanskiiiiiii' but trashing this campaign is so fucking wrong headed i don't know where to start
YouSir
Retired from Urban
She was always a Guardian Liberal, bit of fire and brimstone until it matters, then kick the living shit out of anyone trying. Standard reaction though tbf, she's far from unique or the worst.
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Plus she gets the middle aged dads all fired up, which is funny in a sad sort of way.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
TBH i haven't seen Martin Lewis get behind this campaign. I could be mistaken ofc. But his appeals to government and his love of financial bullshit spell capitalist pigdog to me. I know his advice helps people, but ultimately he's not remotely helping create real change and his message boards are run by some of the most right wing nutters ever.
YouSir
Retired from Urban
Think even he admitted that he had no advice for people not long ago, zero reason to expect anything more from him. He's a liberal Capitalist, has nothing to say once the system fails.
As has been suggested on another thread here are a couple of articles related to the cost of living crisis by a new anarchist network in the UK (the AnarCom Network) :
anarcomuk.uk
anarcomuk.uk
Towards a ‘Summer of Solidarity’!
The war against our class is being waged relentlessly and now officially endorsed by the government’s bankers, the Bank of England. According to the bank’s new governor Andrew Bailey, organis…
anarcomuk.uk
Why Liberalism won’t solve this crisis.
Liberalism is an ideology not an ideal. At the heart of its concept is the idea of a benign state that offers protection, freedom, rights, participation, order and justice in return for our c…
anarcomuk.uk
As for EiE, sadly it already looks like yet another vehicle for passive protests and politicians (mainly of the Labour Party variety so far). Hopefully I'm wrong but thats how it appears. I would definitely leaflet any demos though.
Louis MacNeice
Autumn Journalist
Thanks for the informed heads up. I won't be wasting my time with them.
Cheers - Louis MacNeice
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
What evidence is that comment based on?
It'd be odd if it was a vehicle for the Labour Party given that it was set up in recognition of the fact that the Labour Party will provide no answers to the costs of living crisis. As for protests my understanding is that the aim of EiE is a) to support all strike action and mobilize locally to do so and b) community projects which are being left to those locally to best deliver.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
I got an email from them earlier this week with some advice on how to support the CWU strike
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
I think you’ve slightly misread AA. He didn’t say it was a vehicle for The Labour Party.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
Me as well. I've just met some of the CWU pickets (and Unite, PCSU, UCU and RMT stewards) in Brum as a result. The conversation didn't touch on how EiE could help to provide a vehicle for Labour politicians. In fact, the only reference to them was a note that none have been seen near a picket line today.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
EiE is calling a national day of action on 1st October over energy costs. More details to follow…
As I say, I hope I'm wrong. But it appears that it might be a new version of the People's Assembly and that sort of thing. The fact that Andy Burnham will be the main speaker at the Manchester rally isn't a good look, neither is the rest of the promotion by centre left Labour MP's (such as Zara Sultana). The union bureaucracy is also involved, and I'm wary of them. Eddie Dempsey has also accused the Don't Pay campaign of being 'middle class' which is quite rich.
As I say, I would leaflet an EiE demo and I do think it might be a way to reach out to likeminded people and maybe link up with them, but at the same time I'm just being honest about how it looks so far aswell and I think I'm just aware of its possible limitations. And even if it ends up as more in the Trot or neo-tankie sort of orbit thats still not my politics and I would say I'm rightly wary of that aswell.
Last edited:
ska invita
back on the other side
This is also going to be a day of action for just stop oil, extinction rebellion and also the day to cancel direct debits.
emanymton
A cat politely sat on the flaming gardener.
I think that is more to do with the rightward movement of the Labour Party rather than saying much about EiE itself.
Time will tell, if being less tied to the party makes a difference.
Last edited:
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The strikes and EiE seem to be a golden opportunity to meet and network local stewards, other union members, and such like. Making and cementing local relationships gives an opportunity to try and influence the direction of the local groups.
Threshers_Flail
Well-Known Member
Threshers_Flail
Well-Known Member
I'm not going to the Manchester rally next week, was thinking about it but not arsed to hear what Andy Burnham has to say. Might go and hand out some flyers for DPUK though!
Eager to get involved with EiE when the community groups get set up, anyone got a clue as to when this is happening?
Eager to get involved with EiE when the community groups get set up, anyone got a clue as to when this is happening?
BristolEcho
Well-Known Member
Like cancelling your direct debit?
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
The grauniad have claimed there are 'networks' in 70 towns/cities. I suspect that's purely an EIE claim and may amount to just meetings of stewards who are planning to set up networks. Fwiw, when it comes to building a popular movement, whatever that means, I've no objection to starting with rallies. However that's only a good move if you are holding stalls and leafleting working class areas at the same time. There's got to be a major push to get beyond the usual suspects, in fact I'd say that should be the key task. But to do that you need the local groups in place.
I don't want to spend too much effort being critical. We really need some kind of movement that brings together the unions and community organisation - and some of the problems with EIE so far are simply the things you might expect with British trade unions. We want the thing to happen but the top down instincts are the downside. Just hope we don't miss the moment to get some enduring community networks in place, networks that endure for future battles.
Enough is Enough movement gathers pace with Andy Burnham latest backer
Cost of living campaign planning 50 rallies in next month amid warning people will die because of crisis
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
I was going to say "I never got any email from them about supporting the strike", but then I remembered I've not actually given them my email address so can't really blame them on that score.
Yeah, sounds like both a crowd that would be very worth leafleting and also like one that will have everyone and their dog their leafleting already. Apparently the cathedral's already full up and they'll be having an overflow meeting outside.
Anyway, here's what the Angryworkers lot reckon:
‘Don’t Pay’ or ‘Enough is Enough’: The role of workers’ vanguards in the current moment – Lessons to learn from GKN workers in Italy and others - Angry Workers
There are moments when a particular group of workers can become the political focus for the wider working class. They can act as a pole of attraction, they can become a conduit for a wider program and new forms of struggle. The current wave of strikes in Britain shows that significant sections...
www.angryworkers.org
Last edited:
MickiQ
In My Defence I was left Unsupervised
The number of Don't Payers appears to have stalled at around 110-120K for the best part of the last fortnight. Twill be interesting to see if today's announcements leads to a massive surge in sign ups. It doesn't appear to have done so far today but perhaps the shock is still sinking in yet. They only have five weeks left though so they are going to need a pretty sharp uptake in sign up if they want to reach 1 million.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
I'm not sure it's a simple as that. Even leaving aside the leadership, the organisations involved, and the format it has now (rallies mostly) it's going to attract loads of people to it. What happens then is partly going to be a result of what those people do, informed partly by what else is going on and what they're encouraged to do by others. I think the reality of any struggle or movement that happens is going partly dealing with these organisations/campaigns and the people attracted to them, and writing them off entirely I don't think is useful, although I do share some of your cynicism/criticism about it.
Wrote that and forgot to post, see it's moved on, but anyway.
No, it took a jump this week of thousands. I think it was three of us leafleting locally about the town market on Saturday. There can't really be any other explanation. But yeah, I expect it will go up soon with this, and the fact that there's more work going into local groups and regional stuff from Don't Pay.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Looks like they've underestimated demand for these 2 rallies, presume there'll be some sort of online broadcast as well (though I can't find any info about that)? Particularly if there's going to be a day of action, they really need to get the local groups up and running.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
Yeah, I just found my way to the DPUK website to sign up and was a bit disappointed to see where the numbers were at. This really, really needs to be pushed by EIE. If it fails to get anywhere near 1 million, it feels like a union strike ballot where you get a yes, but the turnout isn't high enough - in practice a win for the bosses.
Smokeandsteam
Working Class First
If you read or listen to what Mick Lynch and Dave Ward have said they are equally concerned about it becoming captures by newspaper sellers and others from the cobweb left. That is why - unlike some - I do not oppose local stewards from unions having a coordinating role. Plus, from there and until actual experience says otherwise, EiE should be what those involved make it be. If local groups become monopolized by the usual crowd EiE dies as an idea and a campaign that can reach beyond a narrow subset bluntly.
Like you, I am not interested in hearing centrists like Burnham, leftie MP's or trade union tops at rallies. However, as a tactic and as a starting point I don't oppose rallies as a way of bringing people together and forging local links (the same applies with the picket lines, which I would expect everyone on here accepts is both necessary and a good starting point). The litmus test - for me - will be when the local groups are formed: what form can the community work take, how does it link up with the issues communities face, is is supportive and ground in solidarity rather than parachuting middle class lefties in to areas to tell those living there what to do, what does it mean concretely in terms of action around the cost of living crisis etc etc.
Wilf
Slouching towards Billingham
All of that, particularly the bold bit.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
I'm not opposed to what you say exactly, but I think the detail is partly in how much a co-ordinating role slips into becoming the sole controlling and decision making role. And how much autonomy are these groups going to have do you think? It seems pretty vague atm, as well as slow moving, I've not seen any of the local group stuff advertised at all yet, nor had any emails about it. Don't Pay have about 250 local groups already, what's slowing the EiE groups down from being announced? Much union office staff and bureacracy is often part of the 'cobweb left' imo.
Similar threads
