Bit of a broadside aimed at the campaign really, given that this is clearly a scripted session.
Hopefully just a bit of Idprole silliness.
Energy Prices: Don't Pay Campaign
- Thread starter chilango
- Start date
Hopefully just a bit of Idprole silliness.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
Especially lazy and not very self critical given I bet that their only contact is probably reading and listening to the media reports and maybe looking at the Don't Pay website rather than having been part of any of the discussions about the ideas behind it etc. or being involved in any local organising.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
I didn't hear them mention middle class once.
Then you didn't watch it.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
timestamp?
42 minutes in (ish)
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
fair enough. Mick does say "it's a slightly middle class concept, cancel your direct debit, write an angry letter"
in the context of talking about those on prepay/keys who can't afford to participate.
They aren't slagging them off either, so I'm unclear as to what the greater issue here is, even though you are correct
I think it's partly sectarian but also one of the problems with large bureacratic top down unions is that they don't really want to break the rules, which refusing to pay your bills kind of is. Their members are often labour aristocracy, their leaders and top officials even more so and they seek to present themselves as the reasonable and respectable working class. They may be being fucked over but they also recognise they have something to lose, so they will fight within the rules laid out but they don't want to end up in jail or something.
It's pretty galling hearing pro-working class voices raises shrill alarms about damaging credit ratings or not being to get mortgages when for millions of people that ship has long sailed. And those are the people who are going to be hit hardest and this campaigns resonates because they simply are not going to be able to pay these bills so at least Don't Pay provides some cover and comradeship whatever else happens. It was the same in the anti-austerity movement when the big unions just didn't get claimants, they didn't understand that for a lot of people it was a literal fight for survival and nothing was off the table in terms of tactics. At times like these we need trade union bosses, if we have to have bosses, who are prepared to go to jail but the big unions are too much part of the machine to ever truly contemplate that kind of radicalism.
It's pretty galling hearing pro-working class voices raises shrill alarms about damaging credit ratings or not being to get mortgages when for millions of people that ship has long sailed. And those are the people who are going to be hit hardest and this campaigns resonates because they simply are not going to be able to pay these bills so at least Don't Pay provides some cover and comradeship whatever else happens. It was the same in the anti-austerity movement when the big unions just didn't get claimants, they didn't understand that for a lot of people it was a literal fight for survival and nothing was off the table in terms of tactics. At times like these we need trade union bosses, if we have to have bosses, who are prepared to go to jail but the big unions are too much part of the machine to ever truly contemplate that kind of radicalism.
Who is talking about "writing an angry letter " ?
The only people who've written a letter so far are Enough is Enough , and it wasn't very angry.
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The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
The RMT isn’t a large bureaucratic union , it’s probably one of the unions where the rank and file have a larger say .
As large and bureacratic unions go it's one of the better ones but they are closer in culture and structure to someone like the PCS than the CNT for example. They are part of the official respectable left, even if they are at the more militant end of it. They don't break the law and they pay their bills, except poor Eddie with his key meter who doesn't have a choice.
My comments were aimed more generally at some of the left criticisms I've seen of Don't Pay though.
Amazing he hasn't applied to have that swapped out.
The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
I get your drift . Obviously, we don't have CNT in the UK ( and no equivalent here in Portugal either ) , but imv the RMT is the nearest example of modern day syndicalism that I have come across.
Having visions of the negotiations with the rail companies being disrupted because someone had to nip out to the offie to get leccy.
Karl Masks
Birds Angel Delight
Did I misquote mick?
Wolveryeti
Detty Pig
Good luck to everyone doing this. A shitty situation to be in and government should be doing much more (I read Germany is spending 4x as much on energy support).
You should try and avoid being lumbered with a prepayment meter as a result however - they are mega shit and you will pay a higher rate for energy as well as going through all the faff of topping up.
This has some useful advice:
www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Basically use protected circumstances if they apply and strongly emphasise it's a case of cant pay rather than wont pay. Raise disputes to string out the process. The message will still get through.
You should try and avoid being lumbered with a prepayment meter as a result however - they are mega shit and you will pay a higher rate for energy as well as going through all the faff of topping up.
This has some useful advice:
Stop your energy supplier moving you to prepayment
If you owe money to your energy supplier, they might want to install a prepayment meter. Here are the situations where you can stop them doing this.
Basically use protected circumstances if they apply and strongly emphasise it's a case of cant pay rather than wont pay. Raise disputes to string out the process. The message will still get through.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Ideally there would be some local organising whereby those not paying direct debits put a bit of the money they would have spent on energy that month into a fund to help those on key meters.
Then again that would be a nightmare to organise and could be open to abuse. Also it'd be withholding money from the energy companies only to give it to...the energy companies.
Then again that would be a nightmare to organise and could be open to abuse. Also it'd be withholding money from the energy companies only to give it to...the energy companies.
LDC
On est tous des pangolins
Some great new stuff on the website today Don't Pay
Especially the demands, see 2 about key meters that's been raised on here a bit What we're striking for — Don't Pay
Also some good stuff on the risks and legality of it all.
Especially the demands, see 2 about key meters that's been raised on here a bit What we're striking for — Don't Pay
Also some good stuff on the risks and legality of it all.
Rob Ray
Weight is meaningless
Some management consultant who apparently got into Corbynism five years ago and thinks they're the vanguard of the resistance.
What they actually seem to be is a proper chin-out loonspud who's just discovered the anarchist set exists and are busily weaving this revelation into a Conspiracy to Destroy the Real Left featuring Paul Mason, the deep state, Plan C and er ... the well known "49A" anarchist bookshop and printer.
The latter of which sounds like they've conflated Freedom and 56A, but for all I know could simply have been thrown up by whatever magic roundabout is going on in their head...
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
Ah yeah, I was curious about the claim to have done something with "obscure elements of Solfed in 2008", but thinking about it that might just be an exceptionally rare attempt at stolen valour? I don't think I'd ever encountered the anarchosyndicalism equivalent of a walt before but suppose this might be it.
I'd like to think I could do that, especially as my bills are included in my rent, but I'm sure I would just get evicted and end up homeless.
HoratioCuthbert
Deep seated inconsequence
Well no a lone strike wouldn't be a good idea. Would need to be a particular street/postcode etc. I had thought Living Rent up in Scotland had organised rent strikes but after not very extensive googling I guess it must have been Gordon Maloney just shouting for one on fb. I'm gonna join living rent this week and sincerely hope that it leads to rent strikes one day.
Just building a bit of positivity around fantasy rent strikes on the thread guys
1 in 7 already up for canceling direct debits. 70% aware of the campaign.
inews.co.uk
Fears of a winter debt crisis with 1.7m poised to cancel direct debits to energy companies
Which? and Citizens Advice have called for new Government help - and warned consumers that rash decisions could damage their credit in future
inews.co.uk
chilango
Hypothetical Wanker
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
Yeah, definitely a fantasist, but seems like the kind who has no issue with providing (flimsy) material for right-wing media hitjobs.
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
Anyway, here's some Don't Pay stuff for today - online, London and Glasgow:
dontpay.uk
Digital Actions for 26th August (and beyond!) — Don't Pay
Struggling to make it out to protests or outreach events on the national day of Don’t Pay action on August 26th? Or want to do more from home? Here’s some actions you can do remotely to help support the campaign and challenge Ofgem’s announcement of the price hike.
dontpay.uk
hitmouse
so defeated, thinks it's funny
Don't Pay day of action roundup:
dontpay.uk
Doing a London demo next week:
Day of Action 1: No one cold or hungry this winter — Don't Pay
As Ofgem hiked the energy price cap by a massive 80% on Friday, Don’t Pay groups across the country came together with a clear message: no one cold or hungry this winter!
dontpay.uk
Doing a London demo next week:
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