London Anarchist bookfair 2020

[danny la rouge]

Well, LDN Bookfair , you could come for a dram with me. The Doublet is my usual.

 

[Sue]

Well, LDN Bookfair , you could come for a dram with me. The Doublet is my usual.

Oh, I've been to The Doublet. My sister used to live near there. (Mine's a pint of 80/-.)

 

[Pickman's model]

Well, this is a thread that somehow manages to have everything... and nothing.

It was the best of threads, it was the worst of threads

--a tale of two bookfairs

 

[Wilf]

It was the best of threads, it was the worst of threads

--a tale of two bookfairs

Please Sir, can I have a stall?

- scarpers.

 

[Pickman's model]

danny la rouge do you think that your comrades might pitch up with a 'pop-up' stall with their pamphlets outside of the book fair?

Which I suggested some pages back

 

[The39thStep]

I went to a union conference in Newcastle and went in the wrong building and had an extended conversation with reception and porters trying to find the training session. 10 minutes later I found I was in the wrong building. This thread.

Bit like Spinal Tap in the cellar trying to find the exit to the stage

 

[Athos]

The Fuckwit Papers
Bob Batshit
The Artless Dodger
Mr Bumble

Etc., etc.

 

[JimW]

This bookfair has turned out to be quite a tricky job, perhaps next year they could start simpler and go for a piss-up in a brewery instead?

 

[Wilf]

Bit like Spinal Tap in the cellar trying to find the exit to the stage

.... 'something, something about a stall the size of a mini-Stonehenge'

 

[JimW]

This bookfair has turned out to be quite a tricky job, perhaps next year they could start simpler and go for a piss-up in a brewery instead?

And the beauty of this idea is it will in many ways resemble so many previous bookfairs.

 

[Wilf]

Anyway, the collective have just lost another drummer.

 

[The39thStep]

​

.... 'something, something about a stall the size of a mini-Stonehenge'

Rhyddical could be Artie Fufkin "Do me a favor. Just kick my ass, okay? Kick this ass for a man, that's all. Kick my ass. Enjoy. Come on. I'm not asking, I'm telling with this. Kick my ass"

 

[hitmouse]

I went to a union conference in Newcastle and went in the wrong building and had an extended conversation with reception and porters trying to find the training session. 10 minutes later I found I was in the wrong building. This thread.

Had a union branch meeting today where there was a motion proposed, everyone was happy with the demands and general aim, but some members of the committee were unhappy with some parts of the wording and perspective. Cue a lengthy discussion about whether it'd be better to go away, reword the motion so it was acceptable to everyone, and then vote on it at the next meeting, or vote on it today and try to resolve the matter straight away. We eventually decided to have a vote on whether to vote on it today or postpone it, and the majority voted to have a vote. Then we voted on it and the majority voted it down, so it was agreed that the proposers of the motion and their critics would go away, reword the motion so it was acceptable to everyone, and then vote on it at the next meeting. That's the proper, smoothly efficient, non-anarcho-scene class struggle for you.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Today's 'generally good' comrade is tomorrow's arch-enemy

 

[hitmouse]

Today's 'generally good' comrade is tomorrow's arch-enemy

Sure these pages of the thread will be heavily discussed in the 2023 "binrhyddical" medium article. Or twitch stream or tiktok or whatever.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Sure these pages of the thread will be heavily discussed in the 2023 "binrhyddical" medium article. Or twitch stream or tiktok or whatever.

The Chronicles of Rhyddical have already been written

 

[Fozzie Bear]

A thankless task attempting to mediate between us and LDN Bookfair

 

[hitmouse]

A thankless task attempting to mediate between us and LDN Bookfair

There's got to be someone out there with the skills, tact, and diplomacy to calm things down, if only we could think of who. For some reason, the letters S and E and the number 22 are coming to mind.

 

[DaveCinzano]

There's got to be someone out there with the skills, tact, and diplomacy to calm things down, if only we could think of who.

Ian Bone sounds perfect for the job

 

[The39thStep]

Always been very cynical perhaps unfairly about anarchism but I have to say this thread fully confirms my doubts .

 

[LDC]

#notallanarchists

 

[Wilf]

Always been very cynical perhaps unfairly about anarchism but I have to say this thread fully confirms my doubts .

Must admit the things I've been involved in organising have worked pretty well without having explicit roles within the group. I've done it with a collective made up of people who themselves are in 3 or 4 different outfits along with other who are in none. Sometimes you get arsey punters insisting that various things have to happen for their session and occasionally that stretches institutional loyalties in the group (along with all the truly personal shite that comes with the territory). All that will be to the power of 10 running something like the London bookfair I imagine. Feels quite healthy not having a secretary, chair and the rest, but then the things I've been involved in have had a magic number of about 6 which keeps it 'structureless'. Having said all that, I've never been involved in anything requiring a multipage discussion thread finding different ways to not say why you can't have a stall (only to be trumped by someone from the same collective calling you an arse and then repeating that they won't tell you anything). No, never had that.

 

[hitmouse]

Must admit the things I've been involved in organising have worked pretty well without having explicit roles within the group... Feels quite healthy not having a secretary, chair and the rest, but then the things I've been involved in have had a magic number of about 6 which keeps it 'structureless'.

Obligatory po-faced reminder that structurelessness is not the same thing as anarchism, I'm sure the ACG probably have some pamphlets to sell you on this point, which may or may not be available as PDFs.

 

[Wilf]

Obligatory po-faced reminder that structurelessness is not the same thing as anarchism, I'm sure the ACG probably have some pamphlets to sell you on this point, which may or may not be available as PDFs.

Yes, see tyranny of...

Actually, I'm not so much structureless as just a bit rubbish.

 

[Wilf]

Must admit the things I've been involved in organising have worked pretty well without having explicit roles within the group. I've done it with a collective made up of people who themselves are in 3 or 4 different outfits along with other who are in none. Sometimes you get arsey punters insisting that various things have to happen for their session and occasionally that stretches institutional loyalties in the group (along with all the truly personal shite that comes with the territory). All that will be to the power of 10 running something like the London bookfair I imagine. Feels quite healthy not having a secretary, chair and the rest, but then the things I've been involved in have had a magic number of about 6 which keeps it 'structureless'.

Actually, scratch that, I've just had a torrent of repressed memories - spats, threats of violence, buying the wrong beer...

 

[danny la rouge]

Obligatory po-faced reminder that structurelessness is not the same thing as anarchism, I'm sure the ACG probably have some pamphlets to sell you on this point, which may or may not be available as PDFs.

Malatesta and Organisation - Anarchist Communist Group

Written over a century ago, Malatesta’s arguments for the importance of organisation are as relevant today as ever. However for many in the anarchist movement the idea of ‘organisation’ is a dirty word. Malatesta, by stressing the importance of organisation for anarchists confirms an important...

www.anarchistcommunism.org

The Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists (PDF ebook) - Anarchist Communist Group

Still a controversial document, the Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists offers suggestions for effective forms of anarchist communist organisation. Based on their experiences during the Russian Revolution, the authors re-assert the class struggle basis of anarchism that was...

www.anarchistcommunism.org

 

[Sue]

Malatesta and Organisation - Anarchist Communist Group

Written over a century ago, Malatesta’s arguments for the importance of organisation are as relevant today as ever. However for many in the anarchist movement the idea of ‘organisation’ is a dirty word. Malatesta, by stressing the importance of organisation for anarchists confirms an important...

www.anarchistcommunism.org

The Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists (PDF ebook) - Anarchist Communist Group

Still a controversial document, the Organisational Platform of the Libertarian Communists offers suggestions for effective forms of anarchist communist organisation. Based on their experiences during the Russian Revolution, the authors re-assert the class struggle basis of anarchism that was...

www.anarchistcommunism.org

No red and green graphics?

 

[danny la rouge]

No red and green graphics?

It’s our red and black period.

 

[hitmouse]

Malatesta and Organisation - Anarchist Communist Group

Written over a century ago, Malatesta’s arguments for the importance of organisation are as relevant today as ever. However for many in the anarchist movement the idea of ‘organisation’ is a dirty word. Malatesta, by stressing the importance of organisation for anarchists confirms an important...

www.anarchistcommunism.org

Malatesta: Anarchism and Organisation: Perspectives on Organising - have you created yet another three-titled monster? belboid's gonna proper kick off about this one. Mind you, the kerning on it's pretty decent, so maybe that'll get you unbanned.

 

[danny la rouge]

Malatesta: Anarchism and Organisation: Perspectives on Organising - have you created yet another three-titled monster? belboid's gonna proper kick off about this one. Mind you, the kerning on it's pretty decent, so maybe that'll get you unbanned.

Editors are a bourgeoise construct.