London Anarchist Bookfair 2022

[Magnus McGinty]

And when you aren't making assumptions, it's snide insinuations. All without evidence of any kind.

Isn’t it funny that I don’t have the evidence since whilst you simultaneously refuse to provide anything to the contrary?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

No but so what. The only conclusions you can draw from that are that the old organisers threw the towel in because groups put in letters of boycott and three years later some new people decided to organise it. Anything else is speculation.

Of course it’s speculation. You could disprove it of course but won’t.

 

[Red Sky]

Probably, but given you're currently the one casting aspersions on people you don't know, that you can't back up, to justify shit behaviour I'm fairly relaxed about hearing it from you.

What aspersions have I cast? On who?

 

[Rob Ray]

Isn’t it funny that I don’t have the evidence since whilst you simultaneously refuse to provide anything to the contrary?

Why would I, particularly give your behaviour on this thread so far?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Anarchism is so vanishingly tiny that it would be almost impossible that anyone who was involved in putting in the letters of boycott aren’t in any way connected to the new book fair Collective and they all get on.
It’s inconceivable.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Why would I, particularly give your behaviour on this thread so far?

You don’t need to. Your refusal answers all.

 

[smokedout]

Of course it’s speculation. You could disprove it of course but won’t.

Tell you what, how about you post your full real name and list of past political affiliations before you demand people do that to other people to disprove your (incorrect) speculation.

 

[Rob Ray]

What aspersions have I cast? On who?

Remember that bit where you suggested the bookfair collective was aggravating because they were giving themselves airs?

90% of the aggravation would be avoided if it "an" anarchist bookfair rather than "the" anarchist bookfair.

And then didn't explain how you'd come to that conclusion?

 

[smokedout]

Anarchism is so vanishingly tiny that it would be almost impossible that anyone who was involved in putting in the letters of boycott aren’t in any way unconnected to the new book fair Collective and they all get on.
It’s inconceivable.

By that metric there were people in the original collective who are connected to some of the people who put in the boycott letter. The plot thickens.

 

[Rob Ray]

It’s inconceivable.

Goodness, inconceivable you say? Well I'll just have to bow to your well demonstrated knowledge I guess. Jfc.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Tell you what, how about you post your full real name and list of past political affiliations before you demand people do that to other people to disprove your (incorrect) speculation.

You’re saying that literally nobody from the new collective had a position on the old one?
I don’t need names.

 

[Rob Ray]

Quite right, you don't. And if you want to find out more about who comprises the London movement generally I suggest you spend less time acting like you're entitled to information about it just because you post on Urban, and more actually offering something constructive.

 

[Red Sky]

Remember that bit where you suggested the bookfair collective was aggravating because they were giving themselves airs?

And then didn't explain how you'd come to that conclusion?

That is a very peculiar way of reading that statement.

"The aggravation" just refers to the situation.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Quite right, you don't. And if you want to find out more about who comprises the London movement generally I suggest you spend less time acting like you're entitled to information about it just because you post on Urban, and more actually offering something constructive.

Been there done that. It’s, err, cliquey. And mostly not working class.

 

[Red Sky]

You are also being quite disingenuous here. The new bookfair (which I went to last year btw) is very much the product of one side of the dispute that ended the first. Don't think there's any great secret.

 

[Rob Ray]

Been there done that. It’s, err, cliquey. And mostly not working class.

Fair enough, but in that case you'll have to accept you're an outsider looking in, not someone deserving of answers.

 

[Rob Ray]

You are also being quite disingenuous here. The new bookfair (which I went to last year btw) is very much the product of one side of the dispute that ended the first. Don't think there's any great secret.

No it isn't. The people involved in it aren't prepared to put up with transphobia, which I suppose would put them on "one side of the dispute," but that doesn't make them the product of it. Particularly several years later when that dispute is, within London at least, far less "live" than it used to be.

That is a very peculiar way of reading that statement.

You're literally saying the reason people are annoyed is because of their attitude, which you define as them looking on it as "the" anarchist bookfair.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

You are also being quite disingenuous here. The new bookfair (which I went to last year btw) is very much the product of one side of the dispute that ended the first. Don't think there's any great secret.

Thanks for that. They were claiming I was mad or something for thinking it.

 

[smokedout]

You’re saying that literally nobody from the new collective had a position on the old one?
I don’t need names.

That's big of you. Exactly who the fuck do you think you are. Do you seriously expect someone to contact everyone in the new collective to ask for their thoughts on the old one to satisfy some anonymous wierdo on the internet.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Fair enough, but in that case you'll have to accept you're an outsider looking in, not a someone deserving of answers.

I’ll just turn up and see for myself like I’ve always done.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

That's big of you. Exactly who the fuck do you think you are. Do you seriously expect someone to contact everyone in the new collective to ask for their thoughts on the old one to satisfy some anonymous wierdo on the internet.

I believe RedSky has answered the question.

 

[Red Sky]

No it isn't. The people involved in it aren't prepared to put up with transphobia, which I suppose would "put them on one side of the dispute," but h

No it isn't. The people involved in it aren't prepared to put up with transphobia, which I suppose would put them on "one side of the dispute," but that doesn't make them the product of it. Particularly several years later when that dispute is, within London at least, far less "live" than it used to be.


You're literally saying the reason people are annoyed is because of their attitude, which you define as them looking on it as "the" anarchist bookfair.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and explain again.

I think a lot of the hurt and anger stems from the fact that what once represented the whole movement now only represents part of it.

Of course anyone is free to organise a bookfair on whatever lines they like, invite or disincline whoever they like. Good luck to 'em .

 

[hitmouse]

My theory is that Magnus is actually a deep cover agent on behalf of the new collective trying to help publicise the bookfair by making sure this thread gets bumped as much as possible, even when we don't actually have anything to argue about.

 

[Rob Ray]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and explain again.

I think a lot of the hurt and anger stems from the fact that what once represented the whole movement now only represents part of it.

Of course anyone is free to organise a bookfair on whatever lines they like, invite or disincline whoever they like. Good luck to 'em .

Right, okay. So about other people's views on what they represent rather than their views on what they represent. That I can agree with, though I do think a lot of people are being unreasonable in expecting the 2022 bookfair group to represent anything much except itself. Even the pre-2018 bookfair didn't present itself as The anarchist bookfair, it just became so because of its history and scale.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

My theory is that Magnus is actually a deep cover agent on behalf of the new collective trying to help publicise the bookfair by making sure this thread gets bumped as much as possible, even when we don't actually have anything to argue about.

Pretty deep cover given I've been posting here since about 1998.

 

[Red Sky]

When was the first London Anarchist Bookfair (Mk 1) ?

 

[Rob Ray]

1981, the whole list is still up at the original OB website (history tab): Anarchist Bookfair

 

[muscovyduck]

I'm gonna organise my own anarchist bookfair and no one is invited

 

[Rob Ray]

I'm organising my own anarchist bookfair right now.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I'm organising my own anarchist bookfair right now.

Have you split yet? Wandered simultaneously both into and out of Spoons whilst punching yourself clumsily in the side of the head? Banned (NOT BANNED) yourself?