London Anarchist Bookfair 2024

[frogwoman]

Only 3 pages in 1 month for a book fair beef thread? Back in my day it would have been over 300 pages by the first 12 hours

Kids today don't know what moaning about the Bookfair is, tbh.

Back in my day, you had to write a strong letter to Black Flag or Freedom, put a stamp on it, stick in the postbox, have it sit uncollected in a PO Box for a few weeks. Nowadays it's all twitter this, tiktok that. They don't know they're born.

 

[danny la rouge]

The racehorse?

Modesty prevents.

 

[Rob Ray]

Kids today don't know what moaning about the Bookfair is, tbh.

Back in my day, you had to write a strong letter to Black Flag or Freedom, put a stamp on it, stick in the postbox, have it sit uncollected in a PO Box for a few weeks. Nowadays it's all twitter this, tiktok that. They don't know they're born.

Freedom did give serious thought to offering a "Fifth Column" a little while ago where people could write in their complaints about the movement, but then I recalled the letters pages from the 80s/90s.

 

[Serge Forward]

Freedom did give serious thought to offering a "Fifth Column" a little while ago where people could write in their complaints about the movement, but then I recalled the letters pages from the 80s/90s.

To be fair, it was dire back then.

 

[PTK]

Isn't Freedom just another word for nothing left to lose?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Less catchy than “bash the rich” and “no gods no masters”…

 

[rich!]

On my way down if anyone's around. Would have been earlier but I got landed with the food hub Saturday pickup shift

 

[Pickman's model]

View attachment 446663

Less catchy than “bash the rich” and “no gods no masters”…

In terms of prolixity I'm reminded of the homerton social democratic federation's banner seen on an 1881 Irish demo in london protesting the arrest of Parnell and other Land League leaders, which read 'blessed be the hand that dares to wield the regicidal steel that shall redeem a nation's sorrow with a tyrant's blood'

 

[Fozzie Bear]

We pass like ships in the night rich!

 

[A380]

In terms of prolixity I'm reminded of the homerton social democratic federation's banner seen on an 1881 Irish demo in london protesting the arrest of Parnell and other Land League leaders, which read 'blessed be the hand that dares to wield the regicidal steel that shall redeem a nation's sorrow with a tyrant's blood'

I bet the guy who chanted "Give me a B, give me an L" on that demo was really unpopular...

 

[stethoscope]

Sorry to not make it down, engineering works and rail replacements has scuppered making the trip today

 

[Pickman's model]

I bet the guy who chanted "Give me a B, give me an L" on that demo was really unpopular...

In those days they were likely to break into a rendition of the marseillaise

 

[Fozzie Bear]

In those days they were likely to break into a rendition of the marseillaise

Less internet beef also.

 

[A380]

In those days they were likely to break into a rendition of the marseillaise

The day of glory has arrived

 

[rich!]

We pass like ships in the night rich!

Alas, praxis took precedence...

 

[Rob Ray]

Seems like a decent turnout, relatively low on punk jackets/hair

 

[petee]

Alas, praxis took precedence...

surely we must all be aware that protocol takes precedence over procedure.

 

[rich!]

surely we must all be aware that protocol takes precedence over procedure.

Action not actions assigned in the meeting minutes, sister.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Seems like a decent turnout, relatively low on punk jackets/hair

I think there were fewer stalls than last year? But yeah good numbers of people.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Big queue down the road for the Netflix pop up shop. A young woman I spoke to had been waiting for two hours. Something something spectacle.

 

[rich!]

I think there were fewer stalls than last year? But yeah good numbers of people.

Stage in the main room didn't have stalls. Space was very crowded, found it hard to deal with. Which is normal for a bookfair I know. I had that problem in almost every bookfair location.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Stage in the main room didn't have stalls. Space was very crowded, found it hard to deal with. Which is normal for a bookfair I know. I had that problem in almost every bookfair location.

I know this isn’t much help but it was fairly easy to navigate earlier on, except the odd crush around things like Active which is the same every year.

 

[ska invita]

Big queue down the road for the Netflix pop up shop. A young woman I spoke to had been waiting for two hours. Something something spectacle.

What was that thing about? Also Big queue for a coffee shop and a record shop I saw from the bus.

 

[A380]

Big queue down the road for the Netflix pop up shop. A young woman I spoke to had been waiting for two hours. Something something spectacle.

See, I knew the organisers should have given Netflix a stall...

 

[rich!]

I know this isn’t much help but it was fairly easy to navigate earlier on, except the odd crush around things like Active which is the same every year.

Yeah I did a walk through late and it was less bad. I still don't find that a comfortable environment to do anything but look and grab, browsing feels like an asshole move because you're stopping people moving.

Common Press took all my money this time.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

What was that thing about? Also Big queue for a coffee shop and a record shop I saw from the bus.

They were selling merch and also props from various Netflix series in aid of the charity Mind. The queuer I spoke to was especially interested in Heartstopper.

The queue looked like it was for Flashback the record shop (where I was headed) but it actually went past there, with a gap for the door. So it looked like three queues but was one long one if that makes sense.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

The King Mob workshop was decent but I was quite wary at the beginning as there was more Hegel than I wanted at 11am on a Saturday. It ended up being quite a nice summary of the group, the people in it and the relationships with the situationists and Black Mask.

Quite a good discussion afterwards covering tech and AI, adventure playgrounds and the Wise brothers’ work as builders rather than going the arty route. Oh and psychedelics.

 

[planetgeli]

View attachment 446663

Less catchy than “bash the rich” and “no gods no masters”…

Word

 

[DaveCinzano]

Less internet beef also.

Those on the receiving end of pamphleteering by Marat, Hébert, Desmoulins etc might have different mileage on that