London Anarchist Bookfair Saturday 18th October 2014

[Kate Sharpley]

The 2014 London Anarchist Bookfair will be on Saturday 18th October From 10am to 7pm.
Their website is: http://www.anarchistbookfair.org.uk/
The venue is Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS.
(The list of meetings is up, but no descriptions of them as yet.)

 

[Kate Sharpley]

The descriptions of meetings are up - they're in doc files, one document per room covering all the meetings there.

 

[kenny g]

Any top tips folks - re the meetings? The wine and cheese group don't appear to be there this year. JB's reading is a must. The futility of non-violence meeting looks pretty futile, and is I suspect non-violent, so not sure whether it is contradictory or self supporting.

I suspect the absurd SPGB ban will remain in effect....

ETA:- yes, looks like one of the very few remaining democratic revolutionary groups in the UK are relegated to an outside stall as last year..

http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/literature-stall-anarchist-bookfair-east-london-1000am
ETTA:- room 3.15 has the wine and cheese crew for the whole day..

 

[gamerunknown]

ETA:- yes, looks like one of the very few remaining democratic revolutionary groups in the UK are relegated to an outside stall as last year..

Must be because those pluralistic revolutionary groups are so unwilling to compromise.

 

[TopCat]

KIll all men! Kill all men!!

 

[chilango]

Hoping to make it along this year....

 

[Pickman's model]

will be in wetherspoons for breakfast.

 

[el-ahrairah]

i haven;t been for a few years, so i think i will come along for the craic.

 

[JHE]

I suspect the absurd SPGB ban will remain in effect....

The Speegygeebees don't even claim to be anarchists, so I suppose it makes sense not to offer them space, but shouldn't the bookish Anarchocrats also ban the Bone-ists for abandoning abstentionism?

 

[imposs1904]

The Speegygeebees don't even claim to be anarchists, so I suppose it makes sense not to offer them space, but shouldn't the bookish Anarchocrats also ban the Bone-ists for abandoning abstentionism?

Some SPGBers should get over themselves about the supposed 'ban'. It's fucking tedious. It's the Anarchists Party, and they should get to decide who's on the guest list.

 

[kenny g]

Some SPGBers should get over themselves about the supposed 'ban'. It's fucking tedious. It's the Anarchists Party, and they should get to decide who's on the guest list.

There are very few organisations at the book fair who want to abolish the state. I can't see the harm that would come from adding one with such an illustrious history as the SPGB.

 

[butchersapron]

There are very few organisations at the book fair who want to abolish the state. I can't see the harm that would come from adding one with such an illustrious history as the SPGB.

Maybe that history wouuld be so bright it would make the whole thing a joke?

 

[kenny g]

Maybe that history wouuld be so bright it would make the whole thing a joke?

Which thing? The book fair or the SPGB?

 

[butchersapron]

The latter of course.

 

[The39thStep]

Why is the anarchist scene so horrible to the SPGB?

 

[kenny g]

Why is the anarchist scene so horrible to the SPGB?

Well, they aren't really. I can remember perfectly cordial meetings with Class War back in the '90's( I am not in the SPGB BTW). But then again many Anarchists were horrible to Class War as well back in the day. Maybe it is something to do with the SPGB being perceived as a constant reminder that your grandparents tried this before you and it isn't a very easy ride.I suppose strictly speaking the SPGB aren't anarchists, but I suspect very few people at the bookfair are either.

 

[imposs1904]

The latter of course.

yeah, you can fuck off as well.

 

[rich!]

Why is the anarchist scene so horrible to the SPGB?

their plan of growing as a party until they can achieve socialism through democratic process in 2546 is more plausible than the plans of all the other left-anarchists?

 

[The39thStep]

their plan of growing as a party until they can achieve socialism through democratic process in 2546 is more plausible than the plans of all the other left-anarchists?

What are the plans of other left anarchists?

 

[Nigel]

A few years back the SPK had a stall the Anarchists Bookfair; surely they'd be closer to some sort of Bizarre Althusserian, Sartrian Marxist Leninist twoddle.

http://www.spkpfh.de/index_english.html
No Sweat campaign is mainly a front for Alliance For Workers Liberty; Trotskyist/Pseudo Luxemburgist. I'm pretty sure that i've seen people involved with Feminist Fightback on some sort of Wimmin's Issues/Feminist stalls there. Not sure if the IWW/IWGB split may cause rumptions regarding this.

There seems yo be many inconsistencies regarding who is and who isn't allowed stalls there: The International Communist Current and other autonomist & council communists haven't apparently been allowed access while Aufheben; admittedly more libertarian have.

Then there is always the case of groups such as Catholic Worker et al which definitely do have authoritarian tendencies within their political ideological and 'spiritual' outlook being regulars.

Is it more a case of not what you are but who you know/get along with which gathers you more favour.

 

[kenny g]

A few years back the SPK had a stall the Anarchists Bookfair; surely they'd be closer to some sort of Bizarre Althusserian, Sartrian Marxist Leninist twoddle.

http://www.spkpfh.de/index_english.html
No Sweat campaign is mainly a front for Alliance For Workers Liberty; Trotskyist/Pseudo Luxemburgist. I'm pretty sure that i've seen people involved with Feminist Fightback on some sort of Wimmin's Issues/Feminist stalls there. Not sure if the IWW/IWGB split may cause rumptions regarding this.

There seems yo be many inconsistencies regarding who is and who isn't allowed stalls there: The International Communist Current and other autonomist & council communists haven't apparently been allowed access while Aufheben; admittedly more libertarian have.

Then there is always the case of groups such as Catholic Worker et al which definitely do have authoritarian tendencies within their political ideological and 'spiritual' outlook being regulars.

Is it more a case of not what you are but who you know/get along with which gathers you more favour.

I am not sure it is a case of who you know. Catholic Worker have a long history of direct action which is to be commended. I really think the likes of the SPGB are excluded because they are just that little bit too close to home for comfort. Some off the wall neo cult who are into spraying fake blood around military establishments is quite different to a working class revolutionary organisation who happen to come from a different tradition. I won't whine on but all I can say is each year I go I meet plenty of good peeps who are present or former SPGBers and they don't appear like gate crashers to the Anarchist's party to me.

 

[Pickman's model]

The Speegygeebees don't even claim to be anarchists, so I suppose it makes sense not to offer them space, but shouldn't the bookish Anarchocrats also ban the Bone-ists for abandoning abstentionism?

i'm not aware of any class war candidates who intend to take the oath to sit in the westminster parliament, so afaik abstentionism hasn't been abandoned.

 

[Nigel]

I am not sure it is a case of who you know. Catholic Worker have a long history of direct action which is to be commended. I really think the likes of the SPGB are excluded because they are just that little bit too close to home for comfort. Some off the wall neo cult who are into spraying fake blood around military establishments is quite different to a working class revolutionary organisation who happen to come from a different tradition. I won't whine on but all I can say is each year I go I meet plenty of good peeps who are present or former SPGBers and they don't appear like gate crashers to the Anarchist's party to me.

I'm not slating Catholic Worker;they do good work, for instance in London with homeless refugees/Asylum seekers.
What I'm saying is that they, if not in theory then in practice( if not Theology) are not not libertarian or anarchist and by 'the average mans' judgement would support authoritarian concepts; monotheism for a start.

Think your right, there are/is more contemptability and contention between groups that are similar to each other but have minor differences; perhaps because they are seen as the main opposition. The relationship between class struggle anarchists/ libertarian socialists/communists and orthodox marxists(or whatever the SPGB and there various splits are) could have something to do with this stand offishness!

 

[William of Walworth]

Sadly, or possibly quite enjoyably, I'll be in Oxford that w/e, for beer and football

But I'll try to enjoy both as anarchically as possible (plus two of my OUFC mates were always 'independent minded' (mostly about the anti-politics, even more than about the football --'MAXWELL OUT!' -- spot the old age ....)

 

[Pickman's model]

Sadly, or possibly quite enjoyably, I'll be in Oxford that w/e, for beer and football

But I'll try to enjoy both as anarchically as possible (plus two of my OUFC mates were always 'independent minded' (mostly about the anti-politics, even more than about the football --'MAXWELL OUT!' -- spot the old age ....)

maxwells out -gold blend in

 

[ska invita]

Date is clashing with the potentially big TUC demo http://britainneedsapayrise.org might affect attendance figures

 

[JHE]

Date is clashing with the potentially big TUC demo http://britainneedsapayrise.org might affect attendance figures

How much smaller do you expect the TUC demo to be as a result of the Anarchist do in Mile End?

 

[ska invita]

How much smaller do you expect the TUC demo to be as a result of the Anarchist do in Mile End?

not sure if you are joking, but just in case, i was thinking the other way around

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Date is clashing with the potentially big TUC demo http://britainneedsapayrise.org might affect attendance figures

Different audience

 

[ska invita]

Different audience

yes and no - i think class war are going on it for example