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#occupy London....

I don't like the way some people here are sneering at the Church - they are paying at least lip service support to the group, and giving the whole thing a lot of media publicity. There has been very little in the media about the Finsbury Square group because that camp isn't conflicting with any high profile establishment group (the Cathedral). The controversy with the Cathedral was unintentional but it has kept the occupation high on the news agenda. That, I think, should be the main role of the camps - publicity. And on R4's The World at One today they talked about it for nearly fifteen minutes, before going on to discuss the effect of deregulation of the City in 1986.

During the winter there will probably be a partial 'hibernation' period, with camps getting smaller and some disappearing altogether, but hopefully come next spring they will be back, ready for a long haul all through the summer. Tho' with the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee next year, sparks might fly. Heavy police action can't be ruled out.
 
:facepalm:

if you're worrying about that.....
Is it a strange thing to worry about? Many of the people I've asked who no longer do political stuff cite 'the fucking meetings' (or similar language) as a reason for not doing stuff any more. People will burn out from this level of meeting-saturation very quickly. I went to a working group meeting at St Paul's and left after an hour and a half because they were still discussing the processes the working group was using, not having got onto the topic of the group at all.

I like the occupation but I'm saying this stuff needs working on or not only will the camp not be sustainable but the people involved will not want to be involved in other things in the future.
 
' 'How Corporations are Driving Welfare Reform for Profit'

they are doing a talk on welfare/benefits reform, I wonder who is doing it?
 
Any more suggestions to add below the points made below?​

Please quote and add to this list below:

1. How about occupying libraries or other services under threat of closure?
  • Both tempoary and permenant actions/occupations/blockades of selected buildings/organisations to draw attention to planned closures.

2. How can people how are not able to attend meetings/the camps have a greater say in where the protest/occupation is going in order to make it more representative of the 99%?
  • A meeting each week solely for watching/reading the suggestions/views of people off of site to reflect and discuss them.

3. Can the livestream be improved?

4. How does the occupation consider gaining union support?

5. Does the occupation recognise that the struggle against cuts and job losses opposed by the unions are relevant to the cause of the 99?

6. How do we engage and involve our street/homeless community on a level parity and use this campaign to highlight blatant poverty issues?
  • Occupy London already has links with groups like Shelter. What more can they do?

7. How can the media attention on the camps be used to swing the focus on to the reasons for the protest rather than the protest itself?

8. Liberty want to end the confrontation caused by the occupation, but when you disagree with the people in power, confrontation is likely and probably useful. Ignore Liberty.

9. The formal structures of the camp limit the ways people interact and take up a lot of energy. These will not be the long-term legacy of the occupation so try to reduce the amount of time spent on them.

10. Will it disband once the point has been made? Or is it there for as long as possible?

11. The "We are the 99%" slogan was inclusive. It meant a wide range of people and opinions could join up to support occupation. Also what happened to the "we are the 99%"?

12. Are the Occupations now moving to a green environmental solution to the economic crisis rather than keeping to the 99% slogan?
 
But the City is no longer in the City in reality. They're in Canary Wharf. That's where all the major investment banks are based. Why not there?

Seems a bit nuts to target the christians, but whatever. Always pleased to see a reverend squirming on telly :D

Er, so no serious answer from the 'occupiers' on this?

Why St Pauls?
 
Er, so no serious answer from the 'occupiers' on this?

Why St Pauls?

St Pauls was not the target. Paternoster Square/ The London Stock Exchange was. The occupiers couldn't get into Paternoster Square so set up outside. Which, just happens to be outside St Paul's too. St Paul's is incidental to that.... This had and still has nothing to do with the church or St Paul's!
 
So why not Canary Wharf?

And why publically humilate senior St Pauls officials, who are 'incidental' to this?
 
St Pauls was not the target. Paternoster Square/ The London Stock Exchange was. The occupiers couldn't get into Paternoster Square so set up outside. Which, just happens to be outside St Paul's too. St Paul's is incidental to that.... This had and still has nothing to do with the church or St Paul's!

You do realise, by the way, where Bob Diamond works? I hope?

This is the most clueless protest I've ever seen. I broadly agree with the aims. But its frankly embrarrassing watching the footage on the news. Occuping Wall St is one thing. That kinda makes sense. But St Pauls? Seriously?
 
This excuse of "it's privately owned land" doesn't wash with me I'm afriad. Sorry, but so fucking what? They're going to get evicted wherever they go, they might as well get evicted from the place they set out to occupy in the first place.
 
So why not Canary Wharf?

I can't speak for the campers, but I would guess that occupying the London stock exchange by means of an encampment in Canary Wharf might have caused more confusion rather than less.

And why publically humilate senior St Pauls officials, who are 'incidental' to this?

Dunno - I guess I missed that part.
Youthful high jinks, perhaps?
 
This excuse of "it's privately owned land" doesn't wash with me I'm afriad. Sorry, but so fucking what? They're going to get evicted wherever they go, they might as well get evicted from the place they set out to occupy in the first place.

Okay then... I am with you...Where shall we go and camp? I will follow your lead. :)
 
Cos the church are sideing with the authorities of the city of london perhaps?

Fuck the c of e - they've humiliated themselves by demonstrating exactly whose side they are on.
 
How many more times do we have to explain this to you? They are not occupying St Paul's they are camped outside Paternoster Square/the London Stock Exchange which just happens to be next to St Pauls! :facepalm:

With brains like this, good luck :facepalm:

I've worked at both the LSE and investment banks down the years (albeit in minor roles before u leap down my throat), and i can assure you the dickheads work in the latter...

theres a massive square at canary wharf, go there.. thats where the power is
 
'Next up is the dilemma about how to deal with the increasing number of homeless who are pitching up to take advantage of the free hot vegetarian food and want to sleep in the "university" tent.'

this could become a problem, but this below is great

'In part, the self-possession comes from the steady flow of engagement with sympathetic, curious passersby. "I just want to say that I would be with you if I wasn't too old to camp and I didn't have a full-time job," I overheard one lady tell a protester. Everywhere there is the hum of strangers talking to each other about politics, accompanied by a sense of relief that finally people have a space in which to talk about their anger and frustration at injustice.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/30/occupy-london-nursery-mind
 
'Next up is the dilemma about how to deal with the increasing number of homeless who are pitching up to take advantage of the free hot vegetarian food and want to sleep in the "university" tent.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/30/occupy-london-nursery-mind
this could be a problem though..

I know that outreach workers from homeless charities/organisations have been to FS over this weekend to talk to homeless people camping on site...I imagine the same has happened at St Pauls too.
 
Okay...we are behind you. Let's go to Canary Wharf and set up camp 3. We are following your lead! :)

Honestly? There are far more effective ways of changing the world. I genuinely think the ruling classes are welcoming this current 'movement'.

Change happens from within.
 
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