Political gatherings in the UK, the rise and fall....

[LDC]

Since the death of the London Anarchist Bookfair (which I think now is officially not going to be re-started) there are increasingly fewer political gatherings where people can discuss politics, organizational strategy, campaigns, socialize, etc. etc.

I'm sure there's a few organization specific ones, but what about the broader ones where people can get together?

The only ones that I know people go to are the Plan C Fast Forward Festival Fast Forward 2019: A Plan C Festival and predictably Labour's The World Transformed The World Transformed

I'm sure there's a few more SWP-esque ones going on, and academic ones like Historical Materialism, but what else (if anything?) is out there? How is this lack of events impacting on wider political activity? What (if anything) can and should be done about it?

 

[Pickman's model]

Since the death of the London Anarchist Bookfair (which I think now is officially not going to be re-started)

i find it very hard to believe that there can possibly be an official position on this being as anyone can start up such an event, should they so choose

 

[LDC]

Yes, I know there's been some de-centralized anarchist festival thing, but it's a shadow of what the London bookfair was. And I'm not counting all the regional/town bookfairs as they're similarly small scale.

 

[chilango]

There's stuff like the Merthyr Rising festival, Tolpuddle iirc, the Miner's Gala.

Not been to any of them though.

 

[LDC]

i find it very hard to believe that there can possibly be an official position on this being as anyone can start up such an event, should they so choose

'Official' as in the collective that have put on the London Bookfair have now decided not to try again after considering it as a possibility for a while.

 

[LDC]

...anyone can start up such an event, should they so choose

Taking that on would be turkey's voting for Xmas innit.

 

[chilango]

Also is it impacting on activity? Or a reflection of it?

I think the paucity of demos is also a factor. A-B matches are a bit shit, but we're a good chance to meet up with people. There used to be something almost every weekend "back in my day". Plus protest sites, bookshops, etc.

It's all online now.

*Shakes fist at sky*

 

[Pickman's model]

How is this lack of events impacting on wider political activity? What (if anything) can and should be done about it?

but in a more substantive answer to your post a major effect the end of the bookfair will have had is that many groups and causes will be struggling, as the bookfair provided many organisations with the bulk of their annual income, let alone the best opportunity to spread their propaganda

back in the 1990s there were occasional smaller bookfairs like the one in homerton in the hackney anarchy week of '94, and arranging local events like this might be more feasible certainly in the mid-term than trying to rebuild what was effectively a national event.

 

[LDC]

There's stuff like the Merthyr Rising festival, Tolpuddle iirc, the Miner's Gala.

Not been to any of them though.

Been meaning to go to the Miner's Gala for years, but not made it yet. It's a slightly different type of event though right? More of a parade, drinking, and speeches thing?

 

[Pickman's model]

'Official' as in the collective that have put on the London Bookfair have now decided not to try again after considering it as a possibility for a while.

and who can blame them? when the extremes of the trans 'debate' / conflict join forces to trash an event, the event is trashed.

 

[chilango]

I dunno about local book fairs being any sort of stand in

The advantage of the national events was that geographically isolated people could get a sense of being part of something

 

[LDC]

Also is it impacting on activity? Or a reflection of it?

I think the paucity of demos is also a factor. A-B matches are a bit shit, but we're a good chance to meet up with people. There used to be something almost every weekend "back in my day". Plus protest sites, bookshops, etc.

It's all online now.

*Shakes fist at sky*

Not very originally I'd say it both impacts on and is reflection of it. Yeah, the bookshops thing totally too. And t'internet and the fragmentation of collective projects into blogs and twitter accounts obviously.

*Shakes fist at the sky too* AGAIN.

 

[LDC]

Something that often comes up in discussions is this 'generational divide' in politics.

I think there is one, although often over-stated, but maybe it's less about age per se and more to do about how people even in their late 20s who have been involved in politics a few years or so have a lack of experience of any collective struggle at all, and much of their political engagement has been at university or college, through social media, with perhaps the odd demo or meeting.

There's been no mass activity on the streets, no having to work with people outside your immediate social/cultural scene, no defending your ideas to people with different politics than yours, and acceptance of a bit of difference while broadly agreeing has plummeted.

*Shakes fist at young people and the sky.*

 

[Pickman's model]

I dunno about local book fairs being any sort of stand in

The advantage of the national events was that geographically isolated people could get a sense of being part of something

i'm not really meaning it as a stand-in. the problem we have is that far too much 'activity' takes place like this, on computers, and far too little now in your actual person. for years we all enjoyed the bookfair, where you'd see lots of people you knew, and in many cases you hadn't seen them since the last bookfair. we ended up relying on the hard work of a few people to organise the prime political / social event of the year, while - in london, certainly - not having a calendar of events which interested people could attend, where small groups could spread their prop and raise funds, which could in concert form the basis for a more resilient movement.

so yeh i very much miss the bookfair: but i think in retrospect that having a big annual event which took so much planning and for which people spent ages preparing (booking stalls, getting merchandise ready, having a rota for the stall, preparing for meetings...) masked the need for local events which could attract more new people into the movement.

you so rarely now see public meetings advertised in london now. afaik the various attempts to get anarchists together once a month no longer occur. there's very little which brings us together offline on any sort of regular basis, and having smaller events would offer the chance to meet each other and build local links, gain experience of organising events etc.

as for national events, yeh - it'd be grand. but it'd also be grand if rather than have a national bookfair in london it could be held in nottingham or manchester or birmingham etc.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Something that often comes up in discussions is this 'generational divide' in politics.

I think there is one, although often over-stated, but maybe it's less to do about age per se and more to do about how people even in their late 20s who have been involved in politics a few years or so have a lack of experience of any collective struggle at all, and much of their political engagement has been at university or college, through social media, with perhaps the odd demo or meeting.

There's been no mass activity on the streets, no having to work with people outside your immediate social/cultural scene, no defending your ideas to people with different politics than yours, and acceptance of a bit of difference while broadly agreeing has plummeted.

*Shakes fist at young people and the sky.*

Good points. Significantly, the rise of Corbyn has seen much of the left fold itself into labour and its political hinterland over the past five years. The focus of a lot of energy been committed to defending and supporting the top down labourist project. Early talk of Momentum being used to engage with communities has quickly petered out (there may be a few scale projects but they are subterranean in respect of inspiring others). Industrially, there have been no national lengthy disputes.

Bar social media, I don't see much debate, social engagement around ideas or work outside of echo-like bubbles.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Been meaning to go to the Miner's Gala for years, but not made it yet. It's a slightly different type of event though right? More of a parade, drinking, and speeches thing?

I've been twice. You've characterised it perfectly, although you've missed the bit where the march is 'received' by various labour/TUC tops which nauseated me on both occasions I've been. The banners and the community and colliery history they represent are moving and inspirational but it's not a place to discuss ideas and debate and to engage with others.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Its mostly a social event for me. As was the book fair.

 

[SpackleFrog]

There's Socialism every November. Which you might not like but I think SWP-esque is unfair.

Likely to be smaller this year though.

 

[LDC]

There's Socialism every November. Which you might not like but I think SWP-esque is unfair.

Likely to be smaller this year though.

Any theories as to why it'll be smaller this year?

 

[Dogsauce]

I've been twice. You've characterised it perfectly, although you've missed the bit where the march is 'received' by various labour/TUC tops which nauseated me on both occasions I've been. The banners and the community and colliery history they represent are moving and inspirational but it's not a place to discuss ideas and debate and to engage with others.

Fash are planning to turn up this year to counter protest, might be an opportunity to engage with them, physically.

 

[SpackleFrog]

Any theories as to why it'll be smaller this year?

No comment.

 

[Nigel]

Anyone go to Marxism this year !?

Only saw Sparts & International Bolshevik Tendency outside; even they seemed apathetic, not even sneering at each other !

S W P said they changed venues in solidarity with cleaners strike at central London Colleges/Universities; not sure how true this is !
Lots of stalls of other countries national sections of I S T going through but still relatively small.

They're very optimistic that they can build from 'front organisation' significantly S U T R.

 

[Pickman's model]

Anyone go to Marxism this year !?

Only saw Sparts & International Bolshevik Tendency outside; even they seemed apathetic, not even sneering at each other !

S W P said they changed venues in solidarity with cleaners strike at central London Colleges/Universities; not sure how true this is !
Lots of stalls of other countries national sections of I S T going through but still relatively small.

They're very optimistic that they can build from 'front organisation' significantly S U T R.

they've barely used student central / ulu for years now, you could walk through the area and never know the damn thing was on - which was never the case in the 2000s or 1990s, you'd know for certain there were swappies in the area by the discarded newspapers, the flyposting in advance of the event. imo the change of venues due to dwindling attendance not due to solidarity.