what happened to all the 90s political scenes?

[xslavearcx]

http://beautifultrouble.org/author/johnjordan/


John Jordan, RTS, EF, public enemy number one for a while, self -publicist, lecturer, author of numerous books, still plugging away

Oh god clown activism... wtf was that all about lol!!!

 

[newbie]

xslavearcx re #101

out of Marxist reading groups let a thousand flowers bloom? good, if that's what happens. Even better if something comes out of it, some idea, some theme, that can resonate not just to the twenty-somethings but also to you and yours and me and mine. The polltax did that, so did the invasion, but nothing really is at the moment, not even the NHS (although tax justice is a theme almost everyone in society has subscribed to it's not motivated many sufficiently to actually do anything). But I rather doubt well meaning reading groups are much more than recruiting grounds for the tired left parties.

Thing is, what motivates idealistic youth (other than healthy hedonism) appears somewhat more complicated to their by now compromised elders. In the 70s it was simple and obvious that nuclear power, the nuclear state, was the embodiment of everything that needed to be fought against. By the 90s while I admired and slightly envied the road protests I couldn't really manage much more than abstract support for them. I had a car, enjoyed the freedom it gave, hated the jams, how hypocritical was i to be? As I didn't have a 3bar electric fire or night storage heaters in the 70s the question of hypocrisy never arose, the idealism could burn untarnished.

 

[sihhi]

Oh god clown activism... wtf was that all about lol!!!

It is still around! This is a trip of theirs to Palestine.

It's a form of street theatre taken to extremes:

Sometimes acting in the form of a "clown army" e.g. the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army.

 

[frogwoman]

we had "clowns without borders" come to the refugee centre I worked at when I lived in Moldova

 

[newbie]

Bit cynical that given the years of optimism and initiation of activities documented by participants on this site.

only a bit?

 

[Streathamite]

i think we shouldnt play down peoples desire to kick up a fuss in the streets today - we've had student fee actions, motivated by a genuine and desperate hope to overturn a policy, the summer riots triggered by police violence - actions coming together on the big trade union walk to the park - UKUncut - there was a string of stuff around the City since 2008, occupy wasnt an irrelevance .... I think there is some cultural element to it (the illegality of the rave scene, anti-road stuff etc) that provided a strong base, which maybe isnt there as much now, but thats not fatal I dont think.

I think it's absolutely tragic that people aren't kicking up more of a fuss! We are being fucked over by a bunch of smug, greedy scmucks (in govt and in the boardrooms) and you end up wondering what on earth will provoke civil unrest

 

[xslavearcx]

It is still around! This is a trip of theirs to Palestine.

It's a form of street theatre taken to extremes:

Sometimes acting in the form of a "clown army" e.g. the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army.

Spent ages looking at the first picture to see if anybody in the audience appears to be enjoying the show on offer. but i can't find one person. Guess its good to still see people flying the flag i suppose but geez wtf!

 

[xslavearcx]

xslavearcx re #101

out of Marxist reading groups let a thousand flowers bloom? good, if that's what happens. Even better if something comes out of it, some idea, some theme, that can resonate not just to the twenty-somethings but also to you and yours and me and mine. The polltax did that, so did the invasion, but nothing really is at the moment, not even the NHS (although tax justice is a theme almost everyone in society has subscribed to it's not motivated many sufficiently to actually do anything). But I rather doubt well meaning reading groups are much more than recruiting grounds for the tired left parties.

Yeah its all a bit depressing. Maybe if we can't wait for the yoof to do something us oldies need to show them whats what

 

[sihhi]

Spent ages looking at the first picture to see if anybody in the audience appears to be enjoying the show on offer. but i can't find one person. Guess its good to still see people flying the flag i suppose but geez wtf!

I'm not defending them, they are rumbling on:-
just as Hunt Saboteurs are now rumbling on as hunt law enforcers, anti-roads figures are campaign group leaders for integrated (less roads) transport, anti-CJA legal movement is part of the campaigns around defending the right to protest, anti-CJA rave movement still has much rarer but sizeable crowds at 'free parties'.

 

[xslavearcx]

yeah knew you weren't defending them.... does seem a bit crass them going to palestine and doing their thang!

 

[newbie]

I think it's absolutely tragic that people aren't kicking up more of a fuss! We are being fucked over by a bunch of smug, greedy scmucks (in govt and in the boardrooms) and you end up wondering what on earth will provoke civil unrest

either
Cam/Clegg will overstep and produce a policy which will crystallise all the latent opposition

and/or

something horrible that will shake us out of complacency by making our lives much worse (see Greece or Cyprus)

 

[frogwoman]

yeah knew you weren't defending them.... does seem a bit crass them going to palestine and doing their thang!

As if the palestinian people haven't suffered enough

 

[xslavearcx]

Wonder if activist tourism plays a significant part in the palestinian economy?

 

[stuff_it]

It is still around! This is a trip of theirs to Palestine.

It's a form of street theatre taken to extremes:

Sometimes acting in the form of a "clown army" e.g. the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army.

Please tell me they are on facebook as 'Anarchist Mimes'.

 

[ferrelhadley]

Occupy, climate camps, Combe Haven road protest, UKUncut, the solidarity with the Vesta occupation, the occupation of Unis in 10/11, the Sussex uni occupation, Greenpeace sitting on Parliaments roof, some pretty spicy protests over Israels wars..... there have been some huge, more mainstream, protests over the past few years over student fees and general anticuts protests.

Oh, has the world changed, or have I changed ?

 

[newbie]

Yeah its all a bit depressing. Maybe if we can't wait for the yoof to do something us oldies need to show them whats what

I have faith that strong themes will emerge and just a little hope that (unlike, say, intersectionality) they'll chime with me. It's their turn now, my generation had its chance and blew it.

meantime I'll just cast gloom, despond and cynicism around the internet.

 

[Streathamite]

either
Cam/Clegg will overstep and produce a policy which will crystallise all the latent opposition

and/or

something horrible that will shake us out of complacency by making our lives much worse (see Greece or Cyprus)

tbh, i wonder if even either of those two will finally wake the British people up

 

[newbie]

tbf I don't think anyone thought all that discussion about 'the rates' was likely to turn into rioting in the streets.

 

[chilango]

Few quick obvious points - cultural stuff in modern capitalism is always on a loser from the start unless it can develop roots and make connections with wider stuff and wider concerns - hospital closures and stuff about the conditions that everyone has to live their lifes in, rather than just a small section. Otherwise you do end up with 'dissenting communities' self-ghettoised and people being cut off from the skills, knowledge and experience of others (in both directions). People weren't unaware of this at the time though.The closest this came to happening was with the roads stuff actually impacting on wider plans of capital development (if you can't strike, where can you stop the circulation/operation of capital?) and the attempts at rts linking up with the locked out liverpool dockers, which didn't really work out in the long term. But it is interesting that we're discussing this in terms of cultures - which misses all the mums out campaigning for speed bumps or against mobile phone masts, or people working on casualisation or other safety at work (reminds me of another crossover here, the simon jones/casualisation campaign), the tenants groups and so on...

Aye many of us were well aware AT THE TIME of the need to make these connections. They happened, albeit sporadically. In South Wales the anti opencast stuff in former mining communities, EF! People on Signal Workers Support groups, DA to support several strikes, the anti JSA campaigns, and phone masts too!

 

[chilango]

I'll start, Rebbeca Blum(nee Lush)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebecca_Lush

She was an anti-road campaigner at the Campaign for Better Transport until 2012.

I'll continue it for you:

http://www.urban75.net/forums/members/chilango.9395/ unemployed full-time dad.

There.

 

[chilango]

Definately...

I think the fact that a lot of the ideas floating around the time of the road protests was primmo anti-civ definately did that movement no favours in regards to linking into the circulation of capital and probably alienated that movement from the average person as well.

There were a lot of often contradictory ideas floating around and influencing people. Green liberalism, trottery, old school anarchopunk, pacifism. Class struggle anarchism, Autonomism, situationism, nationalism and regionalism, and anti-civ/primitivism.

Fell for the primmo stuff myself briefly.

 

[treelover]

and as with all dedicated true believers they often ostracised people who didn't believe, etc...

 

[chilango]

and as with all dedicated true believers they often ostracised people who didn't believe, etc...

Who did?

 

[xslavearcx]

There were a lot of often contradictory ideas floating around and influencing people. Green liberalism, trottery, old school anarchopunk, pacifism. Class struggle anarchism, Autonomism, situationism, nationalism and regionalism, and anti-civ/primitivism.

Fell for the primmo stuff myself briefly.

Me too- i mean i didn't read any zerzan and stuff but i totally thought civilisation needed to go and was a total misanthrope to boot.

 

[stuff_it]

Who did?

Vegans.

 

[xslavearcx]

Occupy, climate camps, Combe Haven road protest, UKUncut, the solidarity with the Vesta occupation, the occupation of Unis in 10/11, the Sussex uni occupation, Greenpeace sitting on Parliaments roof, some pretty spicy protests over Israels wars..... there have been some huge, more mainstream, protests over the past few years over student fees and general anticuts protests.

Think i was more thinking about the linkage between politics, lifestylism, and subcultures rather than direct action being used although i take your point..

 

[chilango]

Me too- i mean i didn't read any zerzan and stuff but i totally thought civilisation needed to go and was a total misanthrope to boot.

Oh I read Zerzan....and Camatte and Perlman and Live Wild or Die! And all that shit.

'twas a brief dalliance though, albeit with lingering affectations. The consequence of (mis)mixing ultra left politics and a love of wilderness.

 

[xslavearcx]

Vegans.

I was a nightmare as a vegan, but when i got into 'anti-consumerism' thats when i got really bad. Started briefy dating this lass who i had a massive crush on for ages and then i screwed it up by lecturing her about the fact she had a mobile phone

 

[Dillinger4]

I was a nightmare as a vegan, but when i got into 'anti-consumerism' thats when i got really bad. Started briefy dating this lass who i had a massive crush on for ages and then i screwed it up by lecturing her about the fact she had a mobile phone

fuck the system

 

[xslavearcx]

Oh I read Zerzan....and Camatte and Perlman and Live Wild or Die! And all that shit.

'twas a brief dalliance though, albeit with lingering affectations. The consequence of (mis)mixing ultra left politics and a love of wilderness.

Zerzan is still on my to-read list. Its ironic i was so into those kinda ideas when in reality even when going to a public park i never walk off the designated path, in case i get mud on me or something!