Edinburgh Anarchists

Cactus Mouth Informer takes a break from uploading post-punk obscurities to skewer the Conspiracy of Business Interests.

I wander around with an image of the “Boss” inside my head. Thats him on the left. The proverbial Fat Cat, wearing a tailored suit, smoking a cigar, lord of all he surveys and bloated with his own self-importance. [...]
Thankfully, the “Voice Of Business” – the CBI – do everything in their power to perpetuate those images and thus continue the confrontational nature of workplace politics.

Divide by Zero on why “anarcho”-capitalists are not our allies.

One things that crops up over and over when someone on the libertarian right notices the outright hostility of anarchists when he appropriates the “Anarchist” label for himself is the accusation of “harming the movement” by not being willing to look past differences and work with each other for a stateless society. The argument goes that since both Anarchist and “Anarcho”-Capitalists wish a stateless society but simply with a different mode of production (Socialism VS Capitalism respectively) we have at least one common goal we should be working together for: The abolition of the State.
On first view, this makes a modicum of sense, if we both want a stateless society, and if we are willing to tolerate each others productive organization within their respective areas, then why are we fighting, arguing and criticizing each other when united we could be more formidable in both convincing people and undermining the state?
The answer is simple: Tactics.

And a good way to tell an anarchist from a propertarian is their attitude to Ayn Rand. If they say “who”, they’re OK; if they say “wow” then they’re probably a member of the cult that turns class analysis on its head and tells selfish, soulless bams that they are in fact noble and lovable. (It might help non-USAnians understand the batshit nonsense that gets telt about, e.g. healthcare).

In Atlas Shrugged, her hero, John Galt, leads a capitalist strike, in which the brilliant business leaders who drive all progress decide that they will no longer tolerate the parasitic workers exploiting their talent, and so they withdraw from society to create their own capitalistic paradise free of the ungrateful, incompetent masses.

“For twenty-five years,” gushed a steel executive to Rand, “I have been yelling my head off about the little-realized fact that eggheads, socialists, communists, professors, and so-called liberals do not understand how goods are produced. Even the men who work at the machines do not understand it.” Rand, finally, restored the boss to his rightful mythic place.

From the people who brought you the 8 hour work day. If you didn’t phone in sick, ca’ canny the day.

The Haymarket Martyrs of Chicago

There’s going to be a meeting to discuss what we’re up to in Edinburgh. This Thursday, 6pm, Tollcross Community Centre. From an invitation:

A few people are meeting next week for an informal chat about organising and resistance in Edinburgh. The call for the upcoming Anarchist Movement Conference asks whether ‘we’ are relevant? whether ‘we’ are progressing? how and where should ‘we’ organise? Maybe we might benefit from asking questions like these locally.

So far there has been a fair amount of interest in having some kind of discussion along these lines. There is no set agenda, as it is an informal discussion to see what things crop-up and where individuals, groups, networks and federations might have common ground and to encourage co-operation where common ground can be found. So if there is ANY organising/actions that you”ve thought ‘hmmm, wouldn’t it be good if that happened’, then come along and throw the idea into the mix.

Like with the Anarchist Movement Conference, if we can come together to put our ideas on the table, perhaps something useful will come out of it.

The meeting will take place at Tollcross Community Centre (117 Fountainbridge) on Thursday 23rd April from 18:00 until 21:00. The venue has no tea making facility so maybe you might want to bring along a flask and a small bite to eat to share.

Our friends in Glasgow tell us that when they do their street stall (every Saturday, 12-3 on Buchanan St) their banner attracts a lot of attention and comment. Why? Because it has the word “organize” on it, passersby feel compelled to point out that they think “organized anarchists” is a contradiction in terms.

No it isn’t.

If you don’t have directly democratic, anti-hierarchical organisations then you make it easier for strong individuals to dominate any enterprise, meaning that you’re then relying on them to be saints to not take advantage of their position.

But given how widespread the misconception is, it was a nice surprise to hear a shout out for the power of anarchist methods of organizing on Radio 4 of all places. Poet Attila the Stockbroker was on the programme talking about the ability get >200 people working together without domination or hierarchy. Sweet stuff that might be available for a listen on the BBC website for the next week or so.