Priorities.

 

                                                Image courtesy of Climate Signals.

       What sort of world do we tolerate, a world that throws billions at the fanciful and war, but struggles to find the money to alleviate the suffering of millions. Pakistan is almost one third wiped out, millions are homeless and facing starvation, and the UN appeals for $160 million in emergency aid for that country.  However, the EU and 27 countries committed more than $1 billion of military aid to Ukraine in the first week of the war in Ukraine, that figure has ballooned since then. Then there is the latest American prestige plan, the giant moon rocket. This gigantic toy of the rich and powerful was budgeted at $10 billion, with a launch date that looked like a calendar. First 2017 then 2018-19-20-21 and then 2022. The total spend comes in somewhere around $93 billion with each subsequent launch coming in at around $4 billion a pop. These sort of priorities tell us a lot about the values of this capitalism and imperialist system that taints the human race. How much longer will we tolerate this vicious, cruel insane system of greed and wealth to have power over our lives?

Image courtesy of Cyprus Mail.

 

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Victory.

 A thought for the day;

Victory.

Nature recoiled from the savage beast
A beast so fierce on its war horse of progress
Sweeping aside all the was natural and beautiful
This blind beast conquered meadow and stream
Banished the fish from the seas
Left a trail of barren concrete and tarmac
Filled the air with odious gases
Eventually the beast conquered the earth
Now master of a dead and lifeless planet
A world that nature, maimed and bleeding
Finally abandons to allow the beast to slowly die.

 

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Why?

 

           I wrote this little piece in October 2003, I think it is more relevant  today than when I penned back then.

A Wider View.  

          If we care to look  beyond the shopping malls and the mainstream media we can see that capitalism is responsible for countless thousands of deaths from poverty, not because there isn’t enough to go round, it is simply that there is no profit in it. In the world today, twenty two children die from starvation every minute of every day, while excess food in the West is stockpiled. Have you ever asked yourself “WHY”? What kind of system would tolerate such blatant cruelty, what kind of people would tolerate such a system? The answer is of course, capitalism is the system, we are that people. How much longer can we allow this to continue? How much longer can we allow the greed of corporate capitalism to rape and plunder this world in its quest for profit? There is an alternative, this so called Western “Democracy” must be stood on it head. An end to the privileged few of the corporate world working hand in hand with State power to use our lives for ever greater profit. This world and its resources belong to the people, to be shared according to our needs. The only way to reclaim our world is to take control of our own lives and organise outside the party political system, at local and community level. We must be the decision makes in the interest of our children, to enrich our own lives, and the preservation of the planet. We don’t need Kings, Presidents or leaders to tell us how to live our lives, their track record is one of wars, greed and exploitation. Let’s sweep them away into the dustbin of history and organise for an era of mutual aid across all cultures, organise at community level in federation with other communities. Let’s see an end to the Nation State and with it, national wars, patriotism and boundaries, a free and colourful world that belongs to free and colourful people.

Most of us go to the grave with our music still inside us!!

                                   Image courtesy of GG-Magazine.

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info   

Strike.

          The media and that gang of Oxbridge/Winchester College prancing wealthy political ballerinas, keep bellowing about a "cost of living crisis", when the ordinary person on the street knows that it is an "exploitation crisis". We are supposed to accept our children go hungry, our elder shiver through the winter, if they make it, while the country is awash with billionaires, companies are recording record profits, CEO are being paid millions in remuneration and billions are being lavished on greedy worthless shareholders. We are meant to grin and bear it to help to keep inflation down, to help the economy to grow.

 

        Well it is becoming blatantly obvious that the the one thing that is growing in this millionaires' paradise is the anger of the ordinary people. Day and daily people are taking to the streets, strikes are growing, that simmering anger is now a glowing flame. There is a realisation that we don't have to accept poverty at the whim of the billionaire class of parasites. We will not be poor to help the "economy", that capitalist gambling casino, spin a few more wheels. There is a determination that we will not be poor anymore. We create all the wealth, we demand and will take control of that wealth to be fairly distributed among all our people. 

       Here are some of the anger that is growing fast, we must all get behind those on strike, join them on the streets, show determination and solidarity. This is our fight for a decent life our kids and grand kids, to free them from the constant crisis of greed driven capitalism. 

 

 

       10 May: 100 refuse collectors in Welwyn Hatfield walked out in protest against a manager accused of sexism, racism and bullying; 11 May: 300 construction workers at a refinery in Hull went on strike because of wage payments being delayed or incomplete; 17 May: over a thousand offshore oil workers in the North Sea walked out across 19 rigs demanding their wages match inflation; 27 July: 100 workers at a food plant in Bury walked out in response to not being allowed proper breaks at work; 3 August: hundreds of Amazon workers at various sites in Tilbury, Rugeley, Coventry, Bristol, Dartford and Coalville have staged walkouts and slowdowns in response to a pay “rise” of only 35p more per hour: 10 August: hundreds of contract workers, including scaffolders and maintenance workers, at refineries, chemical plants and other facilities in Teesside, Grangemouth, Pembroke, Fife, Fawley and Drax walked out in a fight over pay, Sunday 20th August 1,900 members of the Unite union at Felixstowe Docks in Suffolk are walking out for eight days in a dispute over pay. August 22nd. criminal barristers in England and Wales go on all out strike over pay, legal aid funding and working conditions.

 

 Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info     

Refuse.

 

       The message is getting louder, "We refuse to be poor anymore", again Glasgow showed support for the RMT picket at Glasgow Central Station, today August 20th. Colourful banners and vociferous street support, is now the common sight in our cities around the country. Let's join them up and bring this stinking system of greed and privileged wealth to a grinding halt to which it will never recover. Poverty is not our lot as a given, we create that wealth, we are the owners of that wealth, we should decide how that wealth will be divided.

Some photos from Saturday's picket.

 

Visit ann arky's home at https://spiritofrevolt.info  

SOR.

         Spirit of Revolt Archive is a treasure trove of anarchist and libertarian socialist history from Glasgow and Clydeside area and some from further afield. It is 11 years old and is run by a small dedicate band of unpaid volunteers. We receive no funding from unions, companies or political parties, but sadly we still live in a capitalist world and there are costs involved. We rely solely on the financial support from friends supporters and comrades. We work hard at getting as much material up on line and free to access. If you think we are doing a worthwhile job and would like to see the archive grow and carry on collecting, storing and digitising our history, then perhaps you could think of donating the price of a couple of coffees a month, any donation no matter how little is most appreciated, direct debits gives us a guarantee to plan and develop into the future. Solidarity.

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Anarchy.

 

          For August Read of the Month,  Spirit of  Revolt gives you two issues of the Magazine Anarchy, No.15 and 16. We can always learn from the past, and Spirit of Revolt is a treasure chest of anarchist and libertarian socialist history. Feel free to delve in, we have digitised thousands of documents, photos, magazines, pamphlets and much more. All this is free for you to prowl through and learn from the actions and theory of those who, in the past, have fought the battle for that better life for all.

Read on line:

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Solidarity.

 

         Strikes are popping up all over the place, some union organisd and others wildcat strikes, all with the same message, we will not be poor any more. Post Office workers have just voted 98% in favour of strike action, others are going in the same direction. The anger of the ordinary people is now being transferred to action with the mind set this plundering of the ordinary people for the fat cat corporate world, can and will be challenged. All of us must get behind these struggles for a decent life, it is all of us that are being shafted on a daily basis. Our solidarity is unbeatable, if we all stand together and support every action for that better life for all.
         Glasgow again showed support for the RMT workers and their struggle for a decent life. Thursday August 18th, a protest by RMT was held outside Scotrail headquarters in St Vincent Street, and again there was colourful and vociferous support from various groups and individuals standing with the RMT Union members. The support and actions must continue and gain momentum and we will win. 

Some photos from the protest.

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