History!!

Words of wisdom from the past.

An extract from an undated article by Bobby Lynn.

“War is the health of the state” wrote Randolph Bourne.

--------- When the Labour fakirs took the reins of government in 1945, within six days it sent conscript troops into the Surrey Docks in London to break a ten week old strike against a wage cut. Three months later a national dock dispute brought more than 45,000 militant port workers out on strike. In both these cases as with many others the workers left their battle stations, their place of work. The Labour government took advantage by again sending conscript troops to break the strike. A fair percentage of workers now realise that the point of production is their fortress. There will always be a vertical bar between the haves and the have nots as long as the working class is “legally robbed” by the captains of industry. -------

 

Image courtesy of LibCom.

 

 Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info    

Why Vote.

          Anarchists have always made it clear that to vote in this society is to perpetuate the injustices, inequalities and exploitation of capitalist economic system. You may modify slightly a piece of legislation here and a working condition there, but the same basic structure of exploitation, inequality and injustice will remain firmly in place. Voting in a capitalist state system guarantees the status-quo.

          Spirit of Revolt  has a wealth of pamphlets, booklets and leaflets, etc.  explaining this basic principle of anarchism. One of our previous "Read of the Month" posts, helps explain this position, a pamphlet by Glasgow anarchists Bobby Lynn, Vote: What For.

Read on line HERE

         Again explaining in more detail our position of not voting, the following is an extract from Anarchist News

   --------As anarchists we simply think that our policy should be the destruction of the State rather than looking to work with it. We believe this stance is essential if we are to be able to promote anarchism, and if we are going to mark a divide between others and ourselves, and place ourselves firmly outside the activity and the political games of all the other parties. We believe this is essential so as not to be seen as another bunch of leftists after votes, and to avoid being tainted by the inevitable failure of any government to meet our needs. We believe in revolution and have a revolutionary ideology and we want to win people over to anarchism. If people started associating Anarchism with the political parties, then it would be difficult for people to understand what  Anarchism actually is.
        By arguing for our anti-electoral position we can get our ideas across about the nature of the current system, how elected politicians are controlled and shaped by the state, and how the state acts to protect capitalism. In addition, it allows us to present our ideas of direct action and encourage those disillusioned with political parties and the current system to become anarchists by presenting a viable alternative to the sham of party politics. For, after all, a sizeable percentage of not just non-voters but voters too are disillusioned with the current set-up. Many who do not vote do so for essentially political reasons, such as being fed up with the political system, failing to see any major differences between the parties, or recognition that the candidates do not represent their interests. Many who do vote do so simply against the other candidate, seeing them as the least-worst option. This is an opportunity when people are talking a little more about politics to challenge the notion that important decisions can only be made by a few, and put across our anarchist ideas.
        We started with a quote from Vernon Richards, and we will finish with one:
“If the anarchist movement has a role to play in practical politics it is surely that of suggesting to, and persuading, as many people as possible that their freedom from the Hitlers, Francos and the rest, depends not on the right to vote or securing a majority of votes ‘for the candidate of one’s choice,’ but on
evolving new forms of political and social organisation which aim at the direct participation of the people, with the consequent weakening of the power, as well of the social role, of government in the life of the community.”
[“Anarchists and Voting”, pp. 176-87, The Raven, no. 14, pp. 177-8]

       So… Don’t vote, or spoil your vote if you want, and let’s start making a real difference.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk

Vote: What For?

        It becomes more and more glaringly obvious that voting for any one of a bunch of self opinionated politicians is a pointless exercise. History throws this in our face generation after generation, but still there are those who persist. It's not that there haven't been people pointing his out throughout those generations, and anarchists have always been there at the forefront, raising the banner of self determination  among communities, in co-operation with other communities, rather than this self enslaving capitalist orientated party political system that has dominated and enslaved our lives for generations.

        An excellent little booklet, by a well know Glasgow anarchists, Bobby Lynn, "Vote: What For? explains clearly the futility of this voting system. Bobby was a Glasgow anarchist, 1924-1990, born and lived in Calton Glasgow, one of Glasgow’s many slums. Started work as an engineering apprentice in Yarrow’s shipyard, became involved in working class struggle and remained committed to that struggle all his life. A copy of his booklet is held in the Spirit of Revolt Archive and can be read on line HERE,

      The futility of voting was also a point powerfully made made by that great American comedian George Carlin:

       Perhaps by intellect and humour we will finally all see the futility and the damage done by this dangerous and destructive process of handing our power to a few wealthy careerists, who will use us and abuse us, to their own ends and that of their wealthy cronies.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk