Well it is that time of the year when people buy presents for friends and family, call it what you will, I like Winter Solstice. Choosing a present can be difficult, so let me help you. A wonderful book to give to your friends, family comrades or for yourself, would by the book by James Kelman and Prof. Noam Chomsky, "Between Thought and Expression Lies a Lifetime, Why Ideas Matter", published by PM Press.
Apart from seeing this book as an essential read for all left radical thinkers and activists, I have another motive for suggesting it as a wonderful Solstice gift. The authors have kindly stated that the proceeds from the sale of the book go to Spirit of Revolt as a donation. Spirit of Revolt is probably the largest anarchist, libertarian socialist archive in Scotland, we record, preserve and make easily available, your history, your struggles for that better world for all. We rely totally on donations from friends and supporters. we receive no funding from unions, businesses or councils and our team are all unpaid volunteers. See our donation page.All donations, one-off or direct debit, no matter how small are really appreciated.
I've just received the new book "Between Thought and Expression Lies a Lifetime, Why Ideas Matter" by Noam Chomsky and James Kelman, PM Press ISBN: 978-1-6296-3880-5. Described by one reviewer as Brilliant, Incisive, Fearless. A quick lick through it and it looks both informative and interesting, but like all books written for and by the radical left, it shouldn't be taken as some sort of sacred gospel. It is the considered opinion of those involved drawn from personal experience, thoughts, discussions and readings and should always be seen a such. No matter the differences you may have, I'm sure you will find something new, interesting and even controversial, but you will come away with some new thoughts and insights, what more can you ask of a book.
I should add that all the proceeds from the Scottish end of this production will go to support, the Spirit of Revolt Archive. We at Spirit of Revolt are extremely grateful for the authors' support and generosity. You can also help support Spirit of Revolt by purchasing the book and spreading this info far and wide.
An event not to be missed, two great minds come together James Kelman, activist, and famous author from Glasgow and Noam Chomsky, world renowned philosopher to discuss anthropology and social change, "Between Thought and Expression". Presented by PM Press. December 6th.
I'm writing because PM Press is publishing some fantastic and incendiary new books by James Kelman and I was wondering if you'd like to receiving advance copies?
The first: Between Thought and Expression; Why Ideas Matter is a book of political and philosophical essays by and correspondence between Kelman and Noam Chomsky.
The second is a collection of Kelman's essays on Kurdistan and Black justice called The State is Your Enemy.
I would love to send you copies if you're interested--and of course Jim is available for discussions and interviews.
Take care!
Cara
James Kelman a world famous author and one of Glasgow's own, has been a great friend and supporter of Spirit of Revolt. We have part of his archive in our collection, with more to follow. I consider these books to be important works in their own right. It would be great to return James's support for Spirit of Revolt and many other class struggles he has been involved in throughout his life, by purchasing these new books.
The covid19 pandemic has certainly altered the way we live or day to day lives, sadly the remodeling of our daily patterns has not been done by us the public. This remodeling of the patterns for living has been totally orgainsed by the state, which never bodes well for our individual freedoms. Another factor in the way our lives have been patterned has been the link to the life blood of this economic system, the economy, so this has been a major aspect of how the state handles this pandemic. It is never a case of health and welfare of the people above all else. Our lives have had to be juggled with the saving of the economy. The wealth of the pampered and powerful few holds sway over the lives of the public. So "opening up" the economy will be pushed, even knowing that it could, and probably will, cause an increase in public deaths. They would rather have that, than a decrease in corporate profits.
From Its Going Down, the film Living Utopia is well worth watching, an informed insight into the working class struggles in Spain in the early 20th. century
In this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak again with historian Mark Bray about the anarchist movement in Spain as well as the Spanish Civil War and Revolution that broke out in 1936 against a fascist coup. We discuss how the movement grew, in all its complexities, and Bray describes the discussions and tensions over tactics and methods of struggle contemporary anarchists with find many similarities with. We then discuss what was achieved during the period of the revolution, from the taking over of industry in some cities, to the communization of land and agriculture in rural areas, to attacks on patriarchy and class society within everyday life.
We also discuss the betrayal of both the revolution and the antifascist resistance to Franco, not only by the major world powers in the face of a fascist coup by general Franco which was supported by Hitler and Mussolini, but also by the Stalinist forces who destroyed the revolution and literally attacked the anarchists.
We also talk about the various groups, tendencies, and formations that existed throughout the Spanish anarchist movement, from the labor union the CNT, the insurrectionary anarchist federation, the FAI, the Libertarian Youth movement, the role of anarchist infrastructure and press, and the anarcha-feminist group, Mujeres Libres.
Beyond just a blow by blow of the revolution, we spend a lot of our time talking about how the Spanish anarchists organized and built a counter-society that existed and in many cases still does, for generations.
Glasgow has always had an anarchist presence, it ebbs and flows, but never disappears, see Strugglepedia, for a glimpse of that history. The 80's and 90's saw a lot of creative activity from anarchist/libertarian-socialists and those of like minds. One such event was the "Self Determination" event at which Noam Chomsky was present. The Self-Determination and Power event was organised by a loose alliance
of the Free University of Glasgow, the Edinburgh Review. Not sure who
filmed it. But produced by Street Level streetlevelphotoworks.org
Most people accept that we are now controlled by billionaires, sitting behind closed doors, making decisions that we play no part in, or even hear the discussions, yet they shape our lives. A handful of, usually men, sit and follow ideology and dogma that is designed to increase the power and wealth of their institutions. What we do hear from the mouths of this financial Mafia is hyperbole and hypocrisy, we are supposed to accept, without question, their dictates, though we know that doing so will continually tighten their grip over our lives, and lower or living standards. We are drowning in a sea of hypoerbole and hypocrisy. Since this unaccountable cabal, (EC, Excessively Corrupt, ECB, European Conning Banksters, IMF, International Mankind Fuckers) never allow their deliberations to be made public, it is good to hear quotes of their statements, their arguments, and their ideas, from one who was there. One who for a short while sat among them, discussed and listened to their hypocritical vomiting, and is prepare to repeat in public, some of those statements.
This film might be a bit on the long side for some, but it is well worth listening to the full discussion and the questions and answers that follow.
For the ordinary people of the world to bring about justice and freedom for all, they will have to wake up and accept the fact that we are at war, the war that will end all wars, the class war. Without accepting that fact, we will continue to be mired in the wars, misery, poverty and injustice, which for us, are the only fruits of the capitalist system.
The following written by my friend and comrade, John, states the case very clearly:
DECLARATIONOF WAR.
There is a ferocious war
being waged in our Society today, but it is not a War fought with guns
and bullets or tanks and aeroplanes, and the enemy is not some invading
army or outside threat. The weapons used in this war are the
policies and actions of Government departments and civil servants, and
the victims in this war are working class people. And although
there are no guns or bullets, the War is just as deadly in terms of
casualties. But these casualties aren’t on both sides; the casualties
are all from the ranks of the working class. This is a CLASS WAR. The ruling elite through the medium of the Capitalist system controls and exploits the working class.
The Government wages this one – sided War against working class people
in a number of ways. It attacks and destroys the lives of disabled and
unemployed people by depriving them of their benefits through the
criminal actions of the DWP and their hired mercenaries Atos and
Maximus, and attacks those in work with anti Union legislation to ensure
a compliant, unresisting and underpaid workforce.
Do you
doubt this? Do you doubt that a Class War exists and is taking place in
our society? Well the rich and privileged have no such doubts. This is
what Warren Buffett investor, billionaire and one of the ten richest
people in the World said in 2005, “The rich class - is waging class
warfare on the rest of Society.” And again in 2006 “There’s class
warfare alright, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war,
and were winning.” So even if ordinary people do not know of the Class War or doubt if it even exists, the rich are perfectly clear about it.
The reason this is a one sided war is that many working class people
have not yet begun to fight back. Many had supposed that by voting
against the Tories this would be enough. They had assumed that their
jobs and rights at work were being protected by their Trade Unions. And
the reality is that this is not the case. The Labour Party and the Trade
Unions have proven to be no defence in this war
Who are the people waging this war?
This Class War is a war waged by the rich and privileged against the poor and powerless; it is a war between the “Haves” and the “Have Nots”
This war was not started by working class people, but by the ruling
elite; big business, multi-national companies, the Arms trade and so on.
Their aims are carried out by privileged Tory MP’s who receive (earn
would be the wrong word) £74,000 per year and about the same in expenses
- plus all they can steal on top of that! So while ordinary
men, women and children struggle to make ends meet, these pillars of the
Establishment - the majority of them privately educated at elite
Universities, these honourable Gentlemen and Ladies, these crooks,
thieves and liars in the Houses of Parliament, use the farce of
“democracy” to scheme and dictate how we should be governed and
controlled in the interests of Global Capitalism. Anyone who
participates in this charade of Parliamentary Democracy is an enemy of
working class people. Not only does it perpetuate the myth that everyone
is equal and that by voting every four years or so we are part of this
great democratic structure, it is also the means by which violence is
perpetrated on working class people. While big businesses and
corporations receive any amount of public money and are virtually
allowed to pay whatever amount of tax they choose – if any, - working
class people are subjected to the violence of homelessness, the bedroom
tax, benefit cuts and sanctions, foodbanks, inadequate wages and poor
living conditions, which make it almost impossible to survive. And many don’t survive. Statistics released by the DWP state that during the period between December 2011 and February 2014 2,380 people died after being denied benefits through being found “fit for work.” Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that suicides have reached a ten year high and are linked with welfare “reforms.” The situation is so bad that DWP staff have been given “guidance” on how to deal with suicidal benefit claimants! The
Sunday Herald reported on the 25th of August 2015 that workers had been
issued with a six point plan on how to deal with people denied benefits
who appear to be suicidal. Staff at call centres have been instructed to allow rejected claimants to talk about their intention to kill themselves.
All the laws relating to the above are passed by our so - called elected
representatives, and enforced with all the might of the State through
the Police and if necessary the Military. If the working class organise
to fight back against these injustices, we are the ones who are labelled
violent and criminal.
It is not us who are violent; the
violence is inherent in the system that is used to control us. Every act
of institutionalised violence directed at working class people is
backed up by the Law. The Law is not there to serve working class
people: it is a weapon, an instrument of control to be used against us;
it is there to maintain and increase the power of the State.
Labour MP’s or any other “left” MP’s – even if they voted against
certain laws are still participating in this violence against the
working class – as are any of the agencies and individuals who carry out
their policies. Some ordinary workers can also wittingly or
otherwise act against the interests of their class. Often, out of
economic necessity they have taken on jobs that act against the interest
of their fellow workers. Capitalism relishes this; it divides working
class people and so furthers the interest of the Capitalist system.
In 1886, a financier and railroad developer called Jay Gould said “I can
hire one half of the working class to kill the other half.”
Workers, trade unionists in G4S, in Jobcentres or in any potentially
repressive occupation really need to re-assess their position. On no account should they impose hardship on members of their class. The
Trade Unions should be very specific on this: they need to educate and
instruct their members to refuse to participate in carrying out actions
which have a detrimental effect on our class. How likely is
it that Trade Union leaders will jeopardise their well paid positions by
leading any kind of revolt? How likely is it that “left wing” MP’s are
going to risk losing their cushy numbers to support a fight against
unjust laws? The answer has to be – not bloody likely! These MP’s and
Trade Union leaders have more in common with the bosses than they do
with the workers. Working class people need to become aware
of this Class War being waged against us. We have to understand that we
have nothing in common with the ruling class. They have not the
slightest concern for working class people. The poor, disabled and
homeless are an inconvenience to them; they would be happy if the poor
in society went away to die quietly and uncomplainingly in some secluded
dark corner. They see the unemployed and poor as a burden, and their laws and sanctions are used as a form of social cleansing. They want a society based purely on the pursuit of profit; the concept of fairness and equality has no place in their thinking.
This is why they wage a Class War against us. This is why they seek to
eliminate anyone who does not have the capacity to be a wage slave.
The interests of the Working Class and the Ruling Class are
diametrically opposed. They want a world controlled by a few for their
own selfish ends, - we want a world where the needs of all are met
equally. They want a world of oppression and fear, - we want a world
without fear, hunger, homelessness, and one in which everyone has the
opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
The Bullingdon Club, now in control of the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, has stated that it will introduce more legislation to restrict the use of strikes. No doubt it was a directive from their millionaire buddies in the corporate world. So it would seem that when you sign on as an employee of a firm, and that firm treats you like shit, refusing to negotiate your grievance, you are supposed to just put up with it. You will not have the right to say, this has gone too far, we are refusing to work under these conditions, and call a strike until the matter is resolved. No doubt the corporate greed machine will call this democracy. As Howard Zin and Noam Chomsky have said, big business loves fascism. We are almost there, give the Bullingdon Boys an few more months and see what they unleash on the ordinary people of this country.
You will be expected to work submissively, or stay at home and watch TV. The streets will only be for consumers. As far as the Bullingdon Club advocates of raw capitalism are concerned, the gloves are off, they are drunk on their new unfettered power. Be prepared for a ferocious fight back, or be shown no mercy, as they capitalise on that power.
Published on Nov 20, 2013
Noam Chomsky spoke at MIT Wong Auditorium on November 18, 2013. The event was sponsored by the Boston Review. This event was based on the topic of Noam Chomsky's new volume, On Anarchism.
Noam Chomsky, world-renowned public intellectual and MIT Professor emeritus discussed the reasoning behind his fearless lifelong questioning of the legitimacy of entrenched power. Chomsky's anarchism is distinctly optimistic and egalitarian. It is a living, evolving tradition, situated in a historical lineage, which emphasizes the power of collective, rather than individualist, action.
His scathing analysis of everything that's wrong with our society reaches more and more people every day. His brilliant critiques of - among other things - capitalism, imperialism, domestic repression, and government propaganda, have become mini-publishing industries unto themselves.
I'm always a day late, but as they say, "better late than never". Noam Chomsky, born December 7 1928, He helped to raise the profile of ANARCHY and ANARCHISM.
Noam Chomsky stated that onus of justification is on authority, if it can't be justified, then it has to be abolished. Of course there are others who have tried to justify the authority of the state and admitted that they can't.
This essay on the foundations of the authority of the state marks a
stage in the development of my concern with problems of political
authority and moral autonomy. When I first became deeply interested in
the subject, I was quite confident that I could find a satisfactory
justification for the traditional democratic doctrine to which I rather
unthinkingly gave my allegiance. Indeed, during my first year as a
member of the Columbia University Philosophy Department, I taught a
course on political philosophy in which I boldly announced that I would
formulate and then solve the fundamental problem of political
philosophy. I had no trouble formulating the problem- -- roughly
speaking, how the moral autonomy of the individual can be made
compatible with the legitimate authority of the state. I also had no
trouble refuting a number of supposed solutions which had been put
forward by various theorists of the democratic state. But midway through
the semester, I was forced to go before my class, crestfallen and very
embarrassed, to announce that I had failed to discover the grand
solution.
At first, as I struggled with this dilemma, I clung to the conviction
that a solution lay just around the next con-
ceptual corner. When I read papers on the subject to meetings at various
universities, I was forced again and again to represent myself as
searching for a theory which I simply could not find. Little by little, I
began to shift the emphasis of my exposition. Finally -- whether from
philosophical reflection, or simply from chagrin -- I came to the
realization that I was really defending the negative rather than looking
for the positive. My failure to find any theoretical justification for
the authority of the state had convinced me that there was no
justification. In short, I had become a philosophical anarchist.
The fanfare launch of a Manifesto for Global Democracy backed by
significant thinkers ought to be a cause for celebration.
Unfortunately, its content is so weak that at best it’s a missed
opportunity and at worst a step backwards.
Among the signatories are democracy expert and professor Daniele
Archibugi, Noam Chomsky, the writer and journalist George Monbiot,
globalisation expert Saskia Sassen and scientist and activist Vandana
Shiva. They and others wrote and signed the manifesto. Much of the document states the obvious, though it’s none the
worse for doing so. You can only nod in agreement when the manifesto
says:
In spite of their many peculiarities,
differences and limitations, the protests that are growing all over the
world show an increasing discontent with the decision-making system,
the existing forms of political representation and their lack of
capacity for defending common goods. They express a demand for more and
better democracy.
It portrays the “emergence of regressive and destructive
processes resulting from the economic and financial crisis, increased
social inequalities, climate change and nuclear proliferation” and
concludes: “Global crises require global solutions.”
However, the assertion that the failure of national and
international leaders to deal with global events shows merely that
“existing forms of global governance are insufficient” is superficial
and wrong. That’s because the 872-word document avoids, omits, ignores,
rejects or sidesteps the nature of our current social system, aka
capitalism.
Battle of Vita Cortex comes to an end
after 161 days
Thursday, May 24, 2012 - 05:14 PM
One of the longest-running industrial
relations protests in the history of the State ended in Cork today.
On Day 161, the marathon sit-in protest at the Vita Cortex factory
ended with a ceremonial march out the gate. The 23 workers who
occupied the factory since December 16 have now all been paid an
undisclosed sum by company owner, Jack Ronan, as the final part of
their redundancy. The foam-workers’ stand lasted longer than the
Dublin Lockout of 1913, when James Larkin led thousands of workers
for 146 days in the most significant industrial relations dispute in
Irish history. The former Vita Cortex staff said their
campaign began on nothing more than a gut instinct and a feeling of
injustice. The workers were due to leave the foam factory for the
last time when it shut down on December 16 last year. When it became
clear they would not receive their redundancy package of 2.9 weeks’
wages per year of service they decided to take a stand. On
a shift rota, they have occupied the building ever since, and their
efforts have seen them held up as a symbol of workers’ rights. Up
to 5,000 people marched through Cork to support their plight on a
rainy day in February in one of the largest public demonstrations the
city has seen in recent years. The campaign attracted support from
soccer legends Alex Ferguson and Paul McGrath, former President Mary
Robinson, philosopher Noam Chomsky, actor Cillian Murphy and Cork
sport and GAA stars. Former machinist Helen Crowley, who
gave 27 years’ service to the company, said: “The whole campaign
snowballed in a way. You got completely swept away in it.” After
spending Christmas, New Year’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Easter
in the Kinsale Road factory, the workers were today looking forward
to normal life again. Jim Power, who worked for the
company for 43 years, summed up the mood. “It’s a relief really.
Now that it’s all over, I look forward to normal living again,”
he said. Seán Kelleher, who worked at the plant for more than 47
years, said: “This campaign has dominated our lives for the past
five months. It was the generosity of the Cork people that kept us
going.” After months of failed negotiations, the
company finally agreed at a meeting in Cork earlier this month to pay
the workers.
As the dogs of war start to bay louder and louder at the gates of Iran, with the leaders of the pack, the US, UK and Israel snarling the most viciously, we have to keep the pressure on our "elected" governments to keep the dogs of war on a tight leash. Or better still have them put down.
MAKE YOUR MP WORK TO STOP IRAN WAR. We are asking all our supporters to lobby MPs to help stop another war. Today talks start between UN security Council members plus Germany and Iran over Iran's nuclear programme. The US, Britain and Israel are set to take a hard line, demanding the closure of Fordo, one of Iran's main enrichment plants, and an end to uranium enrichment to 20% levels, demands likely to be unacceptable to Iran. President Obama has called these talks the 'last chance' to resolve the issue peacefully, signalling that a breakdown in the talks may be used to justify moves to war. (SEE NOAM CHOMSKY on threats to Iran: http://bit.ly/HCXp8s) We are asking you to take this chance to lobby your MP to back an early day motion in Parliament against military attack on Iran. We have a highly effective online lobbying system that allows you to email your MP at the click of a mouse. Please put the pressure on now by going to: http://bit.ly/HCX59F
Part three of the Ethel MacDonald story, an inspiration to all those involved in today's struggles. A party of Glasgow's working class history of which we can all be very proud.
You can read more of Glasgow's working class struggles and of the lives of some of those involved, HERE.
