IWD.

          The struggle of the ordinary people for that better world for all comes in many shapes and guises. Since most, if not all these struggle, are against the prevailing system, so their history tends to be whitewashed over, modified, buried, or romanticised, to make it acceptable to the status quo. However, all these separate strands of struggle are forged in blood sweat and tears. None more so than women's part in these struggles. March 8th. International Women's Day, rightly so, draws attention to the struggle of women for equality and justice, freeing it from the balloons and pink ribbon that the existing system would have you envisage that struggle. Women's struggle is our struggle, solidarity prevails.

the following extract from Struggle La Lucha.

       

        On many holidays recognizing people’s struggles and their leaders — for example, the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — the present-day celebrations are both sweet and sour.
       The only reason for formal recognition is that protests and struggle made it so — and this is a victory. But the other, “give it the side-eye” part is that the actual history of how they originated is covered up in pink ribbons. The blood, sweat and tears that were shed have been washed away.
       International Women’s Day is like that. So much has been done to sterilize it, package it, market it, capitalism-it (my made up word) — foremost in the capitalist West, of which the U.S. is the capital. 

Continue reading     

And More,----Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity. Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to drive gender parity. IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. Inclusion means all IWD action is valid.

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

Shirkers!

 

        For our “Read of the Month”  February 2023, Spirit of Revolt brings you a magazine from May 1992, Armchair No.2, Shirkers of the World Unite. It is from our KM collection, T SOR 3-56-61. Well worth a wee read, articles and cartoons aimed at the duplicity of the capitalist system. While on the site why not have a browse through our multitude of  papers, magazines, pamphlets, letters, photos, poetry, banners and other memorabilia,  all part of Glasgow Clydeside, and further afield, anarchist and libertarian socialist history and the struggles of the ordinary people for that better world for all. Probably the largest anarchist archive in Scotland.

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

Seeds Ye Sow.

        Perhaps, if anybody feels they need it, that today's struggles of the ordinary people for justice, freedom and equality, has been one continuous struggle for many generations, these few verses might support that proof. We can perhaps forgive Percy Bysshe Shelley for the hint of patriotism in the title of this piece, but the sentiment is universal, and the content of the poem/song, is the problem we have to solve. Three verses from Men of England, by Percy Bysshe Shelley.

The seed ye sow, another reaps;
The wealth ye find, another keeps;
The robes ye weave, another wears;
The arms ye forge, another bears.

Sow seed—but let no tyrant reap:
Find wealth—let no imposter heap:
Weave robes—let not the idle wear:
Forge arms—in your defence to bear.

Shrink to your cellars, holes, and cells—
In hall ye deck another dwells.
Why shake the chains ye wrought? Ye see
The steel ye tempered glance on ye.

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

Anarchist Agitators.

          Spirit of Revolt, like other groups, has seen its activities curtailed somewhat due to this Covid19 pandemic. However we  can still function at some level and one of those is our "Read of the Month" feature.  For August “Read of the Month” we have chosen a booklet from our Bratach Dubh Collection, Anarchist Agitators: Information and correspondence organ of the Social-Revolutionary Anarchist Federation. This is issue 50, we have several other issues of this serial which you can read at Bratach Dubh Collection T-SOR-5-1-17. which run from 1976-1986. Enjoy.

Anarchist Agitators: Read on Line

  

   While at our website, why not browse and see what other gems we hold, all there for you to read and perhaps learn from, you could give us a wee feed back of what you think. Perhaps you have some material of your own that you would like to see get a good home, send us an email from our contact page. 

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

Off Topic.

      Covid19, coronavirus, pandemic, lockdown, self isolating, social distancing, quarantine, government ineptitude, etc.. Well to get a wee break from that, something completely different.

The Birth of Spirit of Revolt.
       An idea floated around in one persons head, in 2011 he spoke to some comrades, they decided to meet in a cafe and discuss the idea. That was the day that Spirit of Revolt was born. It was the cafe in the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, five like minded people started to plan and shape the idea, after much discussion they agreed on the name, Spirit of Revolt, today we are very proud of that creation. Of course it is no longer five individuals, it is quite a wide group of people some come and some go, but we always have a core group of dedicated volunteers that work away in the background, building, expanding and publicising what we believe is a unique archive in Scotland. Apart from gathering, recording, digitising and making easily accessible, anarchist and libertarian socialist history, we arrange outreach programs, in an attempt to bring the history of people’s struggles to a wider public.
       In this present situation of a lockdown, we can’t at the moment work in our room at the Mitchell Library, so we do the best we can working from home and arranging virtual meetings via Zoom, to make sure the archive continues to be a source of interest and information. We have thousands of documents, leaflets, pamphlets, serials, books and booklets, letters, personal documents, posters, comics, banners and other memorabilia. Thousands of these documents/articles are already digitised and can be accessed on our website, so please have a we look and let us know what you think, or if you wish to participate as a volunteer, or you may have material that you wish to donate as long as it fits our criteria.
      We consider what we have achieved to be of great value in recording the history of the ordinary people’s struggles, a history that is all too often overlooked and lost, but is part of what we are and what we want from our society. We are also proud to state that we have done this without any funding, support or association from political parties of trade unions, we owe our success to the dedication of our group of gallant volunteers.

       Four of the original five at the Cafe in the Royal Concert Hall in 2011, the fifth member, Stasia, took the photo, as usual she works away diligently in the background.

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

Living History.

      We at Spirit of Revolt work hard at recording and keeping alive the history of the ordinary people of Glasgow and Clydeside area, but our collections cover a much wider field. Our dedicated scanners work away in the background scanning thousands of documents, they are then put up on our website for easy access for the public at large. Have a wee look at some of our latest digitised material, it makes interesting reading, and do keep coming back to Spirit of Revolt catalogue, as there is always new material being digitised and posted on line.

Some of our latest additions:

T SOR-4-1-9, Spectacular Times.
T SOR-4-1-11, State Research, vol.2 No's 13-15.
T SOR-4-1-11, State Research, No. 30.
T SOR-4-1-12, Radical America.
T SOR-4-1-101, Delta.
T SOR-41-1-102, Yugoslavery.
T SOR-4-1-103. Inquietacao.
T SOR-4-1-104, Encyclopaedia of Nuisances.
T SOR-4-1-106, Women & Struggle in Iran.
T SOR-4-1-145, Aufheben.

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

Happy Birthday.

 

        This month marks the 6th anniversary of the birth of Spirit of Revolt Archive. August 2011 a small group of dedicated activists sat down in a café in Glasgow and put in place their ideas to preserve the history of the struggles of the ordinary people in their city and Clydeside area. From that small band with their ideas, has grown what I believe to be a unique archive of considerable scope and breadth. It was not just a desire to record and preserve this valuable history, but to make it all easily accessible to the public at large. This requires a small army of dedicated volunteers to sit and scan thousands of documents to make them available on our website, so you don't have to make your way to a library in Glasgow to read them, but can do it from the comfort of your home. Have a look at our collection, read rare documents from the past and not so distant past, learn about the struggles of your parents, grand parents and actions you may have been involved in yourself. It is a living history, still being created by you, your friends and neighbours.

       Browse our catalogue, transport your self in to the struggles of ordinary people as they strive for that better life for all. I believe it was George Orwell who said, and I paraphrase, "the best way to destroy a people is to destroy their history". Without a record of our history we become a people without a history or a culture. We must never let that happen, we have a very rich history, of which we can be very proud, our history is our culture, it's who we are. Our archive strives to make sure our history is preserved, recorded and made readily available for all. 

       All this requires time and volunteers, but sadly it also requires money, and it is always a struggle to keep ahead of the financial demands the capitalist system makes on us. We believe what we do is not only valuable, but necessary, if you also feel this way, perhaps you can see you way to helping with a small donation, one of or, a monthly direct debit, no amount is too small. You can donate by going to our DONATE page and follow the instructions there. In anticipation of you thoughtful generosity, a big thank you. 

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Common Cause.

 

         We volunteers at Spirit of Revolt always try to get what is in our archive out to the general public. We do this among other ways, with exhibitions, on line cataloguing, and displays at various events. Why do we do this, well we believe that the grass-roots history of the ordinary people is extremely important. It is a powerful history of our past struggles from which we can learn much. It is also a history that would be lost, leaving a large gap in our true story. Without our true history we are a false people.

     Another way we try to get people interested in what we hold in the archive is the spot on our website called, "Read of the Month". Here we select a pamphlet, paper, small book or whatever, and put it on Read of the Month in the hope that it will raise you interest, pushing you to explore much deeper. 

      This month it is a small magazine covering community and industrial struggles from South Wales, Common Cause, No.2, 1978. Have a look, and if you like what you see, perhaps you can let your curser slide along to the "Donate" button and give a little to help us to continue doing what we are always trying to do, preserve and make easily and freely available, our history of struggle.

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk