Continuing with their May Week celebrations, Red and Black Clydeside's bring you a great poetry and music night at Red Rosa's 195 London Road Calton Glasgow. Some well known Glasgow poets and some from further afield, with some music thrown in for good measure. A night not to be missed, so mark your diary.
Wild and free.
For years, there's been horse meat in hamburgers, lasagnas, raviolis, tortellinis, sausages, prepared spaghetti bolognese, bottled bolognese sauce, chili con carne, shepherd’s pie, moussaka, many other “meat dishes,” frozen and not, cheap and expensive.
The list of “tainted” foods grows by the day all over Europe, and along with it, the size of one of the biggest crises of the modern processed food industry.
The following from Animal Aid.
Racecourses took the lives of 220 horses in 2021 – for which there is no defence.
Despite this shocking statistic there is a public silence from racing’s rulers, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and its Horse Welfare Board. Its flagship welfare strategy document titled, ‘A life well-lived’ is, after just two years, in a chaotic free-fall.
The Welfare Board’s incoherent policy has, in racing terms, ‘fallen at every hurdle’. Whether that is race horses being sent for slaughter because of unregulated breeding, mirrored by a lack of post-racing aftercare; violent behaviour towards horses with the use of the whip; or deaths on racecourses.
But the BHA’s Horse Welfare Board is not alone in its failure. The ongoing killing of horses requires associated support structures. Horse welfare organisations and vets are tight lipped too, from either ignorance or apathy.
With uncontrolled power, racing’s big players, comprising, racecourses, multi-national betting operators, and massive breeding and racing operations, all seem content with the current situation of equine exploitation and maltreatment. Whilst polarised political views from Westminster weakens positive horse welfare change.
Last wee reminder, tonight, Red Rosa's 195 London Road, Calton, Glasgow. Start of Red and Black Clydesides's May Week Celebrations, Kropotkin Night. Learn more about the man and his ideas, a must for those looking to create that better world for all.
There should be no doubt in anybody's mind that we are in the midst of probably the most brutal class war for some considerable time. The system is determined to recapitalise after some nasty shocks to their money making system of exploitation. The same cry comes from government after government, there is no cash for social services, health care, education, pensions and community services. However there is billions in subsidies for energy companies, who are making record profits in the billions, tax breaks for multi million corporations, unlimited cash for weapons for a bloody war in Ukraine, where the ordinary people are maimed and killed while the industrial military complex feeds its shareholders extra bonuses, to them war is profit. The powers that be are well aware that it is a class war, they are plundering everything that is public and transferring that wealth to the private corporations and billionaire/millionaire parasite class. The technique is quite simple, freeze wages, increase prices, raise the pension age, all this increases profit margins. Cut taxes, increasing big business and wealthy billionaires income, but this cuts spending on social care and this again increases profit margins.
This will not stop because we are suffering, or if we appeal to the wealthy power mongers, it will continue until their is nothing left to milk and we find ourselves in a society where the health, education and social care you get will totally depend on how much you have to spend. We can accept this future for ourselves and our grand kids, or we can stand up and challenge, disrupt, damage beyond repair, their greed drive economics of exploitation of the many for the few. At the moment, there are mass protests and strikes in most countries across Europe, at the moment, France being the most determined and forceful. It is up to us to join hands and bring this together as one mass European revolt against injustice, inequality and exploitation.
To kick off Red and Black Clydeside, May Week celebrations, a bit early, but to get you in the mood. We start with a Kropotkin Night at Red Rosa's 195 London Road, Calton, Glasgow. Come along and get to know a wee bit more about the man and his ideas. Get to know more about The Paris Commune and the Kronstadt Revolt and lots in between.
Spirit of Revolt for its April “Read of The Month” gives three for one, three copies of prison reform magazine Bulldozer. It is from our Bratach Dubh Collection, T SOR 5-1-20. The Copies are NO.s 2 & 4 & 5 from 1981-1983. Some wonderful images, excellent articles and lots of useful information. If you have any copies of Bulldozer and would like them placed in a safe archive, why not send them to Spirit of Revolt, details on our contact page. While there, delve into our Aladdin’s cave of anarchist and libertarian socialist history, history from below, your history.
First off, Kropotkin Night at Red Rosa, London Road:
All not to be missed events to fill your May Week diary.
There are also plans for a May Day picnic on the Green, this proved very popular in the past so watch for details.
Image courtesy of Internationalist.
Mention the Glasgow-Clydeside rent strike and people will say Mary Barbour. It is as though nobody else played any major role in that class struggle form 1915. The rent strike didn’t even start in the district where Mary Barbour lived, Govan, it started in Linthouse and spread to Glasgow and down as far as Clydebank. There were thousands of ordinary women threw threw themselves into the struggle many took a major role in this event. Communities across this area of Scotland organised groups to stop sheriff officers entering buildings to serve eviction notices. This was a vast community event with ordinary people playing the major role. Mary Barbour was just one of them. There is never any mention of Jean Ferguson, an activist who played a major part in the Glasgow struggle. Jean’s husband was an anarchist, a shipwright at Fairfield’s Shipyard, who was fined for organising strike, which was illegal during this period, refused to pay the fine and went to prison, Jean shared his anarchist principles. There were thousands of “Jeans” who played a major part in this tremendous struggle, who after the strike went back to being housewives, factory workers, shop assistant etc..Mary Barbour owes her fame to the fact that she went on to be a Glasgow councillor, and became well known as Mary Barbour of the rent strike. When the rent restriction act was passed freezing rents, the Glasgow part of the strike called it off. However a little part of history that seems to get over looked is that Clydebank didn’t. They carried on the strike for a further 6 months, claiming that the rent increases that had been passed on to the tenants were in fact illegal. Eventually it went to court and it was stated that in Scotland a landlord can’t just increase the rent. They first must draw up a new tenancy agreement with the tenant who has to sign the agreement, the tenant failing to do so the landlord can then apply for an eviction notice. Since none of this was done, the court ruled that the increases were therefore illegal and those who had paid the increases should be refunded. This again was the ordinary people of Clydebank who came together as one force and beat the system, six months after the Glasgow strike had had been called off, and Mary Barbour was well on her way to becoming a City councillor.
These words from Not Buying Anything must surely provoke some thoughts
Wendel Berry at work... without a computer.
In 1987 Wendel Berry explained that he did not wish to buy a computer with which to do his writing. He never did relent, preferring the low tech and less flashy pencil and paper combo.
His goal was always, "to make myself as plain as I can". Towards this goal he shared his standards for technological adoption.
They are as follows:
1. The new item should be cheaper than what it replaces.
2. It should be at least as small in scale.
3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than what it replaces.
4. It should use less energy than what it replaces.
5. If possible, it should use some form of renewable energy, such as solar or that produced by the body.
6. It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
7. It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.
8. It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that would take it back for maintenance and repair.
9. It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.
Using such standards would mean that much of the technology we use now would no longer be produced or consumed. How much of modern technology advances the human condition, rather than advancing surveillance, control, and profit-making? Maybe we need less technology, not more, or perhaps the answers we need can only be addressed by low tech rather than high. But talk that way and most people will think you are insane. We have accepted high tech unconditionally as a good that always makes life better.
Berry says, "The Luddites asserted the precedence of community needs over technological innovation and monetary profit. The victory of industrialism over Luddism was overwhelming and unconditional. It was undoubtedly the most complete, significant, and lasting victory of modern times.
To this day, if you say you would be willing to forbid, restrict, or reduce the use of technological devices in order to protect the community, or to protect the good health of nature on which the community depends, you will be called a Luddite, and it will not be a compliment.
Technological determinism has triumphed."
In an insane world, the sane will be seen as the ones who have lost their minds. Some would say that Wendel Berry was not thinking straight to consider that using a pencil for writing, and editing on paper with his wife, could not be improved upon by the purchase and use of a computer. And yet, he still resisted.
"The individual", Friederich Nietzsche said, "has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe." He thought that if you tried it, you would often be lonely, and sometimes frightened. But, he thought, "no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself".
You could say that Berry was off his rocker for not being an enthusiastic cheerleader for high tech. But you couldn't say that he didn't own himself. We would do well to consider his standards for technological adoption, and seriously question all new innovations before we choose to adopt them in our own lives. Contrary to what the tribe believes, new technologies are not always improvements that benefit humanity.
It is always sad to see the demise of an anarchist journal/magazine, there is never enough of them circulating. So thanks to Storm Warnings for their prolonged effort, you will be missed. There are still some out there, Anathema for example, and hopefully new ones are being created by the up and coming generation of anarchists that keeps the tradition of journals and magazines with anarchist ideas and hopes alive and kicking.
The following from Act For Freedom Now.
The final issue of Storm warnings, anarchist bulletin for the social war, issue 59-60(December 2022) came out. It is the full English translation of Avis de Tempêtes.
Storm warnings, issue 59-60 (December 15, 2022) :
“To conclude, if it has always been a pleasure to write and elaborate each issue of this bulletin, we must also say that after five years, the desire to put an end to it has arrived. A certain weariness in seeking to ensure this regularity, the sometimes difficult lack of feedback or intertwined debates,
the observation of a redundancy in our ways of approaching the vast questions of action, certainly also the limits of the instrument itself, are all elements that contributed to our decision to conclude this experience of Storm Warnings. Such a decision might seem paradoxical, knowing that
the interest and need we feel for such spaces of reflection and elaboration are still alive, but the instrument we have forged over the years does not lend itself to a new start or a new format. It seemed to us more appropriate to make it disappear, so that other projects could see the light of day.”
It should be noted, that in France, Macron is not in power by the will of the people, he received 15% of the vote, but only 28% voted, so the vast majority of the people of France don't want him in power. How far will the people of France go to change their society to the benefit of the majority? On the 23rd of March it is estimated that 2.5 million people took to the streets in France to voice their anger at what is being imposed on them by a man who does not have the support of the majority of the people. There is now evidence of some of the police and riot squads are standing down and walking with the demonstrators. If this is true it is obviously a good sign for real change, will the people of France persist in their drive and grasp that opportunity to change French society for ever and to the benefit of all their people?
Image courtesy of The Guardian.
Just across that imaginary line they call a border, in the patch of land called Germany, March 27th marks Germany's massive "mega strike" all transport comes to a halt, railways, airports, buses and metro. When was there such massive anger and discontent across Europe, perhaps back in the 30's. Has the discontent return as the poverty of the 30's returns? Will it grow, will the people finally realise that the system is rigged against them and bring it crashing down. A pipe dream, perhaps, or a reality if the people so desire.
