SoR Stall For You.

        As usual, folks at Spirit of Revolt have been busy, doing all the things necessary to keep the Archive growing and accessible to the public. We have also been busy at trying to reach out to all you friendly folks. Two events that we will be having a stall at in our attempt bring your history to you, and you to your history.

       First up will be our stall at the Workers Theatre Group,  www.workerstheatre.co.uk February 15th. Ceilidh, 8:00pm, Pollokshaws Burgh Hall doors open about 7:30pm. where we will have info about Spirit of Revolt Archive, leaflets, books, CDs, T-shirts, badges, etc, plus info on how you can get involved, along with friendly chat. Why not come along and have a chat with us before you dance your heart out.

        The next event that we will take part in is The Dundee Anarchist Bookfair, March 14th. 2020. dundeeanarchistbookfair.org. Again we will have a stall with lots of interesting “stuff” plus the usual friendly members on hand to give info and friendly chat.

       Both events are well worth supporting, come along, have fun, meet old friends, make new friends, gather info, network.

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

Punk Fund Raiser.

 

        In London to day and at a loose end, well why not go for a punk, rap, grind music night? Not my thing but to each their own.

 South london,uk: Athenian S.W.A.G. TAKEOVER 8TH OF FEBRUARY 2020

 

        Suggested donation £5, no one turned away for lack of funds !
Cheap bar as well !
     All profits to be donated to A Place of Our Own: the North London punk venue project and SES – Suffolk And Essex Hunt Sabs

ONLY POSERS ALLOWED

Teknokrater (Athens, Greece)
https://teknokrater.bandcamp.com/
Athen’s finest noisegrind quartet ready to burst your eardrums

Vile Species (Athens, Greece)
Pioneers of the underground athenian swag scene. Best enjoyed while throwing empty cans at them

Frikeerne (Athens, Greece)
Legendary punk band from greece and eurovision finalists

Migraines (WCBH)
https://themigraines.bandcamp.com/
101% DIY hardcore skaterboys. Phlegm connoisseurs and avid golfers.

MethxCamp (Bristol)
https://methxcamp.bandcamp.com
Its fast, its loud, its RAGGO. crème de la crème of uk powerviolence (West Country Brotherhood über alles)

Binge Drinker (London)
https://bingedrinker.bandcamp.com
Fast grindy punk metal crust n roll pissartists

Sunderer (South England)
https://sundererband.bandcamp.com
Sick blackened doom/crust 2-piece band from the South of England.

Skullfucked (London)
https://skullfuckedbgka.bandcamp.com/track/crowbong
Skater greebos making death metal influenced by forest fires, heavy narcotics and Napalm Death

Doomsday Clock (London)
Local fastcore/powerviolence bois. Might sound like shit but at least its fast

Νυξ Kollektiv (Cyprus)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGroIz5WdoNqapviKEz-MOA
Chaotic experimental rap from cyprus. Dont miss em !!

AFTER PARTY TUNES BY

Milo Mang
https://soundcloud.com/milomang

s.q_r.l_
https://www.instagram.com/s.q_r.l_

FOR INFO CALL: 07534449497

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

Mask Up.

 

      Most people now agree that we are facing unprecedented problems on this planet, and most can be traced back to human activity. Despite the obvious impending disaster, the controllers of the economic system responsible for this situation, still persist in their false and flawed mantra, "It's the only game in town".

     They will adjust and rearrange things as long as it doesn't alter their power, wealth and privileges, no matter the outcome for the rest of us. We are secondary, expendable, to their blind vision for our planet, blind to the fact that they die with us if this system continues.

     While states attempt to stop people wearing masks at protests, they continue to create situations where we will have to wear masks to walk our streets, as pollution poisons the air we breathe. We tolerate this crazy path at our peril, and to the detriment of our children's future.

     It is no longer  a matter of whither we should take what action we can to bring down this suicide mission of the corporate/financial out of control juggernaut, it is an obligation, so that we can give our grandchildren a future. It is also obvious that dialogue and running to a ballot box hasn't done any good  over numerous years. The beast has to be faced head on and destroyed root and branch by the mass of people taking direct action, the time for talking has long since past. Take your righteous anger onto the streets, create the change you wish to see, we change or we die. 

This from Anarchist News:

 One Way or Another, One Day We’ll All Wear Masks

       Wherever we are situated in this society, our future boils down to two options: accepting our fate and trying to reduce the harm to our bodies and the environment on a piecemeal basis—or actively resisting in order to interrupt the disaster and implement our own solutions. If there is anything that scientists, sociologists, military strategists, and day laborers all agree on, it is that we are headed for global collapse.
      Those who hold power seek to take advantage of hurricanes, forest fires, and pandemics to impose more and more invasive forms of control on us. Their responses to crises always prioritize protecting their own privileges and profits while they treat the rest of us as expendable. We can’t trust our survival to their expertise.
      If we resign ourselves to the future implied by catastrophic climate change, widespread pollution, and ecological collapse, sooner or later, the disaster will come for us. In some parts of the world, people are already forced to wear masks when they leave the house just to protect themselves from poisoned air, toxic waste, or infectious conditions.
      If we do not accept the destruction of our lives, our land, our food, and everything that connects us with each other and the biosphere as a whole, we have to fight to regain control over the conditions of our lives and the decisions that determine our survival. In a world of police, prisons, surveillance cameras, we will have to wear masks that conceal who we are so we can fight for what we really want.

Read the full article and poster HERE:

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

Freedom Of Thought!!

       Freedom of thought is a fundamental human right unimpeded by coercion or force of any kind. Or it should be, but this freedom is always under attack, words are a means of expressing that right of freedom of thought, but words are attacked and attempts made to remove certain words, political correctness, is one such attack, we lose words at our peril, words lost are a diminishing of the ability to express that "freedom of thought". Be very wary of those who tell you certain words are bad and should not be used.

Wikipedia:

       The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, which states that thought is inherently embedded in language, would support the claim that an effort to limit the use of words of language is actually a form of restricting freedom of thought.[citation needed] This was explored in George Orwell's novel 1984, with the idea of Newspeak, a stripped-down form of the English language alleged to lack the capacity for metaphor and limiting expression of original ideas.

      From Lucas Swaine Freedom of Thought as a Basic Liberty

      Freedom of thought has been lauded in political theory and celebrated in human rights discourse. But what kind of freedom is it? I propose that freedom of thought deserves status as a basic liberty, given the significance of thought to human life, the fundamental importance of freedom of thought in establishing and sustaining crucial rights and freedoms, and the value of being able to develop and experience one’s thoughts without undue influence from others. 

The usual words of calm wisdom from Not Buying Anything:

        Cars can be freedom machines in a way, I admit, and I have had my share of incredible moments blasting across the face of the Earth in a variety of internal combustion conveyances. But those days have been over for Linda and I since we began voluntarily limiting how much we used our vehicle. We made this decision as the rest of the world was speeding around a blind corner and on into the 2000s.
        Since then we been driving less and less and less. Overall, we have found it has not had a noticeable negative effect on our quality of life. That is because cars are sold as freedom machines, but they can only provide freedom of movement. What is the use of having an unlimited freedom to move, if we don't also have the unlimited freedom to think?
       Socrates knew that we cannot find ourselves without first thinking for ourselves. Without this freedom, we are lost.

So, do we have the freedom to think in our societies?

        Freedom of thought is the freedom to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of coercion or force to think differently.

That does not describe the world I know.

      Our freedom of expression has always been limited through censorship, arrests, book burning, and pervasive propaganda. This has destroyed any semblance of freedom of thought that we may feel we still have left.
      Educator John Dewey, himself a deep thinker, thought a lot about freedom of movement vs freedom to think, and this is what he said,

     "The only freedom that is of enduring importance is the freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freedom of observation and of judgment, exercised in behalf of purposes that are intrinsically worthwhile.
       The commonest mistake made about freedom is, I think, to identify it with freedom of movement, or, with the external or physical side of activity."

         While we have driven around our cultural obsession with cars and freedom of movement, we have found our grey matter has been thrown in the slammer. We didn't notice because we have been stuck in traffic.
In recent years I have been willing to give up a large part of my freedom of movement. However, I will not compromise my freedom to think for myself, something on which all other freedoms are based.
        You can't be yourself if you can't think for yourself. And if you can't be yourself, you can't be free.

Freedom of thought wins.

         The time I used to spend driving and being mobile, I now spend blasting around the infinite space between my ears. I would like this to continue, unimpeded by outside forces.

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

The Next Step.

         Sometimes somebody makes a calculated prediction and it seems to come true many years later. I'm no disciple that worships at the feet of Lenin, but I think, in this case, his prediction of capitalist development was spot on.

 

        Of course accepting his development of capitalism is just one step, the next step is how to stop that continuing power struggle between these financial and corporate competing imperial powers that continue to be responsible for countless millions of lives lost unnecessarily, devastation and misery for millions more and vast swaths of poverty and deprivation, not to mention the destruction of the planet's ecosystem. They won't be beaten by smart phones, but by ordinary people on the streets of every country in the world, all with the one aim, to take back control of our own lives by mutual aid, co-operation, sustainability, respect for all humanity, the planet and all its varied life forms.

The following is an extract from an article by By Pål Steigan

The imperialist powers divide the world according to the power relations between them

      Lenin gave the best and most durable explanation for this, in his essay «Imperialism – the highest stage of capitalism«. There, he explained five basic features of the era of imperialism:

1. The concentration of production and capital has developed to such a high stage that it has created monopolies which play a decisive role in economic life;
2. The merging of bank capital with industrial capital, and the creation, on the basis of this “finance capital”, of a financial oligarchy;
3. The export of capital as distinguished from the export of commodities acquires exceptional importance;
4. The formation of international monopolist capitalist associations which share the world among themselves; and
5. The territorial division of the whole world among the biggest capitalist powers is completed.
   

       But Lenin also pointed out that capitalist countries are developing unevenly, not least because of the uneven development of productive forces in the various capitalist countries. After a while, there arises a discrepancy between how the world is divided and the relative strength of the imperialist powers. This disparity will eventually force through a redistribution, a new division of the world based on the new relationship of strength. And, as Lenin states:

“The question is: what means other than war could there be under capitalism to overcome the disparity between the development of productive forces and the accumulation of capital on the one side, and the division of colonies and spheres of influence for finance capital on the other?“

       The two world wars were wars that arose because of unevenness in the power relationships between the imperialist powers. The British Empire was past its heyday and British capitalism lagged behind in the competition. The United States and Germany were the great powers that had the largest industrial and technological growth, and eventually this misalignment exploded. Not once, but twice.-------

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

True Caspitalism.

        Across the world in developing countries we hear of brutal and draconian actions against workers who organise and act in solidarity to try to better their conditions. However here in civilised Europe we do it differently, (oops I forgot, according to our lords and masters, we are no longer Europeans) We do have dialogue and in most cases if the workers are organised enough, we get a compromise, occasionally a victory. In Germany, that so called democratic country, in one particular dispute with workers who are being treated unfairly, the gloves are off. Instead of trying to reach a compromise the bosses have decided to sack a group of workers and threatened 800 more with lay-off, if the struggle continues. Obviously the bosses feel strong enough to take on the union and confident enough to know that they will get the backing of the state if this struggle escalates. At times like this it is incumbent on all workers to stand up and show their support and solidarity with the workers at the receiving end of this brutal profit before people policy, of this capitalism with the gloves off. We surely can also stand up and take our gloves off in defence of our living conditions. When bargaining ends, real struggle begins.

This from Labour Start:

      Workers at Ameos in Germany, a private for-profit hospital corporation, are demanding fair wages, secured by a collective bargaining agreement. In the federal country of Sachsen-Anhalt in the east of Germany, for example nurses receive up to 500 EUR less than comparable employees in other hospitals. But Ameos refuses to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the union, ver.di. After massive short-term strike action in November Ameos has fired 14 workers without previous notice and has threatened 800 lay-offs should industrial action continue. The workers have now started an open-ended strike. They are fighting for better wages. Adequate payment will also help to find more people for the health professions. Adequate health care services for the region must be the priority, not ever higher profits. The workers need your support in their struggle. Please join us in sending protest emails to the regional CEO Frank-Ulrich Wiener and the Chairman of the Ameos board, Dr. Axel Paeger.

Click HERE to send email: 

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

Born Again!!

        Do you believe in the resurrection? Well we do, The Keelie died around the 1990's and was sorely missed, you can pay your respects to the Glasgow Keelie at Spirit of Revolt Archive. However, the Glasgow Keelie has been reborn, sort of born again so as to speak, and can be found hanging around Glasgow pubs, cafes and other places. Watch out for the Glasgow Keelie when you are out and about, go up and say "hello" I'm sure you will find it a very interesting occasion. You might go away with some info you didn't know about. Let us know about your experience on meeting the Glasgow Keelie, we would be delighted to hear what you think of the born again Glasgow Keelie.

The Keelie that died:

The Keelie that has been born again.

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

Justice Turns Its Back.

       Not a new video, but what has changed in the 11 years since it was first released? More Palestinians dead and maimed, more of their homes destroyed, more of their land stolen and their conditions vastly deteriorated, and still the vast majority of the states of this world turn a blind eye or worse, openly support the genocide being carried out by the Zionist regime that holds sway in Israel.

      Will history record how the people of Palestine disappeared in a bloody epoch, or will it record how finally the people of the world stood up and halted this racist genocide by a deluded fanatical Zionist regime. A regime that daily brings the Jewish people into disrepute the world over. Who will write the history, religious fanaticism or rational humanity?

Thanks Loam for the link.

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

Rampant Genocide.

     Obviously the only supporters of the Trump/Netanyahu "deal of the Century"  for the people of Palestine, are rabid racists, apartheid supporters, fascists and Trump worshipers. However they will do their utmost to implement this racist land-grab with the hope of obliterating the land of Palestine off the map completely. No rational person with a grain of humanity can stand by and watch this happening. This deal will not be rescinded by debate in the corridors of power, too many in that labyrinth of power and corruption pay homage to their imperial master America. It can only be opposed on the streets in countries around the world. Sadly I don't see Glasgow's name in this list though I do know that there is wide opposition to this extension of American/Zionist imperialism. Let's widely publicise our actions and show the strength of solidarity.

This from Struggle La Lucha:

      Palestinian communities and supporters of Palestine inside occupied Palestine, in the refugee camps and everywhere around the world have mobilized a series of events, actions and demonstrations to express their outrage at the latest colonial insult proffered by U.S. imperialism, the Zionist state and complicit reactionary regimes, the Trump-Netanyahu “deal of the century.”

     A list of actions is below, organized by a wide range of community groups and solidarity movements. This list focuses mostly on events outside Palestine and the camps – there are countless mobilizations taking place there. We know this list is incomplete and growing! will add your action and demonstration to the list if you send us the time, date and location. Send us a message on Facebook or email us at samidoun@samidoun.net to add your mobilization to the growing international rising that makes clear that the people of the world stand with the Palestinian people and will never accept apartheid, land theft and colonization.

UPCOMING ACTIONS

Saturday, 1 February

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
2:00 pm, Aotea Square, New Zealand. More info:
https://samidoun.net/event/auckland-palestine-human-rights-rally/
NAPOLI, ITALY
11:00 am Metro Toledo, Napoli. More info: https://www.facebook.com/giovanipalestinesi.italia/posts/2829767097086466
MILAN, ITALY
4:00 pm, Piazza Duomo/Arengario, Milan. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/giovanipalestinesi.italia/posts/2829767097086466
PARIS, FRANCE
3:00 pm, Fontaine des Innocents, Paris. More info:
https://samidoun.net/event/paris-protest-trumps-declaration-of-war-on-palestinians/
BARCELONA, CATALONIA (SPAIN)
6:30 pm, Placa Sant Jaume, Barcelona. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/comunitat.palestina/posts/2957069284326653
KOBLENZ, GERMANY
12:00 pm, Herz-Jesu-Kirche, Koblenz. More info:
https://samidoun.net/event/koblenz-no-to-the-deal-of-the-century-demonstration/
HAMBURG, GERMANY
3:00 pm, Steindamm 55, Hamburg. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/PalastinensischeGemeinschaftInDeutschlandEv/posts/3309641825727274
BORAS, SWEDEN
12:00 pm, Stora Torget, Borås. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/484555255807680/
GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN
1:00 pm, Gustaf Adolfs torg, Gothenburg. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/170475410928798/
HELSINGBORG, SWEDEN
1:00 pm, Söder, Helsingborg. More info:
https://samidoun.net/event/helsingborg-protest-the-trump-deal/
RONNEBY, SWEDEN
1:00 pm, Ronneby torg, Ronneby. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/pal.in.se/photos/a.777417652281878/2914966685193620/
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
2:00 pm, US Embassy, Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, Stockholm. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2692925357660447/
ODENSE, DENMARK
3:00 pm, Banegardspladsen, Odense. More info:
https://samidoun.net/event/odense-no-to-the-deal-of-the-century/
BERGEN, NORWAY
3:00 pm, Den Bla Steinen, Torgalmenningen, Bergen. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/637045693730573/
ENNIS, IRELAND
1:00 pm, The Height, O’Connell Square, Ennis. More info:
https://www.ipsc.ie/event/ennis-emergency-vigil-reject-the-trump-netanyahu-steal-of-the-century-ipsc
DUBLIN, IRELAND
2:00 pm, General Post Office, O’Connell Street, Dublin. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/185899832814621/
LIMERICK, IRELAND
3:00 pm, Bottom of Thomas Street, Limerick. More info:
https://www.ipsc.ie/event/limerick-emergency-vigil-reject-the-trump-netanyahu-steal-of-the-century-ipsc
LONDON, UK
1:00 pm, US Embassy, 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2883478418385390/
MANCHESTER, UK
1:00 pm, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/281779089464036/
BIRMINGHAM, UK
3:00 pm, opposite Waterstones (by the Bullring), Birmingham. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/birminghampalestineaction/posts/2467249560203413
TORONTO, CANADA
1:00 pm, US Consulate Toronto, 360 University Ave, Toronto. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/120157812630391/
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
1:00 pm, Norman Bethune Square, Montreal. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2649259201840051/
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US
1:00 pm, 11000 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/519680402004224/
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, US
1:00 pm, Copley Square, Boston. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/205983373778802/
DALLAS, TEXAS, US
2:00 pm, Dealey Plaza, Dallas. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1780900755375497/
HOUSTON, TEXAS, US
3:00 pm, Corner of Westheimer and Post Oak, Houston. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/173949043954721/
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, US
5:00 pm, Five Points Fountain, Columbia. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/UofSCSJP/photos/a.764959730266462/2645478312214585/

Sunday, 2 February

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
2:00 pm, Dam Square, Amsterdam. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/837728293341115/
BERLIN, GERMANY
3:00 pm, Brandenburger Tor, Berlin. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/806759639837552/
OSLO, NORWAY
2:00 pm, Stortinget, Oslo. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1405052866339368/
COLUMBUS, OHIO, US
12:00 pm, 15th Avenue and High Street, Columbus. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/200398221090879/
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, US
1:00 pm, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2325279181096737/
VANCOUVER, CANADA
2:30 pm, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/172540570673079/

Monday, 3 February

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
2:00 pm, US Consulate General, Museumplein 19, Amsterdam. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/774905216326149/
VIENNA, AUSTRIA
3:00 pm, US Embassy, Boltzmanngasse 16, Vienna. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/566191377123146/photos/a.586026968472920/754733871602228/

Tuesday, 4 February

GIJON, ASTURIAS, SPAIN
7:00 pm, Plaza del Parchis, Gijon (Xixon). More info:
https://www.facebook.com/causaarabe.asturies/posts/2799750740083680

Friday, 7 February

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
2:30 pm, Rond-point Schuman, Brussels. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10158109192094456&set=a.10151621688824456&type=3
HELSINKI, FINLAND
4:00 pm, Helsingin Tuomiokirkko, Helsinki. More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/186304922443411/

Sunday, 9 February

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US
3:00 pm, Oakland (Pittsburgh). More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/487529305243500/

List of COMPLETED ACTIONS

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

Our Streets.

      While the propaganda machine of the Western capitalist system tries to portray a picture of a system working just fine, with everybody diligently enjoying the possibility of getting richer or perhaps becoming a celebrity, beneath this smoke and mirrors and facade of illusions, the people are on the streets in vast numbers trying to break the hold this system has over our lives.

      From Chile to France, from Ecuador to Lebanon, from Iraq to Sudan, the system is under attack by the ordinary people, calling, enough is enough. This is the time the various states unleash their guard dogs, those vicious psychopaths in police and military style uniforms, to beat, terrorise and intimidate the population, to get them back in line and subserviently accept their exploitation. However, it is getting harder and harder as the people gain in solidarity and lose their fear of the system's various control features.

      This from Catalonia, just another area where people are struggling for real change.

         The film is showing in London on the 6th. February, and Edinburgh on the 26th. February. Let's try to bring this film to Glasgow.

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

Time To Be Me.

        "Not Buying Anything" is a site I visit often, and the result is always the same, I come away feeling I have learnt a little bit more of what the world could be if we all open our eyes, but I also leave feeling more eager to pick up the cudgel and do what I can to help destroy this paralysing, corrupt, unjust exploitative economic system that is responsible for so much destruction, death and misery, that will, if not brought down, eventually lead to the demise of humanity by the destruction of the Earth's fragile ecosystem.

This latest from Not Buying Anything:

 

       Like Jean Weir, "I think I experienced society like an iron vice from the day I was born." That is the main reason I find living simply so attractive - it loosens the grip of that iron vice.
      Since I was young I felt the control and exploitation that I was swimming in constantly. I thought it might drown me.
      Because I was born a sensitive, I keenly felt the stings of an obviously unjust and hypocritical system. It was everywhere - in the "father knows best" family structure, at school, the mall, in the playground and on the streets.
     I wondered, and still do, why so few could see it. Can fish perceive the water they swim in? Maybe that is the problem.
     My desire has always been to be beyond sneaky methods of control used by parents, teachers, bosses, priests and society. That is why I developed a powerful connection to nature and wild places, and honoured my desire to be far, far away from the centres of civilizational control as often as I could.
     I wanted to be away from the set of laws that seek to control everyone except the rich and powerful, who are free to do as they please.
   I wanted to leave consumerism, its garish billboards and screaming advertisements, in the dust behind me. These are the rankest forms of control of all, being subtle and based on the best neuropsychology money can buy (over 1 trillion dollars a year now).
     A saner world would see them for the mind control that they are, and resist them at every turn.
    The consumer lifestyle lulls us into creating our own gilded cages, then willingly walking into them. The authorities don't even have to monitor us after our initial training, because when we leave our cells to work for our keepers, we go right back to them at night.
    The average person prefers the cage to the perceive dangers and discomforts of more natural surroundings. Things, they say, are not convenient in nature. Therefore, it is bad, and must be controlled, destroyed and plundered.
    This shows the level of control has been complete and total. When you can successfully tear people from the land you create displaced zombies, ripe for exploitation and prone to suggestion.
     So, at an early age I decided I would not work for this sick system if that was ever possible. I had no wish to aid them in their exploitations and predations. I would rather be poor and free than complicit.
     I would go on to disassociate myself from the consumer lifestyle as much, and as soon, as I could. A life of buying less would allow me to work less. Working less would allow me to live more freely.
      Time, I thought, is the most valuable resource, and I didn't want to spend all mine working for the man. Or woman.
      Living simply is not so much about saving the world for me, although that would be a nice fringe benefit. It is about getting out of that iron vice of society.
      It is about building a real and lasting freedom for myself, and for everyone else.

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

Religion, A Dictator.

     Because of America's brutal imperialist policies against Iran, some people will side with Iran, but we should never forget, Iran is just another corrupt authoritarian regime that wishes to control the people and enforce its own particular brand of dogma and ideology. Just like our own authoritarian states in the West, it has its secret police, it is riddled with corruption, it has its torturers, its large humanity killing prisons, its brutal minions who carry out the savage dictate of the regime. As in other states across the globe, there is no room for freedom and justice in their agenda. Corporate dictator, or religious dictator, is no choice at all.

This from asrananarchism:

       Only they who have lost their fear of death are in truly in love… My heart yearns for comrades who can hear my voice even though a more a dreadful and torturous prison awaits me for the crime of wanting to be a voice for the oppressed and my fellow inmates. Yet to be human is to endure the hardship of accepting responsibility, and there is no greater responsibility for the rebel than to stand with the oppressed. I must be the voice of people like Meysam, and thus refuse to fear Two Alef, 209, One Alef, and the regime’s other horrific prisons
        Meysam is an 18 year old youth from the Parand district who was arrested by agents of IRGC Tharallah military base for joining the protests against the increase in the price of gasoline that swept the country in November. Facing the charges of assembling and conspiring against the state, he is currently incarcerated in the 5th block of the Greater Tehran Central Prison. Despite his youth, Meysam’s hands are covered in callouses from being forced to be the sole breadwinner that his mother and sister depend on after losing his father to a traffic accident. He would work from dawn until midnight in the freezing cold of winter and the scorching heat of summer, delivering food on a motorcycle and pursuing his studies at night. After the sudden increase in the prices of gasoline, Meysam took to the streets to get his voice heard
       He says, “Even before the price increases, I was barely able to make enough to meet my family’s most basic needs. For me and others like me, traveling and leisure have always been out of reach like a mirage, but after the price increases, I can’t even afford the cost of rent, food, healthcare, and basic utilities. Who will answer our cries of agony with help?” Not only was there no help to be found, but his protestations were answered with blows from electric prods and batons. He was berated and tortured multiple times while his interrogator stood above him with a baton and electric prod and coerced him into confessing that he was taking orders from the United States and Israel and a member of so and so group dedicated to overthrowing the regime. Masyam asks “where the hell are America and Israel? I’ve never even traveled further than Shah Abdol-Azim’s Shrine! I just want to make enough income to live and an economy that isn’t corrupt. How does that make me an insurrectionist----

Read the full article HERE: 

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

Glasgow's Bloody Friday.

     Glasgow, January, 31st. 1919, "Bloody Friday", remember it, celebrate it, be proud of it, and all those ordinary people who took part in it.

    From my post last January 31st. I'll probably repeat it next year, and why not.

      A date that should be etched in the psyche of Glasgow's working class and its struggles for that better life, January 31st. 1919.
(http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7510) That was one of the many times the British state has shown its readiness to turn the military on its own citizens.
After WW1 there had been a struggle for a 40 hour week, in support of this a large demonstration was held on George Square, for some unknown reason the police started a vicious attack on the crowd, this in turn created outbreaks of violence across the city, at that point the state put troops on the streets of Glasgow.
However, these events never happen in isolation, they do not pop up from a tranquil environment, they are part of an ongoing connected struggle, a struggle that still continues to this day. Bloody Friday was not "an event" it was part of that chain of struggle between the desires of the ordinary people and the unyielding demands of the wealthy and powerful. It has not been finalised yet, there are more "events" going to happen along the way in this process. We should learn from our history that the powerful and wealthy elite will do what is necessary to defend their privileged position. Troops on the streets is not a symbolic display, it is a very real statement of intent. The Liverpool strikers during the Transport Strike of 1911 (https://libcom.org/…/1911-liverpool-general-transport-strike) found this out brutally, as two of the strikers were shot dead on the street by the military.

  Extract from The Rent Strike To Bloody Friday: Strugglepedia:

Glasgow's Bloody Friday 1919
Like all the events in political struggle it is difficult to trace the thread back to what brought it to this stage, Bloody Friday 1919 is no different. This was not just an attack on a large demonstration in Glasgow, it was the culmination of a series of radical events in Glasgow and the Clydeside area where the state showed its brutality. Perhaps we could even take it back to the 18th century and the radicals like Thomas Muir and others. However we can certainly take it back to the rent strikes of the first world war, the forming of the Labour Withholding Committee, (LWC) The Clyde Workers Committee (CWC) and the political climate of that period.
The Rent Strike
In pre First World War Glasgow there were a large number of empty houses, by the year 1915 all were occupied by incoming workers to the munitions and allied war industry trades. A shortage of workers and materials saw a lack of maintenance and the housing stock deteriorate rapidly. At the beginning of the war the landlords tried to implement large rent increases, at the receiving end of this were 7,000 pensioners and families whose men were fighting in France. This brought about the formation of the "Glasgow Women's Housing Association" and many other local "Women's Housing Associations" to resist the increases. A variety of peaceful activities were used to prevent evictions and drive out the Sheriff's officers. There were constant meetings in an attempt to be one step ahead of the Sheriff's officers. All manner of communication was used to summon help, everything from drums, bells, trumpets and anything that could be used to create a warning sound to rally supporters, who were mainly women as the men were at work in the yards and factories at these times. They would then indulge in cramming into closes and stairs to prevent the entry of the Sheriff's officers and so prevent them from carrying out their evictions. They also used little paper bags of flour, peasmeal and whiting as missiles directed at the bowler hatted officers. These activities culminated on the 17th of November 1915 with the massive demonstration and march of thousands through the city streets and on to the Glasgow Sheriff's Court. The size of the demonstration caused the Sheriff at the court to phone the Prime Minister of the day, this resulted in the immediate implementation of the "1915 Rent Restriction Act" which benefited tenants across the country.
The Labour Withholding Committee
This happened in a time of war, so it was obvious that by 1915 Glasgow and Clydeside had a very large class oriented militant grassroots movement and had forced the Government on this occasion to act in their favour. The rent strike was mainly a women’s organisation but the men were proving to be just as militant in the workplaces. Around the same time in 1915 during a prolonged period of considerable economic hardship for most industrial workers, Clydeside engineering employers refused workers demands for a wage increase. The insatiable demand for war munitions had lead to a rapid rise in inflation and a savage attack on the living standards of the working class. Workers were demanding wage increases to offset these repressive conditions. At this time Weir’s of Cathcart was paying workers brought over from their American plant, 6/- shillings a week more than workers in their Glasgow plant.
The dispute between workers and management at Weir’s rapidly escalated into strike action. The strike was organised by a strike committee named the Labour Withholding Committee (LWC). This committee comprised of rank and file trade union members and shop stewards. It was they who remained in control of the strike rather than the officials from the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE).
The strike started in February 1915 and lasted almost 3 weeks. At its peak 10,000 members of the ASE from 8 separate engineering works were on strike throughout Clydeside. The officials from the ASE denounced the strike and backed the government’s demands to resume work. It was this double pressure from the government and their own trade union that drove the workers from the various engineering works in Glasgow to form the LWC to give the workers a voice and to organise the strike to their wishes.
Although the strikers demands were not met, its importance is in the fact of it forming the LWC. A committee formed from rank and file union members that determined policy in the work place and refused to follow the directives from union officials when those directives conflicted with the demands of that rank and file.

Continue reading HERE:

http://strugglepedia.co.uk/index.php…

       https://radicalglasgowblog.blogspot.com/…/the-rent-strike-t…

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

Words, Our Weapon.

 

      Words are sharp deadly weapons, and are at our disposal every minute of the day. Let us use these deadly weapons as darts of truth that will help assassinate the system that continually tries to kill the human spirit that nestles in all our hearts and minds. 

This from Support Eric King:

A poem by Eric King

If words are as dangerous as bullets
and sharp as knives
Can we start filling the pages?
grinding our pencils to stubs
Turning ink into guillotines
prose the ropes onto their wrist
and rhyme these prison walls to paste
cause nothing else seems to be working
heads aren’t rolling, the streets are on holiday
maybe enough words can spark
a million fires in our hearts
which would create a million fires in the banks
a million convicts in the streets
Not giving a fuck about a voters box
Giving a fuck about having a life
our words can break these chains?
then gather our dictionaries
there aren’t enough thesaurus’ in the world
I need to fight more, I need to write more
My tongue has been shackled
I haven’t resisted, I haven’t insisted
More words, more battles, more victories
more poems, more struggle, more bumps
We’d be fighting w/our minds
dismantling the system that strangle us
Then turning those words into life
A life more important than burning & bombing
Enough magic, love, growth & life
We can grow into a space worth existing in
Our words can get us free

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

On Your Bike Mate.

       Imagine sitting on a bike for 60 minutes and powering your house for 24 hours? Well someone has just put this forward as a possibility, get fit and save a fortune. What more could you ask for?

This from Healthy Food House:

       Have you ever dreamt of powering your household without paying the huge costs? Can you imagine achieving it, and take care of your body figure at the same time?
     Well, this was the amazing idea of the founder of the Free Electric hybrid bike, Manoj Bhargava. He uses mechanical energy in the simplest way possible in order to transform an hour of exercise into supplying a rural household with energy for 24 hours.
       His mechanism is simple- the flywheel is activated when you pedal, and this powers the generator and charges a battery.

According to Bicycling:
      “The Free Electric is made with standard bike parts, which makes it easily fixable by any mechanic around the world. The bike is cheap, clean, and practical in terms of providing energy to those who need it most on a global scale.

Bhargava says:
      “Our target is to begin with India, but really it can be used anywhere. There are 1.3 billion people around the world who are still living without access to electricity.”
      Moreover, he claims that the Free Electric essentially creates “better health, more leisure time, better access to education, and opportunities for entrepreneurship—it could literally change the world.”
       Have you ever heard of a better motivation to start exercising? The featured video gives you an opportunity to see this bike in action:

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