Political Activism?

[nowaysj]

Communism as practiced bears little resemblance to communism as originally proposed though.

That, to a large degree, is the point. The difference between what could be and what is.

[karmacazee]

Political activism here in the uk is innefective because

a) Politics isn't what it used to be;

b) Most of the people actually going out and doing stuff i.e. most of the people involved with Occupy and Anonymous - just don't have a clue, and when they try and set up some leaderless, off grid common law type deal it all goes horribly wrong because of a lack of structure and organisation. They couldn't even organise a decent march! The elites, the politicians, the bankers and the various government forces they oppose are all highly organised, and they can easily crush public dissent if that's what they're coming up against. That is why they fear Unions. Unions are generally far more organised than activist groups;

c) The media will largely ignore anything beyond it's narrow bandwidth of debate and topics. When was the last time you saw an anarchist on question time? Or maybe a young person? Or how about a scientist even? Nigel fucking Farage gets on there all the time. It's all the same crap.


Political dissent is pointless because politics is dead. Corporations, banks and PR companies run the show now everyone. Capitalism is eating up politics and slowly shitting it out the other end.

The green movement is strong however, and really catching a lot of people from right across the spectrum, from tory heartland voter to crusty hippies via old people and the middle classes.

The working class are also stirring, there is constantly anti bedroom tax marches, anti cuts strikes and general tory hatred - it's just barely ever reported in the media.

All of these are local grassroots movements, so have yet to come together in a strong national way. They will though. Hopefully. Cause this country's going down the shitter.

[karmacazee]

Double post


But while I'm here I will add this: what threatens these movements most is lack of organisation and infiltration by police and occupy/anon veterans (seriously, all they do is in fight and have meetings using the delphi technique where nothing is achieved). Don't get sucked into the leaderless, structureless ideas, they're all a bunch of crap IMO.

[Laszlo]

Corporations, banks and PR companies run the show now everyone. Capitalism is eating up politics and slowly shitting it out the other end.

Bigged up for that ^

[m8son666]

Political activism here in the uk is innefective because

everyone involved is a massive tnuc

[Nihilism]

Btw, i don't see me as an activist. I'm more of a social anarchist that doesn't believe in a political system like such system of today.

???

I do not know in which context you placed that link, but that is more or less exactly what i mean.

Communism as practiced bears little resemblance to communism as originally proposed though.

Yeah, that's true, but my opinion is that an theory such as that of Karl Marx not feasible is in a world like this. It's like he watched everything through rose-tinted glasses and that he not held reckon with how we as humans are. And that's something even a society cannot change. But that's my opinion of such matters.

[Genevieve]

Oh nah, like, I was wondering if you considered yourself a voluntaryist/were familiar with it OR if you see merrits in it. I consider myself a voluntaryist myself.

Counter-economics and voluntary co-operation of likeminded people does a lot more than participatory politics, I think. It's a rigged game anyway. It's a game of picking a different slave-owner within the same system of slavery

[test_recordings]

Have any of you actually tried any ever?

[mks]

Do you guys participate in your democratic system by actually voting?

[ehbes]

Do you guys participate in your democratic system by actually voting?

Yes but I'm a Massachusetts democrat so my vote is the epitome of worthless

[Genevieve]

Have any of you actually tried any ever?

Plenty of people I know have been involved with it and it can effect minor things on a local level. But you won't really change anything too dramatically. Politicians care more about the money their backers give them than the latters you send them.

I don't want to be forced to put my trust in people like this.

Do you guys participate in your democratic system by actually voting?

I voted once for my country's libertarian party. Don't know if I'll vote again. Probably not, but what I like about them is that they want to completely dismantle the tax system and replace it with a government funded by voluntary donations. That's better than what we have now but still government. They won't ever make that happen mind you. Too fringe (sadly). But a vote for them feels like a vote that sabotages the state.

[scspkr99]

Have any of you actually tried any ever?

Political activism? Yeah lots, was asked not to renew my Labour party membership over 20 years ago and so little since.

I partly agree with Genevieve in that politics is largely self interested and irrelevant to the majority of issues people face, we draw very different conclusions but the lack of confidence people have in politics is both stark and telling.

[test_recordings]

Okay, so have any of you ever talked to your local politician? That's activism, you're doing something to get what you want instead of passive acceptance.

You really should check out citizen's groups like 38 Degrees, they really make a difference. They sued Jeremy Hunt over a hospital closure and won ffs, all with just public donations and petitions

[Pedro Sánchez]

Okay, so have any of you ever talked to your local politician? That's activism, you're doing something to get what you want instead of passive acceptance.

You really should check out citizen's groups like 38 Degrees, they really make a difference. They sued Jeremy Hunt over a hospital closure and won ffs, all with just public donations and petitions

He's now trying to change the law so he get's another chance and prevents him and his chums from being stopped in the future...
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/j ... e-with-him

[test_recordings]

Okay, so have any of you ever talked to your local politician? That's activism, you're doing something to get what you want instead of passive acceptance.

You really should check out citizen's groups like 38 Degrees, they really make a difference. They sued Jeremy Hunt over a hospital closure and won ffs, all with just public donations and petitions

He's now trying to change the law so he get's another chance and prevents him and his chums from being stopped in the future...
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/j ... e-with-him

You see what I mean though, it's a chance for citizens to take the power back. The UK government actually full on hates that group and have specifically mentioned it in response to having to alter policies etc. Some of them compared it to like a fucking zombie attack the pricks, do they want us to march on London and have a fully living march-down instead?

[scspkr99]

take the power back? when did citizens have it?

[scspkr99]

Okay, so have any of you ever talked to your local politician? That's activism, you're doing something to get what you want instead of passive acceptance.

You really should check out citizen's groups like 38 Degrees, they really make a difference. They sued Jeremy Hunt over a hospital closure and won ffs, all with just public donations and petitions

I used to work to get them elected though my last real active election was 87. It's great when groups achieve stuff but it;'s window dressing, it's great for communities when they save a hospital or trainline but that's going to be paid for somewhere and until we start prioritising the things that really matter one persons victory will be another groups defeat