The eighth biennial Anarchist Studies Network Conference is approaching and I thought it might be good to reflect on the way the conference is organised, both for the purposes of transparency and (hopefully) to get everyone excited about attending. Having organised the ASN conference for many (lost count!) years in a row, this version of
Tag: Organising
Why the abuse of benefit claimants is hurting all workers
“I would have quit this job months ago, but I’d be sanctioned by the Jobcentre”. That’s what one friend told me after working unpaid overtime every evening that week, on low pay that barely covered bills and rent. It’s a dilemma faced by everyone working in unsafe or illegal conditions. If you are fired then
Let’s Get Rooted – For a New Working Class Strategy!
The following statement was originally posted on the Let’s Get Rooted blog on 25.05.20 Dear friends, Over recent weeks Croydon Solidarity, AngryWorkers and other comrades have started a debate about how to intensify our collaboration and make it open for others (1). This debate was compounded by the Covid-19 crisis around us and encouraged us
Chile: The Self-Managed Street Workers Union is born
President Sebastián Piñera’s hide was well and truly saved when Covid-19 interrupted months of protests which had nearly kicked his government out of power — but lockdown doesn’t mean people have stopped organising. The Sindicato Autogestionado Trabajadores Ambulantes (SATA — the Self-managed Union of Street Workers) was founded last week to provide a focal point
Case Study: Organising in a community mental health team
A member of the Bristol Care Workers Network reflects on their experiences organising in healthcare. I work in a community mental health team in a large town north of Bristol. Morale in my team was low and this was being made worse by staff lacking access to training and supervision; supervision is important in mental
Guest Post from Bristol IWW: VOYAGE TO THE 1970’S – OUR ENCOUNTER WITH A MACHO BOSS
This is a guest post from the Bristol branch of the IWW. Find the original article here. For more information on action you can take in this case see the bottom of this article. What follows is an account of the astonishing events that unfolded when a member of Bristol IWW branch, accompanied by two
The story of Glasgow’s Tent Town and the battle against homelessness and the City Council
This is the story of Tent Town, a camp of protest against the problem of homelessness in Glasgow and the people neglected by Glasgow City Council. Tent Town had two purposes from the outset: to shelter homeless people who had lost out on the closure of the Hamish Allan Centre and the closure of the
The direction of radical movements – on Nuit Debout and the potential for radical change
Within radical politics, there are many opportunities for political action. There are, from all corners, suggestions on how to get involved, what to do, and where to go. These outlooks tend to be rooted in historical circumstances. It seems that today the converse is happening: we are forgetting that our actions today will make history,
The smell of ruling class fear
In 2015 let’s smell the fear of the ruling class The struggle for radical change can leave us feeling burnt out, isolated and on the run. It’s an uphill struggle most of the time in which the agencies of the state and the hierarchies that it supports, including a grossly unjust economic system, appear to