Ian Bone

You had to rub your eyes. At the ALARM conference were people from the SOLIDARITY FEDERATION, THE IWW, LIBERTY AND SOLIDARITY, ALARM, THE ANARCHIST FEDERATION…all the major national groupings plus lots of exes – EX-CLASS WAR, EX-WOMBLES.EX-WAG, EX-ANTIFA  - plus local groups like HARRINGAY SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN and HACKNEY ANARCHISTS plus campaign groups FITWATCH, OCCUPY,CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE OLYMPICS – plus FREEDOM and HOUSMANS BOOKSHOPS  and the editors of FREEDOM and  THE  CUNNNINGHAM AMENDMENT and MAYDAY  and lots of old geezers like me who were fast running out of excuses for why we were not talking to other old geezers…..and trade unionists from the NUJ and UNISON and comrades from TYNESIDE, DURHAM, NORWICH and beyond. A major achievement for which ALARM is to be congratulated. As comrade Ray points out thee were tearful scenes in a nearbye boozer as FREEDOM and THE CUNNINGHAM AMENDMENT got all lovey dovey after a 25 year feud.Top work both. And the latest excellent issue of Freedom under the wise helmsmanship of DEAN TALENT reflects the growing co-operation between groups – grab a copy if you aint seen one for years. DONALD ROOUM in this issue gives an example of how disunity can turn very nasty in his history of FREEDOM PRESS………..’ four men visited Richards and Berneri at their flat, refused to leave and pointed a pistol at them’……..’Hewetson was hit over the head with a milkbottle’………..blimey and this was in the 1940s swell before later well documented feuds. Fascinating stuff Donald.  UNITY COMRADES UNITY!

One of the many positive things that came out of Saturday’s ALARM conference (of which more later in the week)  was the commitment to the long held idea bythe Harringay Solidarity Group of setting up an anarchist group in each of london’s 32 boroughs. This will be carried forward at a meeting of  Radical London on Saturday January 14th at LARC.I’m sure all will be equally welcome but if you come from Havering or Hounslow  you might get an extra biccie. I was greatly impressed with Dave Morris prowling the margins of the conference all day – making sure with his all seeing eye that no latecomer was exempt from filling in his contact form or if someone had to be prodded to pass it on. The mood of the conference was that by such efficiencies  and hard yards we shall move forward and put in place the infrastructure from which a movement could emerge.. As Tony Wood said from the stage ‘We aren’t going to publish your picture in the local paper we’d just like a point of contact – meet for a pint or cuppa – in your borough.’ 

www.radicallondon.net

I’ve been wondering for ages who ED  ’THE GEEK’ MILIBAND reminds me of……but it’s obvious now – John Redwood singing Welsh National Anthem! no doubt ED could do a similar job on THE RED FLAG. Expect a few more articles from Polly Toynbee exhorting the ‘real Ed’ to stand up – ‘the Ed people don’t see’ -before in about 12 months time Polly exhorts ED BALLS to knife the unreal Ed and the unions swing behind Comrade Balls………..repeat scenario endessly with various Oxbridge types.

How are Diane and Michael Portillo so cosy on that sofa? Well you know Harrow types stick together…….Diane was educated at Harrow County Girls School and Michael at Harrow County Boys School. Diane went on to Cambridge university……….Michael went on to Cambridge university……….some people think they don’t have much in common.

DAVID  OSLAND who was  deputy commisioner at  Scotland yard and in charge of the original police investigation into the Stephen lawrence murder is presntly a Tory councillor for  Coulsdon  West on croydon council. Osland instead of persuing the murderers at every step tried to put the attack back on the Lawrence family. In 1993 he wrote to his boss the Commissioner…’our patience is wearing thin with the lawrence family’ and advised police officers to sue Doreen and Neville lawrence for libel when they said the police were racist. He even condemned the arrest of the suspects st the time saying it was ‘premature’ though apparent that earlier arrests could have discovered much more forensic evidence. OSLAND has shown himself a bungling racist who has been a persistent irritant to the Lawrence family. Cameron tolerates this  vile piece of tory scum the while shedding crocodile tears for the Lawrence family. David Osland needs to be given the order of the boot.

ITV is in talks with the actors union Equity to avert a strike by Coronation Street stars over a reduction in the royalities they receive fom repeat shows.  I don’t who the leading street militants are – any guesses? Surely not Tory Ken Barlow! Aaaah….the golden age of Equity…….Vanessa and Corin, Frances and Andy Del La Tour………..a comrade tells me he was on guard duty at the Red House when Healey was outed as a sex offender……..they were apparently  warned to expect an armed attack by the Bonapartists. Incidently – has anyone read ‘Staying Red’ by Norman Harding?

One of ALARM’ s most popular columnists was THE WANDERER who wrote cafe reviews. I asked him on first meeting what he did for a living – ‘shovelling shit on a lugger’ he replied. ‘The job is yours I cried. Here is an example of his succinct reviews and a model of writing:

‘During the week there are several cheap places to go for a meal but where do you go for a meal on a Sunday? Answer: a reasonably priced meal can be had at VAUGHANS in St.Helens Road. Prices are fairly reasonable but not exactly cheap and the specialities are meat and two veg. or anything to go with chips or anything to go on toast. Music is provided by way of a juke box where you get three records for two bob. There is also a pinball machine and one armed bandit both of which are shit’……………THE WANDERER

Remember the  services of THE WANDERER are exclusive to ALARM

Other weekly reviewers were KUNZLE KATE (gigs) and VICKY VOMIT (niteclubs)

A heartfelt and angry speech from  Doreen Lawrence yesterday. I’m sure she must have been advised to go easy on the cops but instesd she wasted them while  remaining …….I choose the word carefully…………noble. When she said she now wanted to remember her son not as a victim but as the wonderful boy he was I think every parent ached for her. But then…………Paddick the Ghoul was all over the tv screens…….I wrote last year that no coroners court, inquest, Levesen inquiry is complete without THE GHOUL’s lurking presence. He should be sponsored by a fucking undertaker. On form we only had to wait 4 days into 2012. the Ghoul who was rocking up the police promotion calendar at the time Stephen Lawrence was murdered, a senior commander during the Stockwell shooting………the Ghoul who not only got the regulation PPE at Oxford but then went on to study at Cambridge. The terrain of the vote winning for the GLA elections is clear………….Ken outside tube stations with lollipop placards, THE GHOUL appearing like the reaper wherever misfortune appears, Boris wrapping himself in the feel good factor of the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics – none of which will make any difference. Heres the result now:

Johnson…….48%      Livingstone…..44%…….THE GHOUL  8%