Report: 'Are we all becoming more anxious?' - the politics of mental health in the age of austerity
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Thursday, 4 December 2014
- Written by James N
Last Wednesday over 50 people* attended a joint-meeting organised by the IS Network and rs21 entitled, 'Are we all becoming more anxious? - The politics of mental health under austerity.' The meeting was made up of a diverse audience and was attended predominately by people who are neither in the IS Network or rs21 and several who had not been involved with the left before. The meeting was introduced by brief contributions from Rachel Eboral (rs21), Claire English (Plan C) and Ben Watson (Mad Pride).
The meeting then opened up for discussion, whereby there was a combination between people making political points about mental health and class, about medicalisation, forced treatments, etc which was combined with people telling aspects of their own mental health experiences often in illuminating and moving ways. Other subjects discussed included problems with provision, challenges for service users and workers trying to organise in mental health, to the social construction of illness, the marketisation of remedies, right through to the question of collective agency and left organisations in general. One person spoke on how for many of those attending it was the first time they had open, honest discussion among themselves as socialists about mental health issues, which are still often surrounded by stigma and shame.
A subject that was also discussed was how left wing groups are frequently not acknowledging or being supportive of those in their midst who are suffering from mental health crises or problems. This would appear to suggest more serious consideration for all of those on the left in how they should be relating to each other politically, how they are talking to each other, the tone of what they say to each other and the impact it might have on others.
Thankfully the meeting also provides some evidence that despite the catastrophic failures of the left in the last few years there remains an audience to hear and participate with socialists in discussing ideas.
Thanks go out to all of our speakers and all of those who helped with or attended the meeting.
*Attendance would likely have been higher but shortly before the meeting there was a well-attended demonstration outside the US embassy at the same time in solidarity with the protests in Ferguson. Before the meeting ended a few people who had been on the demonstration earlier gave a brief report back to a positive reception.
Further Reading:
We Are All Very Anxious: Six Theses on Anxiety and Why It is Effectively Preventing Militancy and One Possible Strategy for Overcoming It, Plan C http://www.weareplanc.org/we-are-all-very-anxious#.VICrLtKsV8E
Not ‘crazy’ as in wacky, but ‘mad’ as in ‘fuck this’, Søren G, rs21 http://rs21.org.uk/2014/11/19/not-crazy-as-in-wacky-but-mad-as-in-fuck-this/
Freud and the October Revolution, Jules Alford, IS Network http://internationalsocialistnetwork.org/index.php/ideas-and-arguments/analysis/431-freud-and-the-october-revolution
'Splitting in Two: Mad Pride and Punk Rock Oblivion' by Robert Dellar, Unkant Publications http://www.disabilityartsonline.org.uk/?location_id=2192&item=2219
Peter Sedgwick: the dissidents’ dissident, Dave Renton https://livesrunning.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/peter-sedgwick-the-dissidents-dissident/
IS Network National Members Meeting
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Thursday, 20 November 2014
- Written by Rich T
The next IS Network National Members Meeting will be held on the weekend of 24th and 25th January in Toynbee Hall in London. The meeting will take place 10-6 on the Saturday and 10-4 on the Sunday. Further details and the agenda will be sent out nearer the time, but we can confirm that the event will have a creche, and we can help with travel costs and accommodation. For questions about this now, please contact convenor@internationalsocialistnetwork.org.
IS Network National Women Members Meeting
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Thursday, 20 November 2014
- Written by Rich T
ISN National Women's Members Meeting
Chadswell Healthy Living Centre, London, WC1H 8JF
Saturday 29th November
11am-6pm
For self-defining women only.
Calling all women in the network!
With its roots in the rape crisis of the SWP, the IS Network has its eyes firmly set on the questions of feminism, socialism, and left organisation – and yet, it can fall into the same bad practices as every group on the left.
The IS Network women's caucus is calling this national meeting for women members with the intention of reinvigorating discussions and debates that are far from finished.
We hope this meeting can be a space where we can organise, strategise, and debate, together, over what it means to be a socialist feminist and a woman organising on the left today.
Please get in touch if you require crèche facilities, or if you would like help paying for transport costs, by emailing kellyjaderogers@gmail.com, or calling/texting 07824797278
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AGENDA
11.00-11.15 - Meet and greet.
11.15-12.45 - What do we mean by socialist feminism?
12.45-13.15 - What are the priorities of women on the left today?
13.15-13.30 - BREAK
13.30-14.15 - Where do we see the IS Network going?
14.15-14.45 - LUNCH
14.45-15.45 - What makes an organisation 'good on gender'?
15.45-16.15 - Strategising for the next NMM
16.15-16.30 - BREAK
16.30-17.00 - Women's Mag.
17.00-18.00 - AOB
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IS Network national members' meeting - details and bulletin deadlines
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Sunday, 31 August 2014
- Written by ISN
The next IS Network national members' meeting will take place on Saturday 27th September, 10am-6pm, at The Priory Rooms in Birmingham. The focus will be on discussion of the future politics and structure of the Network.
In the run-up to the meeting members are encouraged to submit theoretical discussion pieces, organisational proposals, thoughts and experiences, and any other material to shape the focus of the day. These will be collated in a series of discussion bulletins which will be made available in the downloads section of this website, via email and in the national IS Network discussion group.
All submissions can be sent to: secretary@internationalsocialistnetwork.org
Deadlines
- Bulletin#1 is available now
- Bulletin#2 deadline: Sun 7th September
- Bulletin#3 deadline: Sun 21st September
Draft Agenda
10.00 Report back from priorities from previous meeting
10.45 Caucuses
12.00 Break
12.15 Caucus report backs
12.45 Politics of the Network, what we stand for, etc.
14.00 Lunch
15.00 Political priorities
16.15 Break
16.30 Organising the Network
18.00 Finish
Venue and travel
The Priory Rooms
Quaker Meeting House
40 Bull Street
Birmingham, B4 6AFT
The venue website is http://www.theprioryrooms.co.uk/ and it's in easy walking distance from New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill station.
A crèche will be available and the venue is fully accessible. If you have any questions or need assistance with travel please email northants.isn@gmail.com.
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Meeting: Who makes the nazis? Fighting fascism today
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Saturday, 26 July 2014
- Written by ISN
Who makes the nazis? Fighting fascism today
hosted by International Socialist Network
Saturday 2nd August, 1pm,
University of London Union (ULU), Malet St, London WC1E 7HY
With the rise of UKIP and the emergence of a number of small but violent fascist groups like Britain First from the fragmenting of the English Defence League (EDL), new questions are facing activists trying to create a grassroots and vernacular anti-racist and anti-fascist culture. The International Socialist Network will be hosting an open discussion and debate on these issues, from organisation and tactics to anti-raids and migrant solidarity, in the hope of generating new ideas and forming links among anti-fascists.
Facebook event here
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Kicking off in Rio: popular protest and the politics of the World Cup
- Details
- Category: Meetings
- Published on Saturday, 24 May 2014
- Written by ISN
Kicking off in Rio: popular protest and the politics of the World Cup
hosted by North London rs21 and IS Network
Tuesday 10th June,
7-9pm,
Unity Church, 277 Upper Street, Islington, London
Brazil has seen huge attacks on its poor and a fightback from hundreds of thousands as two mega-events - the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016 - inflict themselves on a country of huge inequalities. Writer Mike Marqusee and Rio resident Ali Sargent will talk about the politics of these "trojan horses for neoliberalism" and popular protest against them. North London rs21 and International Socialist Network London invite you to come and listen and join the discussion.
http://www.mikemarqusee.com/
http://internationalsocialistnetwork.org/
http://rs21.org.uk/
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