Although the election has passed out ‘Angry not Apathetic’ campaign is relevant no matter if the polling stations are open or closed. So what has been happening since the election?
Post-election reflections: how the Tories wrecked the economy and why Labour couldn’t take advantage
An Anarchist Federation member gives a breakdown of the current UK economic situation and how no political party can hope to save it.
Nearly all children in the UK are told at some point, by some well-meaning adult: “You must eat all the food on your plate, because…
‘Angry Not Apathetic’ We are saying this instead of the usual ‘don’t vote, organise’ as it takes the focus away from just ‘not voting’ and…
This article was written by the Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement (AWSM) – an anarcho-communist group in New Zealand/Aotearoa – and sent to us for publication. Though…
Polls show strong public opposition to immigration, a trend that has coincided with a rise in support for the far-right, in Britain and across Europe. What responsibility do the mainstream parties bear for these developments, what role is immigration playing in the current election, and how should the left address the issue?
These two articles were orignally published by the Scottish Sunday Herald as part of their Argument of the week feature, the first, arguing against Parliamentary politics, was written by a member of Edinburgh Anarchist Federation.
YES: Terri Marquez
Let’s make two things clear. Refusal to vote is not equivalent to political apathy, and the same goes for parliamentary elections and democratic participation. Earlier this week, the Institute for Fiscal Studies reported that all three main parties are intending massive public spending cuts and all three are refusing to say where the axe will fall. If we aren’t told what we’re voting for, then our choice is less informed than that between Pepsi or Coca-Cola.
‘Why bother voting?’ – a 4 page anti-manifesto for the 2010 General Election is available for download from AF website, plus poster and sticker designs, and links to other relevant anarchist anti-election material and events:
A few words are necessary in advance. The AF does not have a single perspective on fascism and the way to counter it. We view this as the kind of internal disagreement within libertarian organisations as healthy. There are differences of viewpoint on the nature of fascism, where it comes from, how it comes to power, and what kind of activity should be directed towards it. We published two of these viewpoints in parallel in issue 70 of our magazine Organise!, with one article arguing for militant, direct opposition to fascism and another arguing that fascism is a form of the capitalist state, and the way to counteract state attacks on the working class and ‘undesirable’ sections of it is to build our ability to fight back as a class. Such differences inform the practical activity groups and individual members undertake on a local level.
It would be an exageration to claim that election fever has hit the country. But as I sit and write this, I’ve just had two near identical leaflets delivered through my mailbox. One has a picture of that nice David Cameron smiling at me, the other the equally lovely Chris Davies beaming out. They come hot on the heals of a beautifully designed, stirringly patriotic piece from the not so nice Nick Griffin. Come June the 4th, though, I along with other class struggle anarchists will make the positive choice of not voting.
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