Extinction Rebellion
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ER and the reformist rabbit hole, that you refer to, James
“IMHO, our hostility clause does not apply to campaigning groups such as ER. I view them as I see trade unions, a much needed counter-weight to the actions of the capitalist class”
Interesting, but as you last comment implies it seems that race has been run, perhaps its more likely that it never started…
“IMHO, our hostility clause does not apply to campaigning groups such as ER.”
I wouldn’t be too certain about that – a few years back the party took the view that members’ association with The Zeitgeist Movement wouldn’t be taken that kindly.
I recall that there was a debate and some members thought otherwise, Dave, even if their view did not prevail.
But I expressed my personal view on XR, not the party’s.
But I have posted a few messages on our blog that some may believe is too conciliatory towards XR.
Unlike Occupy I think environmentalist activists are here for the duration of climate change and that we should engage in discussion, and the way to do that is in a comradely fashion, not an adversarial type of opposition.
“But I expressed my personal view on XR, not the party’s.”
I’m well aware it was your personal view, Alan, but it’s well worth noting that the 2011 Conference motion declaring that active support of the Zeitgeist Movement was incompatible with membership of The Socialist Party was carried quite decisively.
Profile of XR activist
http://news.trust.org/item/20190501014534-01oz0/
“…she wanted to provoke a mass refusal to repay debt that would upend the financial system.
“Economic growth tends to require the taking of resources from the Earth. So something has to change on a debt-based economy,” said Bradbrook, sitting in the group’s central London headquarters next to a coffin with “Our Future” written on the side.
“That would entail a mass refusal to pay off mortgages and student loans,” she said.
“Debt resistance” groups in Britain, the United States and elsewhere argue that refusing to pay debts would spark discussion about alternatives to the global economic system….”54 percent of adults agreed that climate-change threatens our extinction as a species
22 percent said they supported the aims and tactics of Extinction Rebellion, with 32 percent in disagreement.
I am always suspicious of talk about “debt-based” money or economies as it suggests that the user thinks bank loans are somehow created out of thin air by a keyboard stroke. Capitalism is not based on interest and debt-slavery but on profit and wage-slavery.
Anyway, since bank loans are not created out of thin air but come from money the banks have (from deposits and what they themselves borrow), cancelling all debts would cause chaos to the capitalist economy (would indeed “up end” it) as, at the personal level, the banks would have no income to pay interest on people’s savings. In fact, they’d collapse and people lose their savings. Not going to work. Or not going to provoke the intended response. XR would get a different reaction to just causing traffic chaos for a few days.
I meant to put last week this what can only be described as a “prayer” which the Extinction Rebellion activists were handing out in the May Day event in Southampton we went to:
Let’s take a moment, this moment, to
consider why we are here.
Let’s remember our love, for this beautiful
planet that feeds, nourishes and sustains us.
Let’s remember our love for the whole
of humanity in all corners of the world.
Let’s recollect our sincere desire to
protect all this, for ourselves, far all living
beings, and for generations to come.
As we act today, may we find the
courage to bring a sense of peace, love and
appreciation to everyone we encounter,
to every word we speak and to every action we make. We are here for all of us.
EXTINCTION REBELLIONI am beginning to wonder whether there isn’t some spiritual sect behind it (the organisers, I mean, not most of the followers).
I think we all realise that within the environmentalists there has always been this mystic presence with Gaia, New Ageism and eco-warriors.
Much of their literature is written in a spiritual tone that makes Neil from the Young Ones appear a hardcore materialist
And of course the “realists” present some sort of economic alternative from the mythological past of capitalism…a return to a Golden Age that never was.
The XR MEP candidate
Not a particularly insightful article, more a personal bio.
“Marches serve two functions: to encourage people to join a movement and to enact change,” lead author Janet Swim said in a statement. “This study is consistent with the idea that people who participate in marches can gain public support, convince people that change can occur, and also normalize the participants themselves.”
Although researchers found that some participants had expressed negative views of protesters in general before the marches, after the People’s Climate March they were less likely to view marchers as “arrogant or eccentric or otherwise outside of the norm,” Swim reported. Observers who said they consumed news via conservative sources had more “collective efficacy beliefs” after the marches, meaning they were more likely to believe that collective action could be effective and to have plans to participate in protests themselves.
Meanwhile, the police exert their power to prosecute protesters
That reminds me. I meant to look up how the Independent Climate Emergency candidates did in the Euroelections. They stood 7 candidates in London, who got 4939 (0.22%) between them and 2 in the South West region who totalled 2477 (0.15%). Looks as if they’ve got as far to go as we have. But at least neither of us are extinct.
My impression from an XR meeting was that people genuinely believe the cause but are not sufficiently educated to understand its place in the context of both the economic/political system and the impending crisis (peak oil, food, water, environment, militarization). I think it may be possible to work with them by engaging their ideology leaders (give them ideas on how to more effectively disrupt politicians without disgruntling normal people), by educating XR members, and by gently providing direction, i.e. explaining the limitations of the current system, and offering a concrete plan of an alternative.
Alan has posted on the Climate Change thread this news item about the Governor of the Bank of England saying capitalism is part of the solution. That’s part for the course. What the XR spokesperson says is not, i.e.:
“In response to Carney’s interview, Extinction Rebellion said societies must adopt more sustainable economic systems. “We are destroying our planet, and business as usual is not going to save us. We must question any system that has led us to this path of mass extinction, and look to more sustainable economic models that are not based on resource depletion and increasing emissions,” a spokesperson told the Guardian. “This is no longer about left versus right, we need to come together to face this. Political persuasion is going to be a distant memory when we are faced with failing crops and empty supermarket shelves.”” (my emphasis).
I interpret this as meaning that arguments about capitalism or socialism are irrelevant and that all people of good will should get together to pressurise (capitalist) governments into doing something drastic about climate change. Talk about being naive. In any event, there is no understanding that capitalism, as an economic system driven by the imperative need to pursue, make and accumulate profits, is both the cause and what is holding back the solution. In fact I detect a fear on their part about using the word “capitalism” in case they are labelled “leftwing”.
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