Nannipieri
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DJP wrote:‘Occupy Norwich’ have invited Green Party currency crank Rupert Read to speak on the virtues of banking reform. I intend to turn up tommorrow and tell the other story. http://rupertsread.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy-norwich-to-discuss-financial.html
I loved this comment:Steve said…The problem with these things is that there’s always someone like you right at the forefront putting ‘normal’ people off. Like me.It isn’t always about YOU! 7 November 2011 20:17
I am convinced that a very small number of participants in the Occupy the Stock Exchange movement have ideas resembling those of the party: not a condemnation, it’s probably a fair representation of society as a whole, at least in that respect.They may be representative of society in another key respect: that the majority are comfortable with the basic experience of aspirational-welfare capitalism but would desperately like to see it run more fairly – and they are convinced it can be regulated to this end.Apart from responding to this in the same way as socialists always have done, what privileged response does this movement warrant?I too am mystified as to what they are supposed to have achieved.
Interesting link, thanks. Not much of a Declaration – for a start they could declare what they want, rather than just what they don’t approve of. Same in London. The allusion is to ‘a system that has been corrupted’ in which people now need to ‘make their voices heard’ to governments – I would rather talk about an essentially corrupt system which can’t be mended by voices, tents, or governments.Are they evolving and not going to whither? I’m happy to take your word for it, but it doesn’t really concern me and I’ll explain why: expecting this wave of protest – in favour of a moral, just, fair, free market economy – to evolve into a movement for socialism smells to me a lot like expecting accumulated reforms to evolve into socialism itself.Capitalism has always been grim, and it can’t be regulated to work otherwise. What would you like the SPGB Task Force to do beyond providing routes and means for people to understand that?
I went to the information tent at the Vegans Occupy for Christ Camp (or whatever it is, finally) and was told that the best way to find out what’s it all about, Alfie, is to go on the Facebook page (could have done that from Yorkshire, but thanks!). Edited by me, because it’s long, here is the official explanation of what’s going on outside the church:<<The words ‘corporate greed’ ring through the speeches and banners of protests across the globe. After huge bail-outs and in the face of unemployment, privatisation and austerity we still see profits for the rich on the increase. But we are the 99%, and on October 15th our voice unites across gender and race, across borders and continents as we call for equality and justice for all.In London we will occupy the stock exchange. Reclaiming space in the face of the financial system and using it to voice ideas for how we can work towards a better future. A future free from austerity, growing inequality, unemployment, tax injustice and a political elite who ignores its citizens, and work towards concrete demands to be met.Assemble in front of St Pauls Cathedral at Midday – please try to be on time and not early or late.About #OccupyLSX On October 15th we will be Occupying the London Stock Exchange. At the same time thousands continue to occupy Wall Street and hundreds of cities from Paris and Madrid to Buenos Aires and Caracas are staging actions and occupations together for a global day of action.By reclaiming space in the face of the economic systems that have caused terrible injustices across the world, we can open up and engage our communities into public discussions. These assemblies will allow people to voice their ideas for how we can work towards a better future and help us create concrete demands to be met. A future free from austerity within a context of growing inequality, unemployment, tax injustice and a political elite who ignores its citizens. So it’s time for citizens to represent themselves. To work together to resist the government’s plans and to do this in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of others around the world on the same day.The problems we face in the UK echoes across the world. We are linked by the same root causes, so we cannot solve these problems in isolation. October 15th will be a global day of action calling for global change.’O-15: Unite for Global Change’ has been called by the ‘indignants’ movement in Spain, where thousands camped out in the squares for weeks, building massive popular pressure on the government. It inspired the current Wall Street occupation in New York, providing a space for the majority to resist the wishes of the greedy minority.Join us at the London Stock Exchange to reclaim space and take part in workshops on topics ranging from Debt and The Spanish Indignants Movement to Fuel Poverty and Climate Justice. Contribute in the Open Assemblies and chant songs of solidarity with Samba bands. Exact times and locations to be announced soon. …… Lets make the UK part of an international movement!>>— So, it sort of repeats itself, but it’s clear from the ‘demands being met’ and ‘political elites ignoring citizens’ lines that the aim is fairer representative democracy within capitalism. Vote Labour. Occupy LSX.
I’m going along in a couple of hours so I’ll report back.The Guardian also listed the radical christian groups who support the event. I think the positioning outside St Paul’s has given the whole thing an unfortunate religious edge to be honest. That sits perfectly with being anti-obscene wealth but not anti-capitalist, that’s the christian message in a nutshell.
Can’t help liking your post, but my! quite vague language isn’t it. I’m tempted to try and cut through the romance and point a couple of things out:* The keys are fine as they are. They’re in the right hands. The owners wouldn’t know what to do with them anyway.* Would it be progress if someone really did come along and free the wage slaves?
I agree that it’s fair to applaud people taking action which is essentially democratic and anti-capitalist.There are problems though as posters are outlining. What do the Occupiers want, and who are they going to place their trust in to guarantee them these things, whatever they are? If the 1% (bankers) are the problem, what about the ethical buying top man from Marks & Spencers, sourcing cotton from non-sweatshops (he also does voluntary work for the poor and is in a prayer group) – I guess it’s harder to be indignado at some capitalists. Occupying. I was under the impression that the Working Class already occupied the overwhelming majority of this country/world. We certainly occupy all the factories, schools, bank branches, RAF Squadrons, docks, car parks – We even have the alarm codes and keys to all the financial institutions, if we really want to focus on that enemy. It’s hardly the CEOs who turn up first thing in the morning and open the places up.Occupy London? Thanks, we already have it. We have the keys. Now what?
