Phil's blog

The (other) reason I'm against electoralism

Submitted by Phil on Apr 10 2012 22:03

Most of the arguments against voting point out (rightly) that it achieves nothing. This is reflected in slogans such as "if voting changed anyting, they'd abolish it" and "whoever you vote for, government wins." I'm writing this post to focus on the other problem with parliamentary democracy - namely, that it is worse than useless.

See here for a longer post of mine on the theory behind anarchist anti-electoralism. Also worth a read is my exposition on why you can't fight the cuts by voting.

The rise of the British culture warriors

Submitted by Phil on Mar 25 2012 14:36

This post was prompted by Joseph Kay's "bodies as a site of class struggle." As well as raising some interesting questions regarding the right to choose and class struggle - which I'll offer my own thoughts on here - it also prompted me to look more closely at the re-ignited abortion debate. I've been aware of it only peripherally due to my focus being elsewhere, but certainly what's happening there is very scary indeed.

I can't claim to offer any scientific data or analysis on the advances/retreats of womens’ rights in relation to wider social/economic conditions. However, I do broadly agree that what are known in the US as "culture wars" heat up in times of crisis and heightened class conflict.

Trade union factionalism and rank-and-file organising

Submitted by Phil on Feb 11 2012 12:07

Over the past year, it's become increasingly evident that the branch of the civil servants' union PCS I'm part of is beset by factionalism. In particular, the dominance of a ruling clique has been like a cancer which has seen people drop out of being reps, and even go off work with stress, because of the bullying occurring within the union. In my own rank-and-file approach to organising, I've butted heads with this problem on more than one occasion. This blog is a reflection of the issues at hand and an attempt to focus my own thoughts in terms of how to combat that.

When I last wrote about the internal politics of my branch, as part of a post about a members meeting ahead of N30, it caused a right stink.

Militant anti-fascism and the Occupy movement

Submitted by Phil on Dec 24 2011 21:06

A brief overview of the ideas behind militant anti-fascism, and why physically confronting the far-right is necessary. Aimed at people who've been taken in by the idea of pacifism as an absolute, but specifically the Occupy movement and those camping at Occupy Liverpool.

On the very first night that Occupy Liverpool set up camp, at the base of Wellington's Column, members of the English Defence League showed up. This wasn't unexpected in the context of previous and continued hostility by the EDL towards the Occupy movement, but it did raise some concerns.

Unite sells out Sparks over legal challenge to strike

Submitted by Phil on Dec 5 2011 12:13

On Tuesday, 81.6% of mechanical and electrical workers at Balfour Beatty voted in favour of strike action. This followed a highly militant direct action campaign by the Sparks rank-and-file group forcing the union to up the ante. However, now that the employer has used the anti-strike laws to overturn the ballot, the strength of the rank-and-file movement will really be tested.

The threat of a legal challenge should come as no surprise in this instance. Balfour Beatty is, as Unite the Union point out, the "ringleader" in forcing through the new BESNA agreement. They are also one of the main players in the continued blacklisting of trade unionists from construction work.

I'm striking on N30 because...

Submitted by Phil on Nov 19 2011 16:42

...the ruling class is attacking all of us, not just our pensions but our jobs, benefits, public services and communities. It's about time we fought back.

The unions are making this a pensions dispute, and the union tops will be looking for the first concession decent enough to be able to pull out and still call it a victory. But we all know it's about so much more than that. We know that this is the first blow in an all-out attack on the working class.

What is wrong with crossing a picket line?

Submitted by Phil on Nov 15 2011 22:02

Since being brought to the attention of people striking on November 30, the no-strike union Voice has come in for some stick on Facebook and Twitter. They take exception to this, and argue in a blog that their views and their right to not strike ought to be respected. For them, and others who might be of a similar view, here's a quick guide to what exactly is wrong with crossing a picket line.

The context of this is, of course, the upcoming strikes on 30 November. 20 unions are striking, and around 3 million workers will be not only withdrawing their labour but taking to the streets and protesting in one of the biggest trade union days of action in recent history.

Austerity Kills

Submitted by Phil on Nov 10 2011 02:57

Phil Dickens stresses the importance of fighting the cuts to welfare following the deaths of Mark and Helen Mullins.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Fascism, fundamentalism, and the left

Submitted by Phil on May 3 2011 19:11

Looking at the relationship between fascism, islamism and class, and the response of the left.

Since the May General Election, we have been witnessing the slow demise of British fascism as we know it. The British National Party’s spectacular failure tore open divisions and animosities that had been long brewing below the surface. Resignations, sackings, splits, and general disorder have turned the party in on itself.