Rob Ray's blog

Today's ruling that every part of workfare other than the Mandatory Work Activity scheme breaks the law has given campaigners against workfare a huge boost - we were right all along. But the DWP have already said they will be doing a simple rephrase of the regulations and trying again and we need to make sure that doesn't happen by piling on the pressure now.

I've been off blogging recently for various reasons, but having put together a few audio files recently it struck me that there's not really anywhere that such things are being collated (or the specific files at least). This might be something for a dedicated section on libcom one day, I don't know but in the meantime, I thought I might list a few bits and pieces over the next little while...

I’m a little sad to announce that Black Flag won’t be coming out with a London Bookfair issue this year, as all three of the core editorial members are just too swamped with other commitments to put it together.

This reply has been a while in compiling, as Hoffman has, for a man regularly protesting how little he cares about the opprobrium of the anarchist set, been remarkably hardworking in his efforts to send letters to pretty much anyone who will listen to him say what a great guy he is and how Freedom is basically Dr No's richer, more unscrupulous successor.

To whom it may concern,

As you may or may not have already heard, Freedom Press is in some difficulty, both financial and in terms of volunteer labour – basically we need you.

As some people on libcom may already know I write a column in Black Flag magazine called Breathing Utopia, about the ways different workers see their roles and industries changing in a communist society. I'd like to expand it to book length.

I've started doing the odd day at Freedom for a while as I have some spare time and was handed the standard guide for new fish today.

The Kony 2012 debacle has been well covered over the last couple of days, but I think there’s something related to be said here about the phenomenon of mass Public Emoting Sessions (which I’ll call Pessions, for short).

CNN's journalism is often appalling, for example this article explaining how Mohamed is the most popular boy's name in England (strange, I thought it was Harry). But whoever it was who put together the coverage for the Occupy Oakland skirmishes has managed a really amazing level of awfulness.

While bussing to my second picket of the day I thought I'd start a thread for personal reports and updates...

Impressions from the alternative media event

The most depressing thing this week has been the level of bile spewed about people at Dale Farm, now set for an eviction on September 10th. Unlike most, I've actually been there.

A notable thing about the start of this week, other than the Norway shooting, has been the sheer obviousness of double standards in the British justice system which just gone on show.

Now it’s sunk in a bit, I thought I’d take a crack at analysing the anarchist debate around the News of The World’s demise in a bit more depth.

I've been rooting through the Sun's bins recently and was shocked to find a letter addressed to the staff by the firm's chief, Rupert Murdoch

This is a couple of days late, mainly because I've been pretty busy, but I've been somewhat annoyed by an article by Tory activist, political blogger and burgeoning Telegraph columnist Graeme Archer. He makes the erroneous assumption that I as a fellow bus-taker have anything whatsoever in common with his mean-minded slagging of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

I thought it might be an idea to put some of the work the various anarchist groups have been doing in one place so anyone looking for literature to put out can use it. Attached is a quick booklet I've collated of designs and text from SolFed members.

Whitechapel Anarchist group has tended to be easily the largest and loudest local anarchist group in London in recent times and is influential within some of the movement's major assets. As such, their decision to dissolve and push a city-wide organising drive is noteworthy.

As people start to get their stuff together to go on March for the Alternative this morning, I thought I'd throw in a quick thought about the hounding of those people who ocassionally break things or get into fights with the cops - and a quick competition!

In the wake of a series of anti-cuts rallies outside council buildings recently I thought I'd look at them through a slightly different lens - that of the original gentle rebel, Colin Ward.