The introductions and welcome thread 4/3/04-2/2/05

welcome,

actually ur the type of person that anarchism is crying out for, we got enough of the young and beautiful (well i speak for myself ) and could do with a few wrinklies in our midst. (u can slap me for that comment )

once again welcome

i was kiddin ur far from the oldest,

im currently a student (what a cliche) studying politics and philosophy at queens university in good ole belfast.

in me final year so ill soon be able to claim real proletarian street cred, tho ive done a pile of crap jobs to pay my way thru uni.

Hmmm, well I'm 21 and I work full-time. I've never been involved with an anarchist group before, but I'm kinda interested... If your lot ever reply to my email

Nice one for setting this up rkn.

GDxx

cliche anarcho-syndicalist (not working, living with mom) 29, living in

rural town in the middle of U$A, partially disabled from Chondromalacia Patella (Runner's Knee), British bands I like: Black Sabbath , Deff Leopard, Beatles, Stones, The La's, Cold Play, Clash, Iron Maiden, Tears for Fears (just kidding), Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, The Specials, Madness and other pre 90s Ska.

LeighGionaire, Here's one of the definitive texts, which references the UK "Labour Party", that got me interested in doing something besides voting: http://flag.blackened.net/liberty/labor-illusion.html

Wounded Hobo

http://www.iww.org.uk

Same here! The Iraq war did it for me. Seeing a picture of an Iraqi child with half his head blown away by a bomb I helped pay for tipped me over the edge. Having kids myself I understood the pain and hatred he must have felt.

If I was in his shoes I'd be willing to kill, no two ways about it.

i'm 20, was kinda an anarchist without adjectives once and then burnt out, still come here from time to time.

Alright there.

I'm Mark, 25, from Lancashire like you Leigh! From near where Steve lives in Preston.

I currently live in London, and am active (slightly) in London Anarchist Federation. I am an anarchist-communist, but one of the more open will-work-with-almost-any-libertarians types. Came straight to anarchism as a young-un, and have only got more involved and more interested as time has gone on.

Currently trying to set up a local group based in South West London, so anyone who is interested please drop me a PM.

We should have an Enrager social... 8)

Hello.

(rich is just an abbreviation of Richard)

Am currently working as a postman, will do some studying next year. Active in Norwich Anarchists, helped set up Norwich Anarchist Students. Spent nine years as a pauper-scholary type at a boarding school (assisted place), then went to uni. 22 years of age now. Getting older by the second, rarely go on the internet (or I try and limit it!) Current plan: get CWU (communication union) money diverted from the labour party into revolutionary politics, and convert the CWU into an anarchosyndicalist union.

Hiya rich.

Funny I think I have a slightly parallel existence in story form:

I have recently gotten involved in HSG anarchists

I am Turkish gastarbeiter father became unemployed in 1987

I got an assisted place cos my dad the inside of a cooking foil

and then three years another scholarship (queen' scolarship) it was called to become a boarding student for next five years

Then after A-levels managed to fluke disability support worker job for three months (no union)

Then was a nightshift lorryloader from agency less than a month (no union)

Then nearly a year as a hospital notes porter and letter deliverer in North Mid Hospital(Unison)

I tried to get my Unison rep to see if we could call strike as "support services" but get everyone on board cleaners, porters, security, car park dudes, patient drivers, sample drivers from different firms to stop working for a single day since we weren't doing this to be reckless but wanted a straight 5.50 an hour for everyone plus an fairly distributed overtime cos people who had been here longest (one guy had been there since 1964)and didn't complain got the overtime as porters and I had a nasty bullying boss who told me I had an "attitude" when I suggested that the notes collection could be carried out more efficiently and quickly if a single dump point was agreed upon in OPD, we kept using our larger trolleys rather than change to new smaller ones bought by Trust board.

I didn't rasie the issue of Labour Party funding but felt that one or two of the reps night start seriously having a go at me.

Well since Octover I become student under family pressure of international relations at LSE.

First meeting I was rebuked for not having organised what my options were and when I protested that I had been at work when there was a preliminary meeting I was told to "instead of talking go and sort it out now"

Was then told by my professor that it was thanks to the market and the profit motive that his family had gotten into the situation he was in where he could be a Montague Burton Professor and a similar expansion of incomes had occured for nearly all poor families in Britain over the past century.

Was then told by a teacher who was teaching Political theory in the Government Department that "co-operation only really occurs where life is really difficult"

Was then shouted at by a SWSS honcho and called a "theoretical arse" for disagreeing on the Bolshevik decision on how to deal with the Krondstadt rebellion.

20 years of age now.

Current plan: Find people for agencies unions to be like claimants unions of yore

Persuade NUS to become an anarchosyndicalist union

murat, interesting that you were thinking of the need for agency workers union. I think a combined unemployed, illegals, casual and agency workers union is necessary. These are people that need unions most. It's difficult for these unions to form because of the *complete* lack of security, but it might be good as there is little to be lost in many cases (or that's how it felt to me!)

I think having a bash at the CWU and NUS is worth a try, but I won't get my hopes up too much!

University can be an incredibly patronising place, but there are some good lecturers about.

Hello there Murat! I've met you a couple of times at the London AF meetings (Mark).

Good to see you on here.

Welcome to the boards shellls

rah.. alright then... glad they're of use to someone

one of these days I'll get a job and be a "proper" worker and I'll be able to do stuff instead of sit in this dump talking to a bunch of academics who couldn't give a shit about the revolution cause they're too busy doing a management degree...

I could probably join the university's "socialist" society. There seem to be a bunch more radical kids this year than last and it could be a larf. I'm completely rambling and off topic here though.

Hello.

I'm not sure if you'd call me an anarchist but I do hold some anarchist beliefs which I try to translate into real-life actions.

I'm middle-class and in a somewhat privileged position compared to many. (Yes, I've seen some 'heated' debates here related to this.) This advantage was a gift from my parents who worked hard all their lives. They emigrated to the UK in the 70's with nothing but a suitcase and a plane ticket. So I make no apologies for my privilege; it's a fact of life.

A few years ago I quit my job after becoming disillusioned with the corporate world. I didn't have any work lined up but the feeling freedom was amazing. My cultural background means an extended family system; this support helped a thousand times more than my class or the money I had saved.

Leaving work allowed me to think, read and look at the world in a different way. I began to see anarchism as the most fair and reasonable alternative for people of any class.

Now I earn money by selling my skills and knowledge. Mainly I'm interested in other people's opinions about how we can apply an anarchist approach to the world as it is now.

If you've read this far, thanks for your time!

PMM is short for paulmakesmusic, although I dont make much any more, which is the main reason I've abbreviated it.

I'm here because of a link on the head heritage discussion boards - a site created by the musician, Julian Cope - and which is based around obscure music, standing stones and left wing/libertarian/anarchist stuff.

I got political in my early teens. I started with CND, moved onto joining the labour party (LPYS) and quickly became a Militant member (sic)

these days I join no political party. I have my own way of looking at the world. It's easiest to describe me as a utopian socialist. I think utopia is something we should strive for, rather than cynically assuming that we live in the best of all possible worlds. I think we need more naivety in the world.

I marched against Trident but we got it anyway.

I marched against the Poll Tax and for once we forced concessions.

I didn't blocade oil refineries 4 years ago, but I did have an argument with a woman in a supermarket about it. Not all protests are good!

These days most of my activism takes place online, arguing the toss with people who dont want to listen and wont change their views whatever I say. Never the less, I argue for the sake of those reading, not those arguing. We are all ambassadors for our viewpoints.

I once read a book called "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists". It had a profound influence on me. These days, on re-reading, I can see the propaganda in it, but the philosophy it promotes makes absolute sense, perhaps even more so now than a century ago when it was written.

and that's about it for now.

keep up the good work folks

Paul