Looking forward to it. 
They've been all good so far, with books to browse, friends to bump into, other activists to network and hatch plots with and participatory workshops.
Glasgow Radical Independent Bookfair/ Learning from '68.... to the Present day - August 23rd, 2008
Program now out from http://www.agitcollage.org/angry/events/ribevents.htm :
Glasgow's RADICAL INDEPENDENT BOOK FAIR Project
SAT 23rd AUGUST- 2008
11 am - 9 pm
(stalls till 8pm, events till 9pm)
The Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA)
- 350 Sauchiehall Street- Glasgow
(city centre)
stalls / resources / library / events - FREE ENTRY
EVENTS
11.00am-8.00pm
the RIB project
STALLS/RESOURCES
This Book-fair has more in common with a wee bookshop than a large book festival. The stalls cover a number of publishers and presses in an eclectic mix. We stock various books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, dvd’s, cd’s, badges, cards and t-shirts. At this summer event there is not a lot of space so we won’t have any guest publishers or local groups. However we will still have the mini videotheque - a bank of documentary films including a selection from previous Document: International Human Rights Documentary Film Festivals. Titles that you can select from and watch with headphones on individual monitors. There is also the listening post where you can hear a variety of interesting lectures, talks, discussions and a bit of music too - the backbone of this CD collection is almost every title published by AK Press Audio. The reading room is an ongoing collection of current and older counter-culture newsheets and bulletins, these help form a representation of radical and autonomous publications.
You can also drop off or take away materials at the info point - a table or two of free things - a mixture of flyers, leaflets, newsheets, stickers, cards and other items.
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1.00pm - 4.00pm
Learning From 1968... to the Present
FORUM
Recent media reports on the 40th anniversary of the student protests of 1968 recalled students' discontent with class inequalities, civil rights and the increasing beureaucratic control of education. In 2008, in the grip of neoliberalism, recession, temporary contracts, job losses and increasing emphasis on 'employability' in education, it has been reported that today's students no longer want to change society or the education system, but instead just want their education to enable them to get good enough jobs so they can pay their rent. The August RIB will host a symposium that looks at these and other issues surrounding how education policy and practice has developed and changed over the last 40 years, and student/teacher responses to them.
This will include a panel of speakers from various education sectors.
For more information contact the organiser, Angie at a.mcclan@live.co.uk
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4.30pm-6.30pm
It's 2008 Not 1968! : Class Struggle Anarchism In The Here And Now
DISCUSSION
Hosted by the Anarchist Federation
A brief presentation on Class Struggle Anarchism followed by an open discussion on what Anarchism means to us and what it means in twenty first century Glasgow.
http://www.myspace.com/afedscotland
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7.00pm-9.00pm
The Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish and 'Other' Genocides: The Politics of Genocide Recognition and Denialism
BOOK LAUNCH
Written by Desmond Fernandes and with a foreword by Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, this is the second in a series of three books on the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish and Greek Cypriot Genocides, and the politics of denialism.
In recent years, … even as there has been greater international public recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian, Greek, Kurdish and ‘Other’ genocides (as a consequence of concerted initiatives by concerned individuals, Armenian, Assyrian, Greek and Kurdish communities and other people and organisations interested in exposing and confronting international genocidal crimes), certain governments, politicians, academics and lobbying groups have mobilized (and often collaborated with each other) to engage in denialism of these “events” due not to genuine uncertainty about the fate of these targeted “peoples/groups”, but to advance cynical personal and/or nationalist and/or geopolitical/economic/ideological agendas …
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The next RIB will be at DOCUMENT 6 - CCA - 16th - 19th OCT
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RIB was good fun, so well done to Euan, Angie etc.
The only marginal downside was that few of the talks I went to had any practical discussions. Not that there is anything wrong with clarifying theoretical concepts (its necessary), but it would have been good to tie it into some sort of action. Though, in part, this was down to the *involvement* of some SPGB-ers who kept derailing any practical discussion into 'its all reformism' monologues. What a bunch of quiescent tossbags.
Well, as the impromptu facilitator of the AF discussion, I did try to keep it on track! I gave up with half an hour to go, as my "What can we as Anarchists in Glasgow in 2008 practically do?" wasn't working and the participants seemed to want to keep discussing other stuff. The discussion ranged from economics to whether practical skillshares/workshops on things like woodworking would empower people both economically and psychologically.
Yes, more concrete ideas for action would have been great, but I think unrealistic given the mixture of folks that were there. I don't want to sound sectarian, but thats why I joined AF, so I could be part of a group with agreed A&Ps and a membership structure so it was clear who was in, what the basis of our politics was (so we don't have to discuss that before agreeing action) and get on with revolutionary action.
Actually, I'll stop this from sounding sectarian by adding : I joined AF because the politics and structure suit me, but there's 2 Liberty and Solidarity members in Glasgow too, Praxis, IWW branch and "independent" Anarchists. I think that folks should get involved with whichever they feel most productive within. I think without some sort of collective, rather than just the loose grouping of Anarchist milieu as at the RIB, its always impossible to either decide on action or actually do any of it.
I did think that the discussion achieved some useful networking and sharing of ideas, and if you are who I think you are ungrateful, then you left before I silenced the person who I think you're referring to as SPGB (he's not, but he is a loose cannon and can sidetrack workshops which was why I told him to speak to one of us after the meeting instead of having a Trotskyim vs Anarchism debate then and there)
Hia Ginger - No the comments about the SPGB were aimed at the 'Learning from '68' sessions not the AF meeting afterwards. The SPGB's only message was wait until election time.... and anyone who disagrees is a 'reformist'.... which made constructive discussion of practical steps concerning struggles inside of educational institutions, in the here-and-now, impossible.
My apologies for leaving the AF meeting early (so your probably right about who I am) -- it certainly wasn't to do with the running of the meeting.... my apologies if it was viewed as dissatisfaction. I agree with you that people should find a group or groups which best suit them, in their radical activities.
Ah, ok, fair enough. Thats a shame - the workshop sounded interesting beforehand.
No worries about leaving early, I hope you know me better than to think I would pressure/blame anyone for not attending meetings!
With regards to involvement of SPGPers derailing discussion - for the future it may be useful to discuss how they do this and strategies that could be used to mitigate it. Any thoughts on that?
Work out the retaliation first.
Years ago a couple of us went to one of their meetings in Manchester given by Adam Buick who was doing a tour. He gave a talk about the reasons socialism was better than capitalism. My mate then said that it was very inspiring, but he wondered what to do during the revolution. He offered the "cheesewire and lamp posts" solution. That kind of killed off the discussion!
Dev is right on both counts - I was a member and the SPGB hate Lenin and Trotsky. Tbh they are more like anarchists who think that capitalism will be got rid of when the working class vote for SPGB MPs. The scene will be set for a one off debate in Parliament - "all those in favour of abolishing capitalism and state" - and that'll be that.
welshboy wrote:
I wasn't implying they were Trotskyists. Just that if something works once...
Maybe you should ask yourself who it worked for. Trotsky wasn't killed by anarchist. He was killed by the same gang of state assassins who killed militant anarchist workers in Spain.
Putting ice-picks through the heads of people who disagree with you. That's very libertarian, isn't it?
Devrim
brighton/hove anarchists beat brighton/hove SP 4-1 at football last year. though the SP only mustered 4 players and had to borrow anarchists to make up the 11. and most of the anarchists probably had worse politics than the SP. this anecdote doesn't really go anywhere.
Joseph K. wrote:
4-fucking-1 and their goal was a penalty. basically a clean sheet (i was playing centre-back)
I don't see how you can claim that you kept a clean sheet when the score was 4-1. Have you been taking lessons from Trotskyists about revision of history?
Devrim
The next Radical Indepedent Bookair will be taking place in Glasgow on Saturday August 23rd. There'll be the usual vast range of participants: AK Press, IWW, Glasgow anarchists, AFed, City Strolls, etc. All sorts of talks and parallel events are planned. I'll post up more details soon. But if you want more info now contact: rib@angryartworks.com
My mate Angie is organising one of the parallel events Learning from 1968.... to the Present Day which looks at how the events of 1968 have been interpreted and used. One of the areas where the events of May had an impact has been on education policy. With radicals promoting changes in the structures of education -- such as radical pedagogies and new curricular -- whilst conservatives have promoted counter-strategies to curb student unrest.
If you'd like to take part, please contact Angie on a.mcclan@live.co.uk, she'd be delighted to hear from you. Otherwise just turn up on the day.
Please pass this on to anyone who might be interested.