Socialist cross of honor: markings of a working class counter-culture
Submitted by kropotcorn on Dec 22 2012 20:37
Short article on the Socialist Cross of Honor, a medal produced by the New Zealand Socialist Party in 1911. The now rare medal was given to anti-militarists jailed for resisting conscription, and played a pivotal role in fostering a radical working class counter-culture. Reproduced from LHP Newsletter 55.
In July 1911 William Cornish Jnr, a young conscientious objector from Brooklyn, Wellington, stood before Magistrate Riddell on charges of refusing to register under the Defence Act of 1909.
Some (more) thoughts on activism, class struggle and material needs
A personal account of activism, class struggle and organizing around material needs by Jared Davidson (Beyond Resistance, New Zealand).
In my last post on organization I raised a few points about the idea of organizing around material needs.
Pages from New Zealand history: Tracing Joe Hill's Ashes in New Zealand
Submitted by Jared on May 9 2012 11:13
Presentation on Joe Hill, the IWW and New Zealand's radical labour movement (video).
Past to present: lessons of the New Zealand labour movement
Video of a workshop given by Jared Davidson at Occupy Christchurch on union struggles in New Zealand, and draws out lessons that could inform our future activity.
Capitalism, class and class struggle for (ex) dummies
A brief introduction to capitalism, class, and class struggle. Downloadable, ready-to-print PDF adapted from libcom.org's introductions. Includes graphics.
*a section on unwaged work has been added.
Original texts can be found here:
'Wobblies Down Under': Joe Hill, the New Zealand IWW and censorship during World War One
Submitted by Jared on Oct 23 2011 22:17
MP3 download of a radio documentary on Joe Hill and the IWW in New Zealand, produced for Radio New Zealand (October 2011).
The Swedish-American radical socialist, songster and poet Joe Hill, became a martyr for the working classes world-wide when he was executed in 1915 for a murder he almost certainly did not commit. His ashes were distributed around the world including New Zealand but no trace of them has ever been found here.
Direct democracy: An anarchist alternative to voting
A (hopefully) easy-to-read discussion of anarchist alternatives to voting such as direct democracy and federalism.
With elections around the corner, various parties and their members will be out seeking your vote, your support, or at least your attention. “It’s the time for you to have a say in how the country is run”, as the adverts say. You might also hear a rather different message from some corners, namely anarchist ones.
Remains to be seen: Tracing Joe Hill's ashes in New Zealand
Submitted by Jared on Jun 5 2011 10:54
Remains to be Seen traces the ashes of Joe Hill from their distribution in Chicago to wartime New Zealand. Drawing on previously unseen archival material, it examines the persecution of anarchists, socialists and Wobblies in New Zealand during the First World War. It also explores how intense censorship measures—put in place by the National Coalition Government of William Massey and zealously enforced by New Zealand’s Solicitor-General, Sir John Salmond—effectively silenced and suppressed the IWW in New Zealand.
The richly illustrated book, and downloadable PDF, is now available from Rebel Press, or at the foot of this article.
This is not a manifesto: Towards an anarcho-design practice
Updated version of a text written by Jared Davidson (Garage Collective) in 2009, on the intersection of graphic design and anarchism. Downloadable in an A4 PDF.
"It is no longer enough today to lock ourselves in our studios and produce culture. We must engage in our world in as many ways as possible. We need to ground our artistic production in the realities of our lives and those many others around us."
—Realizing The Impossible: Art Against Authority
Anarcho-syndicalism in the 20th Century: a review
A review of Vadim Damier's Anarcho-syndicalism in the 20th Century by Jared Davidson
For those who can read Russian, Vadim Damier’s two-volume study of the International Workers’ Association (IWA) is a comprehensive history of the worldwide anarchist labour movement in the early 20th Century. For the rest of us, Malcom Archibald has translated what is essentially a streamlined version of Damier’s larger work into English.
Can comment on articles and discussions