Wildcat journal (UK)

Online archive of the newsletter and journal of the UK communist group Wildcat, published in the 1980s and 1990s.

Author
Submitted by Fozzie on December 21, 2018

The Wildcat group had various phases.

Early 80s: A free 2-sided Bulletin produced by a temporary collective made up of dissident members of the autonomous Manchester Solidarity Group and similar dissident members of the Manchester local ICC (World Revolution) group plus a couple of local anarchist communists.

Mid 80s: a large format newspaper. (Issues 1-10: 1984-1987)

A text dated March 1988 about a split in the group appears in Communist Bulletin #13 (p33). Some members of Wildcat then formed Subversion.

Late 80s: Issues 11-14 were produced in London. The "anti-democracy" phase.

1990s: From issue 15 onwards Wildcat developed an anti-civilisation ("primitivist") position which culminated in an "abandonment of Marxism" in issue 17.

2000s: After the publication of the final issue (#18), Wildcat was based in America. The online texts by the remaining member became increasingly controversial and reactionary (for example promoting the work of Gilad Atzmon and David Irving).

(The group were internationalists and called Wildcat and not "Wildcat UK". There is another, different, internationalist communist group called Wildcat which is based in Germany and known for convenience on Libcom as Wildcat (Germany).)

Comments

Spikymike

4 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Spikymike on December 23, 2018

Fozzie, Thanks for putting up these issues and the useful linked material which fills in some of the missing items in my hard copy library.

Fozzie

4 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fozzie on December 23, 2018

You are very welcome Mike - a bit of scanning is quite therapeutic on a hangover ;-)

I also have #17 and #18 and will reread them eventually and see if they are worth scanning and including here.

If anyone can do a better job then me in describing the various phases of Wildcat above, please edit and amend...

I'm not sure where we stand on linking to the wildcat.international site as some of the later (post- #18) articles are pretty dodgy...

imposs1904

4 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by imposs1904 on December 23, 2018

How's that for serendipity? Just popped over to Libcom to find a link for the Wildcat magazine 'cos I just cut and pasted an article from the January 2018 issue of the Socialist Standard which is based on an old Wildcat article, and this is the first thing I see.

Socialist Standard article: Feed the World: Overthrow Capitalism

Cheers for making it easy for me.

Fozzie

4 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fozzie on December 26, 2018

OK I've updated the summary of the group/publication above and added the later issues too - with disclaimers where necessary.

Spikymike

2 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Spikymike on December 12, 2020

A good summary Fozzie even if it can't fully explain the various more subtle differences of opinion within each phase. Personally I think that ''..remaining member..'' was an unreliable 'loose cannon' all along! but then I'm sure some would have their criticism of my past role in all that as well.
Edit: Also there are still some of the earlier Wildcat bulletins, papers and pamphlets on line (together with other related left/libertarian communist journals) here:
https://splitsandfusions.wordpress.com/left-communists-and-libertarians/

Fozzie

2 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fozzie on December 12, 2020

Good spot Mike. I think they have added some scans since I last checked that site.

Serge Forward

2 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on December 13, 2020

Spikymike

A good summary Fozzie even if it can't fully explain the various more subtle differences of opinion within each phase. Personally I think that ''..remaining member..'' was an unreliable 'loose cannon' all along! but then I'm sure some would have their criticism of my past role in all that as well.
Edit: Also there are still some of the earlier Wildcat bulletins, papers and pamphlets on line (together with other related left/libertarian communist journals) here:
https://splitsandfusions.wordpress.com/left-communists-and-libertarians/

Aye, that's a dead good link. I haven't seen many of the Careless Talk stuff since we ran them off on the Roneo in Bob Miller's front room.

Fozzie

2 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Fozzie on July 28, 2021

This might be complete now? I just added the PDF of #16. It depends how many Bulletins there were though and if #7 was the final one in that format.

freemind

2 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by freemind on July 30, 2021

I remember going to the Midlands Anarchist Get Together in Nittingham in 1986 as a sheltered newly professed Anarchist.At a Green Anarchist meeting a long haired comrade who allegedly was from Wildcat railed against what he was hearing from all the Liberal rubbish by Richard Hunt .
I was always impressed by Wildcat.
Along with early Direct Action,Workers Solidarity,Black Flag I thought they put forward a coherent view of Anarchist/Libertarian Communism unlike all the other rubbish

Steven.

2 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on July 30, 2021

Fozzie

This might be complete now? I just added the PDF of #16. It depends how many Bulletins there were though and if #7 was the final one in that format.

this is brilliant, thanks!