A pause for breath

Welcome to A pause for breath, a project aiming to publish reflections on the anarchist movement in the uk. We're aiming to produce a zine later in the year composed of the contributions previewed below. A pause for breath welcomes submissions from anarchists who want to contribute to the project. We can be contacted at apauseforbreath@riseup@net. Alternatively, leave a comment on the blog to let us know what you think. To find out more, read on...

What are we trying to do

Whilst it always seems that the most important thing for an anarchist to be doing is preparing for the next action, we think that time and space for continual reflection and evaluation is essential for us to be effective. If we want the anarchist movement to grow and become stronger, rather than become obsolete through a lack of innovation, we need to reflect on our strengths and weaknesses, to critise theory and tactics that we see problems with, and to spread new ideas and information. We hope, through this collection of articles, to present a picture of the current state of anarchism in Britain, through the honest reflection of anarchists from a wide range of different places and struggles. We hope to identify some of the current trends and issues within the movement, and areas with future potential. We also aim to situate the movement in Britain within a wider,global context, and to present the voices of those who are new to the UK movement.

Previews of articles that will go in the zine

Some thoughts on the strength, influence and potential of the anarchist movement in the last 20 - 30yrs
by Dave Morris

Anarchist ideas are the only effective and coherent ideas which point the way to ending oppression and injustice, and to creating a free society for the benefit of everyone. Yet despite the lessons of history and the cynicism of those trying to control and manipulate society for their own ends, people continue to flood into shitty political parties, polling booths, religious sects, drugs and escapism, the lottery etc etc.

This is a paradox that we seem to be able to do little about, at least in the short term, whatever we do - so let's not give ourselves a hard time... We can only do our best and hope that our time will come, and soon - before the whole fucking planet goes to pot.

There's been a very rich history of significant anarchist activity in recent decades. The anarchist movement includes formal and specific anarchist organisations, the diverse activities of dozens of local groups, and broader anarchist-influenced groups, networks and movements.

The following piece summarises some of the most significant anarchist-influenced activities, campaigns and movements of the last 20 years. Some, at least in part, consciously adopted many anarchist ideas - and in turn also helped influence and strengthen the anarchist movement...

Anarchist Against War: Interview with Milan Rai

"I think that in the face of state authoritarianism (ID cards, the Serious Organized Crime and Police Act, etc) and state aggression (Iraq, Afghanistan, possibly Iran) there is an overwhelming

case for nonviolent civil disobedience that holds no capacity for, or threat of, harm to human beings.

But I don't think there's any pressing "moral" or legal need to do actions in the open or to wait around for arrest/imprisonment.

However, especially in the current climate, where there is growing public sympathy for many forms of nonviolent civil disobedience, but still considerable hostility towards politically-motivated social disruption and/or property damage, I think there is a very strong case for action that is claimed by activists willing to show their faces, give their names, and to take the consequences of their actions."

Milan Rai is the author of Chomsky's Politics (Verso, 1995), War Plan Iraq (Verso, 2002), Regime Unchanged (Pluto, 2003) and 7/7: The London Bombings, Islam and the Iraq War (Pluto, 2006) as well as many pamphlets (including Tactical Trident: British Nuclear Threats against the Third World). He has recently become the editor of Peace News and is a founder-coordinator of the anti-war group Justice Not Vengeance. He's been imprisoned three times for his anti-war activism.


Anarchism in universities

by Mad Owl

This article explores the position, advantages and disadvantages of being an anarchist academic in Britain today. Emphasising the distinction between royal and nomad science and the importance of exteriority to those forms of knowledge which are linked to radical theories, it locates anarchists in a complex and often frustrating web of competing, mainly reformist, radicalisms. It looks both quantitatively and qualitatively at current research on anarchism, before looking at the situation of anarchist academics. On the one hand, anarchists are increasingly pushed out or hedged in by neoliberal reforms, peer pressure, surveillance and witch-hunts; but on the other, advantages include access to resources and opportunities to influence others.

Mad Owl is a practicing anarchist academic and participant in the local anarchist scene. Currently seeking a hidey-hole in the niches of neoliberal academia, inbetween writing articles on resistance and radical theory.

Residents take over!
by Dave Morris

The world is in a terrible mess because we’re not running our own lives, directly controlling the resources and decision-making for the benefit of all. Currently governments and big-business boss everyone around for their own benefit. So what can people do to get back control? Obviously we can’t expect someone to jet in and liberate us, or wait for some cataclysmic ‘collapse’ of the system in some way off future. By patiently building up grass roots solidarity and mutual aid, we can sow and grow the seeds of the new society within the shell of the old. We have to act for ourselves, in the here and now.

Dave lives in Tottenham, North London.


Against social control: Reflections on anarchist involvement in the movement against ID
Number Six

There is much to be done. The pervasive culture of complacency over giving away personal details to powerful strangers in the corporate and state spheres must be overturned, and replaced with a culture that defends anonymity. We need to make people aware about the uses which the powerful have for knowledge about their identities and offer practical methods of defending those details. This doesn't mean instilling fear and paranoia – just a healthy distrust of those who claim to protect us. We need to learn from societies where stronger community and horizontal social relations have provided resistance against state intrusion. We need to recognise that genuine security comes from our interrelations with people who don't seek to dominate us, not agencies and organisations that do.

The author is involved in various campaigns against state control.

Interview with Michael Schmidt of Zabalaza

Michael talks about the role of organisation, 'African anarchism', class analysis and the political situation in South Africa.

Michael Schmidt is the former International Secretary of the Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Federation, southern Africa, www.zabalaza.net

Anarchism and Eco Action - An Animal Rights Perspective
Matt Clowes

Anarchists and Eco Activists are increasingly finding common cause in resisting the causes of environmental destruction. This movement is something that those involved in Animal Rights need to join as it is becoming impossible to separate what is ethical from what is sustainable.

Matt talks about the importance of Veganism, working under a unified banner and integrating Anarchism, Animal Rights and Eco Action.

Matt Clowes is co-ordinator of the Earth First Manifesto organisation.
www.earthfirstmanifesto.org

Creating common ground
by Gerrard Winstanley

Gerrard talks about the process and lessons learnt from creating a community garden in Reading.

Anarchafeminisms are Everywhere
by annarchist

Over the last ten years a dynamic range of thought, action, work and play has gone on combining anarchist and feminist practices in imaginative and inspirational ways. In addition, feminist and anarchist practices have merged with a range of other issues and movements, directly shaping radical politics. Anarchafeminsim is however, rarely talked about directly.

Annarchist highlights how the two radical movements have influenced each other and in so doing calls for a more overt dialogue between the two 'politics'. There is also a directory of events, collectives, spaces etc. that merge feminist and anarchist politics.

Interview with Jane Fairweather

Jane talks about the title 'anarchist', how she became involved in environmental/anarchist activism, organisation and the relationship between radical environmentalism and anarchism.