Time for a women's movement

by Karen Wed Dec 25, 2002 22:53

"laughter is bourgeois" is a piss taking from maxist leninist... the fact that i have no sense of humour is a joke you daft c*** (aye a "feminist" using the c word! mabe a joke or?)

by MG Tue Dec 24, 2002 08:51

Don't let them get to you. I was idealistic until I started using indymedia, but all these wannabe politicos have restored my cynicism. In short, the Irish left can be summarised thus:

SWP and SP argue over the Soviet Union, which doesn't even exist anymore. Both parties fight each other for enough votes to get one TD elected.

SF argue about equality, social inclusion, etc (you know - working class issues) and get five TDs elected.

WSM and other anarchists don't believe in elections, so they have no need to start childish fights with other parties.

SWP and SP start childish fights with anarchists anyway.

Republicans (IRSP, SF) post artcile on indymedia. SWP and SP churn out stock response, accusing republicans of dividing the working class. Republicans secure more working class votes than SWP/SP.

Idealistic people who are repulsed by the decay and corruption of Irish politics check out indymedia to size up the left-wing opposition. Said people realise that left-wing opposition is a joke and vote for FF/FG/Labour/PDs...

by Derek Tue Dec 24, 2002 00:17

Bloody hell, Anarchists are even worse than I had previously thought. The only other organisation to ban laughing was the Tailban!!!!

by Karen Mon Dec 23, 2002 23:42

I have no fucking sense of humour. Laughter is bourgeois

by Karen - ASF/WC Mon Dec 23, 2002 23:39

Right, this is all sad but what can I say? I've been living long enough in Ireland to know those patterns.
Dividing the working class? that was excatly the point I made when I talked about middle class feminists. When i refered to the Mujeres Libres then again it was to illustrate that women's struggle and immigrants struggle were all linked to the anti capitalist struggle which is, to me only initiated by the working class; I have NO TIME for women managers and women police (wo)men.
I do not see my physical difference as the issue but I just wanted to remind people that ( OK once again and slowly this time):
THE STRUGGLE IS AT HOME
I do support the fire fighters and I was in the streets in solidarity with them, invited them on our show (Agitate FM in Belfast 100.6FM) at least 3 times. I went to the benefit night and I am part of the support group. Like the rest of the ASF and the womens commission.
We also interviewed the workers occupying their factory (richardson factory on the docks) and went there too.
Now, because there is the idea that western workers are better off than the 3rd wold workers, a lot of activists concentrate on the 3rd world but will never show up in solidarity with their neighbours or co-workers (if they work) at home. They are now miles away from the reality next door by proclaiming that the world will change if we recycle and boycott goods. This means fuck all to anyone on the Falls or the Shankill.
It is the same thing when people say (men or women) that women have achieved equality. When you know it cost you £600 to get an abortion in England so most of them are middle class (and even worse, middle class women can get abortion in Belfast at the Independent Clinic on Malone Rd) and the working class lassies will have to borrow money or just carry on with the child, drop out of school and become cheap labour. How fucking dare you saying that I am dividing the working class? This is a class issue, this is an economic issue.
Now, if you can't get that, you're a middle class twat and I have no time for you.
It was obviously a mistake to talk about abortion rights on IMC Ireland cos not only we have to face a daily pro life propaganda but even the people who claim to be "with" us are just as bad, fucking blind confortable probably students or academics talking about the working class as if they were the one to save it. Sorry everybody, from now on I'll stick with my class and build something that means a change of our daily lives and not in the name of your "movement". This remind so much of the US and the white middle class life styler. This makes me sick.
And sorry for my bad english. Sure someone will reproach me of being an immigrant stealing the jobs of the poor irish men.

by Des Mon Dec 23, 2002 19:26

First of all, I must insist that as a BOLSHEVIK LENINIST MILITANT, that you do not use such familiar terms in addressing me. Politically speaking, there will never be any prospect of hand holding. In future, you may address me as BOLSHEVIK LENINIST STOOGE and I will address you as ULTRA LEFT ANARCHIST DEVIATIONIST. I would also point out that you should also not be too eager for the arrival of the revolution because that is when all ULTRA LEFT ANARCHIST DEVIATIONISTS will be detained by state security in order to protect peoples power. Look what happened in Spain, we simply can’t be too careful.

LONG LIVE COMRADES LENIN AND TROTSKY

KRONSTADT

DES

BTW Millie Tant is no friend of mine!!!!

by Observer Mon Dec 23, 2002 14:24

FAMILIES & FRIENDS ON THE FIRESIDE
Saturday 14 December 2002
St Mary's Church, Somers Town, Eversholt St. London NW1
(Corner of Aldenham St. & Eversholt St. Undergrounds Mornington Crescent or Euston)
Wheelchair access at entrance only – sorry no wheel chair accessible toilet. Crèche & Refreshments

12-1pm – Welcome & refreshments
1-3pm – Public meeting with speakers:
Ruth Winters, President, Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
Andy Gilchrist, General Secretary, FBU
Kerry Baigent, Secretary National Women's Committee
Members of National Women's Committee
Partners, families and children . . . of fire service workers
Niki Adams, Global Women's Strike
The N. Staffs Miners’ Wives Action Group
Women of the Waterfront
Other public service workers

3-6pm – Workshop for FBU members & their families

The government and the press have stated that the employers have women workers' interests at heart. But FBU women members and FBU families know better. They are the ones who have to make do with low pay and the stresses on themselves and the rest of the family of a highly responsible and dangerous job.

FBU women will not be put against other workers who have as much right to decent wages as MPs, in fact more! The government claims it can't afford decent wages for those who serve the public. But why is the safety, health, education, welfare and care of people not the priority for government expenditure?

What FBU women demand is real modernisation:

- real flexibility for workers
- job share opportunities
- access to crèche facilities or childcare payments
- the current shift systems to incorporate enough staff to allow for time off for family or caring roles
- sensible and acceptable maternity/paternity provisions with adequate pay and leave
- equal pay for work of equal value
- more staff to reflect diversity, not more overtime
- equitable national standards of recruitment
- freedom from discrimination and harassment.

Coordinated by
FBU National Women’s Committee, 68 Coombe Road, Kingston-u-Thames, Surrey, KT2 7AE Tel: 020 8541 1765 office@fbu.org.uk
Global Women’s Strike 230a Kentish Town Rd London NW5 2AB Tel: 020 7482 2496 womenstrike8m@server101.com http://womenstrike8m.server101.com

by Millie Tant - SP Mon Dec 23, 2002 12:06

No struggle but the class struggle. You just want to meet, swap recipes and knitting patterns. drink coffee and gossip.

What about the Firefighters?

by Karen again - ASF/WC Mon Dec 23, 2002 03:17

What do you mean love?
Don't you know we are on big united family?

by Karen - ASF/WC Mon Dec 23, 2002 03:14

The points I was trying to make is:
1) there is a middle class good conscious white male western activism influence in the anti globalisation struggle.
2) I think the progress we made in term of internationalism is miles better than what it used to be before 1999 and I am delighted to see it happening.
3) but my concern is: struggle at home, i.e in Ireland both north and South is not "trendy" enough and there is not much done about it.
Women all around the world are suffering a strong oppression and always are the very first to suffer oppression as workers. Now, I'm not irish myself and I can tell the struggle is the same but the struggle of our comrades outside Europe will be helpless if we don't build a strong resistance to our common oppressors. If we overthrow Europe and the US governements, the whole world will have to change and it will be the end of global colonisation.
Thereby, the women's struggle in ireland needs to be revived as a libertarian struggle against capitalism with its mates the State and religion.
That is the same with workers struggle at home. Yes, we do suffer from globalisation in Ireland as workers and I, myself, might loose my job when privatisation will take over.
Also, our taxes (our money we make working like donkeys) will be spent in a war that no one wants. Ok that's if you live on a territory called the UK. But it is here and now and I don't think there is room to talk about fucking theory or fucking life style cos if we are not changing it now, we are all gonna die.

by Karen - ASF/Womens Commission Mon Dec 23, 2002 02:57

First thanx for being interested.
Now, the womens commission started as an initiative of the ASF when we asked ourselves why women are not more involved and how to make stace for them to be involved the way they would like to be.
So, because the ASF does not believe everybody should become an anarcho syndicalist first and then the social revolution will come nor we believe that the libertarain movement has answer the question of how to make activism more comfortable for women (i.e chilcare but also represent them on the workplace and all) that we decided to start a womens commission.
It's first job was to study women at work cos we are syndicalist first. But at home as well cos we recognise it as work too.
Then we became open.
The womens commission might be an initiative of the ASF but is independent from it. We have our own funds and structures. Some members of the ASF are part of it some aren't.
Second: you don't have to join the ASF to be part of it. Actually, it is pretty much half anf half at the moment. Some women got involved because they just wanted to say somthing or because they wanted to learn more about it but at no point did we try to endoctrinate them to join the ASF. Thereby it has been "popular" or I should say successful so far. It is growing as a reaction against middle class feminism. Our girls are decent working girls.
Third: our main activity today is maintaining a one hour radio show on a community radio in Belfast to talk about those issues but we also organised with another comrade the gender workshop at the GG and the goal was and still is to prepare further actions for womens (and men) rights in Ireland.Now obviously that's enough infos.
The website is under construction and should be finished by january 1st.
We do have the pretention to get our influence from the Mujeres Libres (Spain Civil War time) but also the french CNT today and their womens commission.
I hope this is enough and thanks again.

by reuniao de nos a barraca Mon Dec 23, 2002 02:55

o sol do commission de Organizes-ASF/Womens, Dez os 22,2002, dirige-se a 11:08pm: Às 505 caixas BT12 de PÔ de Belfast 6EQ, em um lugar no alto do womenscommission@yahoo.co.uk norte que segue a oficina do sexo a que chegou durante uma última raiz da grama que recolhe em Belfast, eu gostaria dele ele youse dos povos de recordar que nós trabalhamos ainda nele e eu espero o GG conforme o que, eu tenho uma oficina na despesa nas táticas que mais praticamente, o movimento da Sra. Europa em Westerner a pessoa vieram em uma extremidade inoperante. Eu gostaria de ligar-lhe um prospeto a ele o esforço para a sala de aula. Durante últimos anos, conseqüentemente aquele era-lhe qual é mais fresco, serve-o aos protestos do globalisation da reunião de nós a barraca esquecer-se de que o esforço no restante é. É bom e pela maior parte aquele hoje, nós tem tais linkings grandes outros em torno do mundo, porém ele não que diz dos statistics, tem uma maioria dos povos constitui que oppressed em nosso país e nós não devemos ser nós com eles, ou mais que nós inicialmente da força não têm eles mesmos. O E a maioria nós, com número pequeno I próprio é

by Akira Mon Dec 23, 2002 02:00

Karen,

First of all i'd like to say that this women's commission sound very interesting and i agree wholeheartidly with your proposals as set down (but cut short) on the newswire.

I would like to know a little more about this women's commission.

1) do you have a website?
2) is the women's commission an organise/asf initiative
3) if not, is it open to all
4) does the women's commission involve itself in any activity at the moment

there's probably more, but i cannot think of them at the mo'

all the best & good luck

by Des Mon Dec 23, 2002 01:04

You will be expelled in the morning from the organisation? for sabotage, what kind of an impression do you think you have made on the WSM, Relations may be strained as a result, what on earth will Ray think? hang your head in shame!!!

by Karen Mon Dec 23, 2002 00:09

half the story is cut off oh well. I guess I have to learn more bout technology