File spoon-archives/anarchy-list.archive/anarchy-list_2004/anarchy-list.0401, message 181


Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 19:53:47 +0000
From: Iain McKay <iain.mckay-AT-zetnet.co.uk>
Subject: Re: primitivism and anarchism


hello all

Dave Coull wrote:
> > ultimately, it became moot as the next thing we knew was
> > that GA were calling us "sheep" and saying we were all
> > following Micah (which is ironic on so many levels!).
> 
> Ironic ?
>
> I would say that the idea of Space Bunny, of all people,
> "leading" a cantankerous crew like the Scottish anarchists
> is downright hilarious !

I was trying to be polite :)
 
<snip>

> > I expanded this into a critique of primitivism, based
> > on this support and GAs support for the unabomber.
> > In response I was accused of being someone else
> 
> Who did they think you were ?

Ian Heavens, who is sadly no longer with us.

At least they could have picked someone Scottish!
 
> > Black called me a "censorist leftist"
> 
> Let me see if I have got this straight. GA asked the Scottish
> anarchists to organise a speaking tour of Scotland for them.
> Because we didn't immediately agree, that means that we were
> all guilty of censorship?

yes, strange as it may seem.
 
<snip>

> Besides, us deciding we weren't keen didn't stop anybody
> else from organising a Scottish speaking tour for them.
> If they  _had_  any support in the country, that is.

exactly the point. They had no support and had to rely on
us "leftists" to do it for them. Just as the Wildfire
collective is using Freedom to attack "traditional"
anarchists as being reformist and authoritarians. 
 
> > while "John Conner" called me a "hysterical"
> > "Neoist-tainted workerist."
> 
> What's a Neoist ?

an even longer story. But people associated with Stewart
Home formed the "Neoist Alliance" and decided to expose
the dodgy ideas of Green Anarchist. Then a big bun fight
happened. The Neoists used GA as a means of attacking all
anarchists, btw, so I'm hardly going to be "tainted" by
them.

<snip>

> I wonder if MI5 could be involved in this primitivism
> scene? It certainly sounds like they are doing
> the British government a favour. On the other hand,
> maybe MI5 are not involved, maybe they are just
> rubbing their grubby little hands in glee that
> these people are doing their work for them.

some people have expressed that opinion before. Personnally,
I think that it involved a handful of genuine people who
have not really thought through their politics. A handful,
but vocal about it.

> > Hopefully the US primitivists are better. However, that review
> > of Rocker's "anarcho-syndicalism" makes me think otherwise.
> > Plus the venom on some of the infoshop posts as well, of course.
> 
> I haven't seen that, and I'm not inclined to subscribe (or
> whatever you do). Any chance of you forwarding some of those
> posts here?

well, that would take too long. I would have to go through the
posts and cut and paste interesting stuff. You could go to
www.infoshop.org and visit the news section, if you are
*really* interested. 

Iain



   

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