"I Understand But I Don't See It"
Past Tense has existed for some 14 years now… In that time we have published about 50 pamphlets, 4 books, and a handful of posters, maps, postcards, leaflets and a songsheet… We have, if you add in the work of the associated South London Radical History Group and other offshoots/contributors, variously also organised a number of talks, discussions, the occasional action, 20 (give or take) radical history walks, taken part also in some mapping exhibitions and film showings… Along the way we have helped to inspire some other groups (some of which have become hugely impressive projects, way outstripping us in size, scope and vision). We have had some fun, as well as, we hope, making ourselves useful.
Every now and again you need to have a good hard look at what you're doing.
"Look at the woman of thirty-nine
Look at the man of forty-nine
"
Recently to all intents and purposes, Past Tense has come down to one person's output… In the past however it was more collective. South London Radical History Group came out of a group of us, active from the 1980s-90s anarcho/activist scenes. Several of us had been involved in a number of history-oriented projects, most notably Practical History… For various reasons we came together for a while, concentrating on historical discussions and publishing… (The suggestion that we were talking about the past mainly because we had burned out and lost faith in any meaningful change in the present is of course totally unfounded…!)
"Will you cry for our lost childhoods?"
For a while now, past tense has been in a state of some chaos, wandering around a crossroads wondering which path to take - only it's not midnight and there's no devil to sell our souls to. From what was a roughly collective scene, we have come down to one person basically - yes drawing others in at times, but in essence solo. It's alot of work just to publish irregularly, distribute things, write and lay out; unpaid. As well as holding a job down and helping raise a family... and the rest. Not unique problems, we know.
"I was in a drunken dream...the pubs were closed, it was three o'clock..."
I really like past tense, enjoy being involved in it and think it is worthwhile... From what limited response we get, it seems to me there is a small, if regular audience for what we do. The last London Rebel History Calendar went sort of viral in its own limited way, and some of our other publications do well where we can get them in places...
However, although the publishing side is ticking over, the events and activities we used to get up to, basically history walks and discussions, has almost fallen away; and linked to that, past tense was always meant to be about linking past, present and future. This I would like to see return - that's where our real interests lie, tying our pasts and other pasts to the struggles, geographies and pressures we inhabit today... As we said when the old South London Radical History Group dissolved, "we didn't want to be a history group, we were so much more than that."
"At the bottom of the street it seemed
There was a policeman lost in the fog"
Also some splintery projects from past tense that could have grown and become interesting in their own right have not got off the ground or died a death because I didn't have the time or energy to keep the going... A more collective approach could maybe have saved them.
Past Tense arose from the idea that THE past, and OUR pasts, our presents, our futures, the possible futures, are inexorably linked, that the places we live and fight in, shared pasts and presents. The links, the differences, the continuities and inspirations, were what we cared about and wanted to discuss, make people aware of, being out where they were hidden… Hopefully we have done that. There is also nothing wrong, to my mind, in existing to SOLELY publish inspirational rebellious history, to keep some stories alive. But we always wanted to be more – in fact to make the history we were talking about directly relevant and linked to the frontline of social change as we live it.
This I think we do fall down on, and a return to a collective approach might be a step towards it. In the current climate… there's an urgency to making what we do and say part of the daily resistance. Can we be more of a part of the struggles of the present and the creation of the future too? On occasions some of us have discussed elements of our history, linked what we are doing to what we or others got up to in the past, and it has sparked ideas that have helped create actions.
"I was in a sleeping dream..."
Now it's possibly true that most people reading this don't really care… Maybe people like to read our publications and come on our walks, but aren't that interested in us being more relevant. Or aren't that interested in contributing… Or just aren't that interested? It's always hard to know, when you produce anything, even if people buy your stuff, attend your events, what anyone thinks about it…? Even when we ask for responses often very little feedback comes in. Not to whinge about it, but you can have no idea if what you are doing is having any effect, or even if people vaguely approve/agree/violently disagree… The initial impetus behind the South London Radical History Group died down as some of the core individuals moved on to other projects, all of them as vital and in many ways fulfilling the original ideal of the group more… so maybe Past Tense just has outlived its time?
"By the window I didn't scream
I was too old for that"
I'd quite like Past Tense to open up, be more collective, reflect more people's input, and also have some idea of what people who read what we write/come to our events, think about us… Some recent North London history walks Past Tense has been part of have been the result of a more collective approach, which I think has been much more interesting.
The sound of one person's voice harping on too much can grate - many voices can also beat the ego trip, and help moderate daft decisions.
I'm not suggesting Past Tense becoming something all-consuming that needs to take loads of time and commitment; maybe a loose structure, with ways of discussing ideas and projects more collectively, possible programs for walks and events, when we feel like/are able to do them.
"And it's time for the note, read it..."
I'd be interested to hear what other people think, what ideas people have for directions we can take, whether there's a general consensus that we should call it a day, or whatever.
What I am thinking of doing is organising a social/discussion to have a proper debate about these issues, but having a good time with it... Watch this space or contact us for an update on this. But ideas and thoughts are welcome in the meantime.
Alex the mudlark
Ps: all quotes from 'Futures and Pasts' by the Fall. Used totally without permission, don't tell Mark E Smith cause he'll get grumpy.
Some links to illustrate some of what we have done so far:
A compete list of all our publications
The South London Radical History Group
Events the history group put on
Some radical history maps we made
NB: Not everything is up there, some past tense events post 2009, and some of our maps and walk texts haven't been added... yet.