Radical History Network of North East London Meeting

Wednesday 5 May at 8 pm

VOTE FOR A NEW SOCIETY NOT A POLITICAL PARTY

Venue: The Old Postmen's office,
North London Community House,
22 Moorefield Road,
London N17...
(Just around the corner from Bruce Grove overground station... nearest
tube Seven Sisters...)

Our five-minutes-every-five-years worth of “democracy”  is coming soon.
 But is there anyone out there who still believes that the world, owned
and run by a partnership of private property and state regulation, is in
any way controlled by “electing “ members of parliament   ? That the
great dictatorship of modern society is supervised   by the House of
Commons ?  That any social control exists over bankers running up massive
debts to someone or other, or over police seen murdering and attacking
people on television, or over judges finding them NOT GUILTY ? Or any of
the tin pots ?  or  any MPs claiming expenses  ?  or any of the
“celebrities “  ?

But people know the real situation  and we should not waste time and
effort repeating it.  Our energy should go in outlining our alternative -
• Every workplace,  unit of social services , public institution, housing
estate , media outlet  , etc , to be taken into common ownership  and run
by elected committees or councils.
• That  federations of these councils or communes  are co-ordinated for
greater administration,
• All private  and state property is abolished and replaced by the network
of collectives above.

Voting only keeps the present gang in charge.  Perhaps one sole exception
is voting against fascists . Some people say “democracy” gives us space to
operate as socialists but this space was not won by voting but by direct
action in the forms of strikes , riots, occupations, demonstrations and
suchlike .  Voting will not keep out the fascists if the ruling class
decide on fascism to keep us down , as they did with Hitler and co , in
the 1920s.  But we should not invite a bloody struggle  and should do all
we can to prevent modern day fascists getting political positions  by
voting against the BNP and their Euro mates .

Of course not all parliamentary candidates  are careerists on the gravy
train  but, with the best will in the world , their efforts are quite
unable to change  the country, or even parts of it .  Those on the
political “left” should see the futility of seeking  political
representation  and get down to organising against poverty, ill health ,
illiteracy  and homelessness all over the world.  This point was made by
the early libertarians against those  who wanted political parties for
“change “ in the long lost history of the last centuries..   Many ordinary
people, following the Chartists, campaigned for the Right to Vote for all
. We now find our choice limited to Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum and a new
choice faces us .  What we need is not new leaders but a new system .
Peter Kropotkin was right, Marx and Lenin were wrong, and we should learn
from past mistakes.

Elections are not just a subject for  abstaining or ridicule  and derision
 but a time for  serious argument  and debate.  People may still believe
in politicians, we have to argue hard to expose every promise , word , dot
and comma  of this  short sighted option, not just seek to impose it.  A
recent discussion sparked off by the People's Manifesto came up with  some
interesting ideas -
• Arm pensioners , on request, so they can rob banks to get enough money
to live,
• Put  a  "“None Of The Above”"  option on ballot papers,
• Disguise leopards as foxes to give the gentry a scare,
• Make the police wear “"I'm here to help "“ badges,
• Those in favour of ID cards, with nothing to hide, should be banned from
having curtains.

And so on,  very amusing,   but it  doesn’t change the basic facts – the
rich get richer while we still have no control .  For us the best option
is  a hung parliament , which they all are against.  Use the system for
its own destruction , vote tactically for a hung parliament and watch them
squabble, while we get on and organise.

Radical History Network of NE London
c/o PO Box 45155, 
London , 
N15 4WR.

http://Radicalhistorynetwork.blogspot.com

”celebrate our history, avoid repeating our mistakes”