From theory, action.

This is the mid-term progress report on my dissertation just in case anyone was interested. If anybody has any suggestions on what to do for further reading, journal articles or books they can send/recommend, it’d be really appreciated.

There is a typo where I call the Peterloo Massacre the Peterborough Massacre but if we can all assume I’m not engaging in prophesy I’m sure we can move on …

What’s going for it? When the revolution comes, it’ll probably start here. The people of Stokes Croft have already re-enacted the storming of the Bastille, with a newly arrived branch of Tesco Express standing in for the benighted jail in last year’s Battle of Stokes Croft. They live their ideals round these parts. What was a few years ago a scruffy lair of crackheads and clubs has been spirited into Bristol’s Most Bohemian Neighbourhood, magnificently free of chain stores, alive with alternative ways of living, from the Classic’s free shop (like an un-Multi-Coloured Swap Shop) to splendid gallery activists the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft, who seem to want to go the whole Passport To Pimlico hog. Thing is, this isn’t anti-capitalism old-style, with hair shirt and poor personal hygiene, but with sassy glamour. The streets are painted in vast, colourful murals. The local cinema, the Cube, might be a not-for-profit “microplex” collective circa 1975, but its seats are plush and it sells delicious homemade cola. And there’s a pretty flower shop. (Flowers of Stokes Croft, we salute you! A revolution must have flowers.)

Full article.

OH MY FUCK.

>When the revolution comes, it’ll probably start here.

>When the revolution comes, it’ll probably start here.

>When the revolution comes, it’ll probably start here.

Guardian you ever go down in my estimation.

As if the irony was lost on us.  Economic crisis, fuelled by subprime lending in the housing market, so lets write a series of articles titled “let’s move to …”

Feature a region and laud it as being “anti-capitalist” in a new mode.  You know, that new mode in which the best thing to do as an anti-capitalist is to go buy a house?*  As if it wasn’t fucking moronic enough with shit like the PRSC going on ego trips they’re now the prime advert for disenfranchised yuppies to participate in consumerist anti-capitalism.  ”Purchase this lovely three bedroom flat in the centre of town!  Housing prices are on the up because all you wankers have far too much money to spend but it’s oooookay!  Now you guys are all here the working class people of colour who grew up on these streets can’t afford the rent; so you won’t have to pass them on the streets!  The revolution starts in the workers co-op run restaurants guys so make sure you get your vegan nut roast while it’s hot!  Buy your way into this bohemian anti-capitalist utopia!  Obviously the revolution will have nothing to do with organising towards workplace resistance: you can now buy this former squat decorated on the outside with authentic graffiti!  There was a riot when the place was kicked out and now you can buy your way into this TOTALLY AWESOME COMMUNITY OF RESISTANCE!”

Fuck OFF Guardian.

Go fuck yourself with your disrespectful sensationalist bullshit.

*I’m not saying that not buying a house is a spectacularly anti-capitalist thing to do either it’s just fucking surreal.  ”Look the housing market fucked over the western economy so lets go buy specifically geographically located houses so that we can hang around people similarly annoyed about it.”

redlightpolitics:

Eh, as it was bound to happen, I wrote a response to the piece that Anne-Marie Slaughter published at The Atlantic.

This has been the week of backlash against feminism. In fairness, it is always backlash week against feminism but Anne-Marie Slaughter’s piece at The Atlantic, Why women still can’t have it all, has revived some of those sentiments. Feminism has failed us, she implies. We were promised a balance between career and private life. We were told that if you worked hard and juggled between your work, your children, your spouse and your social life, you too, could be successful. If your spouse embraces this model of cooperation and takes on their fair share of housework and child rearing then you could also reach the highest echelons of power and, in the words of existential philosopher Mr. Spock, live long and prosper. All it took, we were told, was commitment and creativity.

All of this is, of course, pure unadulterated bullshit.