[OccupySheffield] [Occupy London] My vision for the Occupy movement in 2012

Wed Jan 11 02:23:20 GMT 2012

Hiya,

I guess this could be considered the first actual plug for the conference
and rally being organised here in Sheffield for the weekend of the
21st-22nd.

Have copied/pasted the flyer below (with a view to it being printed ideally
on A5, double-sided i.e. title/logo on one side and the text on the other.

I hope this will provide for a strong basis for the conference and encourage
as many participants/attendees as pos.

Dawn: 

RALLY OF THE 99%:

VOICE OF THE VOICELESS

https://occupywiki.org.uk/w/images/8/86/Citadel-of-Hope-colour.png

As part of the National Occupy Conference: bringing together occupy camps
from all over the UK, which represent the 99% of the world population in
economic crisis, versus the 1% minority retaining the wealth, power and
reckless decision-making to affect us all; this notice is to inform and
invite you to:

The Rally of the 99%, which will provide a platform for the majority of us
who, do not have union representation and are constantly denied a platform
to highlight how marginalised and disadvantaged communities are being made
to pay for capitalism's crisis.

The rally will give a 'VOICE TO THE VOICELESS' with a varied array of
participants - speaking out for:

Unemployment, people with additional needs/challenges, homelessness, mental
health conditions, tenancy associations and more; all of which rarely are
spoken of at union-focused rallies and demonstrations.

Please come support (or feel free to participate in) this opportunity to
have 'our voices heard', in the fight against the savage cuts and austerity
measures imposed by this coalition government.

Date: Saturday, 21st January

Time: 1pm

Venue: Town Hall, Sheffield

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Barrett [mailto:marknbarrett at googlemail.com] 
Sent: 31 December 2011 10:28
To: occupysheffield at email-lists.org;
LondonInternationalCommission at groupspaces.com;
squares at lists.takethesquare.net
Cc: occupylondon; danielle.paffard at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [OccupySheffield] [Occupy London] My vision for the Occupy
movement in 2012

Dear Occupy London, Occupy UK and Squares International :)

John Sinha has set out at

http://www.occupylondon.info/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=834#p3149 ( and

below this mail ) his vision for 2012.

I broadly agree with John's thinking below, but also I think this kind

of strategy needs to be linked to full mobilisation for days of action

that are being called for the Spring, notably March and May by the

movement. There are various ideas for what forms these days should

take developing, ranging from strikes to moving your money

(transition) to much more. Note that at the same time as the January

Sheffield meeting there is an international Frankfurt one about huge

days of pan-European Spring action in May, and also a May action day

focused precisely on the Troika (IMF, ECB, EC) in Frankfurt. Also the

Euro pact is due in March and there are calls for European wide days

of action then which could be springboards for May. Ideally we as a

transnational movement will come up with common symbols and slogans

that unite us worldwide on these days. [Some suggest white flags. Or

maybe blank flags of many colours?].

But also i believe we need to focus on strategic build up, and follow

through from these days. So, ideally perhaps coming out of the

national Sheffield meeting we need to be working on literature for and

should make approaches on all fronts to encourage Assemblies in

neighbourhoods, workplaces, universities and other organisations.

The following Toolkit, which is brilliant if you haven't already seen,

should IMO form the basis of the literarture:

PDF http://www.auerfeld.com/images/occupyEWleaflet.pdf

GOOGLE DOC
http://occupylsx.org/?p=2320%20/%20https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=ex
plorer&chrome=true&srcid=1CHLh--faoPmUWsoKRQ0YhUSjXlTOyZSnVQnU8nGPRidDG89CaD
5oavYAKOxY&hl=en_US

For increasing public participation and info sharing would be SO great

to have a much shortened version ( say 10 page max booklet) based on

the same idea but with a

clearer, more realistic big mobilisation purpose ( ie longer term )

than the attempt at big day of action on Dec15.

IE How to Occupy Everywhere in the UK, say in the run up to March

and/or May days of action. With more political content about the need

for the 99% to create its own political voice, and institutions . And

in the same beautiful style! Especially useful I think are 1. why the

movement ie a bit more political content, 2. @How to Hold a People's

Assembly@ and 3. national / international platforms (suitably updated)

[ Lots of pages would need removin, all the stuff about different

occupations should be removed but with clear links

to the websites with all the most up to date content for example]

And then I'd suggest it should include clear call outs for March and /or May

actions as they evolve into more clarity, so that, effectively

pamphlet becomes inspiring, informational and a mobilising tool too.

But also I think that with March and May in the pipeline, the idea of a call

for assemblies across the country  as both an educational process and

a means of mobilising people

for actions in March-May could work brilliantly. We need a national

and international conversation in order to discover our collective

souuld and to decide what kind of society we want. It's commonsense

that the only way people can fix it is if people get together to help

one another understand it better and to discuss the way forward for

all  - in terms of  politics and economy in the light of the economic,

social,

environmental and political / constitutional crises of UK, Europe, and

the whole world. And of course the need to take care of one another

and all of God's creations which is our proper role :)

So I'd like to suggest that coming out of Sheffield we promote the

development of Assemblies everywhere ( hence Occupy Everywhere toolkit

being a great resource ) and have a strategy of a national outreach

team,  with different sub-groups approaching all the diffferent

potential partners : unions, churches and other relig establishements,

student and other campaign groups, schools and universities with a

view to getting them on board in co-facilitating with us people's

assemblies to develop our shared understanding, genuine democratic

voice and representation, and ideally a path towards new civic

institutions. If we are saying a new europe, a really democratic one,

or a new uk and ireland, we need to set in train the establishment of

permanent or potentially permanent structures with which to transform

and /or seize power ( depending on your point of view )  And if we can

persuade them ( such well resourced potential partners) to donate eg

their building spaces, money, help with promotion or whatever they

have access too, would really make the movement's power and reach

extend and we can stop being 99% in abition but effectively 1% in

numbers ;) which is why I am suggesting this.

The only things specifically I want to add to this commentary about

2012 are (1) there are plans for a money transfer bank transition

movement late Feb / early March which I think Danni will be coming to

Sheffield to talk about (2) the possibilities of subverting the

diamond jubilee given that thhe biblical meaning of jubilee is slave

release via debt cancellations, land returns and so forth and the need

for regular sabbath or 'spiritual rest' years. March 25th could be

used to launch a jubilee / blank slate debt campaign, which is the

anniversary of the British Parliamentary Abolition of the Slave Trade

aswell as being the anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and falls well

before the queen's celebrations so we could get it into people's

consciousnesss before the royal show (3) the idea of subverting the

Olympics, especially given the Greek connection with democracy and of

course the Euro- crisis.

The need to link everything with a symbol that is potentially global

is very important given the complexity and diversity of the movement.

Given that Iran will probably be the target of a strike at the end of

the year after the US pres campaign is out of the way ( if not before

) a white flag ( linked to a non-violent global campaign for real

democracy now!)  would seem like a good symbol to adopt or, as perhaps

blank flags of many colours.

Anyway, like I said I agree with John with a few additional points and

the tool kit is brilliant stuff and great if it can get adapted into a

really powerful tool for a stategic assembly the European and Global

Spring!

Love and Solidarity

Mark

John Sinha <sinha.john at gmail.com> wrote:

> Please note: you can reply to this post in the forum

> http://www.occupylondon.info/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=834#p3149

> 

> ---

> 

> As this is the time of year for looking back at what we have achieved

> and to look forward to what we could become in 2012, I couldn't help

> but write this short little missive.

> 

> There's no doubt that 2011 has been an extraordinary year of global

> protest. Its highpoint undoubtedly the revolutions in Arab world,

> particularly Tunisia and Egypt in January. The crisis of the Eurozone

> has led to mass protests in Greece and Italy. In May Spain witnessed

> the growth of a mass movement of the Indignados calling for real

> democracy and an end to neoliberal economic dogma. The events in Spain

> and Egypt are a direct inspiration of the Occupy movements both in the

> US and here in the UK. In the UK the Occupy movement is not alone. In

> March half a million trade unionists demonstrated against austerity;

> on 30th June over a million public sectors workers took industrial

> action; in August we had over three days of rioting; on October 15th

> we began our own occupation as part of a global wave of occupations;

> and in November 30th, two and a half million workers took industrial

> action over pensions - protest at which we had our own colourful

> block.

> 

> In my view our greatest achievement are not the tents camped out in

> Saint Pauls churchyard, nor the new building we have occupied. But it

> is the networks of trust we have created and the institution we have

> built through our General Assembly.

> 

> Through the General Assembly not only have we have created a political

> space where we can organise our occupation, but also a space where we

> come together and discuss solutions to the crisis in our society. I

> don't think many of us realise just what an important institution we

> have created through the General Assembly. It was through the GA that

> we agreed our Common Statement of  initially eight and now ten points.

> This is arguably the most important political document to come out of

> a social movement in this country in the last few decades - and that

> is not to forget the other statements such as on corporations we have

> also agreed. The GA is an institution whose potential we have hardly

> explored

> 

> But if our movement is to grow it has to address the concerns of

> ordinary people. This is something we are not always good at as the

> following open letter "From two working class old buggers" in the

> forum makes  clear

> 

>
http://www.occupylondon.info/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=613&p=2770&hilit=class#p27
70

> 

> How relevant we are to ordinary people will depend on how effective

> our network is at mobilising the support to defend their interests. I

> think the  action taken by the US occupy movement in occupying

> foreclosed homes to prevent evictions is an excellent  example of the

> approach we should be taking here. I'm informed that in Spain they are

> taking similar action. I do not suggest we necessarily copy them

> because the circumstances here are different.

> 

> But what we need to  do is forge the GAs into an institution  where

> the diverse movements of resistance, whether they be the student

> movement, the work place movement or the anti-cuts community organised

> movement  come together, and in doing so, reinforce each other. The

> General Assemblies could act asthe hubs where anti-cuts groups, local

> workplace organisation, student networks and those on the front-line

> of resistance come together to openly and democratically organise

> solidarity and resistance. Such bodies would not only be a forum a

> where alternatives are debated, but also be the spaces were decisions

> are taken and power is exercised.

> 

> I hope the Sheffield conference is the place where we can discuss such

> a strategy.

> 

> 

> John Sinha

> 

> --    Friendly reminder: please keep these mailing list discussions to a

> minimum as they reach a lot of people. Instead you can email working
groups

> and individuals directly, or use the Occupy London forum at

> http://www.occupylondon.info/   You receive this email as a member of the

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-- 

Apathy is Dead !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarider/5254770064/#/photos/solarider/5254770
064/lightbox/

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