A list of talks at the 2011 Manchester & Salford Anarchist Bookfair
TIME SLOT 1: 11am-12.15pm
WORKSHOP SPACE 1: Anarchism for Beginners
Everything you wanted to know about anarchism but were afraid to ask: With speakers from the Anarchist Federation, Solidarity Federation and other anarchist groups.
WORKSHOP SPACE 2: Green and Black Cross Legal Introduction
A brief introduction to what we do, dealing with arrest and violence, Stop and Search powers, and how to be an effective witness.
TIME SLOT 2: 12.15pm-1.30pm
WORKSHOP SPACE 1: Anarchism, Disability and the Welfare State
How and why are disabled people specifically oppressed by capitalism and the state, and what forms has their resistance to oppression taken? What should be the anarchist response to cuts to the welfare state, and what would an anarchist society have instead of it? How can disabled people's needs be met without oppression or exploitation?
What lessons can other radical movements learn from the Disabled People's Movement, and why is disabled people's liberation important for all of us?
Facilitated by an anarchist member of the Disabled People's Direct Action Network.
WORKSHOP SPACE 2: Personal Responsibility in Action
Personal responsibility within the anarchist and activist movement can be the make or break of groups or actions.
Where do we draw our guidelines from?
How do we decide what is a reasonable way to act?
Where do drink, drugs and hangovers sit alongside meetings, demonstrations and actions?
A discussion to decide how to make the most of our potential.
TIME SLOT 3: 1.30pm-2.45pm
WORKSHOP SPACE 1: Luddite Bicentenary, 1812-2012
In 1811-12 Artisan cloth workers (Luddites) in the Midlands and the North rose up against factory owners who were imposing new machines and putting them out of work. The Luddites only broke machines that were 'hurtful to commonality'. What can the Luddites teach us about how to successfully resist anti-democratic technology practices, such as GM crops and creating unemployment, today?
WORKSHOP SPACE 2: Radical Booksellers and Publishers
Radical independent bookshops and publishers exist in Leeds, London, Liverpool, Bristol and elsewhere... so why doesn't Manchester have one? If you are interested in putting some radical values into any aspect of the book business, come to this practical workshop and meet others who want to co-operate with the same aims...
TIME SLOT 4: 2.45pm-4pm
WORKSHOP SPACE 1: Insurrection and a conservative revolution
Last August saw several days of urban unrest throughout England in the wake of the police execution of Mark Duggan. By the time the fires had been put out five people had died, 1000 people had been charged and over £200 million worth of property damage had occurred in the worst incident of urban unrest since the 1981 riots. In the aftermath arguments for increased social control, more policing powers and harsher punishments gained lots of popular support. But where were the Left during these riots? What might a meaningful engagement with those on the streets have looked like? Or, were we merely conspicuous by our absence? The Shift Magazine collective will outline some of the key features of the event and facilitate a discussion around the riots, seeking to analyse the Left's role and what we will need to start tackling if we wish to be a relevant political actor in the near future.
WORKSHOP SPACE 2: The Zapatistas and Autonomy
After their 1994 uprising against the North America Free Trade Agreement and failed peace negotiations with the government in 1996, the Zapatistas in the Mexican state of Chiapas unilaterally implemented autonomy: governance based on rotation of positions and consensual decision-making, education, and a health service based on the principles of solidarity and mutuality. In 2005, the 6th Declaration of the Lancandon Jungle called for the construction of global networks of resistance against neoliberalism, on the basis of respect for each struggle.
This workshop introduces participants to some important elements of Zapatista history and practice, and invites a collective reflection on the relevance of Zapatista autonomy for our reality in the UK.
4.00pm: Outside Front Entrance
Loiterers Resistance Movement guided walk.
"change life! change society! these precepts mean nothing without the production of an appropriate space" lefebvre A stroll around spinningfields looking at issues around power, surveillance, public/private space and the construction of the neo-liberal city. How is the city designed to control and limit is and how can we resist this through" the revolution of every day life."? The LRM (Loiterers Resistance Movement) is a Manchester based collective interested in psychogeography, public space and the hidden stories of the city.
