by Paul Cudenec A timely condemnation of the way a corrupted “left” is helping to impose the new global dictatorship has been issued by veteran US […]
The Narrow Road to Self-Government
by Nowick Gray Elect to govern yourself. “Democracy” is a sacred cow in political discourse, unquestioned as a form of government that promises fairness, equality, […]
The new anarchism: revolution without healing is a recipe for disaster
In assocation with Winter Oak, we have produced an expanded version of Crow Qu’appelle’s booklet of conversations with Paul Cudenec, featuring this interview, not originally included in the collection. We have […]
The money behind the smears
by Paul Cudenec Back in 2020 I was on the receiving end of a lot of vitriol from so-called “anarchists” who objected to the fact that I refused […]
The Simple Life: Back to the Future
A swim in the lake on a summery day in May. Baking bread and doing the dishes. Selling from a stall in the Saturday Market; […]
The New Anarchy: Truth, Nature, Beauty and Withness
We have brought out a new 90-page pdf booklet in association with Winter Oak Press, featuring a series of in-depth written conversations between Crow Qu’appelle and Paul Cudenec. The […]
My Two-Year Stackiversary: Lattice of Coincidence + The Courage to Face the Truth
For my two-year Substack anniversary, I am publishing an essay I started last summer to accompany a guest article by Paul Cudenec. It seemed a fitting anniversary piece because it covers connections, collaborations, community, and courage—four C’s that have defined my transformative experience at Substack.
Why do I do this to myself?
Why has the frustration and pain of being an activist got worse? I’ll try to explain. I used to be very tribal. Once I’d found a political home, I’d defend it and my comrades vigorously. Any nagging doubts I had were packed away in a box and hidden in a dark cupboard. That was until the point when it started to become clear that what I thought was a ‘for ever’ political home was changing and going off in a direction I couldn’t travel in.
Beyond the label…
I’ve written this piece because there are a few things about who supposedly ‘owns’ the movement and what anarchism actually is that I want to try and clarify. In part, it was written in response to some of the ongoing sniping that’s going on between various factions in the movement. If this sniping is all people see of anarchism, then it may well not have much of a future.
The masks have slipped right off the faces of the ‘be kind’ brigade
All of this came from activists who exhort others to ‘be kind’. A courtesy they’re unwilling to extend to anyone raising questions and concerns about their beliefs. Anyone questioning them is told that the issue is ‘not up for debate’. Anyone questioning them is subject to abuse, threats and as we have increasingly seen, actual violence.
Freedom, Slavery, and Magic Spells
If we are responsible and respected in the cocreation of a meaningful narrative, an open source operating system, and an open-ended world view, we are free.
Free, we challenge authority and stand our ground. We refuse to follow dictates that would do us and others harm. And we think and act outside the box of prescribed remedies.
Honesty vs tribalism
Looking back over the last six years, the issues I’ve had with now former comrades stem from me wanting to find out the truth of a situation as best I can and to then formulate what I felt was an honest opinion. What I found was that some of the opinions I formed were at variance with what could best be described as the prevailing orthodoxy. I don’t use the term orthodoxy lightly but, on a range of issues where I has differences with comrades, it transpired that there was very little room for an open and honest debate.
It’s been an interesting year…
As for how events and trends will pan out next year, we’ve given up making predictions. That’s simply because making predictions as we enter a massive and complex clusterf**k is a mug’s game.
Attachment, connection and a search for meaning
Among the various currents of protest against the way the Covid situation was leveraged to accelerate the 4IR, there are those of us doing what we can to join the dots and understand what’s being done to us and why. In the process of doing that, a fair few of us have moved beyond the political labels we once had and we once, sometimes proudly, wore.
Where the f**k do we go from here?
That’s it, we’re done with what passes for an anarchist ‘movement’ in this country. While we still adhere to what we regard as anarchist principles, it needs to be known that we want nothing to do with this ‘movement’.
Is identity politics on its way out?
There’s nothing more to be gained by attempting to engage with identity politics zealots. Quite simply, they have to be bypassed.
Reacting to change…
We talk a lot about radical change and why it’s needed. Sometimes, it’s useful to pause and consider what we really mean by radical change.
Change comes from the base
Action for change in our communities happens because residents see a need and have lost faith in the ability or willingness of the authorities to act. There are plenty of examples where residents are doing this without any prompt from a movement or an organisation.