Comments on: Who are the spooks?

By: Dwight Towers

Dwight Towers — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:46:28 +0000

The implication in your last sentence seems to be that I am not engaging in an “honest” discussion. Thanks for that.

The reality *might* be that lots of people (including experienced activists, as well as ‘normal people’) have gotten seriously fed up with the lip service paid to local action and the focus on spectaculars. There is such a thing as “opportunity-costs” With limited time and energy, you can’t have BOTH an annual camp and all the local activity (that more people might be interested in getting involved in. Some of us have been trying to have this “honest discussion” for years, and have proposed alternatives that sink without trace. We tend to get ignored or mis-represented. Only a cynic would suspect that the big set pieces are easy, and feed the smugosphere.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:39:10 +0000

The thing is Dwight Towers that those big set pieces have helped stop Heathrow and Kingsnorth, without question.

I’m the first to say that we need to focus a lot more attention on building a thousand small groups but in reality without those groups feeling they’re part of something bigger you get a dozen or so small groups in cities with social centres, which are just as easy to infiltrate.

What we need is an honest discussion about how to achieve both, with respect on both sides for people whose preference is to do one or the other.

By: Dwight Towers

Dwight Towers — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:31:40 +0000

But is any of us really surprised that these dickheads exist? They are an occupational hazard, and all the more reason to only do the big set piece stuff very very occasionally/when it is absolutely necessary. Over the last five years (well, longer, since Drax was part of a chain involving Gleneagles) the climate/NVDA crew have been drawn to the big set piece adrenaline and attention things, drowning out or at least overwhelming the energy for small scale stuff. I haven’t heard anyone claim Kennedy and the other agents directed the “movement” to this. Because they didn’t. “We” chose the path that has led us to this. And now we complain about police infiltration. (NB I am not saying Kennedy should be allowed to get away with it, nor that we should not support those personally affected by his actions, very probably illegal, certainly grotesque and inhuman.)
I AM saying we should use this as an opportunity to think “hullo, the cops can’t infiltrate a thousand small groups doing solid and useful nonviolent stuff, they don’t have the staffing levels for it”. But we won’t. We’d rather blame others for our current shituation.”