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Feedback on Fight Back!For Fight Back! references, news, follow-ups, and to offer your ownlinks, feedback, and suggestions for further reading on the protests,please visit the Fight Back! page, at http://opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/ourkingdom/fight-back.
http://www.bit.ly/fightbackUK
A Reader on the Winter of Protest
Editor: Dan HancoxEditorial Kettle: Guy Aitchison, Siraj Datoo, Cailean Gallagher, LauriePenny, Aaron Peters and Paul Sagar
Published by openDemocracy via OurKingdom.
Published online February 2011Published in print March 2011
Editorial KettleThe editorial team were all kettled by the Police, November-December 2010.
Editorial Kettle
5
Publishing and Design Team
dasein
Publishing and Design Team
6
ContentsNOTE FROM THE EDITOR ............................................................. 10FOREWORD .................................................................................. 12
Anthony Barnett, openDemocracyOVERVIEWS ................................................................................. 30
Laurie Penny and Rowenna Davies, openDemocracy
Cailean Gallagher, Oxford Left Review
Guy Aitchison and Aaron PetersTHE DEMONSTRATIONS ................................................................ 62
Laurie Penny, New Statesman
Guy Aitchison, openDemocracy
Sophie Burge, TheSite.org
Paul Sagar, Bad Conscience
Siraj Datoo, The Student Journals
Jonathan Moses, openDemocracy
Oliver Huitson, openDemocracyTHE OCCUPATIONS.......................................................................96
Oliver Wainwright, Building Design
Joanna Biggs, London Review of Books
Genevieve Dawson
Asher Goldman, Libcom.org
Owen Hatherley, openDemocracyTHE FLASH MOBS....................................................................... 124
Contents
7
Johann Hari, The Independent
Alan Finlayson ,openDemocracy
UK Uncut, Big Society Revenue & CustomsTHE UNIVERSITIES ......................................................................138
Aaron Peters, openDemocracy
Alan Finlayson and Tony Curzon Price, openDemocracy
Peter Johnson, openDemocracy
Rosemary Bechler, openDemocracy
Trevor Smith, openDemocracyTHE UNDER 19S .......................................................................... 176
Anthony Painter, Left Foot Forward
Ben Martin
Ben Braithwaite
Anna Mason, UK Uncut
Tasha BellTHE STATE AND VIOLENCE......................................................... 196
Daniel Trilling, New Statesman
Jeremy Gilbert, New Statesman
Ryan Gallagher, openDemocracy
Tom Griffin, openDemocracy
James Butler, Pierce Penniless
Contents
8
Rory Rowan, Critical Legal ThinkingTHE TRADE UNIONS ................................................................... 236
Len McCluskey, The Guardian
Keith Ewing, openDemocracy
John Stuttle, openDemocracyTHE AESTHETICS ....................................................................... 246
Jesse Darling, Brave New What
Dan Hancox
Adam Harper, Rouges FoamTHE GENERATIONS..................................................................... 278
Anthony Barnett, New Statesman
Gerry Hassan, The Scotsman
Nick Pearce, IPPR
Laurie Penny, The Guardian
Maeve McKeown, UCL Occupation BlogAFTERWORDS............................................................................. 304
Markus Malarkey, Ceasefire
Guy Aitchison, openDemocracyAPPENDICES............................................................................... 320
Third Estate
Third Estate
Third Estate
Contents
9
Note From The EditorFight Back!
Fight Back’s
Fight Back!
Note From The Editor
10
#solidarity
Note From The Editor
11
Foreword: A Fight For TheFutureAnthony Barnett
social
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
12
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
13
Fight Back!
this
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
14
Losing the future
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
15
The Browne Review
HigherAmbitions: the future of universities in a knowledge economy
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
16
HigherAmbitions
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
17
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
18
The Coalition’s collision course
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
19
only way
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
20
‘cut back!’‘fight back!’
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
21
From protest to politics
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
22
they
protests
politics.
Here is why:
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
23
The new Levellers
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
24
NetrootsUK
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
25
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
26
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
27
Fight Back!
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
28
Foreword: A Fight For The Future
29
OVERVIEWS
Overviews
30
You say you want arevolution...Laurie Penny and Rowenna Davies, openDemocracy
How to believe in change? This exchange was published in July 2010but it prefigures the energy and issues released by the protests thaterupted in November and December, and expresses the frustrationsthat were building up well before the Conservative-LiberalDemocrat government announced its plans for higher education.
Laurie Penny:
You say you want a revolution...
31
You say you want a revolution...
32
You say you want a revolution...
33
Rowenna Davies:
You say you want a revolution...
34
You say you want a revolution...
35
Laurie Penny:
You say you want a revolution...
36
You say you want a revolution...
37
You say you want a revolution...
38
From the Reactive to theCreativeCailean Gallagher, Oxford Left Review
Beyond the Cuts
From the Reactive to the Creative
39
From the Reactive to the Creative
40
The role of students
From the Reactive to the Creative
41
The potential
From the Reactive to the Creative
42
From the Reactive to the Creative
43
The Open-Sourcing ofPolitical Activism: How theinternet and networks helpbuild resistanceGuy Aitchison and Aaron Peters
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
44
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
45
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
46
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
47
The ‘open sourcing’ of political activism
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
48
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
49
The potential for open source resistance in aglobalized world
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
50
The limits of recent protest movements in theUK
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
51
The genesis of networked protest
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
52
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
53
The birth of the student movement
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
54
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
55
Horizontal organisation in the studentmovement
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
56
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
57
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
58
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
59
Conclusion
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
60
The Open-Sourcing of Political Activism: How the internet and networks help build resistance
61
THEDEMONSTRATIONS
After the publication of the Browne Report in October 2010, therewas a surge of dissent and debate, in response to the radical changes tothe British education system that lay ahead. To take part in theprotest movement in November and December was to experience anintense, ever-evolving process that began with a traditional march,and ended with a siege of parliament itself.
On 10 November, the first major demonstration against theConservative-Lib Dem coalition proposals took place. Over 50,000students and sympathetic parties took to the streets, and severalhundred occupied the Conservative HQ at Millbank Tower inLondon, cheered on by thousands more. In the month that followedMillbank, a series of street demonstrations took place in the capital,supported by numerous other actions, protests and occupations acrossthe country in opposition to the government's fees and cuts agenda.
Each of the major protests was characterised by different tacticsand effects – and widely identified by the Twitter hashtags protestersused to follow developments: #dayx, #dayx2, and #dayx3.
The first, #dayx, was characterised by the iconoclastic stormingand occupation of Millbank.
The second, #dayx2, became known as ‘the cat-and-mouse protest’,because it saw separate tributaries of the main demonstrationspontaneously split off to escape Police kettling, running milesthrough the London snow from Victoria to Bank, from the Barbicanto Trafalgar Square.
The Demonstrations
62
The third, #dayx3, took place on the day the House of Commonsvoted in favour of the rise in tuition fees: as the vote was passed,shortly after 5.30pm, thousands of protesters remained kettleddirectly outside in Parliament Square. The protesters variouslydanced, chanted, made new friends, clashed with Riot Police, andeven tried to storm the Treasury building – later, over a thousandprotesters were kettled on Westminster Bridge, in a situation sodangerous a doctor warned that a Hillsborough type disaster hadbeen only narrowly averted.
Each demonstration was different, in its tactics, and in the effect itproduced. As Jonathan Moses writes in this section, “a Britishinstitution – the protest march – was undergoing a transformativemoment”.
The Demonstrations
63
Inside the Millbank TowerriotsLaurie Penny, New Statesman
Inside the Millbank Tower riots
64
Inside the Millbank Tower riots
65
Inside the Millbank Tower riots
66
Inside the Millbank Tower riots
67
Inside the Millbank Tower riots
68
The Significance of MillbankGuy Aitchison, openDemocracy
The Significance of Millbank
69
The Significance of Millbank
70
The Significance of Millbank
71
The Significance of Millbank
72
The Significance of Millbank
73
I was held at a studentprotest for five hoursSophie Burge, TheSite.org
Getting heard without a vote
I was held at a student protest for five hours
74
I was held at a student protest for five hours
75
Trying to stay warm
I was held at a student protest for five hours
76
On Riots and Kettles,Protests and ViolencePaul Sagar, Bad Conscience
The Riot
On Riots and Kettles, Protests and Violence
77
The Kettle
On Riots and Kettles, Protests and Violence
78
On Riots and Kettles, Protests and Violence
79
Kettled In ParliamentSquareSiraj Datoo, The Student Journals
Kettled In Parliament Square
81
Kettled In Parliament Square
82
Kettled In Parliament Square
83
Kettled In Parliament Square
84
Kettled In Parliament Square
85
Kettled In Parliament Square
86
Kettled In Parliament Square
87
Postmodernism in theStreets: the tactics ofprotest are changingJonathan Moses, openDemocracy
Postmodernism in the Streets: the tactics of protest are changing
88
Postmodernism in the Streets: the tactics of protest are changing
89
Postmodernism in the Streets: the tactics of protest are changing
90
Postmodernism in the Streets: the tactics of protest are changing
91
Kettling – an attack on theright to protestOliver Huitson, openDemocracy
Kettling – an attack on the right to protest
92
Kettling – an attack on the right to protest
93
Kettling – an attack on the right to protest
94
Kettling – an attack on the right to protest
95
THE OCCUPATIONS
While students and activists took to the streets in protest, there werethe in-between times to think about – and the need to inculcategreater support, awareness, and activist skills within the studentmovement: over 30 universities across the country went intooccupation, many for weeks, with students living, eating, andsleeping in the occupied space. This had great practical benefits,creating spaces to share ideas, build solidarity networks, and planfuture protests and actions – and it was also, as Owen Hatherleyargues, a symbolic response to the wider privatisation of public spacethat New Labour had pursued: “It is a protest against the coalition,to be sure, but it's also a magnificent rejection of the fear, quietismand atomisation that was the result of earlier policies. The students'use of space is fearless.”
The Occupations
96
Beyond The OccupationOliver Wainwright, Building Design
Beyond The Occupation
97
Beyond The Occupation
98
Beyond The Occupation
99
At The OccupationJoanna Biggs, London Review of Books
At The Occupation
100
At The Occupation
101
At The Occupation
102
At The Occupation
103
At The Occupation
104
At The Occupation
105
At The Occupation
106
30 Hours in the RadicalCameraGenevieve Dawson
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
107
Why a library?
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
108
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
109
Why occupation?
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
110
A violent occupation?
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
111
Who is the university?
30 Hours in the Radical Camera
112
Interview with a RoyalHolloway anarchistAsher Goldman, Libcom.org
This is an excerpt from an interview with Dan, a former member ofthe Aotearoa Workers Solidarity Movement who is now living inthe UK, and was involved in a two day long occupation at hisuniversity in London.
Dan:
Asher:
Dan:
Interview with a Royal Holloway anarchist
113
Asher:
Dan:
Interview with a Royal Holloway anarchist
114
Asher:
Dan:
Interview with a Royal Holloway anarchist
115
Asher:
Dan:
Interview with a Royal Holloway anarchist
116
The Occupation of SpaceOwen Hatherley, Afterall
The Occupation of Space
117
The Occupation of Space
118
The Occupation of Space
119
The Occupation of Space
120
The Occupation of Space
121
The Occupation of Space
122
The Occupation of Space
123
THE FLASH MOBSUK Uncut, taxes and direct action
It was the snide retort of countless mainstream media commentatorsthat the student protests were entirely narcissistic: concerned onlywith disruption to their own lives as undergraduates. This ignoredthe reality on the ground – that protesters carried banners, chanted,and held views indicating dissent with government policies farbeyond the rise in tuition fees. But to grab the attention of those samemainstream media commentators was going to need a differentapproach. Step forward UK Uncut, whose witty, daring flash mobstargeted major high street shops, to spread the word that whilegovernment cuts would disproportionately hit the poorest members ofsociety, ultra-rich corporations were evading billions of pounds theyowed to the exchequer: and thus, to everyone. As Alan Finlaysonwrites: “Media corporations, polluting industries and greedy bankstake actions that affect us directly. In challenging or resisting thoseeffects, why dilute energies by diverting them through the Whitehallbureaucracy?” In other words: let’s cut out the middle-men.
The Flash Mobs
124
Protest works. Just look atthe proofJohann Hari, The Independent
Protest works. Just look at the proof
125
Protest works. Just look at the proof
126
Protest works. Just look at the proof
127
Protest works. Just look at the proof
128
Protest works. Just look at the proof
129
The philosophicalsignificance of UK UncutAlan Finlayson, openDemocracy
The philosophical significance of UK Uncut
130
The philosophical significance of UK Uncut
131
The philosophical significance of UK Uncut
132
The philosophical significance of UK Uncut
133
The philosophical significance of UK Uncut
134
'Santa Glue-In' as 55 Anti-Cuts Protests Hit TaxDodgers Across The CountryUK Uncut, Big Society Revenue & Customs
Press release: Posted on Sat 18thDec 2010, 2:33pmFor Immediate ReleaseUK UNCUT: 'SANTA GLUE IN' AS 55 ANTI-CUTSPROTESTS HIT TAX DODGERS ACROSS THECOUNTRY
'Santa Glue-In' as 55 Anti-Cuts Protests Hit Tax Dodgers Across The Country
135
'Santa Glue-In' as 55 Anti-Cuts Protests Hit Tax Dodgers Across The Country
136
'Santa Glue-In' as 55 Anti-Cuts Protests Hit Tax Dodgers Across The Country
137
THE UNIVERSITIES
The Browne report into higher education published on 6 October didmore than raise a lot of questions. Out of it came the policy of triplingstudent fees in the form of loans, removing any direct governmentgrants to the humanities: marketising higher education and tearingdown any public interest in its intrinsic values. At the same time itpresumed a distinctly old-fashioned approach. “Policy-makers arepersisting with an institutional model that was created in the midstof a different age,” writes Aaron Peters. At the heart of the crisis ofuniversity funding lies a debate about the future of higher education,one played out in a series of exchanges between Alan Finlayson andTony Curzon Price. Ultimately: what are universities for?
The Universities
138
Universities in an age ofinformation abundanceAaron Peters, openDemocracy
Universities in an age of information abundance
139
Information wants to be free
Universities in an age of information abundance
140
The rise of the university
Universities in an age of information abundance
141
Universities in an age of information abundance
142
Universities in an age of information abundance
143
Universities in an age of information abundance
144
Britain, greet the age ofprivatised Higher Education– an argument and a debateAlan Finlayson and Tony Curzon Price, openDemocracy
Alan Finlayson:
I: What is really going on
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
145
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
146
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
147
II: David Willetts himself
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
148
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
149
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
150
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
151
Tony Curzon Price:
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
152
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
153
Alan Finlayson:
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
154
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
155
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
156
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
157
Tony Curzon Price:
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
158
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
159
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
160
Alan Finlayson:
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
161
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
162
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
163
Tony Curzon Price:
Alan Finlayson:
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
164
Britain, greet the age of privatised Higher Education – an argument and a debate
165
Where are theconservatives, as the truehistory of education goesundefended?Peter Johnson, openDemocracy
Where are the conservatives, as the true history of education goes undefended?
166
Where are the conservatives, as the true history of education goes undefended?
167
Where are the conservatives, as the true history of education goes undefended?
168
Where are the conservatives, as the true history of education goes undefended?
169
Universities should be moreinventive than the profitmotiveRosemary Bechler, openDemocracy
Universities should be more inventive than the profit motive
170
Universities should be more inventive than the profit motive
171
Universities should be more inventive than the profit motive
172
Universities should be more inventive than the profit motive
173
I defied the Whips and votedagainst my governmentTrevor Smith, openDemocracy
I defied the Whips and voted against my government
174
I defied the Whips and voted against my government
175
THE UNDER 19SThe Education Maintenance Allowance and theelectorally disenfranchised
It was a striking aspect of the student demonstrations in London thatthe presence on the streets was not, despite right-wing commentators’suggestions to the contrary, one composed of privileged middle-classundergraduates, dilettantes from Oxbridge aged 18-21. Because,along with the stratospheric tuition fees rise, the Conservative-LibDem coalition had announced the abolition of the EducationMaintenance Allowance (EMA), a means-tested government stipendwhich had seen an increase in the numbers of students from poorerbackgrounds staying on in post-16 education. With its abolition,many under 18s from poorer backgrounds would simply not be able toafford to stay on to do A levels – at a time of record-breaking youthunemployment, no less. To make matters worse, these young peoplehad not even had the right to vote for the coalition that wascurrently selling their futures down the river – though of course, theywere old enough to pay taxes to it. “We’re from the slums of London,how do they expect us to pay £9,000 for uni fees, and no EMA…What’s stopping us from doing drug deals on the streets anymore?”one protesting teenager asked the BBC.
Whether through UK Uncut actions or at the studentdemonstrations, a generation of young people barely old enough toremember Tony Blair were learning very quickly about politicalprotest, and risking detention to exercise their democratic rights to doso.
The Under 19s
176
The real nature of the EMAdebateAnthony Painter, Left Foot Forward
The real nature of the EMA debate
177
The real nature of the EMA debate
178
The real nature of the EMA debate
179
IFS shoots coalition’s deadweight argument topieces
The real nature of the EMA debate
180
The real nature of the EMA debate
181
The real nature of the EMA debate
182
EMA Stories: My Brother,Charlie MartinBen Martin
EMA Stories: My Brother, Charlie Martin
183
EMA Stories: My Brother, Charlie Martin
184
‘Vale’
EMA Stories: My Brother, Charlie Martin
185
EMA Stories: An umbilicalcord to educationBen Braithwaite
EMA Stories: An umbilical cord to education
186
EMA Stories: An umbilical cord to education
187
We are not the TopshopgenerationAnna Mason, UK Uncut
We are not the Topshop generation
188
We are not the Topshop generation
189
We are not the Topshop generation
190
Physically sickTasha Bell
Physically sick
191
Physically sick
192
Physically sick
193
Physically sick
194
Physically sick
195
THE STATE ANDVIOLENCE
If any illustration were needed of the establishment’s relationshipwith the democratic right to protest, it came on #dayx3. As thetuition fees bill was passed, the Metropolitan Police kettled protestersin Parliament Square and on Westminster Bridge for eight hours.The next day’s newspapers ignored the horrors of the kettle, choosinginstead to regard the brief scare encountered by Prince Charles theDuchess of Cornwall as the day’s only story. In the parliamentarydebate later that day, Home Secretary Theresa May reiterated in theHouse of Commons three times that there had been no kettle inParliament Square – regurgitating, no doubt, the information passedto her by the Met.
Tied up in this web of establishment self-preservation is a key myth:unlike those hot-headed foreigners, British people “just don’t do”protest, proceeding with calm, Whiggish decorum – though the entirehistory of progress and change in this country proves otherwise.
As James Butler writes, “the rotting sump of hereditary privilege”still presides over this sceptred isle. Is it any wonder that thisgovernment’s ideological cuts target the poorest members of society,when 18 of the 23 members of the cabinet are millionaires? YetButler’s phrase should not lull us into thinking the establishment isnot canny in its ability to adapt to new threats to its power: and inthe tactical brutality of the Police kettle, we have its newestincarnation. It is up to us – as it has been throughout British history– to stay one step ahead.
The State and Violence
196
Riotous Protest – an EnglishtraditionDaniel Trilling, New Statesman
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
197
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
198
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
199
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
200
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
201
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
202
Riotous Protest – an English tradition
203
Sharing The Pain: Theemotional politics ofausterity and its opponentsJeremy Gilbert, New Statesman
Keep Calm and Carry On?
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
204
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
205
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
206
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
207
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
208
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
209
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
210
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
211
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
212
Sharing The Pain: The emotional politics of austerity and its opponents
213
The Media, the police andprotest: now both sides ofthe story can be reportedRyan Gallagher, openDemocracy
The Media, the police and protest: now both sides of the story can be reported
214
The Media, the police and protest: now both sides of the story can be reported
215
The Media, the police and protest: now both sides of the story can be reported
216
The military response todirect action, GeneralKitson's manualTom Griffin, openDemocracy
The military response to direct action, General Kitson's manual
217
The military response to direct action, General Kitson's manual
218
The military response to direct action, General Kitson's manual
219
The military response to direct action, General Kitson's manual
220
The military response to direct action, General Kitson's manual
221
Image of the YearJames Butler, Pierce Penniless
Image of the Year
222
Image of the Year
223
Image of the Year
224
Image of the Year
225
Image of the Year
226
Image of the Year
227
Geographies of the Kettle:Containment, Spectacle &Counter-StrategyRory Rowan, Critical Legal Thinking
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
228
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
229
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
230
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
231
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
232
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
233
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
234
Geographies of the Kettle: Containment, Spectacle & Counter-Strategy
235
THE TRADE UNIONS
Recent British history tells us that the institutions at the heart ofpopular protest are the trade unions – though many protesters werenot even born at the time of the miners’ strike, let alone in the winterof discontent or earlier. With a few exceptions, the leadership of thetrade unions were almost comically slow to react to the threats toworking people presented by this government. Students laughed, thensighed, that while they were organising occupations and almostweekly mass demonstrations, union leaders were planning to do theirbit by scheduling a protest for the end of March.
‘The revolution will already be over by then!’ some joked. Slowly thereality of the situation dawned, and Unite leader Len McCluskeypenned a comment piece for The Guardian suggesting that theywould have to make up for lost time. With 490,000 public sectorredundancies predicted for the lifetime of this parliament, the studentprotest movement will need the solidarity of trade unions – andwants it too. On whose terms this happens is very much up for grabs;but the students have certainly set the pace.
The Trade Unions
236
Unions, get set for battleLen McCluskey, The Guardian
Len McCluskey is General Secretary of Unite
Unions, get set for battle
237
Unions, get set for battle
238
Unions, get set for battle
239
Just what does the Guardianthink trade unions are for?Keith Ewing, openDemocracy
Just what does the Guardian think trade unions are for?
240
Just what does the Guardian think trade unions are for?
241
Just what does the Guardian think trade unions are for?
242
Comment on Keith EwingJohn Stuttle, openDemocracy
Comment on Keith Ewing
243
Comment on Keith Ewing
244
Comment on Keith Ewing
245
THE AESTHETICSSound and vision in the protest movement
Protest in the era of mass culture is nothing without its aesthetics –the wit, imagery, sonics and imagination of the protesters provide anoutlet for their creativity, and the tools for their rebellion. As AdamHarper notes, aesthetics are both the means and the manifestation ofprotest. This is true of the hilarious, cutting home-made protest signsphotographed by Jesse Darling, and in the zeitgeist-capturing musicof the EMA kids, for whom rebellion means the right to celebratetheir culture by dancing in Parliament Square – while they aredenied the same right closer to home in ‘the banlieues of London’.Ultimately, as Harper argues, protest aesthetics mean forging theright to construct a new vision of reality – and it’s exciting, it’screative, and above all, it’s subversive.
The Aesthetics
246
On [Protest] Signs & theSignifiedJesse Darling, Brave New What
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
247
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
248
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
249
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
250
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
251
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
252
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
253
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
254
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
255
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
256
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
257
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
258
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
259
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
260
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
261
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
262
On [Protest] Signs & the Signified
263
This is our riot: POW!Dan Hancox
This is our riot: POW!
264
This is our riot: POW!
265
This is our riot: POW!
266
This is our riot: POW!
267
This is our riot: POW!
268
Images of Reality andStudent SurrealismAdam Harper, Rouges Foam
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
269
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
270
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
271
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
272
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
273
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
274
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
275
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
276
Images of Reality and Student Surrealism
277
THE GENERATIONSOld politics and new movements
The spectre of the 68ers looms large over the current protests – partlybecause of the schematic similarities to that movement, and perhapsmore so, because the veterans of that era are of exactly the right ageto be passing comment on the current wave of youth uprisings; aspoliticians, academics and journalists. Yet what has been strikingabout this student movement has been its eagerness to shed suchcomparisons with 1968, despite its romance, and to learn from thelessons of its predecessors. The relationship between this generationand those who hold the reins of power (mainstream or otherwise)remains part of an ongoing debate. The left-wing parties, with theirmore traditional hierarchies and decision-making processes, havebeen the subject of hostility from some of the student protesters, whofear they will seek to ‘take over’ what remains a strikingly leaderlessmovement, and do so for their own ends. As long as this debateremains comradely, and the broad goals the same, it is one that willcontinue to be voiced in public. As Anthony Barnett concludes, thetens has every possibility to trump the sixties – not least because“what is on offer from the political system today seems exhausted, itsinstitutions corrupted, its constitution a shambles, and reinventionessential”.
The Generations
278
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the‘Sixties’?Anthony Barnett, New Statesman
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
279
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
280
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
281
Class conscious
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
282
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
283
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
284
Tough choices all round
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
285
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
286
Who's radical now?
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
287
Will the ‘Tens’ trump the ‘Sixties’?
288
The New Sound of theStreetsGerry Hassan, The Scotsman
The New Sound of the Streets
289
The New Sound of the Streets
290
The New Sound of the Streets
291
The New Sound of the Streets
292
The Morning After The FightBeforeNick Pearce, IPPR
The Morning After The Fight Before
293
The Morning After The Fight Before
294
The Morning After The Fight Before
295
Out with the old politicsLaurie Penny, The Guardian
Out with the old politics
296
Out with the old politics
297
Out with the old politics
298
Is the students’ conflictintergenerational?Maeve McKeown, UCL Occupation Blog
The Theory
Is the students’ conflict intergenerational?
299
Is the students’ conflict intergenerational?
300
The Practice
Is the students’ conflict intergenerational?
301
Is the students’ conflict intergenerational?
302
Is the students’ conflict intergenerational?
303
AFTERWORDS
Afterwords
304
Why we shouldn’t centralisethe student movement:protest, tactics and waysforwardMarkus Malarkey, Ceasefire
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
305
Pot vs. kettle
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
306
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
307
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
308
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
309
Organised autonomy, not centralised control
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
310
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
311
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
312
Why we shouldn’t centralise the student movement: protest, tactics and ways forward
313
What next for the UK'sstudent movement?Guy Aitchison, openDemocracy
What next for the UK's student movement?
314
What next for the UK's student movement?
315
What next for the UK's student movement?
316
What next for the UK's student movement?
317
What next for the UK's student movement?
318
What next for the UK's student movement?
319
APPENDICES
Appendices
320
Campaigns and Resources
Arts Against Cuts
Coalition of Resistance
Earth First
Educational Activist Network
False Economy
Campaigns and Resources
321
Green and Black Cross
Hacktivista
Indymedia occupation archive
Indymedia
National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts
Network X
Campaigns and Resources
322
REEL News
Right to Resist
RiseUp
Save EMA
UK Uncut
University for Strategic Optimism
Campaigns and Resources
323
DiscussionThe Great Unrest
LibCom
Liberal Conspiracy
London Review of Books
New Left Project
New Statesman
Discussion
324
OurKingdom
The Student Journals
The Third Estate
Discussion
325
326
Sixty Second Legal CheckListThird Estate
Sixty Second Legal Check List
327
Sixty Second Legal Check List
328
Green and Black Bust CardThird Estate
Green and Black Bust Card
329
Green and Black Bust Card
330
GBC LEGAL TEAM: 07946 541 511 BINDMANSSOLICITORS: 020 7833 4433
Green and Black Bust Card
331
Occupation Cheat SheetThird Estate
So, you want to have an occupation?
Choosing a location
Occupation Cheat Sheet
332
Formulating Demands
Occupation Cheat Sheet
333
Starting the occupation
Internal Politics
Occupation Cheat Sheet
334
Media
Occupation Cheat Sheet
335
Wellbeing
Occupation as an open space
Occupation Cheat Sheet
336
Supporting other occupations
Ending the occupation
Occupation Cheat Sheet
337
Resources
Occupation Cheat Sheet
338
Occupation Cheat Sheet
339
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