[Ssf] some thoughts, ideas, comments

@mparo robin_amparo at tiscali.co.uk
Wed Jan 12 20:33:43 GMT 2005


> Wouldn’t it be great if by addressing these issues we get these guys 
> involved and watch as they begin to look at the much bigger picture:
> global poverty, enviromental degradation, etc.
> 
> Much of this agenda has been driven by a few incredible individuals,
> if we start to replicate the worst of the global action groups, etc,
> we will get many more people, after all it's much more ‘sexy’ to 
> campaign on global debt .

> . Another issue is that this year thousands of
>> pensioners will die of hypothermia, some in Sheffield, many more
>> live in real abject, (not relative poverty) others are isolated and
>> afraid. What rewards are these for lifetime of work and often war
>> service?  Again because of the respect we are starting to get, a 
>> significant person working with very old people has offered to
>> speak at one of our future meetings  Yet, another example is that
>> many of us have recently met what may be described as angry young
>> men, working class, these men have largely, though not exclusively 
>> been angry, about what is happening to their city: the yuppies,
>> crime, new deal, regeneration. Wouldn’t it be great if by
>> addressing these issues we get these guys involved and watch as
>> they begin to look at the much bigger picture: global poverty,
>> enviromental degradation, etc.


debt campaign is both local and global (at least, national), correct me
if i misunderstand your statements, Dave,
You seem to advice not to jump on wagons meaning campaigns already
started , but joining or supporting a national campaign such as anti-ID
does not mean reduplicating efforts, but giving Sheffield a presence,
where such organizations do not have representatives or local groups
working on the subject.
Otherwise, i don't hold prejudices against persons or groups which i
don't know and are willing to travel to us, not to persuade us but to
inform: so far not only no2id has been interested, but also other
persons who do not find support for that civil liberties campaign in
Sheffield. To coordinate actions together with Manchester , Liverpool or
Leeds would mean that Sheffield Social Forum is not disregarded or
discarded by these associations (i don't hold prejudices against 
anarchist groups either)


Local and national don't have to clash, as you say, caring about civil
liberties does not collude with looking after the elderly. Beware anyway
that many government-subsidized groups are already are work on these
local issues, using volunteers and so on: SSF work in those areas could be
really redundant if not out of place, or manipulated, since as i 
understand it SSF is
not a charity .
That is why i dropped the idea of socializing with time banks in
Sheffield and beyond.
But on the other hand SSF is small and other campaigns are large and
would fight perhaps for political power in the future.
Amparo


> mple is that many of us have recently met
>>> what may be described as angry young men, working class, these
>>> men have largely, though not exclusively been angry, about what
>>> is happening to their city: the yuppies, crime, new deal,
>>> regeneration. Wouldn’t it be great if by addressing these issues
>>> we get these guys involved and watch as they begin to look at the
>>> much bigger picture: global poverty, enviromental degradation,
>>> etc.


crime, new deal, regeneration: these are all governmental schedules,
lots of money invested in these directions during the last few years. By
the way, what happened to the Outreach community groups plan, drawn up
by Kev in September 2003? Any contacts made with all these different
community forums and associations?

Myself i have marked "Sheffield Women Against the War" and Gleadless
Valley community forum, for strategic reasons (we live in Gleadless).

But the bigger picture contains the small picture, imo, the microcosmos
reflects the macrocosmos, i mean, you can't just happily collect
blankets for the isolated elderly forgetting at the same time that by
doing so without further analysis you are just contributing to the
poverty system which has led the old to that situation, a system which
wants to persevere by imposing idcards and national data bases thus
curtailing action of all, including our community forums, our SSF and
our democracy cafe. We cannot be blind to the general environment.

Amparo





dave thompson wrote:
> Hello All,
> 
> It’s really great that there has been a burst of enthusiasm for the
> SSF after the Xmas break, there is a real need for a new political
> entity and I am convinced the SF model could be the long-term answer.
>  In the short term, we clearly need to get new people involved, get
> our name around more and develop creative and inclusive ways of
> campaigning and networking. I think we also have to really think 
> through our attitude to organising events, but particularly
> publicity, something I have realised after the benefits meeting.
> However, while it is totally understandable and commendable, that our
>  thoughts turn to global inequalities in this already tumultuous
> year, and with the G8 coming to the UK, I do wonder if we need to
> pause for thought just a little about our future direction.
> 
> Many of the newly proposed activities are largely national campaigns,
> (as I accept is the benefits one to some extent) which other groups
> are already campaigning and networking on. Surely, we do not want to
> duplicate their work. Perhaps one way forward is that when such
> groups have major meetings we can say it was supported by the SSF or
> we can within our limited means help a group off the ground. While we
>  should certainly work with a wide variety of people and orgs, I also
> think we have to be careful who we get involved with though. One of
> the leading lights (the secretary) in the admittedly broad N2ID
> campaign is none other than Guy Taylor of Globalise Resistance/SWP
> infamy, moving on now GR is a dead duck. Another interesting partner
> is the Freedom Association, a very right think tank who Thatcher once
>  praised in relation to the 70’s Grunwick industrial dispute as being
> ‘the best thing to happen since the Israeli Army went into Entebbe’
> and UKIP…
> 
> I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but imo, one of our
> strengths is that we haven’t been jumping on every bandwagon as it
> were, particularly the really high profile ones such as the G8,
> taking an easy way to growth, etc and becoming a mini GR. Instead
> through diligent hard work, slogging  and application, we are getting
> some respect in the city: for instance I have been asked to speak at
> the next Church Poverty Action Group meeting on the threatened
> disability benefits cuts. Another issue is that this year thousands
> of pensioners will die of hypothermia, some in Sheffield, many more
> live in real abject, (not relative poverty) others are isolated and
> afraid. What rewards are these for lifetime of work and often war
> service?  Again because of the respect we are starting to get, a 
> significant person working with very old people has offered to speak
> at one of our future meetings  Yet, another example is that many of
> us have recently met what may be described as angry young men,
> working class, these men have largely, though not exclusively been
> angry, about what is happening to their city: the yuppies, crime, new
> deal, regeneration. Wouldn’t it be great if by addressing these
> issues we get these guys involved and watch as they begin to look at
> the much bigger picture: global poverty, enviromental degradation,
> etc.
> 
> Much of this agenda has been driven by a few incredible individuals,
> if we start to replicate the worst of the global action groups, etc,
> we will get many more people, after all it's much more ‘sexy’ to 
> campaign on global debt .However, I don’t want to prejudge, but from
> past experience,  I suspect that if we adopt such an agenda, for the
> new members, pensioners in Sheffield, disability benefits or even 
> regeneration in burngreave may not be too high on their agendas.
> Something I witnessed when giving out leaflets for the disability
> meeting at the last PSC benefit.
> 
> For me one promising avenue is building up our relationship with the
> cultural groups such as PITP and the lantern carnival folk, deepening
> and strengthening those links. But at the time reaching out to other 
> networks and individuals whose main interests may not yet be civil
> liberties, the environment or peace and war, but their homes,
> livelihoods, their communities and their future. I do think the
> democracy café though not strictly the SSF can be a real asset in
> getting more people interested in our ideas and values. Why not use
> various venues? including ones in more marginal areas. In terms of
> internationalism I really think we (and PITP?) could link up with
> another SF perhaps in Africa or S.Americas developing real organic
> links and solidarity. I am not dishing peoples ideas and I am really
> not saying we shouldn’t be organising G8 stuff,etc, I just think we
> have to be aware of our strengths and limitations (at least for the
> moment.) Perhaps a balance of the local and global would be for the
> best.
> 
> Finally, we cannot do this without more/new people so lets get
> publicising our meetings, café, events etc,
> 
> Regards
> 
> Dave T
> 
> 




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