I went to the first of two days of the Anarchist Movement Conference in London but having just moved house three days before I had to hot-foot-it back to Gloucester on the Sunday.
We were split into groups of as diverse as the organisers could manage and allocated rooms and facilitators. If the group wanted to change the facilitators they could but they were asked to stick to the same groups all weekend.
We were suggested topics to cover like whether or not there is an anarchists movement in Britain and whether talk of 'class' is still relevant.
Our group had some interesting conversations on race, gender, class, and 'what works and what doesn't'. Few of us were particularly excited by the idea of an anarchist 'movement'.
I was dissapointed that some had the same mentality as the centralists "we need greater unity" they said: except the mantra of fascists and national socialists everywhere.
I was disappointed that we didn't break new ground as a group and all the more disappointed not to make it to the Sunday when perhaps we might have. I may never know.
The conference was due to end with all the groups re-joining for a plenary and I hear back from two others that this was a much more constructive day. I suspected as much.
We were promised at the outset that a written report would follow. When it does you will see it here...
On a personal note I met Gerrard from Tolstoyans (UK), and Dan from Jewdas.org . Also I left about 25 copies of 'A Pinch of Salt: Issue 19' on the table and they went like hot cakes. If they were removed by someone anti-Christian then I hope they recycled them! At least one made it into safe hands since I got an email from a new reader who happens to have been the protestor mentioned in Dan Stork Banks' report on AWE. He's going to pen a reply.
