Anarchist Federation: Bring on the Clowns!

The Skedaddler in English Political Life

Chris Draper writes in his review of anarchism in the UK titled 'Anarchist Fed.: Under the Pavement Politics:

'In 2011, Comrade Heath {long term boss of the Anarchist Fed.} declared "We have to be seen as a serious movement, not one viewed as ineffectual and passive, riddled with dilettantes and cranks".'

It would be interesting to learn what the Anarchist Federation has done to bring this about; beyond getting a Manchester Museum to ban people like Barry Woodling, a participant in the Northern Anarchist Network, and a journalist associated with the regional news and cultural publication Northern Voices.  Perhaps in 2012, Barry Woodling was accused at the Manchester Anarchist Bookfair in the People's History Museum, by Nick Heath and others, of being an 'anti-Semite', simply because he is a lapsed Jew who eats non-Kosher food like bacon butties, and has in the past been witnessed taking part in anti-Zionist demos outside Marks & Spencer. 

Who knows?

The fact is Mr. Heath excels himself not so much at political and social activism but rather at political intrigue and manipulation.  By being in their own words 'semi-secretive' how could it be otherwise?  I wager that few of the readers of the Northern Voices' Blog will have ever heard of the 'Anarchist Fed.' .  Certainly it is hard to find in which campaigns they have been active in, and being objectively 'anti-trade union' they do not seem to have participated in the campaign against the Blacklist in the British building trade or even to have shown their faces on a picket.  I may be wrong about this but usually such groups as theirs declare themselves 'anti-Fascist' which gives them the excuse of keeping their heads down for fear of being noticed by 'Red Watch'.

In truth, as one of their number said in an earlier comment, the only agency the members of the Anarchist Fed. fear is the Chartered Institute of Personnel Officers and Human Resources Managers. They fear this institution because what they want above anything is to preserve their jobs and pensions:  you will struggle to find any of these heroic persons on a blacklist anywhere and that is why they so hate the nick-name many of them have earned - 'Skedaddler'.