Thursday 19 March 2015

Who Killed FREEDOM?: an update: March 2015

by Chris Draper
IN 2014, the world’s oldest radical newspaper, FREEDOM, ceased publication.  In February 2015 I identified the culprits and causes of its destruction in a ten-page critique, 'Who Killed FREEDOM?'  Angry members of the collective attempted to portray my critique as mere personal criticism and proffered no substantive refutation, excepting the claim by Simon Saunders that, 'readership of the paper remained broadly stable from the time Vernon (Richards) died (2001) until it closed – around 300-400.'  More typical responses endorsed my analysis and forwarded supplementary evidence.  As a brief update I summarise a small selection of these new insights:

1.  In response to Saunders’ claim, I’ve been reliably informed that in the summer of 2003, Toby Crowe, the editor responsible for introducing FREEDOM’s controversial 'class-first' regime addressing a meeting at Height Gate, Hebden Bridge claimed, 'that the circulation of FREEDOM was then around 800 copies.'

2.  It appears the destructive implications of regime-change engineered by Toby Crowe were presciently anticipated in Spring 2004 by Jonathan Simcock of Total Liberty in the magazine’s editorial column:
'Sadly, the longstanding flagship of British Anarchist journals, namely FREEDOM, has increasingly abandoned the broader church of Anarchist ideas, and has metamorphosed into a poorer version of Black Flag.'

In the following edition, Simcock rammed home his analysis and critique:
'To reach ordinary people Anarchist papers need to re-evaluate Anarchist ideas and to hold an open debate. I am afraid the regular dose of 19th century Marxist and Class Struggle dominated viewpoints to be seen in FREEDOM will repel not attract people to anarchism. FREEDOM has lost its way.'

3.  A third correspondent offered a graphic illustration of the regime’s determined imposition of its collective will, not only on recent contributors but also on FREEDOM’s political legacy.  Colin Ward’s 1971 classic statement of peaceful, constructive libertarianism, 'Anarchy in Action' was, in 2008, given a makeover insurrectionary cover featuring hooded youths and an anonymous “anarchist” lobbing a missile.  A grotesque, perversion of the political philosophy of an author who believed, 'Ideas not armies change the face of the world,' whose self-declared intention was, 'to put anarchism back into the intellectual bloodstream, into the field of ideas which are taken seriously.' 

4.  An example of FREEDOM’s abuse of editorial responsibility so upset one subscriber that he recalled the incident (and forwarded the evidence to me) fully 5 years after the event, though not themselves the injured party.
'I have been a subscriber to FREEDOM for some 30 years at least, and so it is with sadness that I have decided I no longer want to receive the paper', wrote Ian Pirie to FREEDOM in January 2010. 'Two recent issues of the paper finally made me realise I had enough.'

Mr Pirie, whose father, incidentally had subscribed to FREEDOM long before him, was no longer prepared to put up with the paper’s use of gratuitously offensive language and celebration of violence.
 
Pirie cited recent publication of the 'Bookfair Song' with its first line ending 'you cunts', asking 'How are you going to get anarchism a broader public if you print such sexist and frankly juvenile, stuff?'  ('It’s the place to settle scores / And you know you’re getting yours” and “our scene is not a playground / For wankers to hang out').

Pirie further cited an article by Ian Bone praising the group Os Cangaceiros, who apparently 'join demos armed with sling-shots, rice flails and an array of martial arts weapons' and linked in the paper with Mesrine, described in the same issue as a 'loony who killed two policemen…beat his wife up…kidnapped and tortured a journalist.'

Wondering 'What has this thuggery got to do with anarchism?' Pirie concluded; 'I will continue to do my best to propagate the positive and constructive aspects of anarchist politics where I can. But FREEDOM is no longer any help to me in doing this.'

Rather than reflect on the implications of loosing yet another long-time subscriber the paper printed a mocking response from “Gawain the cunt Williams” (his self-chosen appellation) of the 'Whitechapel Anarchist Group':
'Ian Pirie wrote how this paper no longer represented his liberal whining politics because it printed the word ““cunt”” and apparently his pacifist eyes couldn’t handle it…  Throughout the ‘70s the feminist movement fought against its use. I wasn’t around then so I don’t know if cunt actually meant cleft of venus then, but I know that since I’ve been on this earth it sure as fuck hasn’t. Instead it describes people who are muppets, arses, tossers…  People who hate the word cunt seem to hate it because they’re tired of being called one or because they’re middle class cunts trying to impose some sense of decency on working class men…Makhno was a great anarchist because he used to shoot people. If you can’t handle people being called cunts then how are you going to handle an article about Mahkno?...  Finally, Mr Pirie, maybe you should realise that if the word cunt offends you so much it might be because you are in fact…a cunt. FREEDOM’s been doing a cracking job under its new editors.'!

Future updates will include observations and conclusions from inside the final collective and the Board of 'FRIENDS OF FREEDOM PRESS'.  For now I’m content to leave readers to contemplate the implications of an editorial collective that derides the constructive, intellectually respectable anarchism of Colin Ward as 'reeking of allotments, of forgetting class, of irrelevance and reformism' yet receives such glowing commendation from Gawain “the cunt” Williams.

Christopher Draper, Llandudno

7 comments:

Flo Rider said...

I checked that "reeking of allotments" quote and it comes from here: http://libcom.org/blog/rob-ray/freedom-background-part-one-unwilling-editor-05102006.

where he's clearly not lauding the idea, just explaining what some people thought about the old Freedom at the time. And that paragraph is followed by the line "this move had severely weakened the structure of the paper," which is hardly a ringing endorsement.

If you want his personal thoughts on Ward, they can be found on the same blog, just a little further on, which actively praises Ward's work:

http://libcom.org/blog/it-worth-protesting-against-council-cuts-03032011

Richard P. Griffin said...

I notice that you didn't mention my contribution. I wrote for Freedom when Toby was editor (and Simon) and also for Total Liberty. I had no problem getting articles published in Freedom on a range of topics from architecture to play to supermarkets to gardening. I interviewed Clifford Harper. I reviewed music and films. I even wrote so etbing about skateboarding. Not really traditional class war stuff. I was also involved with Jonathan and the AIG then. The reason for Toby attending Hebden was because the paper saw itself as part of a movement. I dont recognise the picture you paint.

Bottom line - rather than spending hours on this why don't you produce and distribute something along the lines you think Freedom should have taken? Anarchy in action.

If anyone else on this list is interested in doung sonething constructive we are starting planning this years Black Flag. All contributions welcome although BF is unaplogetically anarchocommunist.

Iain McKay said...

Just to echo Richard's comments... also to note: "Angry members of the collective attempted to portray my critique as mere personal criticism and proffered no substantive refutation" I'm glad to see that members of the Freedom collective have echoed my comments on these disgraceful emails being no more than personal attacks. I have written for Freedom but never been a member of the collective -- I have always found the editors to be open to printing articles from many viewpoints and they regularly put things into the paper I wish they hadn't. The notion that Freedom closed its doors to other views is wrong -- it opened them and this seemed bother the reformist-liberals (as can be seen from the quotes from Jonathan Simcock below). "It appears the destructive implications of regime-change engineered by Toby Crowe were presciently anticipated in Spring 2004 by Jonathan Simcock of Total Liberty in the magazine’s editorial column:'Sadly, the longstanding flagship of British Anarchist journals, namely FREEDOM, has increasingly abandoned the broader church of Anarchist ideas, and has metamorphosed into a poorer version of Black Flag.'" Better a "poorer version of Black Flag" is far better than being a poorer version of "Total Liberty" (which showed how well it knew anarchism by proclaiming the so-called "Libertarian Alliance" as allies!). As for "the broader church" (church, really?) of anarchism, Freedom regularly put in articles from a wide range of views -- which provoked responses from other readers. In the following edition, Simcock rammed home his analysis and critique:'To reach ordinary people Anarchist papers need to re-evaluate Anarchist ideas and to hold an open debate. I am afraid the regular dose of 19th century Marxist and Class Struggle dominated viewpoints to be seen in FREEDOM will repel not attract people to anarchism. FREEDOM has lost its way.' The notion that class struggle has something to do with "19th century Marxist" views is pretty ignorant of the views of the anarchists who founded Freedom in 1886 -- and relaunched it in 1936. It is nice to see that Simcock would not be happy to see Freedom opened up to the likes of, say, Kropotkin... And what of "Total Liberty"? If this analysis were accurate then that should have gone from strength to strength. If I remember correctly, it became "Anarchist Voices" -- does that still exist? I can find issues up to 2010 on-line. It looks like it "lost its way" long before Freedom did... As Richard noted, "Black Flag" is still going and if you want to do something constructive for anarchism in the UK rather than ignorantly slang others off, we would like to hear from you. It's is, as noted, an anarcho-communist paper -- in the same way that Freedom was when Kropotkin helped found it. The major problem with the movement seems to be an unwillingness for people to get actively involved in projects -- that is the fundamental reason why Freedom is no more. Perhaps rather than produce nasty little attacks on individuals, perhaps a more constructive activity could be found? Show us all how it is done... that would be a nice change. Iain

Editor said...

Richard P.Griffin writes: 'I notice that you didn't mention my contribution.'

The truth is that he sent his original 'contribution' as an e-mail & not as a 'comment'. Therefore the author of the original post 'Who Killed Freedom: update' hadn't seen his 'contribution' when he wrote it, & consequently couldn't be expected to include it in his piece.

Brian Bamford said...

Iain McKay writes: 'The major problem ... seems to be an unwillingness for people to get actively involved in projects'.

Typically Mr McKay & Mr Griffin's comments display a London-centric view of Chris Draper's dissection of the death of Freedom. Draper is based in North Wales & the editors of the NV Blog come from Greater Manchester. It's nice to be patronised by folk in London, but it shows a lack of geographical & political grasp. Perhaps they aren't aware that the two editors of this Blog, as officers of Tameside TUC, have just published 'Boys on the Blacklist' about our Northern decade-long campaign against blacklisting in the British building trade? It's already been re-printed twice and is selling to trade unionists across the country, as well as in Wales and Scotland. We have even had praise from the London-based Blacklist Support Group (founded in 2009). We rest our case!

Martin G. said...

Loved your latest post to the central committee of the Class Warriors.

Editor said...

We, in the Northern Voices' affinity group, would welcome a forensic response or indeed any kind of penetrating challenge to Christopher Draper's long-running critique, & postmortem examination of the death of the Freedom newspaper. This could come from the Freedom Press collective or from the Friends of Freedom Press, if this body still functions?