Saturday, 24 October 2015
Chris Draper & Freedom!
CHRIS Draper's forensic analysis of the demise of the Freedom newspaper is excellently researched and demonstrates the culpability of the Freedom Collective. It deserves to be widely read throughout the libertarian movement.
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12 comments:
What a pile of shite from scab-admirer Draper
What witty, erudite analysis. By their fruits ye shall know them...
This comment typifies the impoverished level of debate that sadly now passes for anarchist politics in Britain. It is also significant that the sad individual who can only muster such incoherent invective prefers to remain anonymous, ashamed of their own opinions and consumed by rage and self-doubt.
For Peace, Love and Anarchy
Christopher Draper, Llandudno
Dear Chris,
have a look at the new bookfair edition of Freedom if you can. There are some very interesting articles in it, on topics that are the subject of interesting debates within the anarchist movement. You can always email the editor to send you a copy, and apparently dear old Brian took one from the stall and gave a 50p donation so I'm sure he could send you it over once he's finished with it!!
To be honest your critique of anonymity doesn't really hold water. There is a long history of pseudonyms and anonymous writing in the history of the anarchist movement, for example Maurice Brinton. In addition there are many valid reasons for wanting to remain anonymous, one being the fact that unfortunately you can still get trouble at work for practising anarchist politics, or come to the attention of the very scary National Domestic Extremism Unit. The aforementioned Maurice Brinton used a pseudonym because he was a leading neurosurgeon. I understand that you are retired and so do not have this worry, but for many anarchists it is a real issue.
For Rage, Revolution and Anarchy
Anonymous, Hull
I think Chris Draper should be congratulated for exposing the frightful mess at Freedom Press. A board of trustees (Friends of Freedom Press, F.F.P.) found to be asleep on the job, while a bunch of useless tossers, run amok and have turned the building, into an 'anarcho-hang-out! If this is how so-called anarchists, run a magazine, then spare us all, from an anarchist society.
However, while Draper seems to blame the 'oiks' and 'morons' of the Freedom collective, for much of this debacle at Freedom Press, this is not where I feel blame ultimately lies. The fundamental question, is who brought these people on board in the first place?
The recent Private Eye article, quite rightly referred to a 'somnolent' FFP, but it was the Freedom veteran, Donald Roum, who seems to have had his hand on the tiller, for much of the time, and who made, most of the appointments. Donald may well have thought the Rev. Toby Crowe,(definitely not an oik with a name like that), a 'big strong boy', but is this a sufficient qualification, to edit an anarchist magazine. And Toby, seems to have been one of Roum's better appointments after the collective,gave Freedom editor, Charlie Crute, the heave-ho, to make way for one of their cronies.
Given that the trustees barely met before Draper gave them a kick up the arse, should anybody be really surprised at what has been going on at Freedom Press. They're lucky they've got any assets left.
Dear ****, Anonymity doesn’t generally deserve a response but as your epistle is polite, if also patronising and ill-informed, I guess there’s a chance you are sincere.
Anonymity should be anathema to anarchists. The arguments are similar to coming out as gay. Anonymity essentially reinforces societal mechanisms of oppression and undermines solidarity of the oppressed. I’ve been an anarchist for almost fifty years and always “out” as such and in my own name. I taught in state schools for several decades and was black-listed by two left-wing Labour education authorities as a result but was also influential and well-supported. It strikes me as hypocritical that anyone should claim to be an anarchist seeking revolutionary change in society yet balk at “getting into trouble at work”.
To claim anarchist lineage for anonymity by citing someone (Maurice Brinton/ Christopher Pallis) who always rejected the label “Anarchist” merely exemplifies ignorance.
Although Kropotkin, Goldman, Rocker and countless other anarchists were pursued around the world they rarely resorted to anonymity. There can be circumstances necessitating secrecy but posting abuse on the web isn’t one of them and neither is editing an anarchist newspaper. Until “Rob Ray” assumed control of FREEDOM in 2005 none of the previous editors since 1886 had demanded anonymity and I thus joyfully outed him as, in real life, Simon Saunders the “Morning Star’s” computer games correspondent.
Only in recent years has anonymity become widespread in “anarchist” circles. In diminishing personality and accountability and also undermining friendship and co-operation the practice has proved extremely corrosive and is antithetical to anarchism.
For Peace, Love & Anarchy
Christopher Draper, Llandudno
So there you go, DP and Zyzzyzus Floridanus, Draper's saying you have no personalities, and that you're corrosive and antithetical to anarchism. Of course his utter disregard for other people's privacy is as nonsensical and a-historical as it is pompous (Kropotkin regularly used aliases and writing pseudonyms, such as Mr Levashoff, while Emma Goldman used the alias Mrs Jacob A Kersner to get into the US), but it must be nice to know what he thinks of you.
The use of initials like 'DP' can be a give away. In the 1960s at the time of the second series of apprentice strikes in engineering, when I edited 'Industrial Youth', I had occasion to use 'BB' on one article and 'JP' in another. The Economic League had no difficulty in decoding either. And one employer in Oldham distributed a newsletter from the Economic League suggesting that BB = Brian Bamford & JP = James Pinkerton. The League's report said that we were friends, and that Jim & me were both members of the Syndicalist Workers Federation. I suspect that Donald Rooum and others at Freedom will be no less adroit that the League in decoding 'DP'.
Draper spends hours in Llandudno Library ogling the young female staff and fondling himself, a vile pervert, his opinions have no value whatsoever
Draper wanks in the library toilets
Draper should stop creeping out the women and fondling himself in Llandudno library
Creepy bastard
Draper ogles women in the library
Draper has the world's biggest collection of beige jumpers
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