Monday 20 June 2016

Adam Barr's Northern Ancestors etc?

Hi Brian (Bamford),

So first of all, you shouldn't make assumptions about people's backgrounds. I come from Hull, and am a proud Northerner. My grandad was a docker, and my other grandad was an upholsterer, as is my Dad. I am the first in my family to get the opportunity to go to university. Unfortunately my Dad failed his eleven plus and so only has one measly O level in woodworking. The fact he didn't get to the opportunity to go to university has been a source of great frustration to him. Please don't think I'm from the home counties or middle class. I'm really not. Also my name isn't double barreled! My middle name comes from my Grandad (the upholsterer one not the docker.)

It wasn't really a spat with Nick Heath btw, we just disagreed. It happens sometimes.

I bring up these organisations because they are on the Freedom Collective, and send delegates to our monthly meetings. They have input on what we publish and occasionally contribute to our output. Far from Freedom basking in the glory of these groups, they are a vital part of the collective. You seem willfully misinformed as to how things are here.

I have no idea which Friend you are referring to? Financing certainly is an issue and it's something we've been doing work on. I've been involved with Freedom for about three years (not that it really matters) so of course things that happened before that are before me time! They couldn't be anything else. It is certainly true that large donations we're apparently squandered, it's a source of great frustration to me that I have to run a freesheet and website on no money. Luckily we've got the 500 pounds together that we need for the website redesign so I'm very happy about that!

I've also read a lot of NV content, some of it is quite good, other bits rather lacking.  I especially like your focus on blacklisting, something that has affected a number of family friends.

From what I understand, again please correct me if I'm wrong, you've spent a good number of years feuding with various people associated with Freedom because you once had a disagreement with an old editor?  Seems a little petty to be honest with you.

I don't particularly care about your past. I care about what you're doing now. And what you're doing now is awful. I think I particular low point was the piece you had published in Private Eye, although that was probably authored by Chris Draper. What an uncomradely thing to do. I'd be really upset if I didn't already think you were a piece of shit.

By the way, I'd be interested to hear what you thought about the freesheet you picked up at the last London Anarchist Bookfair? I can also send you a copy of the new freesheet if you'd like to take a look. It's got a great piece from the Glasgow Anarchist Collective in it about their work against homelessness.

I'd extend you're criticism of the Friends of Freedom Press out from simply a matter of geographical location. Why is there only one woman? Where are the people of colour? Where are the trans people? Where are the disabled? Where are the queers? You've put forward a list of four white men.

Your proposal is a vague, ill thought out load of rubbish. Not much more to say about it.

Again, don't make assumptions on me or my class background. Don't make assumptions as to the class backgrounds of the members of the collective. You're wrong on both counts.

9 comments:

antigr0up said...

Is that a spoof? Last time he was calling people unanarchist. Now they're uncomradely.
The freesheet left much to be desired. Freedom's trailblazing reporter didn't even give the impending AGM a mention in their freesheet. Nothing on the website either.
Don't you think is time you and the collective started doing what Andy ('evening all) keeps on telling outsiders, that it's there to serve "the movement"? How Andy or the rest of you can say this is a complete mystery because since he got the job in 2007 neither him or the collective have ever consulted with the anarchist milieux. Now you're keeping it quiet by avoiding
Perhaps some of the collective and other Angel Alley collaborators who espouse consciousness-raising, public accountability and consensus building could give the Freedom vangardists the necessary tools to start doing their job. Preferably not those who intimidate members of the FFP to the point where they feel compelled to step down

antigr0up said...

Is that a spoof? Last time he was calling people unanarchist. Now they're uncomradely.
The freesheet left much to be desired. Freedom's trailblazing reporter didn't even give the impending AGM a mention in their freesheet. Nothing on the website either.
Don't you think is time you and the collective started doing what Andy ('evening all) keeps on telling outsiders, that it's there to serve "the movement"? How Andy or the rest of you can say this is a complete mystery because since he got the job in 2007 neither him or the collective have ever consulted with the anarchist milieux. Now you're keeping it quiet by avoiding reporting the ongoing disputes in your own premises.
Perhaps some of the collective and other Angel Alley collaborators who espouse consciousness-raising, public accountability and consensus building could give the Freedom vangardists the necessary tools to start doing their job. Preferably not those who intimidate members of the FFP to the point where they feel compelled to step down

Anonymous said...

Yeah dude they're both unanarchist and uncomradely. Crazy I know. The AGM was announced after the freesheet went to print. So obvs didn't know about it. We consult withthe anarchist milleux quite a lot actually, just with people actually doing stuff and not trolls like you and B Bam and Chrissy D. We also just released a statement about Brian's disgraceful behaviour at the AGM that kinda counts as reporting. What do you mean by 'ongoing disputes at your own premises'? We're interested in propaganda not wanking over lefty infighting (which it seems only you lot care about).

Also Richard Parry wasn't intimidated into stepping down, he resigned cos there was a conflict of interest with him representing ASS at the Pitchford inquiry. He's come to a talk recently and even offered to buy a projector for the new social room. Doesn't sound so intimidated to me.

To sum up, all you lot have lied pretty consistently about what goes on here. Spreading lies and slander against fellow anarchists is a pretty shitty thing to do and really marks you out as the massive cunts you are.

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bammy said...

antigrOup: No it's not a spoof, but Master Barr really seems to have a true grasp of British anarchism & 'the movement' such as it is. Rather like the young Buck, Simon Saunders, who only lately discovered the meaning of the word 'syndicalism' long after he joined a syndicalist organization.
Yesterday, Simon was in his element bringing all his schoolboy knowledge of the rugby field to the tussle & turmoil that occurred in Angel Alley last night, and which Private Eye predicted only last year. The issue of the Eye which led to Adam's delightful comment about 'an uncomradely thing', which was actually written by one of the Eye journalists. You'd have been proud of young Simon if you'd seen him in action with Andy panting alongside as they launched me into Angel Alley with the delightful Caroline (now anointed as a Friend) exhorting the lusty lads to greater exertions with cries of 'Get him out, he's just a self publicist!'.
Later the Friends who knew that there had been some comradely conduct in Angel Alley, crowned Caroline, who'd earlier snatched my mobile phone and brief-case while Andy held me tight, as a Friend of Freedom Press. So there you go! The Friends are replacing people like Richard Parry with the best that British anarchism has to offer!

bammy said...

A full report on what happened at the AGM of the Freedom Friends last Wednesday will follow shortly on this NV Blog, including the comradely conduct of Caroline, Andy & Simon in Angel Alley and in the Freedom Bookshop. We hope that everyone will be patient & Northern Voices extends its thanks to those who have supported us, including Mr or Mrs antigrOup through these difficult times. Watch this space and best wishes.

Anonymous said...

No doubt it shall be as chock full of self-serving fantasy as ever. Except this time of course you'll have to present it as mere "tussle and turmoil" rather than your usual trick of calling everyone thugs/threatening to take everyone to court, because an entire building full of people saw you make a fool of yourself trying and failing to provoke a fight.

It's probably time to give up Bamford, how long have you spent now losing friends and alienating people on this fool's errand?

antigr0up said...

Apparently Freedom made some type of statement about your visit but their site is down. Hardly surprising.
The collective and the recent shenanigans show some their tenants are complicit in the failure to make Freedom pertinent to most anarchists.

Some thoughts:
* You can get a much broader and range of books and publications from ActivistDistribution.org -cheaper too.
* Freedom's books are hardly cutting-edge. Between them Foyles on Charing Cross Road and Waterstones (Gower St) have a smaller selection but in both cases they have much more interesting stock.
Freedom will have to close in the next (roughly) two or three years. They have demonstrated their lack of initiative, inertia and openness to change. The only fair conclusion regarding Adam claims that the collective are working on a way to turn the situation around are an exercise in self-deception.

Freedom's closure isn't much of a loss. More than anything else it's an opportunity squandered by incompetents.

bammy said...

Yes, Mr or Mrs antigr0up, we will look forward to reading any report that the Collective put up. It's about time that we had some more transparency regarding Freedom Press.

Martin Gilbert said...

Dear Adam,
Where are you based? Thanks for your post on nv blog although being 76 am not good with computer stuff. For 15 months some of us have been asking for a meeting so that face-to-face ( if I might mention such an ancient form) we can discuss where we go from here. Such a meeting will take a while to fix because unlike those now abusing our place in Angel Alley, live far from London. But that is good because it will give us space (maybe a long one) to see the effect made by those abusers, now having shot-themsleves-in-their-feet with such a huge pack of lies, in front of witnesses; and also having sent that stuff anonymously.
Please would you be kind enough to post this note to you on the N V. blog. as mentioned above I'm no good at that stuff.
Kind regards,
martin gilbert.